Criticism most confounding

That was indeed more than a message not only to the Muslim world but to all in general that projects community rights over individual rights. Yes, I refer to Somalia born Aiyan Ali, now a member of the Dutch Parliament, enclaved by a ring of security guards for her forthright but at times faltering views on Islam.

Ali was interviewed by BBC, London, for nearly three quarter of an hour - an unusual time-frame given the brief interviews otherwise.

Born to Muslim parents and married off to one who her father thought was 'the man' for her, she later fled to Germany and thereafter to Netherlands.

Certainly, Ali needs to be hailed for some of her pronouncements but where she falters is when she blames Islam for Muslims' actions worldwide.

She sees Islam as a religion not guaranteeing freedom of conscience. That Islam does not encourage equality of sexes, that it discriminates against women, encourages male chauvinism and subordination of women, genital mutilation and honour killings is all of Ali's fancy.

She indeed is a rare treat to Western political establishments - all out to see the downing of Islam and the Muslim fraternity for the sake of gaining firm global economic foothold. Creating a common religion and culture is not for the love of Jesus per se but a tool to achieve economic goals.

Significantly, her charge of Islam as not permitting freedom of conscience is baseless as the Quran's Sura Baqara SII 255-257 says:

'Let there be no compulsion in religion
Truth stands out clear from error'

At the drop of a hat she ungrudgingly and lavishly blames the Prophet and Islam but strange enough not the Muslim 'Ummat'.

The Quran as is any other religious book, is one of the most poetic, rhythmic and extremely meaningful pieces of world literature one could encounter. According to Pakistani scholar Yusuf Ali - its translator - this holy book contains 700 layers. This then is why the ordinary mind is not able to comprehend most of its passages of a sublime and mystical nature. Any attempts to do so is akin to getting at the pearl, diving deep into the sea.

Though Muslims to this day will swear by its authenticity somewhere through the ages here and there it has been tampered with to project Islam as grotesque and crude while its mystic component remains untouched - not a difficult thing to do considering Western animosity towards Islam.

Ali even outrageously forsakes God and refuses heaven and hell. Her irrational claim to Islam and its misinterpretation makes her fall in line with ordinary Muslim thinking - the difference being that the latter cling on to Islam with whatever surface interpretation, while she with these same interpretations has rejected Quranic teaching - her only point of digression and agreement being Muslim hospitality.

For those blessed with inner vision the Islamic version of heaven is far removed from what it is to the sensual mind. Heaven is described in terms of what pleases the senses through symbols and allegory to enable believers into blissful state.

The achievement of a perfected personality - a bliss that grows within us and does not depend on external circumstances is the Islamic concept of heaven, according to translator Yusuf Ali.

For those blessed with inner vision, heaven is far removed from what it is to the sensual mind.

The Holy Quran further states of heavenly bliss thus: 'It may require the utmost effort of a lifetime or more (Jihaad) but it is the supreme achievement - the Felicity in excelsis'. (xliv - 57 and 4733).

This being the Islamic idea of heavenly bliss or salvation it would do well for Ali to interpret the Quran in its correct perspective before arriving at hasty conclusions and joining some other for whatever reason.

For any excesses committed by some in the Muslim 'Ummat', the spirit of Islam should not be waylaid. Being within the sensual fold will hinder attempts in finding whatever is vibrant and positive in any religious book let alone Islam.

The Bible, the Geetha and all other need careful handling in interpretation. Its wrongful rendition itself falls short of the perfected personality. However, Ali is most certainly at her best in her proposition of equality of cultures. "What of the inequality within cultures?" she asks and cites discrimination of women as a violation of individual or human rights.

She needs to be adequately felicitated when she says that intra-cultural inequality should not be condoned simply because the majority in that culture have accepted that inequality as being part of their culture.

This brings to columnist's mind, among other things, justification of honour killings in some Muslim communities by a majority in that assembly which has received community licensing though it violates individual rights.

She insists, quite rightly that such rights should not be forsaken for the sake of majority thinking that it is part of a community's culture.

"Islam is going through reform," she said and continued, "and in that debate I am projecting to the Muslim and Western world that secular individualism is more fruitful and prosperous than following the way of pure religion or that of the Prophet." Interestingly, Muslim scholars counter argue;

"Then one may ask, how far has secular individualism of liberal democracies protected the rights of women, children and the poor?"

Talking of secular individualism, it also brought to writer's mind how in rich economies individual rights are sacrificed to great lengths leaving room for depriving and weakening the individual itself.

Over to you Ali!