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Institute of Muslim MinorityAffairs. JournalPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjmm19

Abdur Rahman DoiAbdul Haq AnsariPublished online: 20 Mar 2007.

To cite this article: Abdul Haq Ansari (1987) Abdur Rahman Doi, Institute of MuslimMinority Affairs. Journal, 8:2, 252-253, DOI: 10.1080/02666958708716037

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02666958708716037

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Abdur Rahman DoiDuties and Responsibilities of Muslims in non-Muslim States:A Point of View, Vol. VIII:IComment: Abdul Haq AnsariRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Doi has written a very thoughtful paper on a very important subject. It deservesa matching response. However due to limitations of time, I will confine.myself toa few comments.

Dr. Doi has rightly pointed out that Muslim minorities wherever they reside arean integral part of their societies. It is their duty to abide by the law of the land,cooperate with their compatriots and their government in the welfare of the society,and in its economic development and prosperity. They should fully participate inprojects that aim at the good of the country: not only as citizens but also and moreimportantly as Muslims faithful to their religion. Their religion teaches them to co-operate in all acts that promote goodness and piety. It is this tenet of their DivineMessage that also obligates them to invite their countrymen to the good and dissuadethem from the bad.

Unfortunately, the situation in many countries where Muslims are in a minorityis not very conducive to this committed approach. Muslim minorities face im-pediments which are not in general faced by other minorities. Problems created bysections of the majority community, often with the connivance or encouragementof governmental authorities, reduce Muslim lives to a relentless struggle for sur-vival and do not allow them the energy or the leisure for other constructive pursuits.

Dr. Doi has discussed some of these problems Muslim minorities face today: in-security of life and property, economic backwardness, denial of political rights, inter-ference in worship and religious practices, poor education and employment oppor-tunities, and, above all, threats to their social identity. He has rightly pointed outthat each Muslim minority has to solve its own problems, without looking up toMuslim majority countries, most of which are beset with their own internal prob-lems, or for one reason or the other, opt not to give forceful expression to theirconcern for their co-religionists. This majority attitude is not very desirable and insome instances may only be termed as deplorable, but it reinforces the argumentthat Muslim minorities have to themselves learn to cope with their problems. Theyhave to forge a strong unity, rally behind a sincere and prudent leadership, strugglefor their cause with faith in God, and be prepared to offer sacrifices whenever call-ed for. The most important thing is self-restraint in the face of provocations. Often,suffering patiently may prove to be wiser than retaliation against a majority backedby a biased administration or a hostile police force. However, there may be situa-tions, and Dr. Doi has pointed out some of them, which may demand not patient

252—Journal Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 8:2, July 1987

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suffering but concerted struggle and great sacrifice.These points are well-made by the author and must be appreciated by all. There

are however points in the paper where I would suggest to Dr. Doi to rethink hisformulations.

The importance of establishing good relations with members of the majority com-munity, and for that purpose participating in their festivities cannot be overstated.But a note of caution should be sounded here. One should distinguish between func-tions which are essentially religious from those which are socially oriented. Thereis no harm in participating in celebrations of birth, marriage or occasions of griefand bereavement. But participation in essentially religious functions or festivals suchas Diwali, Holi and Puja in India, or Christmas and Easter in Christian countriesis a different matter. I do not think that one can participate in these functions withoutcompromising one's beliefs.

Dr. Doi considers it absolutely harmless for Muslims to adopt any dress style inuse among the majority community provided it covers the satr. He does take excep-tion, wisely I think, to such dress forms that are likely to injure Islamic moral sen-sitivities. But, curiously enough, he also states that he would not mind a Muslimwearing the robe of a Buddhist monk, since it does not violate the satr. I think hehas gone a little too far in this respect. Like functions and festivities, one shouldalso distinguish between the dress of the common man and the specific dress of areligious class — Buddhist monks, Christian priests and nuns or Hindu sadhus. Ithink that such specific and clearly identifying dress styles should be avoided byMuslims. Here the hadith that "whoever imitates a community is one of them" ismore worthy to be taken into account than any other consideration. Islam withoutdoubt requires that a Muslim should appear distinctly Muslim from his outer ap-pearance too. The preservation of the self-identity of a community largely dependson such things.

The case of joining the army of a non-Muslim state to battle against the forcesof a Muslim state, as expressed by Dr. Doi, is also debatable. I do not think thatif the Muslim state is in the right, a Muslim could justifiably fight against it infellowship with his non-Muslim forces. He can only fight when his own countryis wrongly attacked.

Dr. Doi has also drawn attention to the obligations of the Muslim Ummah towardsMuslim communities living outside Muslim jurisdictions. This task undoubtedly re-quires the urgent consideration of the Ummah, but, unfortunately, the Ummah haschosen so far to let the challenge pass.

Journal Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 8:2, July 1987—253

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