Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 175
— Part II 170 permission to convert anyone forcibly and no person renouncing a religion can be prevented by force. In addition, the proclamation 'L a Ikr a ha Fidd i ni' alludes to an unalterable principle of human nature, that is, even if force is used it is ineffective in matters of religion because it cannot cause a change in an attitude of mind and heart. To try and do this by compulsion is a futile exercise which achieves nothing but oppression. In this verse, the right to use force is denied to all religions, since the use of the word d i n is general and is applicable to all religions and not solely to Islam. Apparently, some other religions also disclaim the use of force, but the question is: do their Divine Scriptures present this teaching with such clarity? I believe, that in principle, a similar teaching may be found in all Divine books. Albeit, it may not be so comprehensive, it may be comparatively rudimentary and it may even have been doctored by later followers to suit their own personal objectives, but that is a separate issue. As far as the Holy Quran is concerned, it does not stop at stating this basic principle but exonerates all religions from the accusation that they used force to propagate their teachings. It names previous Prophets as and their teachings and declares them to be the upholders of freedom of conscience. As against them, it is always the opponents of truth who attempt to suppress it with the help of coercion. The same verse speaks of the futility of their exercise. The