Relationship between Religion and Politics in Islam — Page 10
The Relationship Between Religion & Politics 10 was: ‘I cannot give you more time, because you have already taken more than 1,300 years to ponder over this question. Is that not enough? If thirteen centuries, plus some years are not enough for you to be able to define the very fundamentals of Islam—what is its definition—how much more time would you require?’ So this is a very grave issue. If the Shariah interpretation of one sect is imposed, then it will not just be the non-Muslims who will be dispossessed of the fundamental right of participation in the country’s legislation, but within Islam also there would be many sects who would be deprived of this right. The Interpretation of which Sect is to be Imposed on Shariah Law? Again, there are so many other problems. For Instance, according to some, Shariah concept of punishment for a crime is so much different from the concept of another sect, that Islam would be practised in the world so differently on the same issue, that it would create a horrible impression on the non-Muslim world. What sort of faith is that which advises one punishment for the same crime here and another there? And in some other places it is just the very thing to do and it’s no crime at all. These and many such issues make the question of imposi- tion of Shariah almost impossible. Moreover, the fundamental rights of other sects are also tampered with, or trampled upon, in many possible situations. For instance, on the question of drink- ing of alcohol; alcohol is forbidden in Islam, alright, but the very