Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 369
— Part IV 360 The Root of the Malady of Racism Racism, which is the root cause of distinction between different nations, in fact flourishes within every home. The Quran being the word of God pinpoints this root of all evil and throws ample light on this subject. To help humankind to abstain from every form of racism the following verse of the Quran declares: O ye who believe! let not one people deride another people, who may be better than they, nor let women deride other women, who may be better than they. And do not slander your own people, nor taunt each other with nick-names. It is bad indeed to earn foul reputation after professing the faith; and those who repent not are the wrongdoers. (S u rah al- H ujur a t; Ch. 49: V. 12) Now this subject has been explained in such detail that no one who reads the Quran even cursorily can put forward the excuse that he was unaware of it. Unfortunately, however, such vices prevail even in the Muslim countries where these verses are repeatedly recited. They all say we have believed and have testified, but in the world of practice they forget all this. They consider such practices as trivial but