Islam and Human Rights — Page 195
Prevalent Attitudes Towards Human Rights Among Muslims 195 Allah. It is they who are truthful. “Say to them: Will you acquaint Allah with your faith, while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and Allah knows all things full well? They think they have done thee a favour by their adhering to Islam. Tell them: Deem not your accepting Islam a favour unto me. On the contrary, Allah has bestowed a favour upon you in that He has guided you to the Faith, if you are truthful. Verily, Allah knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. Allah sees all that you do” (49:15-19). In these conditions of stress and turmoil, there were cases of defection of groups or of individuals. When an in dividual or a group defected from the Muslim side and went over to the enemy, they denounced Islam. These were cases of treason as well as of apostacy. In truth no real change of religion was involved. These people’s declaration that they adhered to Islam was evidence of political submission rather than of faith on the basis of belief. When they changed sides they renounced political allegiance, became adherents of the enemy and joined its forces. They were de scribed as apostates, a generic term which, in the conditions of those days, connoted the political crime of changing sides during the course of the war, made public and effective by a