The Challenges of Islam Today

The utmost important of the challenges of Islam to-day is the problems that facing non-Muslim in understanding some of critical issues regarding their unsatisfaction towards Islam. The critical issues are as follows:


1) Hijab for Women (A)
The question that always been asked is, why Islam discriminate women with hiding them at the back of curtain (Hijab)? Before we answered this question, shall we observe the women status before the existence of Islam, it can see as follow: 


a) The Babylon civilization
They were denied the justice for women, for example if the men killed the other men or women, his wife will punished for his crime.

b) The Greek civilization
They accepted women status same as the animal. The prostitution is common in Greeks civilization.

c) The Roman Civilization
The male have a right to kill his wife. The prostitution too is common in Rome civilization same as the Babylonian. 

d) The Egyptian Civilization
The ancient Egyptian society accepted the woman is evil and they are the sign of evil.

e) The Arab’s before the existence of Islam
Before the existence of Islam the Arab’s people had discriminate their women. They often buried their daughter who had just been birth.


1) Hijab for Women (B)
 When Islam reached, it has appreciated the status of women. This contain actually as followed what had been stated in al-Quran and Sunnah. Basically it has six criteria as follows:

1. The limit of Aurat: the aurat for male is; at least he must cover his body from the middle of body until his knee. For women, she must cover her whole body, except her face and hands. Several ulama say that the women face and hands is compulsory to cover in the rule of hijab. Beside that five more criteria the rule of clothing for women and man.
2. They must wear the loose cloth and it not exposed any part of the body.
3. They can’t wear the transparent cloth that can expose the skin inside the cloth.
4. They can’t wear the cloth that obviously too glamour that can attract the other’s gender.
5. They can’t wear the cloth that similar with the opponent gender.
6. They can’t wear the cloth that have an image that doesn’t showed the Islamic culture such as the cross sign.


Hijab too not only to cover someone body but it can cover their habit, such as they way they walk, speak and others. The other hijab from the clothing hijab that should consist is the eye, heart, thinking and intention hijab. As follow the words of Allah s.w.t in surah Al-Ahzab 33:59 with mean that hijab was suggested for women so that they can be the polite person and avoid them from rappers. Islam very concern about the right for women especially for appreciated their status. For example, for the rapped case following to Islamic syariat, who are accused as guilty from raping the women, we will sentence them to death. In West, they against about this and they are discriminate the women with take them as “sugar baby” also as the hooker. United States of America (USA) is one country that posses highest rapped crime case beside become a progressive country in the world. The conclusion is, if a country in the world practice to wear the hijab, this world would become more peaceful.


2) Islam spread off with the sword
 The statement in above is not true. The reason can see as follow:

a) The meaning of Islam
 Peaceful is the meaning of Islam. Surrender and Godly to Allah. However, if we had been beaten and discriminate without guilty, we should to fight back. May be this is one of factors why Islam can be spreaded quickly in the past years and the Islam enemy had label it as spreaded with the war or through the sword. For this context Al-Qur’an in surah Al-Baqarah 2: 256 had explained:

“Let there no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.”Beside, Allah had order with the brilliant, “the sword” that more sharp to conquer the human heart and thinking in surah An-Nahl 16: 25

“Let them bear, on the Day of Judgment, their own burdens in full, and also (something) of the burdens in full, and also (something) of the burdens of those without knowledge, whom they misled." 

b) De Lacy O’Leary in his book, Islam at the Cross Roads.
 This book had explained that the history has proven that the muslim’s who were fanatic in spreaded Islam with force and brutal actually is fake. The De Lacy O’Leary statement is very true if we look from history fact such as Islam in Spain, Indonesia, Arab’s country and the east coast of Africa.
In Spain, Islam had ruled this country for 800 years. Islam grew very fast in here with the development of knowledge that proven the Islam itself. The developments of knowledge are very popular in Europe on that time that centered in Cordova. But, later on the Cross Fighters was used the sword to discriminate and dissipate the Muslims from Spain.


2) Islam spread off with the sword
 Most of Indonesia citizen is Muslims, the history was witnessed that Islam separated here without the military action. In the Arab’s country itself, Islam has existed for 1,400 years ago but there still have 14 millions the Arab people believe to Christian. If Islam grow up with the sword there will no more the Christian people. In India, Islam had based in India government for a thousand years and for now, more than 80% its citizen believed to Hindu gods. If the Muslim take a brutality action same as what had done by Christian army to the Muslim, probably the Hindu disciples not many as today. It’s same with the progression of Islam in East Coast of Africa, there no have even one Muslims soldiers invade that region.

c) The Progression of Islam today.
 The progression of Islam is very fast for this time in the world. According to one article that published by Reader’s Digest that entitled Almanac in 1986 and The Plain Truth , Islam had grew up in 235% rate for 30 years period (1954-1984), however Christian has 47% rate of progression. The progression of Islam is very fast in America and Europe rather than other religion. What must highlighted in here is the rapidly progression not involved the brutality action or in other word with using the sword. It might be accurate if we said it spreaded with using the “eye of pen” or “the eye of heart”.
Followed to Sunday Times (London), many of white man elite embrace to Islam. One research was held by Yahya Birt; before this he was known as Jonathan Birt, son of Lord Birt the former Director of British Broadcasting Council (BBC) was given the strong data about the amount of the white man elite that embrace to Islam in Britain. He concludes that have 14,200 the white man elite had converted to Islam. He said, at the beginning he don’t have a strong reason to embrace Islam, but he realize that the entire Islam is so deep, balance, logic and the spirit of the way of life in Islam is so convinced him. Beside that, in the same week he witness the grand, grand child of former Britain Prime Minister, Emma Clark, determined to choose Islam as her way of life.


3) The relationship between Islam, Fundamentalist and Terrorist.
 The truly is the words of terrorism is very too hasty to label for Muslims. This had been planned by the people who fear with their own shadow because Islam has been rapidly blossomed in peacefully at their countries. Islam prohibit to all human killing each other except with the reason that allowed by syara’. Allah had say with the meaning:

“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with Clear Signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land”
(QS, Al-Maidah 5:32)

The words of fundamental had been misused. In the beginning these words are used to refer a group of Christian people who believe Bible is the holy words without any mistake from the god. Followed to the oxford dictionary fundamentalism is meant extremely believe to the any old religion fundamental doctrine especially Islam. It rare in this world today, if someone used the word fundamentalist; they will think about the Muslims terrorists. Actually, its truly meaning followed to Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, the fundamentalist is the people who practice and obey to the theory of doctrine that followed by them. However, this fundamentalist supposed refer to related activity. If the robber is the fundamentalist, they will create the danger situation for the society, but if the Doctor is the fundamentalist they will become a good doctor and appreciated by the society.
In this context, it’s bizarre to label the Muslims who accepted as patriot of hero as the ‘terrorist’ who believe what are they doing. For example before India gain they independence from British, a few national figure who fight for the independence of India that do their work with peace had categorizes as the terrorist by the British. Its too happen in Malaysia before we can declare as free, Mat Kilau was accepted as terrorist by the British. Mat Kilau, the Malay independence fighter, not only declared as terrorist but he had accused as the traitor. The true fact is, Mat Kilau is the pure fighter who against the colonialism of English for that time in Pahang, Peninsular of Malaysia.
Because of this, all the Muslim must become a fundamentalist to Islam for understand the truth of meaning and thought of Islam that carry the meaning of the peaceful and society justice. In Islamic context, it forbids to all disciples to punish someone without strong evidence. About the killing matter, Islam was forbid to kill someone except there have an enough evident to prove they guilty followed the syura’ rule.
The question is, who is the true “TERRORIST” actually in this globalization context today? Who is the number one Murderer? You may know the answer when we view on the clear evidence based on Three Important World Tragedy in this century; The World Trade Centre (WTC) bombing, the invasion of Iraq and the murdered of Rafik Hariri


by : Dr. Nawi Jusoh


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