How Saudi Writer Hamza Kashgari Is Right

Saudi authorities are now chasing one of their own citizens who has been threatened after the issuance of a fatwa against him by some religious authorities in that country on charges that he insulted the Prophet Mohammad. As of this moment he is detained in Malaysia, who have said they will hand him over to the Saudis, who will in turn get creative on this bold writer.

Instead of giving this guy a trophy for speaking his mind, they detain him. No wonder this happens in Saudi Arabia—a country largely in denial and where casting the first stone seems to be their leadership's favorite pastime.

Here's what this writer said on Twitter, speaking on the Prophet Mohammad:

1. “On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he wrote in one tweet. My comment: Prophet Mohammad warned Muslims of worshiping him and forgetting his teachings. The Koran has the same language as well. The same people who are now piling on hamza are the same ones who make shrines for the prophet and other Early figures of Islam. Which funny because Islam ruled these things out.
2. “On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” he wrote in a second. My comment: There are two sides of the prophet, the religious side which has been perfected and the personal side that was up for opinion and interpretation. At times, the prophet would consult his companions and seek their counsel.
3. “On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more,” he concluded in a third. My comment: Again, we do not worship Mohammad, he is our beloved prophet. Instead of kissing his hand and such, we should perfect ourselves and cleanse our souls. That would bring us closer to God, his God and ours.

It was OK to disagree with the prophet back then and there are times when he was told he was wrong and he changed course (the location of Bader is an example), and when people called him "unjust", he instructed his companions not to do harm to those people. At one time, his next-door neighbor put trash at his door and he would not fight them, but instead go visit with them. There are many stories like that, where blood was never shed.

What's worse than a guy peeing in the mosque and getting away with it in the presence of the prophet? These people were let go and there was no sharia trial for them. Hamza did none of that, yet he is being promised a death sentence. This goes to show you that Islam was a lot more tolerant back then than the version Wahabis and Salafis promote.

I think the fact that a lot of Muslims celebrate the prophet’s birthday is a made-up occasion. It should not be celebrated; the teachings of the man should be. Later Muslims wanted to maintain a connection with the prophet (peace be upon him), so they started loving the messenger and ignoring the message. Question: How many dictators do we know that claim to be from the house of the prophet, when in reality they are making a profit from the prophet?

It's a shame that such an issue is being raised. If they have their way, these few extremist loons of Islam in Saudi Arabia would execute the man and not even give him a chance to defend or explain his words. This is why they call for him to be tried in a sharia court for apostasy. These people should stick to their business and leave others to enjoy the Free Will that comes with Islam. And they need to remember that they do not have a monopoly on Islam. I maintain these people have every right to be offended, what they do not have a right to is to terrorize people for declaring their personal truths.

I hope those modern day Imams who tour around speaking about tolerant Islam will come to Hamza's defense and argue his case, because he did nothing wrong. And if they do not stand up for this young man, the misguided ones will certainly win. I know I am praying for Hamza and his family at this critical time. Hamza should not have to explain what he said, and he is not alone. There's nothing he said that I disagree with. Islam is about perfecting yourself, not just paying blind lip service to historic figures.

In reality all these people who might end up charging him are full of sins themselves, but they are much better actors who mange to sell an image of being pious. And there's nothing more zealots in any religion loath as much as someone who begs to think outside the box. Because, after all, it's their box. I am really sick of these loons speaking on behalf of my religion, when in reality their own offspring despise them and disapprove of their way of life.

[Hat Tip: Kellee Koenig]

P.S. This kind of backward thinking is not exclusive to Saudi Arabia; it has many franchises throughout the Arab world.

Update: Malaysia deported a Saudi Arabian blogger on Sunday, police said, despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over Twitter comments he made that were deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.