I was born a Muslim. Right from my childhood, I have learned that Islam can and must develop in step with the times. I have learned that religion and faith must fit into eternal time. That’s how I also thought it was for a long time. But when I look out into the world, and talk to my fellow Muslims and to third-generation Norwegian-born ethnic minorities growing up in Norway today, I understand that my childhood teachings are failing. We Muslims have not been able to take the debate that recognizes that society has developed since the prophet was handed down the words of Allah almost 1,500 years ago. We who are Muslims in Western countries today must dare to ask the questions that are obvious in our society, but which many choose to ignore or suppress. I see today a religion that has lagged behind society’s modern development, and that has not adapted to the times and the society we live in. The interpretations we Muslims have made of Islam have not been able to adapt to today’s realities. It is not necessarily the religion’s fault, but the Muslims’. Islam came 1500 years ago, adapted to its time. We Muslims have not allowed the religion to develop with the times, as the religion was meant to do. Homosexuality In the western part of the world, homosexuality has long been widely accepted. Not just homosexuality in itself, but that same-sex people live together, also in legally binding partnerships, on an equal footing with married couples of two sexes. In this field, the religious practice of Islam has not proven to be as adaptable as, for example, the Church of Norway, which since 2017 has married two of the same sex. We of course see disagreement about this in Christian circles as well, but in broad terms, Christian religious communities are moving in the same direction as societal development. “Religions are not immutable variables, but are changed and shaped by those who practice them”, points out the leader of Åpen folkekirke, Gard Sandaker-Nielsen in a debate post in Aftenposten. “In Christianity there is room for different opinions about and understanding of what the Bible says about homosexuality and same-sex cohabitation. Therefore, denominations have also developed different practices, and many recognize same-sex cohabitation.” We are not allowed to change the content of the Koran, any more than the content of the Bible. But the interpretation of Islam, to explore the adaptability of our religion to the present, is our task as Muslims. I am not an Islamic scholar, but was for many years a spokesman for the World Islamic Mission. It has always been clear to me that Islam must be developed. I have learned that, and I stand by it. Therefore, my Islamic interpretation allows homosexuality, same-sex marriage and same-sex cohabitation. And I would encourage my fellow Muslims to take the same stand. If enough Muslims do it, then the widespread understanding of what Islam as a religion means will also change. In step with the times. In accordance with our times. Equality Back in time, when the recommendation and order for women to cover up was recorded and gradually followed, it was to “protect” the woman – and “spare” the man from his desires. This was in a different time. They talked about “respectable women”. They should not attract attention or attract the gaze of men. 1,500 years ago, women risked being kidnapped, enslaved, assaulted and raped. It can be argued that protection, in those times, was necessary. Today, such a cover-up is completely out of place. I would rather say that today it is those who cover up in Western societies who attract attention. No one stops at a plainly dressed woman sitting on the subway. It is those who are covered up who get the attention directed towards them. I mean and believe that if we interpret Islam in line with the times, it is no longer possible to say that women today should cover themselves in order not to attract negative attention from men. The recording and observance of it came hundreds of years ago. The way society is – and how men relate to women today – covering up works against its original purpose. We have to go back to the time when Muslim women and men lived by different sets of rules for the interpretation of Islam to make sense. In our society, Norwegian women can do exactly the same as men. We don’t need any rules that give women and men different ways of facing everyday life and life. Women choose for themselves how to live their lives, dress, work, which man/woman/her they want to be with, marry, divorce. That power and the customs some Muslim men claim to uphold today are worthless in our society. Here, too, Islam appears flawed in our time. My Islam, as I choose to interpret it, gives equal rights to women and men. My Islam allows equality and that everyone is free to choose their path in life. Then we don’t need men who decide and doubt interpretations that are hundreds of years old. I want to call on my fellow Muslims to let go and not use their power to restrain and gag young girls and women. Interpretations that were made and worked in the society that was then do not hold up in today’s society. Choose freedom! My call to my Muslim brothers and sisters is to free themselves from an outdated religious interpretation. As a Muslim, I am keen to live with a religion that accepts the fact that science and the view on gender, research, people, morals and ethics have developed a lot in 1500 years. I believe in religion’s place in today’s society, as a modern, relevant and up-to-date player. Therefore, this is a discussion we must dare to have. WATCH THE DEBATE with Abid Raja tonight at 9.15pm: Live debate program with presenter Fredrik Solvang. Published 26/09/2024, at 20.14
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Today is running away from Islam – Speech
