Sikander Hashmi – Ethical Protest Impactful Protest KMA Friday Message
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Yeah.
Respected elders,
dear brothers and sisters, my young friends,
We find ourselves in the season of revival.
We see that the sun is out
and the flowers and the plants are starting
to sprout.
And this is from the signs of the
greatness of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. How he
brings the earth back to life after it
has gone dead in the winter.
But my brothers and sisters, this revival, the
season of spring is also a reminder for
us
that 2 seasons
have now passed since the current wave of
oppression started against our brothers and sisters
last fall. And
we find ourselves still in the situation
where there is a feeling of helplessness,
and we continue to witness
the
intolerable
oppression that continues to be exerted upon our
brothers and sisters
with countless,
you know, fatalities,
countless injuries,
countless hardship and pain. We ask Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala
to grant relief to our brothers and sisters
there and everywhere. We ask Allah
to envelope them and all of our brothers
and sisters in His special mercy and protection.
We ask Allah
to deal with the oppressors
because indeed
none of us are able to deal with
them and only Allah can deal with them.
May Allah make it easy.
My brothers and sisters, we are witnessing
a large growing number of protests
across the United States,
the college and camp
and university
campuses
in support of Palestinian human rights.
And the students and professors,
many of them high ranking professor professors are
camping out. They're protesting, and many of them
have been brutally arrested as well.
A heavy handed crackdown is what we are
seeing in a number of cases.
But this
gives us an opportunity, my brothers and sisters,
to discuss the question with regards to protests
and demonstrations from an Islamic perspective.
This is a question that comes up from
time to time, and this is a question
regarding which we find,
perhaps you can say opposing views.
And the reality is that for such questions,
the context truly matters.
Right? As it is often said that in
order for a fatwa to be given, the
one who is giving the fatwa, the Mufti
needs to be aware of the circumstances of
the questioner,
needs to be aware of the context of
the questioner. And the questioner has to describe
the situation accurately in order to receive
the accurate fatwa that would apply to that
circumstance. So
such types, such questions,
they rely heavily on context.
But before we discuss it, let's take a
step back.
Generally speaking, we know
that we are enjoined
to do certain things. So Allah
commands us to stand up for justice
and truth as witnesses to Allah
2 places in the Quran.
So,
So Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentions it in
two places in Surah Al Nisa and Surah
Al Maidah.
And
we know that we are instructed to speak
up against oppression as the as a man
asked the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that
that which jihad which struggle is the most
virtuous. And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said
to say, speak of, to speak a word
of truth, of justice, of fairness in front
of a tyrant oppressor, a tyrant ruler. And
we know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells
us what Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala also tells us that we
should be people who promote and who side
with the truth. And the clear hadith of
the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
with regards to effectuating positive change first through
our hands, if not then through our tongues,
through our words, and if not with our
hearts. And the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said
that that is the weakest form of faith.
So this there is no dispute on these
principles. Everyone agrees and everyone accepts
that these are injunctions that we find
in the Quran and in the teachings of
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The question is
my brothers and sisters is how to go
about it. Now most of the,
evidences, arguments against, you know, protests and against
demonstrations,
they, assume a few things. Those rulings assume
a few things. So first of all, they
assume that they are being done as an
act of,
an act against a Muslim ruler or as
an act of rebellion against a Muslim ruler,
number 1. They also assume
that the protests and demonstrations
will be disruptive as oftentimes they tend to
become and that they will involve activities
which are haram or which are blameworthy,
which will cause chaos and disorder in society.
So this is another one of the assumptions
in this ruling.
They also consider that there is no precedence
from the in in the actions or from
the actions of the prophet
and the Sahaba
for protests and demonstrations
as we see them today, which of course
is true.
And the position rather is that any concerns
with regards to dissatisfaction,
any concerns
with regards to wrong that is or evil
that is being committed, it should be advised
or should be expressed privately
That it should be advised privately to the
ruler and it should not be done in
this form and that is the position with
regards to prohibition
of demonstrations
and protests.
On the other hand, if you look at
the other side of the, of of the
issue,
it can be argued
that, you know, gathering in large numbers
was something that had a psychological
effect
on the adversaries of the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam
and the and the and of the Muslims.
And on multiple occasions, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam and the Sahaba
did gather in large numbers like the 1400
or so who joined the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam
and going from Madinah to Madqa
in wanting to perform the Umrah, and they
were prohibited from entering Makkah. And therefore, you
know, that led to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
Or for example, the 10,000
who entered Makkah and Mukarumah for the conquest.
Now the
Muslims did engage in civil disobedience
as well, what would be termed as civil
disobedience today by worshiping openly in Mecca, when
they were in small numbers, especially after Sayyidina
Umar accepted
Islam. That was something which was not allowed.
They weren't supposed to do that, but they
went against
the norms of society. They went against
the rules, so to speak, and they challenged
the rules and they engaged in what we
could arguably call civil disobedience.
They also reportedly
engaged in showing their growing numbers in a
type of, you could say, rally or a
march in the streets of Mecca.
Now, more recently,
we have seen the effects
of protests and civil disobedience
by African Americans, by blacks in the United
States in the in the fight for racial
equality
and the same against apartheid in South Africa
as well. And there are many other examples
where there have been movements of people who
have resisted and who have stood up against
injustice, against oppression, against things which were wrong.
And history has shown that their efforts
did lead to some positive results.
So the reality it seems,
my brothers and sisters, is that protesting is
a means
which
can have positive outcomes
or it could have negative outcomes depending on
a number of factors. And this is what
I would like to highlight today Insha'Allah.
Now in our context
here in the West,
we know that
protesting and having demonstrations
can be a legitimate
means legitimate way of raising awareness
and getting attention for a cause and putting
pressure on governments. We know that this is
something which is accepted, and it is actually
considered to be a right of types, of
sort. You know, the right to,
to, to peaceful assembly, the right to demonstrate,
you know, and this is something which is
facilitated actually by the authorities. So if you
want to organize a demonstration, you can go
to the city. You can talk to the
police. You can get a permit, you know,
and many cases, actually, the police are there
to assist you and try to come up
with a route and a plan that is,
you know, going to be least disruptive and,
you know, that respects the right to protest
but also, balances public safety
and access for the public as well. So
this is something which is
facilitated
generally
in these countries.
However, my brothers and sisters, there are some
very important considerations
before organizing
or joining
a protest or a demonstration.
And let me share those with you. So
number 1, the first consideration is what is
the objective?
Because the objective,
first of all, should be Islamically sound. We
cannot be protesting for something.
First of all, we shouldn't be protesting for
something in a in a way which we
don't know the objective or we don't know
what we're trying to achieve, but we just
want to go and, you know, express our
anger and frustration and just, you know, blow
some some heat and and and, you know,
just let let things out. That's that is
not a
a a meaningful purpose for a protest. Okay?
So, there should be a a meaningful objective
and that objective should be Islamically sound, number
1. Number 2,
who are the primary object objects of the
protest?
Who are we protesting to? So the message
should primarily be geared
towards
the decision makers, the people in the best
positions
to effectuate positive change.
It should not be to punish
or to annoy innocent people.
The purpose shouldn't be to cause a massive
disruption
so that there is some attention that is
given to the cause. And therefore, something's gonna
come out of that. So it should be
focused
on the people who are most likely the
closest
to be able to do something about the
concerns or about the issue that is being
protested about. Number 3, where is the protest?
Efforts should be made
to, once again, minimize
disruption to ordinary people,
to try to limit the effect to those
who are the focus, the objects of the
protest.
Inconveniencing
ordinary people
to make them feel uncomfortable
or pressured, you know, is likely to be
counterproductive.
You know?
I happen to be at, you know, a
a place where the entrance to a venue
was being blocked, you know, for a few
minutes because of what was happening inside.
And I noticed that there was, you know,
a,
there was a woman, a lady who was
trying to get out, and her car was
also being blocked by, you know, by as
part of the protest. But she was trying
to leave the venue, And it seemed like
she was frantically trying to call and she
seemed to be in a rush. So I
said, okay. You know what? Let her go.
Right? There's no point in keeping her stopped.
Maybe she has an emergency she has to
go to. Maybe she's late picking up her
children from daycare, whatever the case may be.
So
don't unnecessarily
inconvenience
innocent ordinary people because
it is likely to be counterproductive. And more
importantly, on top of that, the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam has told us about the rights
of the roads.
What has he told us? About respecting the
rights of the roads and those rights need
to be respected. And the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said, Lower the gaze,
refrain from harm, return greetings of peace, and
enjoying good and forbid evil. Right? So these
are from amongst the rights of the roads
and we have to be careful that if
we are engaging in some sort of demonstration
or protest that we are respecting the rights
of the road. Number 4, the messaging.
What are the messages, the signs, the chance,
etcetera,
that are likely to be most effective
and which ones are going to be counterproductive.
It should not include anything which is considered
to be
hate speech as it may Islamically be wrong
and may legally be wrong as well, or
at the very least, it's gonna end up
being counterproductive.
Right? Because what ends up happening,
a large number of people go and they
protest peacefully, but because there's one person or
a few people who have a certain message,
which is deemed to be offensive,
then the entire protest and the entire gathering
gets labeled. And that is what the focus
goes on as opposed to the actual issue
that was being talked about. So the messaging
is very important. Number 5,
peace,
order, and good character, right? There's probably nothing
more destructive
to a cause
than chaos or violence or poor character. Okay?
And remember that the larger a protest gets,
the greater the chances
that some troublemakers,
some instigators,
counter protesters are going to come and it's
going to turn into a liability rather than
a benefit for the cause. Okay? So, smaller
the protest, the easier it is to manage.
The bigger it gets, the more careful you
have to be. And, also, you know, mind
the language because a protest or being upset
or angry is not an excuse
for using filthy language. You know, if other
people are going around using bad words, you
know, for
leaders, for the prime minister, for whoever, that
does not allow us. It does not it's
not an excuse for us to go and
to do the same thing as well. This
is not something which is from the character
of a Muslim. Number 6,
perception.
You know, because one of the things that
also matters in the society in these countries
is favorable public opinion. It is a great
tool that can help the cause.
So the question is consideration
is, is the protest likely to improve
public opinion for the cause and for the
participants?
Or is it likely to hurt the cause
and the participants?
If people are already
looking down upon you, your cause, and your
group, and then you end up doing something
which is going to do more of the
same, it's going to lead them to do
the same even more. It's not going to
help the cause. Number 7, alliances.
You know, joining forces with other groups to
increase the numbers can be great. There's Islamically
nothing wrong with building alliances. The prophet
also was part of an alliance
for social justice. Right? To get justice for
people. And the participants in the alliance were
not Muslim, right, at the time. So
there's no issue with alliances. However, it can
be risky if you end up joining forces
with the wrong people, with groups that have
lowly character or they're problematic
in other ways. So you need a a
high level of awareness and understanding
before making alliances. You know, generally, I'm
perfectly in favor of making alliances,
but there are some important exceptions. So don't
just align with anyone who says, oh, I
support your cause. Oh, you're doing a great
job. Oh, go go. Yes. We're we're with
you and they're pushing you forward and you
think they're your buddies, but they're not. Okay?
So be careful about alliances.
Number 8, Islamic appropriateness.
You know, of course, special care should be
taken to ensure that Islamic guidelines are respected
especially with regards to dress, with regards to
modesty, with regards to lowering the gaze and
free mixing and respect for prayer times and
so on. If you're, of course, we're in
a crowded place in a in a march
or in a demonstration,
but we keep a respectful distance. We ensure
that we're not getting too close to people.
We're not acting in manners which are inappropriate
or which are which are, you know, make
things uncomfortable for others. So we try to
be especially careful about that. So in short,
my brothers and sisters, the decision
to hold a demonstration or a protest
should not be the go to for every
cause. Anything happens, you say, okay. We're just
gonna go. We're gonna march. That's not how
it should be. And it should not be
taken lightly
especially if it is likely to be a
large gathering. Now regardless of whether one chooses
to protest or not, we should respect
each other's choices
because not everything works for everyone. Not everyone
sees everything in the same way. So just
be respectful of what other people choose. You
know, if somebody is choosing to go to
a protest, respect their choice. You know, if
somebody chooses not to go to a protest
and they have the reasons, then respect their
choice as well. One thing is certain though,
my brothers and sisters, is that when we
are faced with blatant injustice
and open evil,
we do need to respond in an appropriate
way. You know, the method can vary, but
apathy,
being in a situation where we say, well,
there's nothing we can do. We're not going
to do anything. That is not an option.
We need to respond
in an appropriate
way. The Palestinian cause, of course, is front
and center. And this, my personal view is
that protests for this cause are generally positive
provided that the messaging
is supportive. The chance, the messaging, the, you
know, the signs are supportive and assertive
rather than being inflammatory and threatening.
If they're inflammatory and threatening, it does not
help the cause. It is counterproductive.
June is also coming up,
and I really do not believe that it
is productive
or helpful
to have
nationwide
protests
against gender identity and homosexuality.
Of course,
beliefs and actions that go against the fitra
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala against the design
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for us
that he has set for us things that
go against that. Of course, they are immoral
and of course, they are wrong. And we
must do our part to oppose them like
any other evil or any other haram.
But nationwide protests coordinated large protests like we
saw last year are counterproductive
and they hurt the cause
further. And I say that as someone who
is deeply involved in trying to address these
issues. This is what is apparent to me
at this time and only Allah
knows best. We ask Allah
to make us from amongst the people of
the truth. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to guide us through these challenges. We ask
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us those
who respond in the best way possible.