Muslim world must adopt democracy

THE two Saudi girls honour-killed by their family by being drowned, Pakistani mobs and priesthood calling for the death of Christian Asia Bibi for blasphemy, the assassination of Jamal Kashoggi by the Saudi government for speaking out, and the murder of Coptic Christians in Egypt by extremists is a barometer of the state of the Muslim world.

For us to ask and fight for the freedom of Palestinians, Kashmiris, Chinese Uigurs, Rohingya, etc, and then oppress our own people, starve them, honour-kill them, torture them, bomb them, calling for the deaths of apostates and blasphemers, jail them for speaking out, is a contradiction.

Even if the Palestinians are freed today, Hamas and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) will fight to the death to impose another dictatorship. The Palestinians will just be exchanging one tyrant for another.

Until we Muslims adopt democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and religion, the call for a jihad to free the Palestinians, Kashmiris, Chinese Uigurs and Rohingya is premature.

First undertake the jihad of reforming our false Greek (rule by the scholar-king) and other pagan beliefs and go back to the straight path (life is a test, democracy, majority rule and rule of law) implicit and explicit in the Qu’ran and establish our God-given rights and free our people imprisoned in 40-odd Muslim monarchies, dictatorships, pseudo democracies and failed states.

I will be locked up and tortured in most Muslim countries for writing the above. Why is Islam important for South Africa and the world? Because Islam has the largest number of followers in Africa and will have the largest number in the world around 2070 (PEW Research Group*). NAUSHAD OMAR Athlone, Cape Town

PEW Research Group is a nonpartisan American fact tank based in Washington, DC. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the US and the world. The Pew Research Centre is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. | Letters Editor