Matters of Justice and Injustice - Essay Example

Matters of Justice and Injustice Introduction In the context of Islam, justice de s placing everything in their lawfulplace, or giving equal treatment to everyone. Justice is an attribute of human personality and a moral virtue since it is almost similar to equality in the fact that it forms stability in the sharing of duties and rights. The issue of emphasizing justice in an Islamic set up is on equivalence and not on equality. Thus, children, men and women, adults, and various ethnic groups need treatment in a manner true to their nature rather than their identity (Rosen & Lawrence 25). My beliefs on matters of justice and injustice I developed a belief that the world is still divided on issues to do with religion on matters relating to justice and injustice. As a female Muslim student, studying in a Christian dominated country, I have severally passed through thorough scrutiny, as compared to the rest of my American counterparts, when it comes to security checks when I visit some shopping malls in the city. I realized that some people relate Islam to terror and violence, thus, treating Muslims with utmost keenness. It made me develop a belief that the world is not fair to Muslims on issues relating to segregation based on terrorism and violence. I feel that the world treats Islamic religion unfairly because not all Muslims are terrorists. There is injustice in the treatment of Muslims by Christians in other countries that are not Islam dominated. This leads to isolation as a course of the discrimination. Whenever such happens to me, I feel it is a religious injustice and maybe even racial because, it is easy to recognize a Muslim who is of Arabic descent, as I am, from other Muslims in the USA. Matters of justice and injustice The death penalty It is an injustice to deny someone the right to live simply because of committing a capital crime; this is from my school of thought as an individual. The Sharia law advocates for death as a punishment to a heinous crime committers, Islam as a religion does support it basing on Sharia laws. The punishment for a crime like murder in Saudi Arabia is death by beheading in public; therefore, I believe that the death penalty is an injustice since it goes against everyone’s right to life, despite the mistake he or she has done. This is because, the penalty deprives the victims a chance to learn from the previous crimes they committed, so to me it serves no meaning at all. My religion, Islam, condones death penalty for various crimes committed, but, as an individual, I totally disagree with the stand. In Saudi Arabia, which is my country, death penalty, also called capital punishment, bases on Islamic Sharia law and has a wide range of crimes. The offences leading to its use vary from rape, murder, armed robbery, adultery and purported witchcraft. I do not support any of these crimes but I feel it is not right for a human being to lose a life for having committed any of these crimes. Criminals can undergo punishment in various ways apart from facing the death penalty in various ways. I strongly disagree with the Sharia law for necessitating capital punishment as a punishment for a capital crime. Many countries across the world do not subscribe to the use of capital punishment/death penalty as a means of punishing criminals. This is because; it is an injustice to humanity and a deprivation of an individual’s right to life. Gay rights Secondly, the issuance of gay rights is an injustice to the moral virtues and a defilement of my beliefs as a Muslim. I do not subscribe to homosexuality, lesbianism or bisexuality because, all this go against the teachings of the Quran. The Quran prohibits homosexuality because it goes against the natural order, ruins marriages, and makes individuals disregard God in other spheres of life (Stein & Marc 57). I think gays should not have the right to practice this dirty act anywhere in the world. As a Muslim, I feel like it is absolute immorality and going against the societal values and expectations. Gay acts are unclean, against nature, and dirty in the eyes of Islam and the culture of my people. We share the same belief with the Christians concerning gay rights and gay acts. The Christians do not support it either because it is not in line with the teachings of the bible. My culture, Saudi, does not subscribe to same sex marriages or relationship, so I do not think that gays in the world need to have any right (Kafka 20). The use of offensive language Offensive language use is an injustice to the people around us or listening to us, such language includes the use of homophobic, racist and sexist statements or words. It goes against the expectations of the society and the morality of the Saudi culture; thus, I do not support the use of homophobic, sexist and racist language because it creates boundaries on the globe. It is a risk to world peace and societal harmony; moreover, using inoffensive language is not just about religious teachings or political correctness; it is about building bridges with various people from diversified ethnics and valuing others (Napoli 100). Who is to get few seats on the final lifeboat in the case of a crowded sinking ship? According to the Holy Quran, both men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah; however, the Saudi people give men an upper hand as compared to women. Men can marry more than one wife because Islam allows for that, but women can only marry one man, this is because there is no equality in terms of men marrying and women getting married. On a crowded sinking ship, women and children should get the few remaining seats on the final lifeboat. This is because the two are vulnerable to many dangers but are not able to defend themselves fully the way men can. A man may swim to save his life because generally men are stronger than women are. It is an injustice to leave kids behind and put a man in a final set on the lifeboat (Rosen & Lawrence 65). Should the US Navy Seals have killed everyone in Osama’s compound during the raid? I think the US Navy Seals should not have killed anyone in the Osama compound during the raid. I am basing this on my belief that the death penalty is not a solution to crime. First, the killing of Osama is not an assurance of a complete war on terror in the world because, there are several other terrorists linked or not linked to Osama’s Al-Qaeda. The USA would have arrested him and the entire team found in his compound then tried in the court of law. Although my country supports the death penalty, even by beheading, I am against such since I doubt the effectiveness of combating crime and terror through killing. The US Navy Seals killing Osama and leaving the other people in the compound without killing them makes no sense because the rest would go ahead to carry on from where Osama stopped. The best they would have done is to arrest all of them for questioning in order to get to the roots of Al-Qaeda and be able to combat it fully. In my opinion, the elimination of Osama did not solve the problem of terror in the world, but rather was an injustice to humanity and the future of our security as the USA and the world in general. I do not support his injustices but the injustice of killing as a solution to terrorism. Conclusion In conclusion, I think the world should not look at all Arabs or all Muslims as a threat to the security of the world but rather equal human beings who are peace loving. This is because the Holy Quran does not preach terror and violence; in addition, Islam is not a religion of terrorists but a supporter of peace and togetherness in the world. People do not have therefore, to treat the Muslims in their countries with fear and suspicion. Secondly, the international community should keep on pushing Saudi Arabia to scrap the death penalty. The act of beheading the criminals in public is traumatizing and an injustice to the victims and relatives of the victims. The reason for this stand is the fact that punishing wrong doers through death does not help them rehabilitate because they lack an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and an opportunity to enjoy life which is God given. The government of Saudi Arabia should device another method of correcting such crimes rather than taking someone’s life. Thirdly, people should live according to the way nature is, this is in accordance to sexuality and human relations, which does not support extreme sexual behaviors and sexual rights. Therefore, I really discourage gay acts and do not support their fighting for rights because it is immoral and against the teachings of Islam and against the way of life of the Saudi people. Islam propagates for moral values and moral decency but not immorality and unnatural sexual relations (Stein & Marc 54). Islam does not advocate for the use of sexist language, but many Muslims tend to use abusive words, which sound sexist. I think this is about individuals and not the religion in general. As an individual, I do not advocate for the use of such language because, it soils the picture of the Muslim society and the morality of the young ones. Considering the issue of the lifeboat, I think women and children deserve the last seats because they make up a hope for the future and are not in a perfect condition to have an alternative way of escaping “death” as men. Islam gives women an elevated position in life and respects them despite a number of issues that may seem to sideline. Finally, the US Navy Seals did not solve the issue of terrorism through the killing of Osama; I view it as an injustice and a hazard to the future of the world security. In addition, his supporters might decide to seek justice through revenge, which might be drastic. The society is a combination of justice and injustices or acts that defy justice to humanity. Numerous ideas, schools of thought, religions and beliefs define what is just and what is unjust in the society we are living in. The way America serves justice is not the same way Saudi Arabia does because of the difference in culture of the people, the constitution and religion. Works cited Kafka, Tina. Gay Rights. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books, 2006. Print. Napoli, Donna J. Language Matters: A Guide to Everyday Questions About Language. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Rosen, Lawrence. The Justice of Islam: Comparative Perspectives on Islamic Law and Society Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Stein, Marc. Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons/Thomson/Gale, 2004. Print. Read More