The scandal over political prisoner Alexei Navalny’s request to be allowed to study the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has become the main event of this week in the Russian-speaking Muslim information space. Muslims’ reactions to Navalny’s wish ranged from the sincere hope that another soul will find the truth and be saved, to the suspicion that he is doing this to manipulate Muslims, or even to better understand his enemy and fight him more effectively. Well, Navalny was indeed known to us in previous years as an Islamophobe, and we ourselves have written a lot and sharply criticized him for it. Could he have changed his attitude in the present? Can he change it in the future? We will talk about that later.
In the meantime, let’s start with the fact that the attitude of those who oppose Navalny and those who oppose him towards Islam does not change at all. So while Navalny, for unknown reasons, has decided to fight for the right to study Islam, the Kremlin’s chief propagandist, Margarita Simonyan, is spreading horror stories around the world about the status of women in Islamic society. According to her, in Saudi Arabia, which lives by the laws of Islam, there are many cases of women dying of hunger because they do not have the right to leave their homes without a man’s accompaniment, or to order food to be delivered to their homes because the food deliverers are also men. And if a woman leaves her home without a man’s accompaniment, she will be executed, according to Simonyan’s words.
Of course, one could say that this is all you need to know about Kremlin propaganda and the mental or moral level of its boss, whether she thinks this way or deliberately lies. And this is true, but what is also important for us is the attitude of this propaganda to the state in which millions of its native inhabitants — Muslims — live, and to their religion.
And this week, not only Simonyan, but also her assistant Ekaterina Vinokurova, who has already been criticized for her anti-Islamic statements (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=36360), demonstrated this again. This time she decided to address the Muslim audience and ask why a kidnapped Muslim woman should be raped (what?!).
In this context, it would be interesting to understand what motivates those Muslims who are afraid that Navalny wants to study Islam in order to use it or even better fight against Islam. Even if we assume his worst intentions and exclude his best — who governs you now? Those who love Islam? Or do you think that such people, who are engaged in state propaganda, or those who not only prevent Navalny from reading the Koran in prison, but also prohibit Muslims from praying there, do you think that such people lead such a policy without Putin’s knowledge, who regularly deceives us about how much he loves us and our religion?
And if you understand that all of them, from top to bottom, form an Islamophobic system, what do you lose if Navalny, even with the worst motives, «studies the Koran and the Sunnah»? After all, nothing will change for the worse for Islam or Muslims — neither compared to the current Russian system, nor compared to what Navalny was before and may remain.
But on the other hand, why should we exclude the possibility that even Navalny, as a result of his studies, may sincerely believe in or deeply respect Islam? Isn’t Allah able to guide and reveal His truth to every heart? And isn’t the Islamic history full of cases where the ranks of our Ummah were filled by its fiercest enemies, even more fierce and brutal than Navalny, and these people became heroes of Muslims? Isn’t this how our Ummah is built, hasn’t this allowed Islam to conquer the hearts of people all over the world, to overcome hatred and enmity?
What do you think? A person says that he wants to study the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (may Allah bless him and salute him), and instead of rejoicing and wishing for Allah to open his heart, you reject him? Would the Prophet, may Allah bless him and salute him, treat even his sworn enemies like this? Would the Companions behave like this even towards those who killed and tortured them, if they saw their inclination towards the Truth?
In this blessed month, we wish for this person, who is being tested in his goals and values, who is hungry almost as we are fasting, and who wants to study the Quran, that Allah will open his heart and lead him to the Truth. Just as we wish it to all who seek it, and we ask our Muslim readers to say «Amin» to this prayer.
As for our attitude towards Navalny, not as a person but as a politician, until he has studied and accepted Islam, it remains unchanged (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=39510).