Anwar Shaikh (critic of Islam)

Anirudh Gyan Shikha (1 June 1928 – 25 November 2006; popularly known as Anwar Shaikh) was a Pakistani-born British author, who spent much of his adult life in the United Kingdom, dying in Cardiff, Wales.[1]

For Anwar Shaikh, the economist, see Anwar Shaikh (economist).

Biography

Born Hajji Muhammad Shaikh, he was born into a family descended from Kashmiri Pandit converts to Islam in the city of Gujrat located in the north of Punjab. He was born on the day of the Haj, or pilgrimage, in 1928 which prompted his parents to attach 'Hajji' to his first name, but he was also born with aposthia, which was seen as an even greater omen for a bright future and thus his name then became Muhammad Anwar Shaikh, with Anwar meaning radiant in the Arabic language. In his youth, Shaikh was an ardent believer of the Sunni branch of Islam his family devoutly practiced, especially his mother since she could recite a large part of the Qur'an from memory. During the violent days of the Partition of India, Shikha became involved with Muslim nationalist groups and fervorously participated in violent attacks they encouraged against non-Muslims. One day, he clubbed and stabbed a Sikh father as well as his young son to death in broad daylight. On another occasion, he bludgeoned another Sikh man he encountered on Darabi road with a long knife. Memories of these crimes have haunted him ever since. When he reached the age of 25, he began doubting Islam and its teachings, and later became an ardent critic. Thereafter he immigrated to the United Kingdom, married a Welsh woman, and became a successful businessman dealing in property development. Around this time, Shikha also converted to the Hindu religion practiced by his ancestors after reading the Rig Veda, which inspired him due to its humanism. He subsequently adopted the name Anirudh Gyan Shikha.[2] The importance of Shaikh's work was recognized by Tariq Ali who devoted a chapter of his book The Clash of Fundamentalisms to his views and the reaction they provoked.[3]

Shikha was living in Cardiff, Wales, when a fatwa was issued against him from his homeland Pakistan in 1995, where at least fourteen fundamentalist clerics issued death sentences against him for renouncing and criticising Islam.[1] He died in Cardiff on 25 November 2006. Tariq Ali wrote that Anwar Shaikh gained notoriety among British Muslims. Many Muslims around the world, especially those of Desi origin, have been pleading with noted Muslim scholars to write a rebuttal of Anwar Shaikh's ideas.[4]

Works (partial list)
  • Islam: The Arab Imperialism, Cardiff, Principality, 1998.

The Vedic Civilization

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gollark: RNN bad, however.
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gollark: * attention

See also

Further reading
  • Tariq Ali, Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002). ISBN 978-1-85984-679-7

References
  1. The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West by Daniel Pipes, Pg. 283
  2. Interview on YouTube
  3. The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity, Page, Pg. 157–165
  4. Tariq Ali, Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002). ISBN 978-1-85984-679-7
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