WRONG TO BLAME WRATHFUL GOD FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE

Manzoor Moghal has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Wrong to blame wrathful God for Haiti earthquake

Incorrect conceptions of the deity inhibit some faiths from explaining natural disasters, says Manzoor Moghal

In the aftermath of the massive Haiti earthquake, people of some faiths have been asking how a loving God could allow the tragic deaths of human beings on such a gargantuan scale, with many of the victims being innocent children. These people, who are confused by this obvious contradiction, ask further as to how could an omnipotent and omniscient God permit such mayhem and misery?

Leaders of these faiths have thrown up their hands as they can offer no explanation and have suggested that the Creator works in mysterious ways which they cannot comprehend. The failure to explain such a heart-wrenching event lies in the mistaken belief that there is a personal God who loves all human beings equally, and that He personally observes and dictates all their actions.

Some other faith leaders ascribe such phenomena to the wrath of God visiting upon a sinful people. They justify the Haiti earthquake on the grounds that the people of Haiti have been punished by a wrathful God for their voodoo practices and devil worship. This argument is also seriously flawed, as it, too, believes in a personal and revengeful God waiting to strike them down for their sins.

If we move away from these concepts and take a dispassionate and scientific view of the world phenomena, we would arrive at more sensible and plausible explanations of such natural calamities. The earth and the rest of our world function according to universal natural laws set into motion by some Supreme Being, whom we call God. In this creation everything is automated and flows continuously, maintaining a natural equilibrium in accordance with these immutable laws. As we know, the earth moves on tectonic plates and it breathes through various volcanic outlets, spewing out molten lava which comes out from its core.

Because of their knowledge, scientists know the seismic locations of the earth, and have drawn up maps indicating places of earthquake activity like Haiti. In many places there are obvious cracks in the earth's surface, like the cracks in California visible to the naked eye.

The earth has a self-regulating and self-correcting mechanism as part of the creation, which gives rise to physical upheavals of different magnitudes at different times, resulting in earthquakes and other natural disasters. Those who live in the proximity of these vulnerable areas are likely to suffer more destruction than those who live away from them. All this happens in accordance with the laws of science, and has nothing to do with the concept of an unfeeling or revengeful God. The Creator also does not interfere in the lives of human beings whom he has given free will to lead their own lives, and therefore it is naïve to expect that He would be looking down from the heavens upon individuals to mould their lives one way or the other.

One of the greatest gifts we have from our Creator is the ability to be logical, and in understanding all natural events we have to apply this yardstick to judge what have been seen as incomprehensible mysteries.

Manzoor Moghal is chairman of the Muslim Forum