By: Musawir Qureshi
For centuries, religious scholars, Islamic seminaries, mosques, and religious institutions have played an important role in imparting religious education, providing moral guidance, and reforming society. This is why, when British rule was established in this region, a negative propaganda campaign was launched against mullahs, Islamic scholars, and religious leaders. Various doubts were planted in the minds of Muslims, and efforts were made to create resentment and hatred toward scholars and religious institutions. The objective was to weaken Muslims’ attachment to their faith and encourage irreligious tendencies in society.
The British understood that they would have to adopt one of two strategies: either bring religious scholars under their control or create hatred against them. Only then could they maintain their rule over this region. They also knew that Muslims held their scholars, mullahs, and spiritual leaders in high esteem and often followed their guidance. That is why this campaign was initiated. Some individuals compromised their faith and principles for personal gain and were bought with money, while others were used to fuel hatred against religious figures.
One consequence was that, on the one hand, respect for religious scholars, spiritual leaders, and religious figures grew among Muslims, while on the other, agents were introduced into religious circles under the guise of mullahs. Sectarian divisions were encouraged, and these differences severely damaged Muslim unity.
Even today, the same agenda, associated with colonial influences and irreligious elements, appears to be advancing in one form or another. Hatred and negative propaganda are being spread not only between different groups of Muslims but also against religious scholars themselves.
Many people may have noticed a disturbing trend that is rapidly growing on social media. Sometimes, a portion of a scholar’s statement is taken out of context and deliberately misinterpreted. At other times, a sentence is separated from its original context, completely changing its meaning. In some cases, artificial intelligence (AI) is used to create videos, audio recordings, or documents that appear authentic but are actually fabricated.
This situation is extremely harmful because a large number of our young people are not fully familiar with the fundamental teachings of their religion. When they encounter such content, they may assume that the claims are correct and that Islam permits what is being presented. However, there are matters in which ignorance can lead a person toward dangerously misguided beliefs. The younger generation suffers the most because of its extensive use of social media, and the consequences eventually affect society as a whole.
If we examine the history of the subcontinent, we find that the relationship between religion and politics has always been complex. Following the uprising of 1857, the role of Muslim religious leadership and Islamic scholars was certainly not unknown to the British government. Historical research indicates that, in certain regions, scholars and qazis exercised considerable authority over local religious and social affairs and had the power to make various decisions. At different stages, the British government attempted to bring these institutions and their authority under its administrative system.
Even today, certain elements who blindly serve foreign interests appear to be playing a similar role. For the past few days, an individual who shamelessly panders to others has been targeting mullahs and religious scholars on social media, making all kinds of allegations. He has produced a list from somewhere—or perhaps generated it using AI—and is claiming that a particular Maulana received a certain amount of money every month, while another received a different amount.
What is particularly strange is that some people who have distanced themselves from religion, become excessively influenced by Western ideas, or started acting at someone else’s behest, also describe themselves as nationalists. By circulating such videos, they are further fueling hatred.
These are people who are themselves misguided and are attempting to lead other Muslims toward deviation and moral confusion. Sometimes they use abusive language against a particular scholar, and at other times they target mullahs as a whole.
Such people label those who love and defend Islam, religious scholars, and their supporters as extremists. Yet they refuse to look at their own conduct and ask why their own hostility toward religion does not appear to them as a form of extremism.
If loving our faith, respecting religious scholars, and defending our religious values is called extremism, then we are extremists—not once, but millions of times over. But you have taken your hatred so far that you have gone beyond the limits of extremism itself.
Look at your own history. What did your predecessors do? For how much money did they sell themselves? We are proud of our religious scholars, Alhamdulillah, many of whom sacrificed their lives for their faith rather than for wealth and power.
If you want to remember history, then study the history of religious scholars as well. Perhaps it will open your eyes. Much of the history you refer to was also written by people who, like you, blindly served the interests of the powerful. You know the history of the British, but you do not know Islamic history.
Do not distort history. Remove the veils covering your eyes and clouding your judgment. Only then will you begin to understand what history actually tells us and what religion teaches.
You claim that people sell their faith for a few pennies. But do you not do the same?
And what faith do you have left to sell? You seem to recognize nothing beyond money.
If you invoke history, you should also make an effort to understand it. Understanding history requires critical thinking, and perhaps you have stopped using yours.
Those who claim today that British rulers paid certain mullahs specific amounts of money may have some truth on their side. It is true that there were religious figures who collaborated with the British, and perhaps similar individuals exist today. However, it is wrong to judge everyone by the actions of a few.
It is also a historical fact that not every religious scholar or religious movement in the subcontinent was used in the same way. Nevertheless, the manner in which the British government organized religious affairs, legal systems, local leadership, and social divisions to serve its colonial administration deserves serious historical examination.
Similarly, the classification of religious identities into administrative and legal categories had an impact on the social environment of the subcontinent.
One of our greatest tragedies is that our historical record has often been distorted, while rulers of different periods have used history to serve their own interests. Whatever pleased the ruler of the time was frequently written down, even when it contradicted the facts. However, it is equally important to acknowledge that genuine facts were also recorded in many places. Not all history is based on falsehood.
Nevertheless, much of the history concerning Islam written by anti-Islamic elements and hypocrites has contained considerable prejudice and hostility. Their approach has often been to discredit a scholar first and then use that discrediting to attack religion itself.
Another tactic used by those who are hostile to religion is to associate an individual’s wrongdoing directly with Islam. If a bearded man—even an ordinary Muslim—makes a mistake, some people immediately turn it into an attack on the faith. They say, “Look at that mullah with such a long beard, yet he has committed a wrong act,” as if Islam itself teaches him to do so.
The reality is that every human being can make mistakes, whether that person is a scholar, a mullah, or an ordinary Muslim. It is also true that some scholars may have made mistakes or been manipulated for improper purposes. However, such actions are personal and should not be attributed to all scholars, seminaries, mosques, or the entire religious community. That would be unjust.
It is equally important to distinguish between the mistakes of particular individuals or groups and the religious community as a whole.
Another matter of concern is the portrayal of Islam globally as being associated with terrorism. This is an entirely wrong and inappropriate approach. Certain elements attempt to discredit Islam by placing the burden of terrorism on the entire Muslim Ummah.
International institutions, including the United Nations, have emphasized that terrorism should not be associated with any particular religion, nationality, or ethnicity. Prejudice and discriminatory treatment against Muslims in the name of counterterrorism are also genuine global concerns.
International media reports have repeatedly raised concerns that some media outlets disproportionately associate Muslims with negative concepts such as extremism and terrorism.
This raises a fundamental question:
What happens when young people are repeatedly taught that every religious scholar holds outdated and backward views, every religious institution is suspicious, and religion is incompatible with modern life?
The result is that young people gradually become detached from their religion, history, and intellectual heritage. This is precisely the outcome that irreligious elements seek to achieve.
Today, this task has become easier than ever. On social media, a fabricated statement is attributed to one religious personality in the name of another. People share it without verification, and within hours, a new wave of hatred spreads throughout society.
Eventually, one group turns against another, and tensions can escalate to the point where people take up arms against one another.
That is why verification must come first. Hearsay should never be exaggerated or presented as established fact. We are living in the age of AI, when falsehood has become far more dangerous than ever before.
In our society, one group sometimes declares another group to be infidels, while the other responds by making the same accusation against the first.
In the past, people created fake newspapers, fabricated photographs, or forged documents to spread misinformation. Today, artificial intelligence has made this process much easier.
A person’s voice can now be imitated, photographs can be manipulated, and videos can be created showing someone saying things they never actually said.
Therefore, a video circulating on social media should not automatically be considered genuine simply because it shows the face and voice of a well-known scholar, politician, or religious personality.
If a scholar or student commits wrongdoing within a religious institution, legal action should be taken in accordance with the law. That does not mean that every student, scholar, or teacher associated with the seminary is guilty.
If a video is fabricated, it should be subjected to technical and journalistic analysis.
If allegations are made against a religious scholar, evidence must be examined before those allegations are accepted as facts.
This is the hallmark of a healthy society.
Religious Scholars Also Have Responsibilities
The other side of this debate must not be ignored. Religious scholars and institutions should establish stronger systems of accountability, transparency, research, media literacy, and engagement with the questions of young people.
Consider a young person who has a question.
That young person has access to information from around the world through the internet. If they have a question or concern, they deserve an evidence-based explanation that addresses their concerns and helps them reach an informed understanding.
They should be offered sound arguments, meaningful education, and informed responses to the intellectual challenges of the modern age.
If scholars fail to address young people’s questions, they will seek answers from unreliable social media sources, where misleading and deceptive content is already widely available.
We must also understand that defending Islam does not mean declaring everyone who offers criticism an enemy. Constructive criticism should be welcomed, but Islamic values and symbols should not become targets of abuse, nor should scholars and mullahs be subjected to personal attacks.
The true service of Islam can only be achieved through knowledge, ethics, character, research, and credible references.
Similarly, defending religious scholars does not mean supporting them blindly. It is a matter of justice.
If a scholar is being falsely accused, that scholar should be defended.
If a scholar has genuinely made a mistake, it should be treated as that individual’s own conduct. It is wrong to associate the mistake with the entire religion.
If someone deliberately creates fabricated content and spreads hatred against a religious personality, that person should be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Today, there is a pressing need for religious scholars, journalists, teachers, intellectuals, technology experts, and ordinary social media users to work together to establish a responsible framework for addressing these challenges.
Before sharing any viral content, its authenticity should be verified.
Public awareness and understanding of how to identify fake AI-generated videos should be strengthened.
The spread of false and fabricated propaganda against religious personalities must be stopped.
The distinction between news and opinion must be maintained in journalism.
Most importantly, the younger generation must receive religious and scientific education that not only strengthens its connection with faith but also protects it from falsehood, extremism, sectarianism, and propaganda.
Serious measures must be taken to ensure that the defamation of an individual scholar does not become a means of discrediting an entire religion.
Respecting scholars is important. Defending religion is important. Investigating false propaganda is equally important.
This struggle should not be directed against any individual. It should be a struggle against lies, hatred, sectarianism, and fabricated information.
A single lie often gives rise to a hundred more, whereas Islam explicitly prohibits falsehood.
Therefore, we must reform and educate our younger generation, strengthen them through knowledge, reasoning, and critical inquiry, and respond to irreligious propaganda, those who sell their faith for personal gain, and individuals who spread division and disorder—not with emotion alone, but with knowledge, sound arguments, and wisdom.
