They assassinated three of my teachers on the basis of an assumption that they belonged to ASWJ, since they used to offer their prayers in suspicious masjids. They killed my father Dr. Shakil Auj on the allegation of blasphemy while he was going towards Iranian Cultural Center as the Chief Guest.

Interestingly, in both cases, the victims were targeted on sectarian cum blasphemy grounds by people who have a sectarian outlook of the world. More importantly, all of my teachers as well as my father always preferred to be identified as “Muslim”. The assassins in both cases believed in opposite sects. In short, sympathizers of Shian-e-Ali and sympathizers of Ahle-Sunnat are killing Muslims. A Muslim, who does not want to be identified with any specific sect, is a prey for extremist Sunnis and Shias.

Unfortunately, Muslims are forced to follow or fit in one of the sects; rejecting any of these is assumed as being sympathetic to the opposing group. I was left with two choices either to stand against hardcore extremist Sunnis who assassinated my father, or to stand against the assassins of hardcore Shian-e-Ali militants.

I firmly reject both choices; rather I stand with only being recognized as a Muslim i.e. the choice of the victims of extremism. This is my crime, a crime I consciously committed. I stand against any self-declared sectarian state of post-colonial era which is involved in creating a fifth column through Wilayat-Faqih in Muslim world.

Even though I don’t have any problem with the other three Shia majority countries i.e. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Bahrain, as long as they don’t claim to be sectarian. I stand against Iran’s restriction on its citizens to perform Hajj in 2016, a command which Allah has ordered binding on all Muslims. Even non-Muslim countries do not take such a stance out of spite of another country.

I stand against hardcore Sunni elements which have made the entire world a battleground, with the exception of Antarctica. Though I don’t stand against KSA on sectarian grounds or to please Iran, as long as they continue the 34- state Muslim military alliance to fight against terrorism and the hardcore sectarian state i.e. Islamic State of Levant.

I also support Saudi Grand Mufti for blasting Al Qaeda and ISIL. But, I stand against KSA and other countries for their role in suppressing Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab and non-Arab world, which identified as “Just Muslim” irrespective of any sect or racial identity.

I stand against KSA for not letting the modern interpretation of Islam be incorporated into their government and for continuing to live in the past. They should ask themselves, if a Muslim cannot be a hostage to any time or place, how can Islam be?

Similarly, I stand against Grand Mufti of KSA for declaring Iranians as non-Muslims, though these sweeping irresponsible remarks were passed a day after Iran’s Supreme leader uttered an equally irresponsible remarks terming KSA as “puny satan”. Iranian leader should know that anti-Zionism slogan can work sometimes but cannot fool everyone for long. Moreover, both of them should know, hatred has a limit, even Quran says:

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well­ Acquainted with what you do.” (5:8) 

When Iran Supreme leader was declaring Saudis a “small Satan”, had he forgotten that below mentioned ayah also bars Muslim from name calling? Had the self-declared spiritual leader ever read the Quran he would know better than to use such words. He seems to have lost his vision in hatred of Zionism and Saudis.

“O you who have believed, let not any nation ridicule (another) nation; perhaps they may be better than them.” (49:11)

I tried to believe in KSA as a Wahhabi sectarian state, but as a matter of fact the term Wahhabi was coined by Ottomans who officially rejected the term. The doctrine which KSA follows is of Imam Ahmad bin Hambal and Ibn-Taimiya interpretation of Islam and both of them also rejected any other name except Muslim, the name which Abraham (A.S.) chose. If any group identifies himself as Wahhabi, I stand against them.

It is just like terming the followers of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon him), Muhammadan which is offensive, as Muhammad (Peace Be Upon him) never identified himself with any other identity. Neither Jesus Christ (A.S.) identified himself as Christian nor did Moses (A.S.) identify himself as a Jew. All these noble personalities identified themselves as only as “Muslim” the choice which I have opted.

Interestingly, neither the four founders of Sunni school of thoughts nor the Imams of Shian-e-Ali School of thought identify themselves as anything other than Muslim.

The moment one identifies himself with a specific school of thought, they engage themselves in “sectarianism”. Sunni-Shia divide is a historical narrative of two political entities. Hence, the term Muslim history should be used in place of Islamic history, as history cannot be Islamized or Arabized.

As far as following Islam is concerned, Quran is available for the guidance of all the human beings. The only sacred book which is free of errors and without any doubt as per claim:

“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, guidance for those conscious of Allah” (2:2) 

Neither the Sunni books nor any Shia books can claim to be free from errors, as they reached us through different sources which were error prone. When the Bible and Torah can be exposed to errors why cannot the books of Sunni or Shia political groups be errors free?

Any narrative, any doctrine, any teaching or ideology which goes against the only primary source i.e. the Holy Quran, simply cannot be acceptable to those who adhere to be called, just Muslim. As Iqbal elaborate in Jawab-e-Shikwa:

The honored of their times, they lived, for their faith was true,

You live disgraced, as having left the paths of Al‐Quran.

I shall not declare big/small Satan those who disagree with me, unlike Iran’s Supreme Leader; nor shall I pass a fatwa like Saudi’s Grand Mufti that those believing in any sectarian identity are non-Muslims. Being “only Muslim” I submit my will to Allah and the Quran, being the only book to salvation that:

"Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah; then He will inform them about what they used to do."  (6:159)