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The very word
Islam means peace and that is the essence of Islamic faith. It is the
peace that is achieved by submission to Allah SWT such that peace is
ensured within oneself and one's surroundings. Muslims throughout the
Islamic rule mostly abided by this principle and lived in peace and
harmony with other people, such as in Spain for over 700 years and in
India for over 900 years, and contributed greatly to the development
of places under their control. Likewise, Islam is not an unknown
entity in the West, nor is the West unknown to Islamic world. In fact,
the first contact of Islam occurred at the initiative of the Prophet
Muhammad (s) through a letter that he sent on May 11, 628 to Emperor
Heraclius (610-641 CE), the ruler of Eastern Roman Empire - sharing
the message of Islam in the wider interest of humanity, and received a
gentle response from the Emperor.
And despite the occasional skirmishes, the one thousand-year
history of Islamic civilizational advancement, is characterized by a
friendly relationship and healthy exchanges between the two.
Therefore, with much talk of a conflict brewing between Islamic
and Western civilization, it is essential that we critically examine
the present situation and find solution to its peaceful resolution
before it gets exacerbated beyond any relief.
After the
horrendous attack of September 11 that was unequivocally condemned by
all prominent Muslims around the world as the most heinous crime
against humanity, this castigation of Islam and Muslims is gone on a
rampage. Some people are eager to call it a war against civilization.
Others warned of the return of times of Christians fighting with
Muslims during the Crusades, thus reminding the Muslims of that horror
in history but forgetting that although it was directed at Muslims,
more Christians suffered because of the killing and wanton loot of the
fellow Christians in the Holy Land. So much so, that Pope John Paul
recently apologized for these crimes committed in the name of
Christianity.
I would refer here
to a recent talk by Carly Fiorina (http: www.hp.com/ hpinfo/execteam/
speeches/fiorina/minnesota01.htm), the CEO of Hewlett Packard where
she pays such tribute to Islamic civilization as it "was the
greatest in the world." That "its military protection
allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been
known." And "this civilization was driven more than
anything, by invention," and in proof cites its architecture,
mathematics, medicine, astronomy, art and poetry. Further that
"when nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on
them and kept them alive." Moreover, "although we are often
unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are
very much a part of our heritage."
To support this
claim, as one example she gave was, "the technology industry
would not exist without the contributions of Arab
mathematicians." As for leadership, which this talk was about,
she tells of "leaders like Suleiman the Magnificent" who
"contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic
leadership…and perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: it
was a leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was
leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse
population - that included Christianity, Islamic and Jewish
traditions."
Today, the 1.3 billion Muslims inhabit more than 55 countries
most of which not only are strategically important but also are
resource-rich, which also is the reason for their troubles, because
the ex-colonial and neocolonial Western powers also depend on these
resources and for their geopolitics. Along with this, there is
worldwide Islamic resurgence led by an overwhelming number of Islamic
intellectuals. Their efforts are primarily directed at reforming their
societies and to set their own house in order. There are differences
in approach, but the mainstream Islamic leaders and their movements
are not against the legitimate interests of the West; and they are
committed to bring about a change for the better through peaceful
democratic means. However, there is a growing frustration with the
current regimes maintained in their status quo with the active backing
and support of ex-colonialists (British and French) and
neocolonialists (the U.S.A). These governments are ineffective -
having not only failed their people, but also are corrupt, extremely
repressive and run counter to the Islamic ideals of their people.
Thus they are the cause for any impending instability. Islamic
intellectuals and leaders are the only credible alternative for the
Muslim people and it is about time that the Western nations agree to
reconcile their differences and listen to them, without pre-assuming
that they are "extremist."
The well-known
writer, Karen Armstrong has eloquently pointed out,
"When the United States supports autocratic rulers, its
proud assertions of democratic values has at best a hollow ring. What
America seemed to be saying to Muslims was: 'Yes, we have freedom and
democracy, but you have to live under tyrannical governments.'"
And such policies of the U.S. continue with the rest of Muslim world.
That is the crux of problems of Muslims with the West.
It is obvious that
the present course of events is fraught with disaster for humanity and
calls for its thorough revamping and correcting with wisdom and
sagacity for the good of humankind. It is no time to exult in
superiority in know-how and sophisticated war machinery and the
hegemonic notion of "if they do not agree with us, we can always
bomb them." Indeed, technological advancements impose added
responsibilities on humankind because any "clash" between
civilizations would inevitably result in complete annihilation of the
entire humanity; they call for their across the board elimination from
the face of world, without any exception whatsoever. Therefore, any
illusions of promoting one civilization with destruction of another
must be discarded.
The only viable
alternative is dialogue and free exchange of ideas between different
people in order to understand them. This must proceed along with a
healthy respect for all of humankind. Perhaps a great achievement of
these times is opening of the entire world to all thought processes
with free interchange of ideas across vast divides of space and time.
It would be tragedy to destroy this historic opportunity through
eliciting wars between civilizations whether through re-enacting a
variation of the Crusades or imposition/continuation of hegemonic
neo-colonialism through ruthless client regimes.
The need of times
is to build bridges of understanding and sincere cooperation between
the Muslim and Western worlds and develop a one humanity/one world
ideal of the relationship for humankind. Armstrong writes,
"So we in the First World must develop a 'one world'
mentality in the coming years. Americans have often assumed that they
were protected by the great oceans surrounding the United States. …
But the September Apocalypse and the events that followed have shown
that this isolation has come to an end, and revealed America's
terrifying vulnerability. … But this tragedy could be turned to
good, if we in the First World cultivate a new sympathy with other
peoples who have experienced a similar helplessness. … We cannot
leave the fight against terrorism solely to our politicians or to our
armies. In Europe and America, ordinary citizens must find out more
about the rest of the world. We must make ourselves understand, at a
deep level, that it is not only Muslims who resent America and the
West; that many people in non-Muslim countries, while not condoning
the atrocities, may be dry-eyed about the collapse of those giant
towers … And we must also acquire a full knowledge of our own
governments' foreign policies, using our democratic rights to oppose
them, should we deem this to be necessary." Very well said! And
on that reconciliatory note we will end this article.
February / March 2002
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