Saving Islam
from Itself
By Akbar Ahmed and
Susan Bradford
Muslim groups on both sides
of the Atlantic have categorically condemned suicide
attacks made in the name of Islam, leading us
to ask why have they taken so long to address
the issue and what needs to be done henceforth
to build on this new momentum and craft a peaceful
conclusion to the war on terrorism.
Following the London attacks, Britain's largest
Muslim groups issued a fatwa condemning suicide
missions. Muslim groups in the United States and
around the world have followed suit. As noted
by Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, terrorism is not
consistent with Islam, and "those who try
to commit acts of terror in the name of Islam
try to misinterpret and misuse certain issues
in Islamic jurisprudence and have no authority
or qualification except their anger." Their
anger is rooted in perceived injustices against
Islam, such as the occupation of the Arabian peninsula,
the disregard of Muslim civilian life throughout
the war on Iraq and the perceived indifference
to the Muslim plight in areas such as Kashmir,
Chechnya, and throughout the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
The anti-Muslim rhetoric, which has saturated
public discourse, has left the impression that
Islam and its followers are being targeted for
annihilation. The reaction from the Muslim community
has been to strike out in violence to defend its
survival and restore its honor and restore dignity.
Often the rhetoric of radical imams, which is
highly politicized and deeply rooted in prejudice,
is cited as the true face of Islam. However, unlike
Christianity and Judaism, in which religious leaders
interpret the holy texts for the faithful, imams
lead Friday prayer services. The Qur’ran
is instead interpreted by Islamic scholars, whom
Muslims look to for guidance, thus instilling
the recent fatwas with added significance.
As Mr. Awad said, "These legal scholars come
to say that we are the authority on this subject,
and we are the ones who determine how to interpret
Islam. Therefore, (no) person in the globe can
quote the Qur’an or the traditions of the
Prophet to justify the harming and the killing
of innocent people." As noted by Salam al-Marayati,
the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs
Council, "Our children need to be very clear
on these matters. There should be no confusion
and no ambiguities. As we stand together tall
as leaders of established Muslim-American organizations,
this is a message to our future generations and
to our children that this notion that suicide
bombing or terrorism has any room in Islam is
rejected outright."
The Muslim world is in crisis, and issuing fatwas
is not sufficient to address the problem. Practical
action needs to be taken to save Islam from itself.
Muslims living in Western societies need to revert
to the Islamic tradition of "ilm", that
is, the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding,
and turn away from ignorance, hatred, isolation
and rage. Islamic society was not always thus.
It once enjoyed a Golden Age, which prized rationality,
moderation, and pursuit of the arts and sciences.
However, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and
European colonization of Muslim lands, Islamic
societies have fallen to tyrannical leadership
and chaos, illiteracy, self-mutilation and violence.
The Muslim world has fallen hopelessly behind
as the rest of the world races ahead towards globalization.
Unsettled by changes and not perceiving many options,
Muslims are desperately holding onto obsolete
traditions which no longer serve them and view
Islam as a cultural, political identity as opposed
to faith to draw one closer to God, to lead a
righteous life.
While acts of terrorism are unforgivable, the
West needs to understand the state of the Muslim
world. Horror and anger are natural reactions,
but the West could help by reaching out to help
Islam in this time of need instead of exacerbating
matters with more hateful rhetoric and violence,
which will only incite further violence and despair.
Muslims, for their part, need to remember their
great traditions and embrace education and scholarly
pursuits, moderation, law and order in the tradition
of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,
who resisted radicals and rose to power through
constitutional means and respect for human rights
and rule of law. The West needs to continue to
support democratic impulses in the Muslim world.
It needs to appreciate through the example of
Jinnah that democratic tradition is an obtainable
goal for Islamic societies and not give up hope.
Further dialogue is not only possible but necessary
between Muslim and Judeo-Christian societies to
achieve peaceful resolution between them.
Susan Bradford is a producer for Middle East Broadcasting
Center.Dr. Akbar Ahmed is former high commissioner
of Pakistan and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies
at American University..(Courtesy The Washington
Times, August 2, 2005)
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