Posted on 06/11/2002 9:53:23 AM PDT by Kermit
Sheikh 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari,(1) dean of the Faculty of Shar'iah (Islamic Law) at Qatar University, known for his liberal positions, published an article in the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat.
In the article, titled "Landmarks in Rational and Constructive Dialogue With the 'Other,'" he writes:
"Since September 11, there has been a buildup of mutual misunderstanding, evil thought, suspicions, and distortions between West and East... This buildup has led to an unhealthy atmosphere that fostered two phenomena: the rise of the extreme right in the West – known as the Le Pen phenomenon – which sees the other as an enemy foreigner who abhors [Western] culture and values, and on the other hand the rise of extremist movements in Arab and Islamic societies who see the West as an enemy plotting against Islam and Muslims."
Diversity Must be Respected
"There are mutual needs and joint interests between the East and West. But before everything else, there is a common human heritage that must be protected, and must be strengthened, recognizing human diversity and differences, respecting the unique aspects and religious and cultural identities of various peoples and nationalities..."
"The Koranic verse says, 'Oh people, we have created you male and female, and we have made you peoples and tribes, in order to make it easier for you to know each other. Indeed, the one Allah honors most are those amongst you who are the most righteous.'(2) This verse forbids imposing a single culture, regime, idea, or faith on the entire human race. Jihad, in its real meaning, is a means of preserving the right of pluralism and variety and guaranteeing freedom of choice for all, because diversity is considered a natural and universal truth..."
"In my opinion, this requires dialogue on two fronts: internal and external. The internal dialogue must include all the people and organizations in society, without banning any party, without accusing it of treachery or heresy or without slandering it... We will not attain a healthy, mature, and constructive relationship with the foreign 'other' without establishing a healthy relationship with the 'other' within us – the one with a different political, ideological, religious, [or] ethnic opinion, or the one belonging to a different school of thought, [and] without correcting our attitude towards women, based on values of tolerance and respect for pluralism and acceptance of the 'other'..."
"With regard to the external dialogue... The necessary point of departure, in my opinion, is that each party reveal itself genuinely, from the outset, along with the prejudices and stereotypes regarding the 'other.' After that, there must be self-criticism of these ideas and views. Before we complain to the 'other' about the negative way in which he perceives us, we must monitor ourselves and correct our misconceptions towards the 'other.'"
"The West must reexamine the foundations of its view towards us and the ideas it has formulated about us since the period of Orientalism [i.e. Orientalist research] which were based on the [perceptions] of the Middle Ages – according to which Islam is a religion of violence spread by the sword, and the Muslims are wreaking vengeance on modern civilization and do not respect human rights, do not guarantee minority rights, do not believe in the values of democracy and tolerance, and do not behave properly towards women. Similarly, the West needs to refrain from generalizing about Islam and Muslims because of the behavior of a small minority among them."
"At the same time, we, the Muslims, must rid ourselves of world and Western conspiracy theories against us; we must free ourselves of the complex of the Crusader wars and the weighty colonialist heritage. We must stop presenting the 'other' as a Satan devising colonialist, imperialist, or global conspiracies or cultural invasion against us. We must stop thinking that the world has nothing to do but plot against us and hate us for being Muslims..."
"There is no escape from revealing the flaws in our social system – in politics, in culture, in the media, in education, and in the religious curriculum for the past fifty years."
The Pan-Arab Discourse
"According to this discourse, in most cases, it is the West that sabotaged the Arab revival and prevented their progress; prevented their unity by occupying the Arab countries and sketching out borders for them; struck at their attempt to institute democracy; exhausted their natural resources, and delayed development..."
"However, a fair and objective examination shows that even if the colonialist West bears some of the responsibility, most of the responsibility lies at the door of the Arabs themselves..."
"Similarly, the separate countries… preceded colonialism. When the borders were drawn, tribal balances were taken into account more than Western interests. Democracy was never more than a false slogan in the world of the Arabs, and never had any practical expression – not by the regime, and not by the opposition... Moreover, we were the ones who squandered our own resources, with stupid policy and wars against each other and against others."
The Religious Discourse
"A significant part of the [Islamic] religious discourse is rife with concepts such as 'ideological invasion,' 'world conspiracy,' 'Crusader hostilities,' and 'perpetual enmity towards Islam and Muslims.' Like the pan-Arab discourse, the religious discourse incites and mobilizes. It is always directed against the foreign 'other,' or the local 'other'… Many religious rulings are issued that accuse intellectuals, writers, and artists of heresy or sin; no one escapes them."
"In all fairness, it should be said that the Western churches have gotten over the complex of the Crusader wars. In contrast, our pulpits still live their bitterness from those wars, and still call for the annihilation of the West – of the 'Jews and Christians.'"
"The religious discourse must be amended and renewed… so that it will be able to fulfill its true role of disseminating knowledge and enlightenment, and dealing with the nation's fundamental problems in a way that will draw the individuals in society closer together, and not sow hatred towards others... The mosques are Allah's, and they must not be allowed to become an arena of political and factional dispute."
The Media Discourse
"Our media suit no one but us. It mobilizes and incites the people, and distracts them from their real problems. What interests them more than anything else is fishing for negative comments [about the Arabs] by the Western 'other'... Since our media deliberately disseminated Huntington's theory of the 'Clash of Civilizations,' this theory has become most popular, and all our intellectuals have begun to pen responses to it... Our media have forgotten the human alternative – the 'Dialogue of Civilizations' – which Western intellectuals have also called for. And when Berlusconi made the mistake of speaking of the superiority of Western culture, this slip was blown up here, while his clarification and apology, and his visit to the Islamic center, were pushed aside..."
The Educational Discourse
"Our educational discourse is based on defensiveness towards the 'other' and on historical self-aggrandizing. The child's mind is filled with his nation's glory and triumphs, while the part of others [in history] is downplayed. A significant part of our educational discourse is cut off from the modern sciences, and is based on a uni-dimensional view, creating a closed mentality and an easy slide towards fanaticism. It plants misconceptions regarding women and religious or ethnic minorities; it is dominated by memorization and repetitive methods..."
"Let us all work to mobilize spiritual energy and direct it for the good of the entire human race."(3)
Changing Islamic Curriculum
"The Dialogue of Civilizations" came up in another panel discussion on the matter at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Dr. 'Abdallah Shihatah, lecturer in Shari'ah (Islamic law) at Al-Azhar University, criticized the university's religious curriculum, saying:
"I [too] attended Al-Azhar, but the challenges facing our Islamic society today require us to develop these curricula with the help of Al-Azhar's alumni – who combine the study of religious sciences with a grasp of the new reality and the challenges that require us [to use] other methods within a dialogue between – not a clash of – civilizations..."
"The Islamic sages of the modern age made a grave mistake in accusing Western civilization of corruption over many years, and not seeing the positive things in it that allowed Western societies to advance in the various sciences and gave them the power of progress... Our sages, and our media, must shift from the concept of a clash with Western civilization to a dialogue with it."
"When Muslim civilization conquered the Persians and the Byzantines, it took the things that benefited them and left the harmful things. Muslim civilization never ceased adopting [things] from other civilizations, adding to them and inventing many other sciences..."
"Muslim society must understand that today's cruel attack on it, which distorts the image of Islam and the Muslims, obliges us to restore for ourselves the banner of science, culture, and progress because we urgently need a strong and modern society. We must acknowledge that we are in a state of stagnation, and must begin to change our curricula and the religious programs, with modern thought that will combine religious principles with the new reality. [We must] prepare an appropriate atmosphere for scientific research in all areas, and develop social life, in order to inspire self-confidence."
Endnotes:
(1) For more on Al-Ansari, see also:
MEMRI Special Dispatch 307
MEMRI Special Dispatch 337
MEMRI Special Dispatch 338.
(2) Koran 49:13.
(3) Al-Hayat (London), May 31, 2002.
The jihadists are coming for us and we'd better be ready.
It wasn't a mistake.
A good example is over in Phoenix Arizona, where a mostly Jewish Scout troop and a mostly Muslim Scout troop are getting along just fine. Their combined soccer team is excellent. Young students come to ASU from the mideast, see these Scouts, and have serious doubts about the old mid-east home Islamic ways. After years of college, and American life-style and American wages, the transformation is complete.
Frankly, I knew little and cared little about the Muslims until they bombed the U.S. Now I care a great deal. I have absolutely no respect for Muslims and fear that they will take over the West and then kill off those not Muslim. Therefore, they now have the West against the Muslims which is what they claimed in the beginning that was not true.
Major introspection is going on...
Well, if I were getting the living daylights pounded out of me by daisy-cutters and U.S. Special Forces, with more easily foreseeable at several key points in the Islamic world, I'd engage in some serious rethinking myself.
It takes a bit of hard swallowing, but we must now concede that Islamic / Arabic fanaticism is best curbed by swift and harsh reprisal. The Israelis recently demonstrated this in Jenin. While their forces were active there, there was not one terrorist incident in Israel proper; but when they withdrew, the bombings resumed immediately.
It's the logic of the survival imperative, a bit weirdly modified to account for the martyrdom complex embedded in Islam. Even people who hate you so much that they'd give their own lives to take yours would rather not give their lives to no purpose. The overwhelming military superiority of the United States and Israel, if wielded to the proper effect, will persuade the Islamic axis that its sorties against us will result in its destruction. We, the hated enemy, will stand over its corpse.
There is no better argument for the "maturation" of Islam than this: its continuation in its current, militaristic form (cf. "jihad") will not be permitted by us it has targeted for forcible conversion or extermination. Or, as an old Jewish adage puts it, "If someone comes to kill you, rise and kill him first."
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com
Islamic / Arab fanaticism is a tiny portion of Islam, much like the troubles in Northern Ireland are a tiny portion of Catholicism and Protestantism.
Bugsy Siegel and Al Capone did not represent Hebrews nor Catholics, either. But they were both evil.
The guys running the countries blew the seed money (from the oil fields) on personal indulgences (e.g. the Saudi Royal cast of thousands) or military adventurism (e.g. Sodamn Insane and the Iranian mullahs). In order to keep power at home, they diverted popular resentment into anti-Western cultism.
A few of the smarter ones have now figured out that they're in the position of the Sorceror's Apprentice. The Western powers could have been courted as the Sorceror who could bail them out, but it's rather late for that now.
A poll taken these past few days indicates that the majority of Palestinians feel that their proper goal is the complete elimination of Israel.
Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's popularity are apparently much higher than anyone previously thought. Bin Laden, in particular, is one of the most admired figures in the Islamic world.
Pakistan, our supposed Islamic ally, is a hotbed of anti-American sentiment. Reports make it the hiding place of much of al-Qaeda, now largely expelled from Afghanistan.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both of which have benefited massively and at zero cost from the exertions of American arms, are home to millions who feel that the Black Tuesday atrocities were no more than we deserved, and possibly less. The government of Saudi Arabia liberally finances the promulgation of the toxic "Wahhabi" variety of militant Islam, especially here in the United States. More than half the Islamic private schools in this country are operated on Saudi money -- and you'd be hard pressed to find a map of the world that contains Israel in any of them.
The Islamic communities of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sudan have all conducted homicidal pogroms against Christians. The one in Sudan may already have taken two million Christian lives. Arabic-Islamic communities here in the U.S. actually celebrated the Black Tuesday assaults -- a fact not well publicized in comparison to the celebrations that occurred in the Middle East.
To this point, only a handful of Islamic clerics and spokesmen have even dared to speak out against Muslim violence against "infidels." Worse, such "denunciations" have usually been couched in "but" language, implying that the victims of Muslim-perpetrated atrocities somehow had it coming, or that America and the West have just as much violence against Islam to answer for.
A ranking prince of the Saudi Royal Family decided that Black Tuesday itself was a perfect excuse for denouncing Israel to the people of New York City. He tried to buy our acceptance of his words with a $10,000,000 check.
There is yet a chance that there exists a "decent" Islam, whose adherents are capable of living in peace with others not of their faith. But time is running out for them to rise, displace and suppress their wild-eyed co-religionists. Already today, there's been another terrorist bombing in Israel, with an unknown number of dead. It won't take many more before the civilized world gives up on the possibility.
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com
As one example, I was in Kuwait watching that Saudi prince on local tv talk about the check. He was amazed with what he thought was misinterpretation. He had wanted to dispense that charity with the same good intentions as he hands out lots of money, with the intent that some good will come from his kindness....he doesn't inquire into the personal lives of those he gives to.
He professed chagrin that he hadn't realized that the Mayor of New York was not impartial to the point of cashing the check and putting the money wherever, as the Prince does.
"Why didn't the mayor give all that money to kids of any religion who lost parents? Jewish kids, fine with me, they are orphans now!" That was a local Kuwaiti English translation.
Islam is not monolithic. Never has been, never will be, anymore than Christianity is monolithic.
Dean of Shari'a and Law at Qatar University in Support of the U.S., the War on Terror (Part 1)
If you read the Koran and believe that it is the uncreated word of God, Islam is incompatible with the existence of other religons. Islam is also incompatible with modern society and many other things with love.
There was no misinterpretation. As Rudy called it, the Sheik is still engaging in "Casual lying."
The prince attached his check a request that America "reexamine" his proposed root cause: Palestine. Thing is, that wasn't the "root cause." He's a p.r. sensitive house of Saud member. Saudis bombed us, and Saudis funded the terrorism, for their varied goals of getting our troops out of Saudi, fomenting world wide religious war, etc. Prince Talal was attempting to deflect attention from his own country. And the deflective tacti of Palestinization of the crisis continues to this day.
For a contrary example, compare our enemy Gaddafi who donated money without any such demand, and in fact said America had the right to respond in Afghanistan.
Talal is a liar and deflective. Then he rants about the "Zionist press" - funny thing is, he owns a good chunk of it, incl. CNN.
Hidden by those who don't want the notion there are any sane Muslims out there to be widely known. This guy is not the only one. The Prime Minister of Malaysia has said killing civilians is terrorism and suicide bombers should be condemned. The Gulf Daily News from Bahrain runs articles from moderates all the time.
There are people who know the only choice they have is to adopted the Turkish model, be bombed into the dirt or live in poverty forever.
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