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Muslim
Philosopher Addresses Islam and the West
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| "Don't
ask me to be a less Muslim to be a good Swiss."
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By Ayub Khan, IOL Correspondent in Chicago
CHICAGO,
April 6, (Islamonline) - Islam is not a monolithic faith but a
dynamic one and Muslims must take from the West those values that do
not contradict Islam, asserted eminent Muslim philosopher and author
Tariq Ramadan speaking at a public lecture at the Field Museum of
Chicago Thursday night.
Ramadan,
grandson of Hasan Al Banna, the founder of the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt, dismissed the idea that a singular model
should be applicable through out the world's Muslim communities.
"Models
have to change but principles remain the same. We have to be
intellectually creative and innovative. If we see in the American
model something that is good, then we should accept it as our own.
Prophet Muhammad [SAW] accepted everything that was good," he
said in his lecture titled ‘Islam and the West’.
He
stressed the need for ijtihad
(seeking knowledge) among Muslims and said that education is the key
to Muslims' problems. He stated that over the last fifteen years,
many Islamic scholars have applied ijtihad
and have come up with new answers on questions like voting,
political participation and civic responsibilities in the West,
stating that eventually this will be very helpful in the future of
Muslim communities.
Ramadan urged
non-Muslims not to categorize Muslims in only two groups: moderates
and fundamentalists. “How could you say that about Muslims? The
Muslim world is very complex and diverse. We should be more precise
in our definitions," Ramadan asked.
He
opined that what is happening to Muslims in the West would
eventually help Muslims in countries where they are majority
populations. He said that his book, "To be a European
Muslim," has been translated in several languages of the
Islamic world including Arabic and Indonesian. "In the
past Western Muslims were taking help from others but now it is the
other way around." he said.
Ramadan
pointed out that learning about American and European history is
also a part of Islamic education but that Muslims have thus far
ignored seeking such knowledge. "We have to know about the
system that we are living in. It's constitution, civics, morals and
values. We have to learn about the new environment, in order
to promote mutual understanding," Ramadan said.
He
also went on to say that among the problems in the Muslim
communities, a major dilemma comes from national and ethnic
traditions. He gave the example of last year’s conventions of the
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) (attended by a large
number of those belonging to immigrant community) and that of
the Muslim American Society (MAS) (primarily attended by
African-Americans).
The
two conventions took place over the same weekend, in the same city
and yet in different locations. "African-Americans are not
respected as they should be respected. There is a bourgeoisie among
the Muslims, which looks down upon others. This is a problem,"
he said.
There
is a lack of self-criticism among Muslims, Ramadan said. "It is
our dignity not to accept everything in the name of Islam."
He
urged the Muslims to break free from the “ghetto mentality” and
interact with other communities. He also called on Muslim
organizations in the West to be economically self reliant and
not to be dependent on funds from foreign countries.
He
said that there is no contradiction between being a Muslim and a
European or an American. "Don't ask me to be a less Muslim to
be a good Swiss," said Ramadan, who holds Swiss nationality.
Ramadan
said that America is seen as an enemy in the Muslim world because
those countries perceive America as a country that only looks after
its own self interests and ignores the needs of others. He hoped
that America and the West would be a voice for the voiceless and
promote freedom of speech and justice all over the World.
"This is the only way to please God," he said.
Ramadan's
speech was the second in a series organized by the Chicago Council
on Foreign Relations. Rashid Khalidi from the University of Chicago
and Oleg Grabar from Princeton University are scheduled to speak on
April 30 and May 14 respectively.
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