By Siraj Islam Mufti, Ph.D.

04/12/2001

Not only in the West, but Muslims all around the world condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks as crimes against humanity. But Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister could not contain himself with just that, and went further by calling it as "a war against civilization." And the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, asserted rather brashly that Western civilization was superior to Islam and asked his fellow Europeans to conquer, and occidentalise this backward world "1400 years behind". Other European leaders felt embarrassed by this ill-mannered candor at a time when they were recruiting Muslim regimes for their war against Afghanistan. 

Others, including U.S. President George W. Bush, invoked the medieval metaphor, "crusade." Bush recanted his statement, regretting its unintended historical connotations, but Muslims to this day recall the horrors of that event in history. And although the crusades were primarily directed against Muslims, more Christians suffered because of it as invading European Crusaders first attacked their fellow Christians in the Holy Land. 

Pope John Paul recently apologized for the crusades committed in the name of Christianity. 

Here, for educating Berlusconi (he could also pick any authoritative book of Islamic history [1]) I refer to a recent talk by Carly Fiorina, (2) 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 that, "the technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians." As for leadership, which this speech 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."

The fact is that civilizations do not develop in isolation, and in the course of history, several civilizations have always existed side by side. Different civilizations have their distinct characteristics tied to a historic context such that they represent a diversity with different varieties of humankind, which exist because of the freedom that God has bestowed on His human creation. And there is a constant interaction between peoples across contemporaneous civilizations with a fertile exchange of ideas and viewpoints. Thus they learn from each other and grow in the process by challenging, inspiring and stimulating each other. Such has been the case with civilizations of the past and present. 

But utterances by ex-colonialists reflecting 19th century imperialist thought continue to extol they carried the burden to "civilize" the non-white world, which led to that tyranny known as colonialization - the racist dehumanization of humankind, grabbing lands through cunning deceit, and divide and rule cum gun-powder diplomacy, thereby enslaving "others" - all, in order to exploit for their selfish ends. Adolph Hitler was the product of this mentality, arrogating to the German race alone the right to dominate others and telling them what to do and what not to do. It led to the clash and consequent demise of both Nazi Germany and non-German colonialist civilizations before and during World War II.

Subsequently, there was the rise of the Marxist civilization in the Soviet Union (USSR), promising a classless society through abolition of capitalism and placing all means of production at the disposal of the community. Although communist experimentation looked attractive to the exploited proletariat worldwide, it, in the process, gagged dissent and all democratic channels of expression. That evil was compounded by its ferocious anti-religiosity, therefore, never being able to conquer the hearts and minds of Muslim people, even within its own dominions. 

It was hoped that the demise of the USSR and consequential end of the Cold War would be a harbinger of world peace by bringing an end to the "clash," but no sooner had it ended than some Western intellectuals and policymakers started looking for new enemies where there were none. A former U.S. State department employee, Francis Fukuyama immediately proclaimed that the collapse of communism meant the triumph of Western capitalist-liberal societies and that this signified the end of historical process. (3) Still, he was not sure whether the attainment of political and economic liberty would lead to a stable society or slide it into the chaos and bloodshed of history. In other works that followed in 1995 (4) and 1999 (5), Fukuyama was anxious concerning the immorality of the social order and its implications for social economy. The civic society, according to him, was run by "social capital" which comes from "religion and culture and social mores handed down from one generation to another."

Still he thought, "the days of Islam's cultural conquests are over." That Islam "can win back lapsed adherents, but has no resonance for young people in Berlin, Tokyo or Moscow, and while nearly a billion people are culturally Islamic - one-fifth of the world's population - they cannot challenge liberal democracy on its own territory on the level of ideas." This despite acknowledging that it is "true that Islam constitutes a systematic and coherent ideology" and that it has "potentially universal" appeal. 

Notwithstanding this, however, Harvard University professor Samuel Huntington warned that the war to dominate the world was not over and predicted that future wars would be fought between civilizations, and not nations. Then he put forward his now classic, although controversial, theory of an inevitable clash between the Western and Islamic -Chinese civilizations. (6) He stated that the Islamic civilization extending from Morocco to Indonesia lacked a core state, but had several active states, and that its challenge stemmed from its demographic dynamism with an immense youth bulge in most Muslim countries. Then invoking sociologists and historians, he claimed that this youth bulge spelled trouble for the future of West. What in reality worried him was the growing bulge of the aging population in the West. 

Huntington should have rather listened to the likes of Fukuyama and spent time on addressing the socially and morally subversive crisis that is taking place within Western civilization. Instead, he preferred to instigate a totally unjust and unjustifiable war against Islamic civilization. Indeed, the fractures and fault lines within Western civilization are completely of its own creation; Islam has nothing to do with it. Except, of course, the Islamic human responsibility of reaching out to others, including Western neighbors and offering a helping hand by sharing sincere thoughts about addressing and redressing the prevalent ailments of humanity.

But Muslims have no ambitions of entangling in a clash with the West. If anything, they are concerned about setting their own house in order. They have found out that their governments, once put in place by ex-colonialists, and now maintained in their status quo by the U.S., are utterly ineffective, corrupt and authoritarian. And once in power, they want to stay in power, no matter what, and any elections held are fictitious and rigged. They also ruthlessly repress any dissent and are the worst violators of human rights. Thus, Muslim masses are increasingly alienated from their own governments and they want a change for the better that also conforms to their Islamic heritage and its specific ideals. 

The problem is that U.S. administrations have aligned themselves with these oppressive autocratic regimes that justify repression of all opposition as a defense against "fundamentalism" or "extremism." Thus, the U.S. not only condones, but also is protective of them. It is precisely the authoritarianism of these regimes that fuels extremism. This situation, therefore, is not tenable and it would be in the interest of the U.S., as well as peace and stability in the world, if it would rather become an agent of change. It will also be in consonance with the fundamental values of the American people: freedom, justice, equality and democracy. The U.S. also needs to realize that its larger interests lie, not with the narrow selfishness of Zionists and special interest groups who control its foreign policy, but with befriending, rather than alienating, 1.2 billion Muslims inhabiting strategically important and resource-rich countries, and who are destined to exert influence in any emerging world order. Thus, the U.S. must dialog with genuine Islamic leaders who stand for change through peaceful democratic means. All they are asking is a sincere understanding of, and coexistence with Muslims, with mutual respect. Otherwise, it could lead to the generation of more and more anti-American feelings as Muslim frustration grows and the U.S. is seen as the actual power backing repression of legitimate demands.

Also, Muslims and Islamic leaders must look at the West differently. If a "clash" was imposed on the Muslim world, it is also because of their fault from a lack of communication. Islamic leaders should frequently interact with various Western, especially U.S., leaders, exchanging ideas, apprizing them that their objectives are for the good of humankind, and reassuring them that they are not after their legitimate interests in Muslim lands. Thus they should not look at the West as one monolithic conglomerate opposed to Muslims per se; that would contradict the Islamic understanding of innate goodness that Divine Providence has imparted to all humans. There are differences among Western governments and within government establishments as well. And there is also a wide disconnect between the establishment and a particular society, as evidenced by prevalent cynicism and apathy. For example, only about 30% of eligible American voters care to vote in elections.

Above all, it is Muslim's Islamic duty to let others know about the religion: and at this critical juncture, it will also determine the future course of events not only for them but also for the world. If there is misinformation about Islam and Muslims, it is also because they have not attended to their responsibility of outreaching (da'wa) to others to tell them of the transcendental grandeur, inherent balance and beauty of reason in Islam. Surprisingly, the U.S. tragedy and the war in Afghanistan have exited a tremendous curiosity of the common people about them in the West, and especially in the U.S., providing great opportunities to connect with them. Therefore, Islamic leaders should take up their responsibility to awaken the Muslim masses to foster a relevant understanding of Islam so that they could enlighten others, and be constantly engaged in it, without any letup and respite. They should form alliances and coalitions with people across all faiths - Christians and Jews in particular, people of conscience in general, and other grassroots organizations. 

The role of American Muslims is crucial in this dialog. Knowing and understanding both the Muslim world and the U.S., they could serve as a bridgehead between both. According to Jamal Barzinji (7) of the American Muslim Council (AMC), although the American Muslim community at seven million "represents only about 2.5% of the total American population, …that is enough of a political force to make a major difference, a major contribution to the entire Muslim world." And now they have established more firmly their Muslim identity and "brought respect and acceptance into the general population at all levels, from the President, to the Congress, to the religious community, and to a certain extent, to media as well."

Since many problems within the Muslim world ensue from current U.S. foreign policies, American Muslims, therefore, must redouble their efforts in forming alliances and coalitions with compatriots who would like to see foreign policy changed, so that it serves in equity and fairness Muslims throughout the world, rather than being controlled by racist Zionists, and the media owned by them. The American masses are keen to know more about Islam and Muslims. Therefore, each and every American Muslim must be galvanized into action to present a true picture of Islam and sincerely exhibit it in his/her personal conduct. They should know that the Islamic mission set for them by the Creator and Lord of the universe is: "amr bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar" (The Qur'an, Al Imran 3:110). Or, to enhance and further all that is good, not only for Muslims but also for all of humankind, as well as to negate and eliminate all that is harmful to humankind. Therefore, Muslims should reach out to others to work for establishing a moral society in the U.S., and raise a unified voice with them for the causes of justice, virtue and the good of humanity.

References:

1. For example see, John Esposito, The Oxford History of Islam, 1999.

2. Full speech

3. Francis Fukuyama, End of History and the Last Man, 1992.

4. Ibid., Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, 1995.

5. Ibid., The Great Disruption: Human Nature and Reconstruction of Social Order, 1999.

6. Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, 1997. 

7. AMC Media Department, media@amconline.org release of October 11, 2001. Dr. Jamal Barzinji of AMC addressed the OIC Conference.

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