A prediction of the Prophet
embellishing the first paragraph of the book’s
introduction says it all: “ ‘There will be a
time when your religion will be like a hot piece of
coal in the palm of your hand; you will not be able
to hold it.’ The Prophet of Islam was gazing into
the future while he talked to his followers early in
the 7th century in Arabia. ‘Would this mean there
would be very few Muslims?’ someone asked later.
‘No,’ replied the Prophet. ‘They will be large
in numbers, more than ever before, but powerless
like the foam on the ocean waves.’“
Powerless like the foam on the
ocean waves! Tragically, this has come to be the lot
of the 1.3 billion Muslims today. Adherents of a
faith that teaches tolerance and peace, Muslims are
summarily dismissed as wayward philistines treading
a messy course. Islam, a religion considered too
progressive at the time of its inception - forcing
conservative Europe to shy away from it - is painted
as a retrogressive faith. The disparagement is
wanton, the distortion deliberate, the
misperceptions absolute.
Bill O’Reilly unabashedly
equates the Holy Qur’an with Mein Kempf, the
reverend Jerry Vines describes Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) as a “demon-possessed paedophile,” and
the Reverend Jerry Falwell calls Islam “a very
wicked and evil religion.” Pat Robertson makes
equally offending comments. “The debate on Islam
that is in full cry in the West since September 11
is too often little more than a parading of
deep-rooted prejudices,” says Dr Ahmed. True. The
present time thus is a time of challenge, not
despair. Muslims have to break the siege - through
conciliation, not confrontation; through dialogue,
not clash - and this theme is precisely the one that
Dr Ahmed explores in his illuminating book with
characteristic perspicacity.
“As an anthropologist I will
try to make sense of a changing, complicated and
dangerous world. I will attempt to explain what is
going wrong in the Muslim world; why it is going
wrong, and how we, because my explanation involves
Muslims, and non-Muslims, are to move ahead if we
wish for global stability and even harmony in the
future,” says Dr Ahmed in the introduction. The
book spotlights the what, why and how of the
contemporary Muslim scene.
The ‘way forward’ is by way
of initiating a dialogue between the two
civilizations - the West and the Muslim world.
Conciliation not confrontation would yield tangible
results. The West is also obliged to build
‘bridges of understanding’ with the Muslim
world. It must evolve a long-term strategy to
interact with the Ummah, a strategy that should not
be driven by interests of the corporate world or the
multinationals, trading empires in their own right.
“The West needs to respond to
the Muslim world firstly by listening to what
Muslims are saying and secondly by trying to
understand Islam. With some patience and
understanding the general desire to assist the
Muslim world will take shape….The West must send
serious signals to the ordinary Muslim people - via
the media, through seminars, conferences, meetings -
that it does not consider Islam to be the enemy,
however much it may disagree with certain aspects of
Muslim behavior,” says Dr Akber. Above all, the
western media must dispel its ignorance and shed its
long-lingering prejudices.
Dr Ahmed’s prescription for the
Muslims is simple: practice a ‘working
democracy,’ promote education, upgrade madrassahs,
demonstrate tolerance, show respect for adl, ihsan
and ilm, and be mindful of the social and
demographic trends. In short, they need to
“rebuild an idea of Islam which includes justice,
integrity, tolerance, and the quest for knowledge -
the classic Islamic civilization - not just the
insistence on the rituals; not just the five pillars
of Islam but also the entire building.”
Islam Under Siege answers many of
the questions Americans are asking after September
11: Why do they hate us? Does the Qur’an preach
violence? Do Muslims hate Jews and Christians? Are
we at the start of a final crusade between Islam and
the West? Dr Ahmed responds to common criticisms:
that Islam is a violent religion and it encourages
the subjugation of women. He also explores how the
war against terrorism is perceived in other
countries. For many developing nations, Dr Ahmed
writes, the war against terrorism is seen as a
violent expression of threatening Imperial America.
The book is a work of
scholarship. In the words of Professor Stanley
Wolpert, it “should be required reading for all
Members of Congress and our Nation’s Cabinet, as
well as for most of the Pentagon’s top brass.”
And, according to Professor Tamara Sonn, President
of the American Council for the Study of Islamic
Societies, “This is the most important
book to date on life in the post 9/11 period.”
In the post-September 11 period,
a few individuals stand out who have stoutly and
effectively defended Islam and its followers and who
have raised their voice of moderation to bring the
West and the Muslims together. Dr Ahmed is one of
them. He has appeared on television shows, including
Oprah thrice last year and his C-Span covered
debates have been repeatedly televised on demand.
Suave and blend, he makes a convincing case for a
much-needed dialogue of civilizations.
In one of the chapters Dr Ahmed
mentions several discussions with Professor Sonn
before September 11 “in which she spoke of the
United States as a new Andalusia - a tolerant
society in which the great faiths live in harmony
and contribute to a rich, mutually beneficial
culture. She was right. But after September, the
freest, most welcoming country in the world for
Muslims turned threatening to and suspicious of
Muslim belief and practice.”
Would a dialogue suggested by Dr
Ahmed reverse the present trend? Would the United
States be a new Andalusia again? Muslim America
seems to provide a glimmer of hope, however
imperceptible though.
Most Muslims in the United States
are highly educated and have made their mark in
various fields. They belong to important
professional groups and have studied at prestigious
Ivy universities. They have the insight and
erudition to bring about the much needed change in
the US and their own countries of origin. A forward
surge. Sustained academic strivings. Whole-hog
commitment to foster education and science. Research
and Development breakthroughs. An articulate and
vocal media.
Education and science can provide
the Muslim world the opportunity to enjoy life in
all its wondrous aspects as well as impart a feeling
of pride in intellectual achievements to the Ummah.
Endeavors of Muslim Americans in this respect could
set off a chain reaction and precipitate a speedy
diffusion of knowledge and higher technical skills
in the Muslim world. In the United States, Muslim
Americans could serve as a bridge of understanding
between Muslims, Jews and Christians and help in
mending fences and removing many misperceptions that
mar inter-faith relations. Each one could be a
public relations individual in his own right
dispelling misgivings about the United States in the
Muslim world and removing misperceptions about Islam
in the US. They have the dash and the erudition to
furnish proof that Islam and the West have a common
cause and the two are by no means on a collision
course. It is for them to seize the opportunity and
pave the way for a dialogue of civilization to
facilitate the eventual rehabilitation of the Muslim
world.
One only wishes that there were
more than one Dr Akbar Ahmed to explain the peaceful
content of the message of Islam in the West. The
dialogue of civilizations must be sustained - with
renewed momentum. - afaruqui@pakistanlink.com