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مكتبة الاثنينية
Lecture by Dr. Farhan Nizami at Saudi information center in London Ladies and Gentlemen. Dr. Nizami has come to us he is the Director of the oxford center for the Islamic studies. That's an organization which was set-up in 1985. Now it sailed into calm waters and he was certainly read about the very success of the center in presenting the prince of Wales of oxford last year. The lecture which resounded in the Islamic world and had its impact also in this country. It is a center with a number of fellows who do research and also deliver lectures in various faculties of the university of oxford. He intends to talk about Islam. “Dr Nizami”. Your Excellency Ladies and Gentlemen. When the Saudi-British society invited me for the honor to speak this evening I readily agreed to do so. I was delighted to receive such an invitation from our society devoted to talk in cordial relations between two countries who's king and crown prince respectively and the patience of the also the center of Islamic studies. So that comes the invitation. I responded more carefully before agreeing to speak on a team. That is so Important and at the same time so sensitive. As I suggested I will be talking about the Muslim dilemma. To borrow from the ideas in writings or so many individuals it might not be possible to acknowledge them all. And to consider matter of fundamental to the human condition, that the man to be treated with respect and the due regards to sensitivities of all. So therefore a great comfort for me this evening to know that my tentative exploration is done in the company of friends who I know will be indulgent towards my preliminary approach to the subject. Last October Mr. James referred in his lecture the royal highness the prince of Wales spoken the subject of Islam in west. He emphasized and I quote that links between the Islamic and western worlds matters more today them ever before. Because the degree of misunderstanding between then remained dangerously high. And because the need for the two to live and work together never been greater. That is indeed the case. We shall need to work harder to understand each other to drain any poison between us. I shall attempt this evening from the vantage point of a Muslim living in the west. To try to identify some of those areas with a poison of suspicion to consider the dilemmas this creates for Muslims and to suggest how Muslims themselves might begin to contribute to the revolution and remedy of the situation. The great majority of Muslims in the modern world would I believe instinctively understand what is meant by the Muslim dilemma. But as one tries to entangle and analyze instinctive reaction one comes to share the complexity of its component parts? Religious, historical, emotional, political, cultural and economic. I wish to approach the dilemma from the vantage point of my experience as Muslim with in gorge living, working, teaching at oxford. I will therefore be discussing the Muslim with reference largely to British and European society. No doubt in many of regions of the world Muslims are faced with difficult dilemma. But it would require far more time than that which you generously provided for me that about 45 minutes. The topic of dilemmas facing Muslims in other societies is the subject in this time. We read Islam requires Muslims to do certain things and live according to certain values. Muslims in the west must seek to do so in a social environment which causes particular difficulty Added to this is problem to the few Muslims in the west Either competence to overcome or even informed in proper response to the difficulty Sadly such a situation gives rise to feeling of helplessness and frustration an often to anger and even extremist. I do not intend to discuss the political aspect of the current debate between Islam and the west. There are those more competent and more keen to discuss about. I shall confine myself to some of the underlined religious assumptions of this problem and some of the obvious religious and social dimension of this debate. The dichotomy applied in Islam and the west is artificial and unhelpful. It is certainly a completely artificial division from Islamic view point. Islam claims to be religion of all humanity it considers mankind to have been created one and indivisible God. God himself is described in the Qura'an is the God of the east and the west, the prophet was sent as a blessing to all creation. The whole notion demarcation of Islam is contrarily to the universal claim of the religion itself. From this prospective distinction between Islam and the west have a little validity. From another view point the distinction between Islam and the west represents the case of mixing different categories. A comparison between Islam and Christianity would have much more and greater justification and meaning certainly the relations between Islam and Christian civilization demands careful, treatment and necessary qualifications over time. There are those remarkable examples of cooperation in coexistence in Islam specifically. One may contrast conflictive encounters between the two, one may distinguish between the nature of the conflict when that fend them to the Islamic civilization. Such historical encounters have been viewed relationships between the two with the demonology which creates artificial enemy and fairs. And it is forced by the extremists from both sides. They also ignore the respective religious positions which call for accommodation in the system. And obscure the sured concerns of Islam and Christianity about many of the value or lack of values in western society at the present time. What then do we mean by the best? Is it a set of values. Is it a civilization. Where did that it start and where did it end. If Japan will guard as path of west. What then the position of Albania, Kosovo, and of course Bosnia. If it is not a geographical construct Is it a process of modern western civilization and on going in self transforming process resulting from the continuing industrial scientific and technological revolution. What ever may be the answers to these questions there are certain defining characteristics or the modern western world which are deep concern to Muslims. Who lived within a daily contact with them. One such characteristic appears to be inversion of the principle that man does not live by the Law. The reduction of homo sapiens to homo economics the portrayal of a person a human being as individual unit in the calculus of economic Theory and market poses. This basic assumption is one which every Muslim living in the west would and should challenge as being an acceptable to Islam. The world view of the Muslim therefore stands in contrast to some of the basic assumptions of modern secular western civilization. Each Muslim is touched in varying degrees by even the intellectual Questions. The dilemmas they posed to the Muslims may be observed in a variety of base in areas such as education, social and economic life and political aspirations. Before looking at these dilemma further however we need to be cleared about certain fundamental values of Islam which should guide and inspire the Muslims. In the Qura'an “God” says of “Adam”. This evidently means that the man keeps in the rule and progress on the earth. This is pointed out that there is a vast difference between the Islamic and western view points as to the quality of the human program. The modern west believes in the possibility of a progressive moral and social improvement of mankind in its collective sense by means of practical achievements and the development of science. The Islamic view point however is diametrically oppose to this. Islam regards the mankind in static quantity as something that has definitely laid down in the very constitution of human nature. Human nature in general supra-individual. Is undergoing a process of organic progressive change and improvement, simply because Islam rests of the premises the basis of the nature the human soul is not a biological quantity. A fundamental mistake of modern western thought is a surely being to regard an increase in material knowledge and comfort as identical with a moralling improvement of mankind. This is stamps from the equally fundamental mistake of applying biological rules to non biological facts. At the root of it lies the modern secular western this belief in the existence of what those Muslim and Christians would describe as a soul. Unfortunately Islam has been less in the west. It is not surprising that the image of Islam is distorted and un-attractive. Islam as I am sure we all know signified submission to the almighty, hence starts for the basic spiritual position. It is the way of life in the different parts of an individual's existence are so inter-related to create and integrity personality, the personality of Muslim one who is submitted to the will of “ALLAH” the submission by definition can not be selective but has to be accordingly in all aspects of life According to Qura'an the unity of mankind and is strongly critical of the segmentation of society and growth social and economic disparity. One of most central aims is to establish a viable social order. A social order which come prior to the person and it goes to just and ethically based. Human actions are meaningful only within a social contact. Even religion has not been considered a legitimate reason but discriminating between people. There will be not compulsion in religion at another place addressing the prophet. “How compel a mankind against their will to believe”. The Muslim Umah is therefore is described as nation, of Justice and moderation. Islam calls upon Muslims to exercise moderation and to reject and oppose all kinds of extremism. The Qura'an declares that in the absence of the concern for the welfare of the Pow even prayers become hypocritical. It warns against exploiting the Pow. The main trust of Islamic teaching is the justice and toleration compassion between people, societies and nation. In Qura'an “Allah” says “O mankind we created you from single pair. Of male and female and made into nations and tribes” Indeed the very variety of human color and tongue is regarded as a sign of God”. If the Muslim in the west is to live in accordance with the state, it is inevitable that he will be critical of, and with challenge of the society in which he lives. I should also add that you would also admire and seek to support and be of service of those values of an institution which are consistent with Islam. A scholar said in Europe saw a lot of Islam but no Muslims and when he returned to his home-land he said he saw lot of Muslims but not Islam. Some of the dilemmas of the Muslim citizen in Europe however springs from the knowledge that any criticism he may make are like to be misinterpreted by pre-dominantly secular society. Similar criticism made by Christian might also be misinterpreted but much less likely. The earliest European use of Islam was formed on the basis of ignorance of fair of a perceived political threat. No doubt the western world too has suffered caricature in Muslim Society, but the image for trade of Islam in the west. I quote a vast turbulent area inhabited by strange beardy men with burning eyes, heretic figures of blood dripping from their hands. It has been remarked that a better understanding of the Islam in the west could get no help from antiquity and no comfort from the present. Now to the western audience Islam is conveyed through the TV media in particular has civilized this to remarkable degree. Media coverage is generally not of Islam as religion but of Muslim related events. And most at the snap shorts perpetuate the image of Islam being outside the modern world. Indeed Islam is portrait not only is standing outside the modern world. It is presented as an ever present. The principle which has its immediate origin in the faith of man in “God” and in the necessity of man to submit to God's wills in order to secure peace on the earth and the hereafter. According to the prophet a Muslim is one who does not harm others either through his hand or his tongue. The Islam creator who begs to God and Prayers. Peace is a blessing and prevails according to Qura'an It is a quality state of existence that a Muslim should strive to maintain justice and charity towards all irrespective to the prays. Peace is manifesting goodness and good will between Muslim and non-Muslims is what Muslims are ordered by the Qura'an to maintain. If the Muslims are attacked and forced to driven out their home. If that happens they are supposed to fight a try to establish to stay on their feet. Peace is also implicit in calls for leveling down all distinctions from society and of being absolutely impartial in the exercise of justice. Muslim in the west the persistent representation of Islam and genders sense of fair in security and Justice. It should be appreciated that among Muslims the perception of violence within the world is dominated by the fact that it the Muslims themselves who are the receiving end. Nearly 75% of the world's refugees population consist of Muslims. Minority groups from south Asia to Bosnia are all Muslims For Muslims throughout the would for certainly those in Europe the tragedy in Bosnia has a particular resonance and a deeply an emotional effect. If the situation in Bosnia does not improve and improves soon I am in no doubt that It will come back to haunt all of us in the most an expected ways and place. At the time of present changes in Europe, it is important that all its inhabitants feel equality and security. This applies not only to the growing number of Muslim immigrants Asians in Britain But also to the growing number of Europeans turning to Islam. For this complex Muslim population the importance of the west trying seriously to understand Islam is no longer a matter of understanding. It is now a matter of Knowing and understand one's neighbor Eventually this must plead to re-definition of the meaning of the European identity and if its relationship without side world. But the implications need to be considered very carefully. If the price to be paid is to make every Muslim resident the community feel is at the best tolerated agent. And every neighboring Muslim state feel that it is looked on by Europe as an enemy then the price is certainly too high. It is against its back drop that I turn finally to Muslims in the west and consider how they can contribute to the resolution of the dilemma. A pre-dominantly secular western society places a range of pressure on its Muslim members. The pressure on family life, the challenge to notions of modesty and shape, the pre-dominance of materialistic values in consumerism. The most important aspect our debate is to achieve the equality and balance between the Europe and the Muslims. On the other hand universal benefit is to be gained through co-operative attitude. Such co-operation can not be achieved if the Muslims are kept on the side line. I engage in the main stream discussion and resolution of matters of concerns to every body. They have a duty to make an important moral and ethical contribution to the major debates of my time. In doing so I have no doubt they would find in Christians men of faith. The mission is very clearly defined by Qura'an seeking good, preventing corruption on the earth and forbidding bad. But in order to make this contribution Muslims must liberate themselves from the very thing they find objectionable in others. “My life and death all for the “God” is the Muslim belief. The major task for Muslims lies in the field of education. Often attempts to mould a younger student Muslim character have paid, because they grow up and discover the essentially fact of way of life around them. Some of them become attractive to the western values and some are completely repulsed. The urgent need is to develop for Muslims an understanding but independent attitude towards western culture which provide them the ability to make their own contribution. There are simply too few Muslims who are qualified to able to engage in debate with the west with the spiritual and intellectual force. In conclusion the resolution of the dilemmas facing Muslims in the west requires both a serious and responsible re-assessment of the true meaning of meanings of Islam by the west itself and as an important a major effort by Muslims to co-operate fully and positively in the talk. The Muslim have certainly not lost the conviction that he can and must perform. To do so it is imperative that the Muslims be clear about the exact nature of the present challenge. If correct vision is not forth-coming about what is needed a repairable damage could be done. There are two (2) basic challenges. One is the challenge posed to Muslims by the secularism and materialism of modern western civilization. The other originates in the inertia and conservatism of the Muslims themselves. Muslims in the west must decide what exactly needs to be conserved what needs to be preserved. What is fundamentally Islamic and what is the product of customs of culture. Muslims must answer these questions if they are to prepare themselves for the much greater challenges they face in the west. Throughout Islam history Islam has met many challenges of different types, spiritual, intellectual and social. But the challenge imposed by the west is perhaps stronger At the present time the Muslim at the west is in a process of hard searching trying to discover a fuller meaning of service to “God” then he has ever conceived of in the past. The degree, amplitude, accuracy and effectiveness of his vision now being formed may effect not only his own future but much of the world around.
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