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02/16/2006
Malaysia's Prime Minister Badawi
Call this the second in a series that attempts to put forward the
more moderate voices of Islam. Malaysia is certainly a moderate
Muslim nation and its prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, is also
an Islamic scholar. On Friday, 2/10/06, he gave an important
speech at an Islamic conference in Kuala Lumpur titled “Who
Speaks for Islam? Who Speaks for the West?” I was going to
try and excerpt it heavily, but it’s only fair to run with it in its
entirety. Please understand I’m taking no position myself. But
more than ever we need to understand what the other side of the
debate is saying these days.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The two questions: “Who Speaks for Islam?” and “Who Speaks
for the West?” are among the most fundamental issues in the
interface between two great civilizations – the Islamic World and
the Christian West.
Their answers are not only important in determining the
relationship between Islam and the West but are also vital in
shaping the future of humankind because Christians and Muslims
make up at least half of the world’s people. There are 2,039
million Christians accounting for 32% of the world’s population
and there are 1,226 million Muslims making up 19% of the total.
When we ask you to search for the answers to the two questions,
it is not our intention to point fingers at any religion nor to
apportion blame on anyone regarding the state of affairs which
now exist between the Islamic World and the West.
What we seek is the truth which can serve the best interests of all
humankind, and help bring peace to this troubled world of ours.
Let us pray to God the Almighty, so that He gives us wisdom,
courage and determination to discover the answers.
I do not suggest for a moment that “Islam” or the “West” are
monolithic entities. There is tremendous heterogeneity in both
civilizations. Both manifest diverse and sometimes contradictory
trends and tendencies. Having made that clarification, allow me
to continue to speak of Islam and the West in the way they are
normally understood.
Let me state at the outset that while there are a multitude of
voices that speak on behalf of Islam on the one hand, and the
West on the other, there are certain voices, which I feel, do not
do justice to either Islam or the West.
I hold the strong view that, in the case of Islam, those who
deliberately kill non-combatants and the innocent; those who
oppress and exploit others; those who are corrupt and greedy;
those who are chauvinistic and communal, do not speak on
behalf of Islam.
In the case of the West, I do not regard them as defenders of
Western civilization those who invade and occupy someone
else’s land; those who systematically cause innocent children,
women and men to be killed; those who oppress other people and
exploit their resources for their own selfish ends; or those who
are racist in outlook and bigoted in their religious beliefs.
Anyone who seeks to dominate and control, who attempts to
establish global hegemony, cannot claim to be spreading freedom
and equality at the same time.
Who then speaks for Islam? Who then speaks for the West? The
Noble Quran speaks for Islam. At its core is an eternal message
of justice and compassion, of equality and humanity, of peace
and solidarity. There is, besides, the Prophet’s exemplary life
and mission which reflect the quintessence of Islam. Through
their struggles and sacrifices, the illustrious caliphs from Abu
Bakr to Salahuddin Al-Ayubi (Saladin) also succeeded in
bringing to the fore the authentic face of the religion.
In a sense, the great accomplishments of Muslim civilization – in
science and medicine as in agriculture and architecture – served
to enhance the image of Islam. The scholars who were
responsible for these accomplishments such as Al-Kwarzimi and
Ibn Sina should be regarded as the true voices of the religion.
It follows from this that in the contemporary world, it is those
who uphold justice, who fight tyranny, who seek liberation from
oppression, who are honest and upright, who are universal and
inclusive in word and deed, are the ones who represent the real
message of Islam.
One should also add that those who protect the rights of the
human being, those who treasure the dignity of women and the
welfare of children, those who preserve the integrity of the
family, those who help the poor and feed the hungry, those who
live in harmony with the environment, are also speaking on
behalf of Islam.
In a nutshell, all Muslims anywhere who sincerely endeavor to
live according to the universal values and principles of the Quran
are the true spokespersons of Islam. What this means is that the
overwhelming majority of Muslims, who by and large lead
decent lives, are already speaking for the religion.
To express the principles of life that are important to ordinary
Muslims as demonstrated in Islamic civilization, I have
personally sought to promote an approach which I call “Islam
Hadhari” which we have defined as “a comprehensive approach
to the development of mankind, society and country based on the
perspective of Islamic civilization.” The 10 principles of Islam
Hadhari embody universal values which have endowed the
religion with strength and character through the ages. The 10
principles are, namely:
i. Faith and piety in Allah;
ii. A just and trustworthy government;
iii. A free and independent people;
iv. A vigorous pursuit and mastery of knowledge;
v. A balanced and comprehensive economic development;
vi. A good quality of life for the people;
vii. The protection of the rights of minority groups and women;
viii. Cultural and moral integrity;
ix. The safeguarding of natural resources and the environment;
x. Strong defense capabilities.
I consider this fresh approach as a necessary part of the reform
and renewal that is needed in Islamic countries and in Muslim
societies as a whole. Malaysia feels that it is well-placed to
begin this journey of reform and renewal because it is a multi-
racial and multi-religious country in which we treat our diversity
as an asset to be nurtured. In fact, we are merely building upon
the tolerance we have observed and the inter-faith co-existence
which we have practiced in the country for decades. We wish to
show by example that a Muslim country can be modern,
economically competitive, democratic and fair to all its citizens
irrespective of their religions.
Islam Hadhari is not a new religion or mazhab. It is not a new
ideology. It is not meant to pacify the West. It is neither an
approach to apologize for the perceived Islamic threat nor an
approach to seek approval for a more friendly and gentle image
of Islam. It is the way for practicing the religion in these modern
times but firmly rooted in the noble values and injunctions of
Islam.
Islam Hadhari is what Muslims should emphasize in the
contemporary world, the pursuit of knowledge being one of the
most fundamental. It is another way of saying that there are
certain civilizational principles in the religion whose realization
will bring greatness and glory to the Muslim community, the
Ummah, today, just as they had propelled the Islamic civilization
to such splendor and magnificence in the past.
Western civilization, too, has its share of greatness and majestic
accomplishments. We must acknowledge that in the West,
principles such as freedom and equality have found concrete
expression in the rule of law, public accountability, acceptance of
political dissent and respect for popular participation.
We must also acknowledge that many great statesmen and
reformers of the past made sterling efforts to redistribute wealth,
to equalize opportunities and to achieve equity and social justice.
They may be regarded as the true spokespersons of the West.
Admittedly, the West is also the civilization that has given birth
to a whole host of scientists and researches, from Newton to
Einstein on the one hand, and from Marie Curie to Alexander
Fleming, on the other, who have contributed immensely to the
well-being of humankind.
However, for many Muslims today, this is not the face of the
West that they see. It is the hegemony of the centers of power in
the West that is most visible to them. They see the subjugation
of Palestine as an indirect concretization of this hegemony. They
see hegemony manifested directly in the attack on Afghanistan
and in the occupation of Iraq. These are some of the realities
which confront the Muslim masses today.
Of course, there are other manifestations of hegemonic power
which have also made a deep impression upon the Muslim mind.
These include foreign military bases in Muslim countries; the
dominant presence of huge Western corporations; the pervasive
impact of currency markets; the ever-expanding security
tentacles of the superpower; plus certain negative traits and
influence of western culture and ideas.
At the popular level, the West is perceived as “biased” against
Islam and the Muslims. Muslims feel, rightly or wrongly, that
they have become the victims of double standards and selective
persecution. More specifically, Muslims see those responsible
for the devastation of Jenin and Fallujah, and the humiliation of
Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, as the ugly face of the West that
speaks for the West.
Similarly, many in the West see Islam as synonymous with the
violence. The Muslim is viewed as a congenital terrorist. They
think Osama bin Laden speaks for the religion and its followers.
Islam and Muslims are linked to all that is negative and
backward. For example, Muslim men, it is alleged, oppress their
wives. Women, it is said, have no rights in Islam. Some so-
called Western “experts” on Islam argue that Muslims invariably
discriminate against non-Muslims. They say Muslims are
intolerant. They say Islam is incompatible with democracy and
modernity. The demonization of Islam and vilification of
Muslims, there is no denying, is widespread within mainstream
Western society.
It is the duty of all people of goodwill to work hard to change
these negative perceptions on both sides of the divide.
Undoubtedly, the task is not going to be easy. For these
perceptions have deep roots. Since the advent of Islam at the
beginning of the 7th century, Christian, and to a lesser degree,
Jewish antipathy towards the religion and its Prophet
Muhammad, has grown into active antagonism.
The crusades, Western colonization, the imposition of Israel
upon the Arab world, post-colonial hegemony and the Western
desire to control oil and gas, especially those supplies coming
from the Muslim countries, have all contributed in one way or
another to the huge chasm that has emerged between the West
and Islam. The targeting of so-called “Islamic terrorists” in the
global fight against terrorism aggravated the situation and the
senseless violence of the terrorists themselves has made things
worse.
Quite clearly, we will not be able to change the situation by mere
talk, dialogue and being nice to one another. We must be brave
enough, and we must be honest enough, to admit that as long as
there is hegemony, as long as one side attempts to control and
dominate the other, the animosity and antagonism between the
two civilizations will continue.
This is why hegemony must end. Mutual respect for one another
should replace hegemony. Reciprocity should become the
ethical principle that conditions relations between the West and
Islam. The West should treat Islam the way it wants Islam to
treat the West and vice versa. They should accept one another as
equals. Respect, reciprocity and equality; these are the essential
prerequisites for a happy and harmonious relationship between
the two civilizations.
It is significant that in both civilizations, there exist men and
women today who are moving towards a genuine transformation
in relations, which will bring to an end the animosity and
antagonism of the past and present.
There are many in the West, for instance, who realize that the
exercise of hegemonic power and the demonization of Islam are
not conducive for inter-civilizational peace. It is these voices
that the world should listen to. Likewise, there are numerous
groups and individuals in the Muslim world who are deeply
distressed by the violence and terror perpetrated by certain fringe
groups within the Ummah, just as they are equally uncomfortable
with the sweeping denunciations of Christians, Jews and the
West. They do oppose hegemony and occupation but their words
are authentic voices of Islam.
Certain voices, both in the West and in the Muslim world, are not
given the prominence they deserve. The mainstream media
should give much more attention to them. It is only too apparent
that these two groups – one in the West and the other in the
Muslim world – share a common perspective on some of the
critical challenges facing both civilizations and the world at
large. Both are opposed to hegemony. Both reject violence and
terror. Both yearn for a just and peaceful world. Both are united
by a common bond. It is this common bond that makes them
bridge-builders.
It is such fine men and women who are capable of reaching out
to one another, who are willing to transcend the civilizational
divide, that we need badly at this juncture in history. It is a pity
that there are not enough of them. One of our most urgent tasks
is to multiply the bridge-builders. We must develop through the
family, through education and the media tens of thousands of
men and women who can be critical of the weaknesses and
wrongdoings of one’s civilization and, at the same time, are
empathetic towards “the other” civilization. When the bridge-
builders reach a critical mass, their collective power would
become so overwhelming that it would destroy walls erected by
those who are hell bent on keeping Islam and the West apart.
At that point, when the bridge-builders reign supreme, the people
of the West will speak for Islam and the Muslims will for the
West.
Let us start now by curbing the extremists in our midst. We must
put a stop to the mockery of any religion or the sacrilege of any
symbol held sacred by the faithful. Let us not underestimate the
power of religion as an imperative for people to act. In the face
of fanaticism and hysteria, we must take action to counsel
moderation and rationality.
[Source: The Star (Malaysia)]
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Hott Spotts will return on February 23.
Brian Trumbore
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