Islam and the West
The coming of Islam to the west, expansion and its consolidation are much talked issues in both western and Muslim history works. the first wave of Muslim immigrants to Europe was as early as 710 when the first Arabs and north African Berbers landed on the Iberian peninsula, whew they founded a series of dynasties before the catholic reconquista at to end of the 15th century 1492.Muslim cultures that arouse under these condition were of immeasurable importance in the development of Christian Europe.
Unprecedented attacks of crusaders was another move of western countries to Muslim nations .this caused to bridge between Islam and the west and to interact both two civilizations each other. But another formidable fact is that the crusader is still continued by western countries and their crusade mentality.
Another main phase of interaction between both civilizations was the establishment of Ottoman Khilafat in 1288 by Uthman Khan. The confrontation of ottomans and their everlasting fights against western countries caused to make an image of Islam among them.
Contributions of Islam to the west
Contribution of Islam is mother of western renaissance and intellectual revivalism. Impact of Muslim philosophers, scientists and cultural figures is so deeper in the progress of western rise. Charles the Prince of Wales who is the patron of the oxford centre for Islamic studies, emphasizes the total level influence of Islam on western thought:
If there is much misunderstanding in the west about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the dept our own culture and civilization over to the Islamic world. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shore of the Atlantic, was world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see a Islam as the enemy of the west as an alien culture, society and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history.
The current climate of western Muslims is now remarkable here. In Europe currently there are in total about 23 million Muslims as a whole just over 3.5% of its total population. At the same time some six million Muslims live in unite states. The conversion to Islam is increasing rapidly in Europe and USA.
The migration of Muslims to the west from Muslim countries for further studies took place in the 19th century. It was done by the encouragement of social and political reform movements. Another wave from Muslim countries was the migration pg Muslim workers from north Africa, turkey, India and Pakistan. Their presence in the west created a better change to introduce Islam and make them understand the original stand of Islam in front of the western countries.
Western mentality
Even though the west received thee Muslim presence and their citizenship their prejudices and misunderstandings still lead their conservative mentality. Western banker and arrogant mentality about Islam and Muslims is so formidable. An average European still believes that Islam was spread by fire and sword. The horseman who carries a sword and a Quran is typical image of Islam. They try to demonize the holy prophet (s.a.w) as a devilish anti Christ. Professor Annemarie Schimmel once wrote: more than any other historical figures, Muhammad has aroused fear hatred and even in the Christian world. Dante in his divine comedy only expressed what innumerable medieval Christians felt when he condemned Muhammad to the lowest pit of hell.
Even though the west received thee Muslim presence and their citizenship their prejudices and misunderstandings still lead their conservative mentality. Western banker and arrogant mentality about Islam and Muslims is so formidable. An average European still believes that Islam was spread by fire and sword. The horseman who carries a sword and a Quran is typical image of Islam. They try to demonize the holy prophet (s.a.w) as a devilish anti Christ. Professor Annemarie Schimmel once wrote: more than any other historical figures, Muhammad has aroused fear hatred and even in the Christian world. Dante in his divine comedy only expressed what innumerable medieval Christians felt when he condemned Muhammad to the lowest pit of hell.
It was a big controversy in west as well as in the Muslim world that made by satanic verses of Salman Rushdie who denigrated the holy prophet Muhammad s.a.w. (crusades mentality and their shock syndromes of prejudices and jealousy including sexual jealousy). Many of wests believe that the holy prophet made Quran stealing the verses of Torah and bible and they still assume Islam as an Arabic religion even though Arabs are a minority within Islamic world. Arabs are shown there as lazy cowards stupidly naive. Fanatical and over sexed. Even in Hollywood movies Muslims are depicted as millionaire who is over sexed belly dancers and brutal and blind militants. Even Quran was considered as the complete Turkish law or Turkish bible. These historical misunderstandings should be removed.
Problems and solutions
The west has a lot of problems including social cultural moral downfalls. Islam has solutions to these problems. Murad W. Hofmann analyses the diseases of the west and submits the certain solutions of Islam.
1. the west is suffering from raised prejudices almost everywhere. Islam has not managed to eliminate that vice entirely but there is no other religion which has done so well in combating racism. Islam is a color blind religion if ever there was one.
2. The west in spite of the Christian commandment of loving one’s neighbor as oneself definitely suffers from a coldness of social relation. The Muslim Ummah and Muslims in the west demonstrate the very warmth friendliness and readiness to help that western children miss very much.
3. Young western people hate hierarchies in every field including their job their church and their family. Islam is pluralistic and does not even have sacraments which a clergy might administer. No pope in Islam only directly facing Allah on his prayers.
4. the west cherishes rationality. It is indeed dogmas such as original sin the trinity and divine incarnations which set Islam apart as the most rational of all religions
5. Muslims are naturally sober people always ready to appear before their lord or to drive drunken people home after a party. In view of the addiction prevailing in the west Muslims are the only hope for drug infested city quarters be it in Los Angeles or Johannesburg.
6. No society and no state can survive for long the breakdown of the family. If the family disintegrates society will disintegrate. In a religion where only homosexuals seem to fight for the survival of marriage as institution that is (for themselves) the Muslims goal of protection of the family becomes essential.
7. Western women seek to defend their dignity. In this process of emancipation by competing with men and copying them they may have gained job opening and economic independence. But they did not manage to protect their dignity. Muslim women demonstrate to protect their family and dignity effectively.
8. Western people are constantly stressed and in need of psychiatric help. Prayers as Muslim’s regular link with God is much more effective in healing the modern man feelings of loneliness or alienation.
9. as western societies are ageing much capital is now held by widows and the capitalists system is in danger of its insisting that capital be used not for fixed returns but in a profit and loss sharing modality.
10. Islam can reacquaint the west its long obscured aim of putting the interest of man at the centre of economic policy demanding that social justice and human dignity be given priority over other economic targets.
11. Western people are becoming more and more conscious of the lists involved in eating and wrong kinds of food. They may discover that the Muslims have been right all along in refusing the unhealthy meets of pigs.
12. In their growing concern for health based on the control of weight on dietary principles. Western people might discover Islam and its Pillar the Ramadan as a very modern thing indeed.
Role of Muslims
Muslims have to correct their worst condition in west and identify the real Islam among them. Islam been misunderstood by the west due to their prejudice and assumption and the immature activities and exclusive mentality of some Muslims accelerated the west’s prejudice towards Islam. A sympathetic Christian scholar in the USA provides five suggestions to what Muslims can do in the USA to survive these problems.
1) The need to develop an indigenous American leadership: American converts should be trained quickly and thoroughly for positions of leadership in order to avoid the categorization of Islam as a foreign cult
2) The stereotypical negative image of Islam must transformed through proper use of the media.
3) Provocative and anti-Christian polemics should be avoided lest they provide a strong reaction among Christians.
4) Muslims should attempt to reach more achievable goals by promoting co-operation among themselves instead of focusing their concern on homogenizing diverse Muslim ethnic groups.
5) Muslims individuals should become involved in Da’wa (Social Welfare and Missionary) activities in order to overcome the powerful assimilating influence of the American mainstream. These suggestions applicable in Europe also.
The west has a lot of problems including social cultural moral downfalls. Islam has solutions to these problems. Murad W. Hofmann analyses the diseases of the west and submits the certain solutions of Islam.
1. the west is suffering from raised prejudices almost everywhere. Islam has not managed to eliminate that vice entirely but there is no other religion which has done so well in combating racism. Islam is a color blind religion if ever there was one.
2. The west in spite of the Christian commandment of loving one’s neighbor as oneself definitely suffers from a coldness of social relation. The Muslim Ummah and Muslims in the west demonstrate the very warmth friendliness and readiness to help that western children miss very much.
3. Young western people hate hierarchies in every field including their job their church and their family. Islam is pluralistic and does not even have sacraments which a clergy might administer. No pope in Islam only directly facing Allah on his prayers.
4. the west cherishes rationality. It is indeed dogmas such as original sin the trinity and divine incarnations which set Islam apart as the most rational of all religions
5. Muslims are naturally sober people always ready to appear before their lord or to drive drunken people home after a party. In view of the addiction prevailing in the west Muslims are the only hope for drug infested city quarters be it in Los Angeles or Johannesburg.
6. No society and no state can survive for long the breakdown of the family. If the family disintegrates society will disintegrate. In a religion where only homosexuals seem to fight for the survival of marriage as institution that is (for themselves) the Muslims goal of protection of the family becomes essential.
7. Western women seek to defend their dignity. In this process of emancipation by competing with men and copying them they may have gained job opening and economic independence. But they did not manage to protect their dignity. Muslim women demonstrate to protect their family and dignity effectively.
8. Western people are constantly stressed and in need of psychiatric help. Prayers as Muslim’s regular link with God is much more effective in healing the modern man feelings of loneliness or alienation.
9. as western societies are ageing much capital is now held by widows and the capitalists system is in danger of its insisting that capital be used not for fixed returns but in a profit and loss sharing modality.
10. Islam can reacquaint the west its long obscured aim of putting the interest of man at the centre of economic policy demanding that social justice and human dignity be given priority over other economic targets.
11. Western people are becoming more and more conscious of the lists involved in eating and wrong kinds of food. They may discover that the Muslims have been right all along in refusing the unhealthy meets of pigs.
12. In their growing concern for health based on the control of weight on dietary principles. Western people might discover Islam and its Pillar the Ramadan as a very modern thing indeed.
Role of Muslims
Muslims have to correct their worst condition in west and identify the real Islam among them. Islam been misunderstood by the west due to their prejudice and assumption and the immature activities and exclusive mentality of some Muslims accelerated the west’s prejudice towards Islam. A sympathetic Christian scholar in the USA provides five suggestions to what Muslims can do in the USA to survive these problems.
1) The need to develop an indigenous American leadership: American converts should be trained quickly and thoroughly for positions of leadership in order to avoid the categorization of Islam as a foreign cult
2) The stereotypical negative image of Islam must transformed through proper use of the media.
3) Provocative and anti-Christian polemics should be avoided lest they provide a strong reaction among Christians.
4) Muslims should attempt to reach more achievable goals by promoting co-operation among themselves instead of focusing their concern on homogenizing diverse Muslim ethnic groups.
5) Muslims individuals should become involved in Da’wa (Social Welfare and Missionary) activities in order to overcome the powerful assimilating influence of the American mainstream. These suggestions applicable in Europe also.
Conclusion
Interfaith Dialogue, fruitful interactions and absolute tolerance are the main features to bridge between both civilizations. Constant attempts to get rid of exclusive mentality from both sides will require a friendly atmosphere. But here we should not consider mere tolerance. A tyrant or arrogant society can also tolerate their subjects. But we need absolute tolerance with mutual understanding. It is better to note the words of Goethe: “Tolerance should only be a transitional attitude it must lead to the acceptance, merely enduring is a way of insulting.”
Interfaith Dialogue, fruitful interactions and absolute tolerance are the main features to bridge between both civilizations. Constant attempts to get rid of exclusive mentality from both sides will require a friendly atmosphere. But here we should not consider mere tolerance. A tyrant or arrogant society can also tolerate their subjects. But we need absolute tolerance with mutual understanding. It is better to note the words of Goethe: “Tolerance should only be a transitional attitude it must lead to the acceptance, merely enduring is a way of insulting.”
Comments