Islam and West need to find common ground
The Swiss referendum in December, which supported a ban on construction of minarets, signalled troubles in the West-Muslim relationship. The reasons for these troubles, as well as possible solutions, were considered in a plenary session entitled “Islam and the West: Creating an Accord of Civilisations” at the December 2009 gathering in Melbourne of the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Professor Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University spoke from personal experience as a Muslim in Europe, explaining that “if we travel within both Western and Muslim countries we can quickly see a clash of perceptions. The Swiss referendum was not simply an issue of minarets. Many Swiss people who opposed the ban on minarets nevertheless expressed mistrust of Muslims,” he said. “Similarly a poll in France suggested 46% support there for a ban on minarets. The opposition is really directed at the visible Muslim presence in the West. Across Europe this new Muslim visibility is a concern.”
Speakers considered the reasons for these problems of perception. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, specified factors that contributed to the perception of a fundamental opposition between Islam and the West. “One area of problems is geo-political: Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so forth,” he explained. “There are also sociological factors at work, especially in Europe with changing demographics and resulting concerns.” A further factor, suggested Imam Abdul Rauf, was the role of the media in creating and sustaining perceptions of opposition.
In considering the causes for West-Islam tensions, Professor Ramadan reminded the audience of Muslim perceptions, and of the need to find appropriate solutions to these problems: “Go to Muslim countries. There is a real sense of us versus them everywhere. The main point is that with such perceptions, how can we deconstruct and address them?”
Speakers emphasised that perceptions did not necessarily accord with reality. Daniel Peterson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University, stated that it was wrong to see the West and Islam as different. “They have had centuries of contact, with Muslims living in the ‘West’ and Christians living in the ‘East’”, he observed.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar, founding president of the Malaysian-based NGO International Movement for a Just World, expressed a note of caution: “There has been a long history of conflict between the centres of power in the West and the Muslim world, going back to the crusades. Perhaps the real tussle throughout history has been between Islam and West, with a brief interlude in the 20th century with the West/Soviet opposition”.
In proposing the way ahead, Dr Muzaffar argued that the world is going through significant changes. “The long epoch of western dominance is coming to an end,” he said. “The main signs are the serious economic malaise of the US and the West in general. This decline is irreversible.” Dr Muzaffar stressed that Muslims have to look beyond their relations with the West, to also consider the worlds of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. “In fact, there needs to be a global conversation, not just one between Islam and the West,” he said. Such a conversation needed to be based on mutual respect, universality, and a renunciation of force. “Either we flourish together or we perish together,” he said.
Professor Ramadan similarly called for cooperation and mutual acceptance. ''We have to understand that Islam is now a Western religion,” he said. “Not only must Muslims integrate in the West, but the West must accept Islam. Both need to see that the other is not monolithic. We have to build a narrative together”
Adding his voice to the discussion, Seyed Ali Ghazvini, Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno in California, sounded optimistic about the potential for Western-Muslim cooperation. “Mainstream Muslims and mainstream westerners are fundamentally good,” he observed. “We need to try to build on this to prevent a major clash between Islam and the West in the future.”
At the end of a stimulating and critical discussion, Dr Muzaffar reminded the audience of the importance of action, not just well-intentioned rhetoric. “Here at the Parliament of the World’s Religions there is a feel-good sense. But the real issues are outside,” he said.
This article first appeared in "The Melbourne Anglican", February 2010, p14
Professor Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University spoke from personal experience as a Muslim in Europe, explaining that “if we travel within both Western and Muslim countries we can quickly see a clash of perceptions. The Swiss referendum was not simply an issue of minarets. Many Swiss people who opposed the ban on minarets nevertheless expressed mistrust of Muslims,” he said. “Similarly a poll in France suggested 46% support there for a ban on minarets. The opposition is really directed at the visible Muslim presence in the West. Across Europe this new Muslim visibility is a concern.”
Speakers considered the reasons for these problems of perception. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, specified factors that contributed to the perception of a fundamental opposition between Islam and the West. “One area of problems is geo-political: Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so forth,” he explained. “There are also sociological factors at work, especially in Europe with changing demographics and resulting concerns.” A further factor, suggested Imam Abdul Rauf, was the role of the media in creating and sustaining perceptions of opposition.
In considering the causes for West-Islam tensions, Professor Ramadan reminded the audience of Muslim perceptions, and of the need to find appropriate solutions to these problems: “Go to Muslim countries. There is a real sense of us versus them everywhere. The main point is that with such perceptions, how can we deconstruct and address them?”
Speakers emphasised that perceptions did not necessarily accord with reality. Daniel Peterson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University, stated that it was wrong to see the West and Islam as different. “They have had centuries of contact, with Muslims living in the ‘West’ and Christians living in the ‘East’”, he observed.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar, founding president of the Malaysian-based NGO International Movement for a Just World, expressed a note of caution: “There has been a long history of conflict between the centres of power in the West and the Muslim world, going back to the crusades. Perhaps the real tussle throughout history has been between Islam and West, with a brief interlude in the 20th century with the West/Soviet opposition”.
In proposing the way ahead, Dr Muzaffar argued that the world is going through significant changes. “The long epoch of western dominance is coming to an end,” he said. “The main signs are the serious economic malaise of the US and the West in general. This decline is irreversible.” Dr Muzaffar stressed that Muslims have to look beyond their relations with the West, to also consider the worlds of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. “In fact, there needs to be a global conversation, not just one between Islam and the West,” he said. Such a conversation needed to be based on mutual respect, universality, and a renunciation of force. “Either we flourish together or we perish together,” he said.
Professor Ramadan similarly called for cooperation and mutual acceptance. ''We have to understand that Islam is now a Western religion,” he said. “Not only must Muslims integrate in the West, but the West must accept Islam. Both need to see that the other is not monolithic. We have to build a narrative together”
Adding his voice to the discussion, Seyed Ali Ghazvini, Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno in California, sounded optimistic about the potential for Western-Muslim cooperation. “Mainstream Muslims and mainstream westerners are fundamentally good,” he observed. “We need to try to build on this to prevent a major clash between Islam and the West in the future.”
At the end of a stimulating and critical discussion, Dr Muzaffar reminded the audience of the importance of action, not just well-intentioned rhetoric. “Here at the Parliament of the World’s Religions there is a feel-good sense. But the real issues are outside,” he said.
This article first appeared in "The Melbourne Anglican", February 2010, p14