Daily Times

Stress, strain and a depressive state that people experience may be due to personal factors, but much can be explained in terms of what is happening around us that has implications for societies and nations. Muslims are particularly affected, and have consequently suffered tremendously.

In the 21st century the challenges before the Muslim world are of great magnitude. There is the task of addressing the rising wave of Islamophobia in the west, and to make the pledge to combat extremism and terrorists. This complex and difficult task needs strengthening of an institutional framework, particularly revitalising and strengthening the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). We need to search for peace and enhance our own efforts to understand ‘equilibrium in Islam’ and the ways and means to ‘correcting wrong’.

Victimisation of Muslims and attacks on Islam has assumed alarming proportions in recent years. This is a major cause of concern for the Muslim world. Victims of Islamophobia must be encouraged and given all necessary assistance to file complaints. If experts at the United Nations and other world forums look forward to address the issues of ‘global inequality’ they must see to it that all sorts of discrimination against Muslims come to an end. Social actions more than legal measures could go a long way to address the issue.

The current effort to revamp the OIC must be directed to institutionalising ways and means to effectively resolve issues and disputes that are a source of worry for the Muslim countries. Particularly worrisome are the issues of Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the unjust labelling of all Muslims as terrorists.

With all the resources at their command, 1.5 billion Muslims around the world are a force to reckon with if they stand united. It is vital to educate people in member countries so that they could understand the spirit of Islam and the nature of humanity along with availing opportunities for development and modernisation (not to be confused with westernisation). Meaningful programmes can help to project the correct image of Islam to the west, and particularly those who tend to be Islamophobes and xenophobic. Prejudice and biases are a source of injustice and most conflicts. If there is no justice we cannot expect peace.

Muslims in the world need to have a strong organisational and management base to help increase their influence, provide alternative systems of resolving conflicts, exchanging information, providing social and economic assistance and forging Islamic unity. Unity is essential to enable Muslims to speak from a position of strength.

There is a need to correct perceptions. Nowhere does the Holy Quran encourage an extremist approach to religious and worldly matters. Islam stands for equilibrium in personal and social life, peace, patience, courtesy, forgiveness, unity, humility, righteousness, and above all, gratefulness to God Almighty (Allah) for His favours and blessings.

The Holy Quran (Surah 2, Ayat 177) describes the characteristics of true believers and the God-fearing. Righteousness does not consist in whether you face towards the east or the west. The righteous man is the one who believes in Allah and the last day, in the angels, the book and the prophet; who for the love of Allah gives his wealth to his kinship, to the orphans, to the needy, to the wayfarers, to the beggars, and for the redemption of captives; who attends to his prayers and pays the alms; and who is true to his promises and steadfast in trial and adversity. Islam advocates forgiveness and courtesy. Islam is a complete code of life. Quran gives guidelines in detail for all eventualities. “A kind word and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury. Do good to others but for the sake of your Lord, the Almighty Allah. Bestow no favours expecting gain. Be patient for your Lord’s sake.” (Surah 74, Ayat 67)

It should be remembered that Islam became one of the world’s great civilising forces as well as unifying forces. Islam stopped infanticide of female child, restricted slavery, ended tribal feuds, advanced women’s rights and stressed religious toleration. It is the moral duty of everyone in general and of the rulers in particular to correct wrongs in society and stop erosion with the objective to ensuring better health of society.

It is well known that the Muslim ummah is facing challenges in the modern era. Many of these challenges stem from ideological differences with the modern western civilisation. There are some areas where Islamic practices clash with the modern western civilisation. Scholars interested in interfaith harmony could help find common grounds to sort out issues related to crime and sin, treatment of non-Muslims, inception of an Islamic state, implementation of Islam, role of women in Islam, and negative attitudes towards arts and sciences.

If the rise of the modern western civilisation is judicially analysed without the spectacles of malice, then it points to two major factors: these are the advances in modern physics and social sciences. However, when one studies modern social sciences with a cultural background that is different to modern civilisation then one finds oneself inadvertently on a collision course. Diversity and unity are certainly the solutions to overcome such problems. There is need to create a space for assimilation, accommodation and integration. Globalisation, in spite of its disadvantages to the less developed world, has contributed to advantages in bringing people of different cultural backgrounds together.

Indifference and disconnect on our part failed us to benefit from the advancements of technology. The need is for us to adopt and adapt for adjustment to new realities. We cannot simply live on our past glory. Muslims and others can progress through religious co-existence.

We need to deliberate and strive to project a positive image of our faith, and attempt some kind of ‘rebranding’ to convince others that the world of Islam is not any different from other belief systems, especially belief in one God and commonalities that exist. Others need to understand us. We need to understand them. The gap of ‘they’ and ‘we’ is the real problem. This gap needs to be bridged. Islam is the continuity of earlier faiths taught by Prophets Ibrahim, Moses and Jesus (PBUH). We need to talk of that continuity, and the perfection that came with Islam.

Interfaith harmony is possible based on common denominators. Impression management and creation of a ‘similar to me effect’ as principles of successful communication is what we need to practise. Things can further improve by developing the ‘you’ attitude. Misperceptions have to be removed. Wrongs must be corrected. All Muslim countries and Muslim populations anywhere in the world need to have experience in managing multi-ethnic and multi-religious populations.

I tend to agree that there is much more to a Muslim’s identity than theological adherence. Religious co-existence can be made possible by adopting and adapting to Muslim pluralism as an essential factor of culture. That course we need to follow to overcome trends leading to extremism. Let us consider what we can and should do. We have hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The underlying idea is to talk of hope and expectations of a better tomorrow, of a world that offers justice, peace, better opportunities for all, improved human rights and human development, cooperation, assimilation, integration and love for humanity.

The message I wish to convey is for better sense to prevail; there is a need for inter-faith harmony so that regional and international peace prospects could improve and provide a solid ground for good governance and welfare of people in all countries, may they be in the East or the West. The ultimate message is to promote humanity and language of mutual cooperation and understanding. The people of this globe, the earth, have to work together for a way forward. The need of the hour is to rethink to better organise things for the good of the mankind.

The writer is a former director of the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), a political analyst, a public policy expert and an author