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Religious answers to political problems
By
Claude Salhani
Some scholars insist that what is happening today
in the world - the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan,
the war between the West and Al Qaeda, and the acts of terrorism
practiced by a very particular, extremist, and violent branch
of Islam - amounts to a clash of civilizations. Others disagree,
arguing, instead, that the clash is more from within Islam
itself. There are factors on both sides of the equation leading
to tensions between the West and Muslim societies, and I
remain convinced that it is worthwhile considering where
opportunities lie to address the problems on an intra-Muslim
level.
Maybe what drives my convictions is the fact that I was raised
in Lebanon's multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious
environment where, although many argue that religion became
the catalyst of two civil wars in as many decades, it was,
in fact, something else that drove the beast in that case,
namely politics. In the microcosm in which I lived my formative
years in West Beirut, I had the great privilege of living in
an environment where Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Jews coexisted
in a peaceful universe where all religions blended, along with
a variety of nationalities and races.
When I stopped going to church on Sundays in my teenage years,
my best friend, a Sunni Muslim and my Jewish girlfriend would
each grab me by an arm and force me to attend mass, just to
please my mother. My two friends would remain by my side throughout
the service, standing and sitting and kneeling along with the
rest of the congregation.
Growing
up in Beirut, I counted many Muslims among my close friends.
Religion was never an issue. I lived in the part of
town that later, when the civil war erupted, became known as "Muslim
West Beirut." I never felt as though I didn't belong.
I don't
buy the theory of the clash of civilizations because, for
me, the problem is driven by power politics, and supported
by factors such as education and environment. Those with better
education tend to be more tolerant of the "other." And
by education I don't mean those in possession of college degrees,
because as September 11, 2001 demonstrated, that was not the
case - several of the 9/11 hijackers had college degrees. I
refer, rather, to the education received from one's parents,
the environment in which one is raised, and the charismatic
influences, in this case often religious, to which one is exposed.
When you look at the extremists, the Taliban and company,
at the associations or training institutions where the supremacy
of one religious view over others is an integral part of the
curriculum, and at the very compelling sense of belonging and
purpose that being a part of such groups often imparts, it
becomes obvious that part of the problem is influenced by different
religious interpretations, albeit often with political ends
in mind. Therefore, it follows that, although the problem is
one of politics, it may be in religion where the solution is
to be found.
This sentiment is shared by Gijs de Vries, the European Union's
counterterrorism chief in Brussels. When I interviewed him
two years ago, he told me he did not believe there was a clash
between Islam and the West. Rather, he said, he thought the
clash was within Islam.
Indeed,
Ali Bardakoglu, president of the Diyanet, Turkey's highest
religious authority, told me when I interviewed him
in Istanbul, that same December, that "there are a lot
of problems within Islam to resolve. If religion leads to clashes,
then there is something missing," he said.
Yet when I repeated those words to a group of visiting Muslim
scholars at Washington's American University two weeks ago,
the reaction among the majority of the audience was somewhere
between icy and hostile.
For the most part, they resented being told that there was
a problem in Islam. Several of them said it would be more correct
to say that there are problems among Muslims, not within Islam.
It may be a simple matter of restructuring a sentence, but
at least they half-admitted the fact that all is not well.
For positive change to come about, mainstream Muslims - individuals
and organizations - must demonstrate a concerted effort in
combating extremists. Those who misquote the Holy Koran must
be stopped, and the mainstream, including very conservative
Muslims, must explain that this is not the way of Islam.
Concentrated efforts must be made to root out extremism through
dialogue. It is up to the leaders of the Muslim community to
take concrete steps to erase the misunderstandings that have
contributed to painting a negative image of what should be
a religion of peace.
Claude
Salhani is International Editor and a Political Analyst
with United Press International in Washington, DC. He may
be contacted at Claude@upi.com. This commentary was featured
by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). Acknowledgement
to CGNews. Petroleumworld
not necessarily share these views.
Editor's
Note:This
essay originally appeared in Middle East Times, on June
27, 2007.
Petroleumworld reprint
this article in the interest of our readers.
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