TayoBlog

The Council of Islamic Ideology, Islamabad, Pakistan has recently launched a journal called IJTIHAD. The journal is publishing a special issue on “Islam and the West” in September 2007. Khurshid Ahmad Nadim, the guest editor, requested a number of people to to express their opinion on some issues related to Islam and the West. These answers will be translated into Urdu.Since these thoughts will not appear in English, I decided to put them on the Blog.

1.    Today when we speak about Islam and West, how is “West” defined? What is the point of emphasis: geography, civility, modernity, political policy?

Both the West and Islam have acquired specific meanings in modern discourse that have very little connection respectively with a geographical direction and a particular religion or belief system. The dictionary or theological meaning of these terms has very little relation with the manner in which they are used. Because of this disconnection with reality, it is very difficult to be precise. In fact, it is in my view best to avoid the use of these terms altogther. Perhaps, we can only do so by trying to deconstruct their usage. We can specify their meanings, expose their geneaology and their arbitrariness.

In our times, the term West carries the privilege and burden of modernity. It is not a geographical direction but a state of mind, associated with the most progressive advances made by human society in the last few hundred years. The West is used to contrast against something else. The West is a claim made against other perceived cultures which are identified as Eastern, African, Islamic or Oriental. Sometimes, this association between the West and progressive values is weak, and at other times it is strong.

Since 9/11, the West has meaning has become very strong. This attack and the events that followed them have been the pretext for the re-emphasis of the West as a place of positive values, democracy and a beacon of light for the rest of the world. Against the terrorists and against Islamic radicalism, the West stands for these positive values. It can protect the world against the threat of violence and destruction. The West thus stands for good against evil. Looking at the use of the West since 9/11 helps us to focus on its power and its producers. We can see how the West is a form of identity against an enemy and against an Other. The West as a source of positive value is a self-ascription that is repeated in political speeches and popular literature. This kind of identification works best if there is clearly defined Other. For many, Islam has become that Other of the West.

We must remember, however, that West has not always been associated with positive value, both by people who regard themselves as such, and by others. Shortly before the events of 9/11, globalizing trends tended to reduce the significance of the West as a distinctive culture. All cultures were open to change and diffusion. And earlier still, during the anti-colonial movements, the West was regarded by the colonized as a source of oppression and arrogance. This shows us that the West is under repeated construction and change. And more importantly, its meaning is generated by those who use it.

2.    How are Islam and West dichotomized? Are there any common concerns between Islam and the West? Is the emphasis on similarities or on conflicts?

The dichotomization between Islam and West takes place through points of conflict and contestation. And one has to identify groups and individuals who wish identify themselves in relation to the Other. The second half of the 19th century was the starting-point of European imperialism when it increasingly adopted a colonial project together with a civilization mission. The prompted many Muslims, as well as people of other cultures, to define themselves in relation to this project. Many Muslims defined themselves in relation to the West. The West is a central component of Muslim politics, which can be plotted along a spectrum of Westernization to anti-Westernization. The West belongs to both extremes.

It is a prison of mutual identification that has continued in our times.

As people inhabiting the planet, there are obviously many points of common concerns and common objectives. But these common concerns are obscured by the dichotomies. Sure, there are also genuine differences as well. But the differences are magnified through these terms.

3.    Is the West, as a civilization, essentially against religion?

Taking into consideration that the West is an unstable definition, no easy answer can be given. The West is not against religion as such. But it puts religion, just like everything else, under a microscope for further investigation. In modern Western culture, nothing is too sacred that cannot merit reflection and criticism. At the same time, though, some of the major revolutions in European history have come from religious inspiration and motivation. Capitalism cannot be dissociated from religion, nor can colonialism. On the positive side, the end of slavery and civil rights have also come from religious determination and conviction.

Europe, with a long history of religious institutionalization and power, is more hostile to religion, than the US. In the latter case, religion was one of the foundation stones of a new state and society.

4.    Have Muslims in the West contributed to the new multi-cultural identity of Western civilization?

Muslims have contributed to multi-culturalism by their presence. They have demanded respect and equality for practicing religious rites and registering their association within these societies. It has not been an easy task, as fear and prejudice have obstructed their efforts in many of these societies and cities. Permission to build mosques in some European societies has taken many years. The democratic structures and institutions in these societies, however, have guaranteed Muslims a place. The persistence of Muslims has expanded the meaning of identity and culture in these societies. In the United States, where there exists a more accommodating attitude towards religions, Muslims have not faced these obstacles.

It should be remembered that Muslims are not only ones who have made a difference. Other cultural and religious groups, like Hindus, African Christians and Afro-Caribbeans, have also forced Western societies to reflect on their assumptions about identity and culture. These different presences have led to mixed results. Some have accommodated the new cultures, while others continue to resist multiculturalism. The events following 9/11 are used to limit this inevitable process.

Having said, though, it seems that Muslims have limited their contribution in self-centred ways. They have helped their host-societies, Western societies, to challenge their assumptions, and develop new ways of understanding groups, religions and cultures. There is very little evidence to indicate that Muslims, particularly religious leaders and institutions, have incorporated multiculturalism as part of their own ways of doing things. How do Muslims relate respectfully to Christians, atheists, Jews and Hindus in a multi-cultural environment? It seems that, for the most part, Muslims have not questioned their own assumptions of other cultures and religions. At best, they rely mainly on traditional notions of ahl al-kitab (People of the Book – Jews and Christians) to accommodate other religions and cultures. Compared to medieval notions of single monocultural regimes and modern nationalist regimes, such ideas are progressive. However, in the multicultural global village and societies that we live in, these are not adequate. The idea of a hegemonic Islamic state, as a default preferred option, has not been questioned.

5.    How is the role of political Islam seen in defining the relations between Islam and the West?

Political Islam, in whatever form, sets the framework for relations between Islam and the West. Political Islam stands for Islam, and implies that politics pervades the meaning of religion in Islam. For most Westerners, religion occupies a distinctive sphere of social life and a distinctive sphere of human subjectivity. Religion may influence art, politics and society, but it remains distinct. Political Islam with its claim of an indivisible whole between religion and politics is difficult to understand from this perspective.

In the last few decades, Political Islam implies, though, there is only politics and very little religion in Islam. In this way, the moral values and spiritual foundations of Islam are being obscured. Many Westerners are simply astounded when they get to know the ethical, spiritual and artistic aspects of Muslim societies. Political Islam plays a big role in obscuring these dimensions of Islam in the public sphere. It only puts forward the idea that Islam is political, and nothing else.

6.    How do you assess the role of Western media in covering Islam and its image building?

he media plays a significant role in the construction of identities. And the media by nature prefers to work with contrasting images of identities that stand out from each other. In this regard, Islam in its uniqueness and strangeness has been an attractive subject for the media. A woman with a veil, or a man with a flowing garment and long beard, stands out against accepted norms in European societies. The camera is attracted to these images. And out of these images, perceptions and stereo-types are built.

And yet, the media in the West is not as one-sided as it appears at first sight. The image that attracts the stereo-type harbours a desire as a point of contact. Out of this point of contact and this desire, conflicting sentiments are produced. Love and hate are very closely connected with each other, especially at their extremes. Whilst the overwhelming trend is negative, the Western media also produces some of the most powerfully moving and positive representations of Islam.

Moreover, one cannot forget that there are competing ideologies and interests behind the media, and most media is driven more by profits than politics. In this competition, one can easily identify media sources that are reluctant to exploit the negative image of Islam. They turn their criticism equally, sometime with greater vehemence, at conservative forces and political ideologies within Western societies. They often lead the way in exposing Muslim stereo-types in Western media. Within this democratic spirit, media does find a balance.

7.     What are the fears of Muslims against the West? Are they real or imagined?

Western countries clearly have interests in Muslim countries. Primarily, these are economic interests. Muslim countries possess huge natural resources, and not only oil, which Western countries need in abundance and at the best price. Muslims also represent consumers and a market for Western countries and firms. Some Western countries also have clearly political interests, the most significant being the support of the state of Israel. The 20th century history of Jews, and particularly the Holocaust, has created a special relationship between Western countries and Israel. Not all Western countries have exactly the same relation with Israel. Germany is the most acquiescent, and the US for very different reasons too.

Given these interests, Muslims have been suspicious of Western designs and plans for the region. In recent years, moreover, with the invasion of Iraq and the continued unconditional support for Israel, Muslim attitudes towards the West have become extremely hostile and negative. In these circumstances, it seems difficult to develop a mutually constructive relationship.

Fear and suspicion, however, cannot be the foundation for the future. They do not foster a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship. Another more constructive way has to be found.

It may have to begin with a more critical look at the meaning of Western and Islamic interests as such. While broad strokes create obvious differences, careful observations seems to easily explode the arbitrary lines that have drawn between Western and Islamic. Muslim countries are diverse, and the individuals that live within them extend their networks and relations across geographical and cultural boundaries. Similarly, the West is intensely divided within itself.

Perhaps we might want to take heed from Rumi’s reflections on the relations between self and other: