Western Muslims – Laaltain

Abeer Javaid Advocate

bigotrymurdersreligion

We claim to live in a world that is becoming increasingly civilized and well-informed. While we sometimes attribute this change to the phenomenon of globalization, we often also point to the widespread use of the internet. Although the advancement in communication technology has certainly benefited human lives, one can argue that it is also being extensively exploited nowadays. The reality is that while technology can provide us with ‘factual’ information, it does not always specify the intentions behind this information. We, the consumers of such information, tend to rely on what we are told by a sensationalist media or by our governments, who usually have their own ulterior motives.

Humans have always been afraid of what they do not understand and this lack of understanding, coupled with a lack of communication, has been exploited time and again to pit nations against each other. What our generation lacks is face-to-face encounters and honest communication in an open and unbiased setting. Of course, this is not an easy task, as centuries of mistrust and bigotry have widened the communication gap between us and those we consider the “other”. The reality is that open-ended dialogue would be the best way to tackle our differences in a peaceful manner. Sadly, we are usually influenced, even in dialogue, by the doubt and suspicion that accompany our historical and emotional baggage.

What our generation lacks is face-to-face encounters and honest communication in an open and unbiased setting.

Thus, when I won a month-long scholarship to the Vienna International Christian-Islamic Summer University, I was not sure of what to expect. I had never traveled halfway around the world on my own and the travel was exhausting. Clichés aside, the Summer University was a revelation to me. For starters, I had never even seen the inside of a monastery, not to mention living and working in one. The Stift Altenburg, where the summer program was hosted, was beautiful and I discovered a new and enchanting part of it on a daily basis. As a house of worship and study, it was also a suitable location for inter-faith dialogue.

I was even more impressed when I met my forty fellow students, who had travelled there from seventeen different countries. Each had a distinctive persona, accent, and culture. Countries that had only been names to me now had faces. Initially, I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of all the participants. I wondered how I would manage to get to know all of them properly in just three weeks. However my apprehension faded on the second day, by which time I could recall most of their names without surreptitiously having to look at their nametags and they seemed to remember mine as well. This effort on the part of the students to know their peers was touching and it set the tone for the following weeks.

I was surprised to find that the Christian students were not only very receptive of my views but some had more knowledge of Islam than I had of Christianity.

Coming from a country where religion plays a prominent role in the common citizen’s life, I was quite conscious of the religious radicalism that has come to be associated with Pakistan. In 1947, we gained our independence from Britain after a struggle that has been primarily defined in terms of religion. In the decades since, our country has been in the international limelight for all the wrong reasons, the most recent being our link with terrorism. For me, this program was a unique opportunity to explain to my peers that a misguided view of Islam on the part of some should not incriminate all the followers of a religion, or indeed the religion itself. I was surprised to find that the Christian students were not only very receptive of my views but some had more knowledge of Islam than I had of Christianity. It was heart-warming to see that almost all Christian students signed up for the Islam tutorial. The need to understand each other, to speak, and to listen became paramount. Our discussions would often run into the early hours of the morning!

We need to look into ourselves and to find the humanity that exists within us. But first and foremost, we need to see each other as human beings and not only as Muslim or Christian, Asian or African.

During our passionate debates, I realized that I should not target people for holding certain views about my way of life when I was doing the very same thing concerning their ways of life. I learnt that stereotyping goes both ways. The need of the hour was tolerance and understanding. Being open-minded does not necessarily have to imply an endorsement of another person’s belief, life choices or ideas. Rather, the things that are most worthwhile to know and learn are the ones that challenge one’s convictions. These were all important lessons for me but perhaps the most important discovery was that bigotry murders religion.
This direct interaction – made possible not by modern technology but through an old-fashioned human encounter – was the very essence of this Summer University. For three magical weeks, I experienced seventeen different cultural backgrounds. Looking back, I feel like I have taken a mini-trip around the world or, as my friend Marsha from Philadelphia put it, lived a mini-life away from our normal life. Together, we laughed, danced, ate, lived, shared, sang, and even argued sometimes – though a walk in the evening would sort everything out. I became friends with people so unlike me, and yet at the same time we connected on so many levels. We discovered that our ways of life may be different but the root of our religions is the same, and the message of both our religions is very clear: peace and justice for humanity.

In our blind quest to be ‘right’ we have lost sight of the real message of Islam, which is one of enduring peace.

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and Jesus Christ (SAW) came when social injustice had crossed all boundaries and the values of humanity were being trampled. Both brought a message of justice, peace, and compassion. We need to look into ourselves and to find the humanity that exists within us. But first and foremost, we need to see each other as human beings and not only as Muslim or Christian, Asian or African. “Why bother?” is no longer an option. This experience taught me that, despite all our differences, disputes, and specific histories, we can – if we honestly try – co-exist peacefully. It’s time we stop playing the victim or silent bystander to the hate brewing around us.

All the bonds I formed at this program left an indelible print on me. In learning the thoughts and ideas of others, I also discovered a lot about myself. Sadly, my return was dampened by suicide attacks on mosques, shrines and the worship places of Ahmedis. I couldn’t help but think that people from different countries, backgrounds, religions, ways of life and even languages, can make an effort to co-exist but Muslims living in the same country and even speaking the same language are finding it hard to tolerate fellow Muslims and people of other religions that live in their midst. In our blind quest to be ‘right’ we have lost sight of the real message of Islam, which is one of enduring peace.

Saif Rehman

It has now been over a decade since the fateful 9/11 attacks, and the world has watched as the consequences of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the global ‘War on Terror’ have unfolded.

But the question of who speaks for Muslims living in the West still remains unanswered.

In the UK for example, there are dozens of Muslim organizations, each one seeming desperate to pull in market share. But is it all about ownership? It shouldn’t be. Is it all about portraying a better image of Muslims? I doubt it. Indeed, it seems to be primarily about monopolising the Muslim voice to push individual agendas.

By not steadfastly denouncing armed ‘jihad’ against those very Western societies where they live, by not calling out honour killings, the Taliban’s attack on 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, al-Qaeda’s war on minorities across several Muslim countries, many of these organisations do a great disservice to Muslims and Islam. They help promote negative stereotypes whilst conveniently sidestepping the real issues within.

The fact that a majority of Muslims are not associated with any Islamic organisations that claim to represent them should speak volumes. That alone should make us sceptical of some claims made by groups like the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and their US counter-parts Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

So where are the voices of the average Muslims? They are more numerous than you might think, but too disorganised or too intimidated to speak out.

What many in the West fail to understand is that a Muslim born to a Muslim father usually takes on his or her paternal identity without necessarily consciously subscribing to the beliefs and practices associated with the faith. Just as a Jew might describe himself as Jewish without observing the Halacha, or 59% of British people who ticked the Christian box in the recent referendum despite disassociation with the Church.
In non-Muslim societies, most Muslims subscribe to secular identities. The Muslims of Bosnia, descendants of Slavs who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule, are not always noted for attendance at prayer, abstention from alcohol, seclusion of women and other social practices associated with believing Muslims in other parts of the world. They were simply designated as Muslims by nationality to distinguish them from Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats under the former Yugoslav communist regime. The label Muslim might indicate their ethnicity and sometimes even group allegiance, but not necessarily always their beliefs.

In my experience most Muslims are secular individuals who strongly identify with Muslim culture due to family background, personal experiences, or the social and cultural environment in which they grew up.

I believe these Muslims must organise and challenge the separatism that the current Islamic organisations seem to be pushing for. They must stand in favour of a spirit of togetherness where we all learn from each other, instead of a divisive one which pulls us apart. And crucially, they must move past the propagation of negative narratives.

It is well known that the Quran clearly states ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion’. During Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) early migration from Mecca to Medina, he preached a message of cohabitation. The famous Charter of Medina that he drew up encouraged assimilation, and he ensured that the doors of the mosque were always open to homeless wayfarers of any creed. As Irshad Manji says “translations of any scripture are human, as are interpretations – including literal ones”.

Rather than engaging in inflammatory rhetoric and fear-mongering, its high-time Islamic organisations began to celebrate our positive differences and similarities. However, the negative portrayal of Muslims is also a result of the Western media; the ever-ready media seems perpetually hungry to capture the rabid soundbites of a minority of extremist Muslims. Egged on by a small cabal of xenophobes they tend to portray all Muslims as similar to the recently extradited, and infamous hook-handed and one-eyed Abu Hamza, or as some other scimitar brandishing Philistine.

But how close is this to the truth?

Unfortunately, the majority are not visible in the media or recognized by Western politicians and policymakers. These people have a certain responsibility towards regular Muslims, as like it or not, Muslims are now part of the essential fabric of Western societies. Just as Germans are not held responsible for the crimes of Hitler, it is important not to point fingers at regular Muslims for the crimes of Bin Laden. It only serves to magnify their dissonance, alienate them further and leave them as cannon fodder for extremists.

It is now 2013 and little has changed. However, enough is enough. The time has come to stop blaming Western leaders and Muslim extremists for our problems; regular Muslims in the West must finally come forward as a collective and form new voices against the issues they face. After all, the majority of them are just ordinary folks worried about ordinary things, like paying their bills, planning their holidays, and especially in the UK, complaining about the weather!

(Published in The Laaltain – Issue 8)