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Cultural Development from
an Islamic Perspective
by Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri
Introduction
Cultural development is a novel concept,
originating from the concepts of social action in its broadest acceptation,
which encompasses all walks of human life and extends to all dimensions of human
endeavour. This concept emerged concurrently with the modern movement of
intellectual revival. It then blossomed fully with the evolution of the
perception that the international community has vis-à-vis the mission of culture
in life as well as its role in building up the contemporary societies. Today,
cultural development has become not only one of the sturdy pillars of progress
but also one of the basic constituents of the cultural and social policies
adopted only by the States which have set development as a cardinal goal,
ranking high among the other national goals that they are endeavoring to achieve.
Cultural development is as much the act of
developing society culturally as that of developing culture socially and
economically in such a way as to make it an efficient tool for developing the
mechanisms of growth and fostering the efforts expended to promote the living
standards, elevate humans, upgrade their skills and ameliorate their standing in
society.
It is a fact, therefore, that cultural development
is a broad-based concept that comes, in reality, within the scope of a global
development based on the following three foundations :
1- Establishing justice in its political, economic
and social senses ;
2- Honoring humans through preserving their full
rights, giving them a sound education and providing them with integrated care ;
3- Harnessing the scientific methods of thinking
and planning for the realization of progress, development and prosperity in all
domains.
As such, development is actually a process made up
of integrated, inter-related and dynamic components. This is only natural since
the various ingredients of the process of global societal building are
intertwined.
Cultural development becomes, in this context, one
of the firm pillars of sustainable, global development, without which it cannot
possibly take place or play its role. Nor can it yield its bounties unless
culture itself is fruitful and productive.
Thus, cultural development does not come from the
void or materialize spontaneously. Rather, cultural development is the
culmination of the interaction of a number of integrated factors. When there is
a sufficient quantity of such factors as well as a satisfactory degree of
complementarity among them, this will give birth to the catalyzing elements
which are conducive to a cultural development consistent with all the other
aspects of development.
Development of culture and cultural development
Cultural development starts with the development
of the foundations of culture, a process which goes through such stages as the
promotion of culture, its modernization and, eventually, its crystallization so
that it may become a constructive culture that seeks, first and foremost, to
build man and society, on the basis of a rigorous definition of the concept of
culture and a broad charting of the landmarks of its lebensraum.
Given that culture represents the sum total of
human activities in the intricate, vast fields of intellectual, literary and
artistic creativity, and that cultural action is, on the whole, closely linked
with the societal climate and the general economic conditions, the rise of the
cultural development likely to bring about the cultural progress and
intellectual flourishing aspired, and also guarantee, by the same token, the
advance of society, is contingent upon the presence of the required objective
factors in society and the needed strong will in individuals and groups, both at
the official and grassroots levels. When these conditions are fulfilled
altogether, energies will be released, gifts will be fostered, and creativity,
inventiveness and intellectual production will thus be goaded in order to
promote the quality of living to the delight of humans, and thereby take part
efficiently in the intellectual, cultural, social and civilizational development
of society.
Bases of cultural development
Given the paramount importance of cultural
development and the noble character of its objectives, the building of the
sound, strong and able society in which man could achieve self-realization,
fulfill the mission assigned to him by God, undertake creative, constructive
work and lead a decent, secure life, depends on the extent of cultural
development reached as well as on the depth of its impact on society.
From an Islamic prespective -which is humanitarian
in essence- cultural development rests on four bases, namely :
First : Identification of the sources of the
Islamic culture : In the Islamic societies, culture is admittedly Islamic in
view of the close link between culture and society, regardless of the latter’s
identity or type. Cultural development in the Muslim countries starts therefore
with an objective determination of the identity, the essence and the dimensions
of culture.
Not only are the Holy Quran and the Authentic
Sunnah the firm pillars shoring up culture in the Muslim societies and serving
as the groundwork for cultural development from an Islamic perspective, but they
are also like the boundless, bountiful ocean which breathes life and buoyancy
into the Islamic culture and gives it an ever-renewed ability to disseminate a
sustained radiance from its beaming lighthouses. In addition to the Holy Quran
and the authentic hadiths of the Apostle of God, may the prayer and peace of God
be upon him, the sources of the Islamic culture consist of the bountiful, living
heritage bequeathed by the Muslim Ummah’s predecessors to their successors. This
rich heritage constitutes the broad basis of the multi-dimensional Islamic
culture as well as the ever-renewed asset of the multi-faceted Islamic
civilization.
That the Islamic culture should stem from the
above mentioned sources does not mean, at any rate, that it has taken on a
specific regional or ethnic character, or that it is more inclined toward
introvert isolationism and exclusion. On the contrary, culture in the Muslim
societies is fully enriched with the contribution of these sources, not to say
that they broaden its scope, give more substance to its content and enhance its
ability to interact and open dialogue with the other cultures, with no
exception.
Second : Dissecting and defining rigorously the
meaning of terms : In order to emphasize the humanitarian nature of culture in
the Islamic sense, a rigorous process of analyzing the themes making up the
meaning of terms should be undertaken in order to define their significance
objetively and crystallize the underlying concepts so as to shun semantic
confusion and avoid the clash of meanings. Indeed, the innumerable humanitarian
characteristics that mark the Islamic culture, foremost among which are
comprehensiveness, open-mindedness, flexibility and tolerance, should not
overshadow the lofty meaning incarnated in this culture, namely, that it is a
culture based on faith, humanism and constructive work, a culture that gratifies
the yearning of human beings, fulfils their ambitions, blends harmoniously with
their natural disposition and strengthens in the psyche the spirit of optimism,
of confidence and of hope as well as the propensity to be true to oneself, to do
righteous deeds and to appreciate beauty.
With this lofty meaning in mind, the goal of the
“development” process becomes to serve humans, first and foremost, on the
spiritual, cultural, social and economic levels.
Treading on the same path, cultural development
seeks to develop both the individual and society, the more so since it is an
all-encompassing process that involves several factors which all revolve around
the fulfilment of the well-being of human beings and the achievement of the
progress of society, all in a balanced way, in full harmony and moderation. This
is the gist of the Islamic culture, on the whole.
Third : Tracing the contours of the cultural
action which needs to be developed : As the cultural action extends, in general,
to all aspects of human activity, cultural development -which is apt to fulfill
the requirements of this all-encompassing activity- should not be confined to
one field to the exclusion of others. Its impact should, instead, touch upon all
these fields as well as the other cultural areas which are recognized to be
fields of cultural action. The only basic difference is that the foundations of
the Islamic cultural action and its objectives are all marked by those very
characteristics peculiar to the Islamic culture.
Cultural action needs to be developed in a number
of fields likely to lead to the achievement of a suitable measure of cultural
unity among Muslims on the basis of firm commitment to the Islamic values and
principles. The latter are the immutable ideological, cultural and
civilizational components which constitute the common denominator of the members
of the unified Muslim Ummah, the nation that stretches worldwide from East to
West. The Islamic values and principles provide, at the same time, a firm
groundwork upon which are erected the edifices of cooperation and joint Islamic
action in all fields, in particular in the domain of Islamic cultural action.
The Islamic cultural action is indeed the cornerstone of the new Muslim society,
a society built on the basis of the guidance, tolerance, ease, flexibility and
brotherhood advocated by the Islamic religion.
Fourth : Surveying the areas of cultural
interaction with the other nations : The Islamic culture is characterized by its
creative nature and its ability to keep abreast of the requirements of all times
in view of the comprehensiveness of its principles as well as its belonging to
the seal of religions that targets the entire mankind.
Likewise, the Islamic culture is marked by its
flexibility and openness to the other cultures, which it can enrich and from
which it can take advantage, particularly with regard to the creative
contributions of these cultures which can play a role in renovating and
developing culture, in addition to promoting cultural actions and modernizing
their wherewithals.
The fields of cultural interaction with the other
nations are numerous and intricate. However, the most important factors which
should govern the process of cultural interaction are the rules of the Islamic
Shariah and the sound ethics, which seek to guarantee justice and well-being,
proscribe iniquity and aggression, preserve the mind, the psyche, the
belongings, the honor and the religion, observe the interest of Muslims and
safeguard their rights.
The fields of faith and the related non-worldly
matters as well as the religious observances and their provisions, the penalties
set by the Law, the rules governing the family status and inheritance, the
criteria relating to absolute values, such as freedom, human rights and
equality, are all governed by the texts of the Righteous Shariah, and cannot, as
such, be viewed as fields falling within the framework of cultural interaction
or subject to mutation or renovation, for, in fact, they constitute the essence
and very linchpin of religion. Apart from that, the innovations and developments
occurring in any other field of human action may be used to promote the Islamic
culture, enhance its ability to face up to the problems and challenges of the
modern times, and contribute in devising a universal humane culture that
achieves happiness and peace for the entire mankind.
Cultural interaction rests on the firm basis of
free choice and prior conviction of the necessity to establish relations and lay
the groundwork for global, multi-level cultural exchange, dialogue and
cooperation. From an Islamic perspective, cultural interaction is a mutual
process which takes place in a flexible, open-minded manner with a view to
achieving a noble goal, that of enriching the human civilization and fulfilling
the aspirations cherished by mankind for leading a life pervaded by the spirit
of brotherhood, tolerance, justice and equality.
The Islamic culture boasts of a rich background in
this connection. Throughout history, it has always been a culture of dialogue,
of open-mindedness and of mutual influence. Being pregnant with the components
of strength and endurance, the Islamic culture is apt to resume a new
civilizational cycle in the present epoch.
Cultural development processes
Viewed from this comprehensive perspective, which
encompasses all human activities in the fields of intellectual, literary and
artistic creativity, the development of culture becomes a pre-requisite for the
achievement of cultural development, which is actually the all-encompassing
goal. There is a close relationship, indeed, between the concept of the
development of culture, taken as a process of development, updating and
activation, and that of cultural development, which is the end-goal of the human
efforts exerted in this very important, indeed vital field of global building of
society and man alike.
Consequently, cultural development from an Islamic
perspective based on the lore of the past as well as the present-day realities
and the requirements of the future, has far-reaching dimensions, each one
comprising a set of cultural processes which have to be conducted in order to
achieve the required measure of development in its limited domain.
In this connection, six major processes underlying
cultural development can be identified. They are :
First : Promoting the institutions which are
entrusted with the fostering of the cultural development projects initiated in
the countries of the Muslim world : This is a two-fold process. Firstly, the
existing institutions have to be supported, mainly through consolidating their
role and providing them with the means likely to help them discharge the tasks
assigned to them and achieve the goals set for them. Secondly, efforts have to
be exerted with a view to setting up new institutions aimed at meeting the
requirements of cultural development in the entire Muslim world, provided that
these institutions should seek common goals and knit close relations of
coordination, complementarity and cooperation with the other partners.
Second : Generalizing the teaching of the Arabic
language and strengthening its curricula and programs : This is a process of
paramount importance, which is highly pressing and should therefore have top
priority. It aims to expand the scope of dissemination of the Arabic language,
whether among the Arabic or the non-Arabic speakers, the more so since the
Arabic language is the natural receptacle of culture in the Islamic countries.
From the Islamic perspective, culture should be based on the Holy Quran and the
Hadith, for indeed the Holy Quran and the sacred Sunnah both constitute the
groundwork on which culture is built up in the Islamic societies. Furthermore,
the dissemination of the Arabic language contributes to a large extent to the
strengthening of bonds among the members of the Muslim Ummah, and to the
achievement of cultural unity in the Muslim world.
However, the efforts exerted should not be
restricted to the generalization of the teaching of the Arabic language, but
should rather be accompanied by intensive actions aimed at streamlining the
Arabic language curricula and programmes and upgrading the academic, technical
and professional status of its staff so as to enable them to strengthen the
leverage of the Arabic language in the realms of culture, science and knowledge
at large.
Third : Engrafting the Islamic cultural values in
the curricula of all educational stages : This process is organically linked
with the previous one. In fact, the curricula adopted by the majority of the
Islamic countries are constantly in need of modernization and updating, in
addition to incorporating in them the Islamic cultural values and the tolerant
concepts of this extensively humanitarian culture, i.e., the Islamic culture.
The aim is to make these curricula consonant and harmonious with the learning
requirements as well as with the duty of propagating the Islamic spirit at all
educational stages.
Fourth : Encouraging the writing, translation and
publication movement in addition to the various artistic works : This is one of
the aspects of joint Islamic cultural action as well as one of its important,
intricate fields. Efforts must be mustered up in a coordinated, integrated way
so as to undertake joint activities likely to boost the movement of writing,
translation and publication, and goad the gifted artists and men of letters in
order to give birth to creative, innovative works in all fields of art and
literature, including music, the theatre, movies, plastic arts, poetry and
prose. In this connection, Islamic cooperation constitutes a pre-requisite for
promoting cultural development in the Islamic countries as long as this fostered
intellectual, cultural, literary and artistic movement endeavours to entrench,
in the first place, the Islamic cultural values, or else it would be a negative,
intractable movement that heeds no religious or ethical value.
Fifth : Harnessing the modern telecommunication
means in order to disseminate the Islamic cultural values : This process is
aimed at consolidating the Islamic cultural values through an intelligent but
sound utilization of the tremendous potentials of the information media for the
purpose of developing the modern societies. It goes without saying that
information is the language of the modern epoch, indeed the instrument of global
influence in the hand of mankind at the present epoch of history. Hence the need
to harness information in the right way and optimize its use in the promotion
and development of the Islamic societies, mainly through the production of
cultural, recreational and social programs, stamped with the Islamic character,
and contrived in a fine artistic style which departs from the prescriptive,
conventional artistry.
Sixth : Supporting joint Islamic cultural action :
This type of support mandates that all the Islamic countries should take utmost
care of the existing institutions, organizations and bodies, providing them with
unstinted material and human resources and endeavouring to modernize, innovate
and promote the concept of Islamic solidarity in order to enhance the impact of
joint Islamic cultural action and thereby promote joint international Islamic
action in its various fields and through its diverse channels.
Man is the alpha and omega of cultural development
The cardinal goal of cultural development from an
Islamic perspective is to promote man in all fields in such a way as to achieve
his mental and emotional maturity, and optimize his conduct.
We can fairly say that the development of man is
the goal of any type of cultural development, indeed the ultimate objective of
global development on the whole. To build the Muslim individual and prepare him
for waging the battle of life with might, competence, courage and intelligence;
such is the cardinal objective which must be placed by cultural development
planners in the Muslim world at the forefront of all targeted objectives.
The building of man is not the outcome of the
educational process alone, nor of culture and the intellect chiefly, or art and
literature to the exclusion of other factors. Rather, the building of man is
based on all these combined components, in addition to other factors, such as
the rational social guidance, the sound psychological mobilization and the
creation of such opportunities as would favour life in dignity, a life that
allows man to be brought up in a clean environment that enables him to enjoy the
rights guaranteed by God for the entire mankind.
It is this Islamic civilizational perception of
cultural development which opens before us the prospects of the cultural future
of the Muslim world.
The future of culture in the Muslim world is
contingent upon the will of its members to undertake civilizational edification
as well as upon the measure of success achieved in the field of cultural
development on the level of each Islamic country. Should the Muslim world have
the required strong will, the needed sound perception, the necessary correct
understanding of the requirements of cultural action and the indispensable
planning for its objectives, it will proceed in the right direction towards
taking up the numerous civilizational challenges, with stronger capacities,
richer resources and more opportunities for progress and prosperity.
Cultural development and cultural future of the
Muslim world
Today, cultural development is the cornerstone of
the edifice of the cultural future of the Muslim world. The strength of the
foundations of this future hinges on the collective pooling of these efforts as
well as on the resources harnessed for achieving cultural development. Not only
is the consolidation of cooperation among the Muslim world’s countries in this
vital field a legal duty, but it is also a vital necessity which we must view
according to its real value.
No doubt that the global development and progress
of the Muslim world depend on the achievement of suitable levels of cultural
development in all its countries, which makes it possible to capitalize on the
untapped human energies with a view to fulfilling the objectives of global human
development. Only then can the Muslim world move from the phase of
civilizational regression to that of civilizational competitiveness vis-à-vis
the contemporary cultures and civilizations.
Being strongly eager to streamline cultural
planning on the level of the Muslim world, the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) held, in cooperation with Al-Qarawiyyin
University, an international Islamic cultural Symposium on the theme of “The
Cultural Future of the Muslim World Viewed from its Contemporary Reality”, in
October 1993, at Fez, Kingdom of Morocco.
The Symposium issued a number of important
recommendations, some of which are worth citing in the course of the present
discussion of cultural development and the cultural future of the Muslim world.
Here are some of these recommendations :
1. Help the Islamic Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (ISESCO) implement the Cultural Strategy for the Muslim
World, mainly through devising practical mechanisms, providing material means
and creating the auspicious conditions for achieving the objectives of this
Strategy.
2. Make the educational institutions keep abreast
of the goals of global cultural development, to the effect that the role
assigned to these institutions be linked with the integrated developmental
process in order to achieve the ultimate goal of building the present and future
of the Muslim world on the basis of interdependence between thought and action.
3. Build on the efforts exerted by the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in terms of laying down
educational and scientific curricula in favour of its Member States in order to
design and develop educational programmes throughout the Muslim world.
4. Introduce the subject of Islamic culture,
including the fiqh dealing with civilization and the explanation of history
according to the Islamic method, in all educational levels and specialities in
the Islamic countries, so that they may be studied on a compulsory-basis, the
aim being to ensure the dissemination of Islamic concepts and propagate the
Arab-Islamic culture on all educational levels.
5. Emphasize the importance of the Arabic language
as a means of disseminating the Islamic culture, and consider it an instrument
for developing universities through giving an authentic character to their
curricula in order to serve the Islamic societies, in view of the close
interdependence between the Arabic language and the Islamic culture. The aim is
to also strengthen the bond linking the Muslim peoples with the Islamic
civilizational climate, bearing in mind that language is one of its sturdiest
pillars.
6. Endeavour to close the gap between the Islamic
legal studies and disciplines, on the one hand, and the scientific, intellectual
and cultural developments, on the other, through incorporating the modern
sciences in the curricula of Islamic universities. In this way, the graduate who
majors in the Islamic sciences will be able to take part actively in the
scientific activities of society, will undestand reality and will deal with it
from a distinctive cultural position.
7. Trace positive aspects in the universal thought
in order to identify further factors likely to be used in making dialogue
between Islam and the other cultures more serious and fruitful.
Role of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization in cultural development
The major goal that ISESCO is endeavoring to
achieve gradually is the global cultural development of education, science,
culture, communication and arts. ISESCO is indeed the international Islamic body
specialized in this vital area, which is closely linked to the progress and
prosperity of societies.
As Islam is a method of civilizational edification
as well as a call for progress, the precepts of Islam with regard to cultural
action at large consist in honoring man, promoting his intellectual and cultural
capabilties, and improving his living conditions through giving him the
opportunity to perform his role in life with a pure heart, coruscating mind and
immaculate sentiments.
In its major tasks, the Islamic Organization has
been endeavoring to lay down a long-range plan aimed at promoting the
development of culture in the Muslim world. To this end, it incorporated in its
Plan of Action for the Years 1985 to 1988 a special Program in order to arrive
at formulating the Cultural Strategy for the Muslim World.
On the morrow of the First Islamic Conference for
the Ministers of Culture, convened at Dakar in 1989, the Islamic Organization
and the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
started laying down this Strategy, which was adopted and endorsed, later on, by
the Sixth Islamic Summit Conference, held at Dakar in 1991. This Strategy laid
the firm groundwork for the cultural development in the Islamic countries, and
put clear landmarks on the path of the cultural planners and cultural policy
architects in the Islamic countries. It showed them the most efficient means and
the surest roads leading towards this aspired development. The Strategy operates
in a general context, that of the development of the Muslim societies and the
upgrading of their living standards.
The Cultural Strategy for the Muslim World is made
up of an introduction and five chapters. The first chapter defines the concepts,
the characteristics and the sources, while the second one expounds the
objectives, and the third one addresses the various issues of Islamic culture.
The fourth chapter, for its part, highlights the fields of action of the Islamic
culture, and the fifth and last chapter presents the means wherewith the
Strategy may be implemented.
The introduction to the Cultural Strategy
highlights the importance of exploring the future of the Islamic culture,
shedding light, by the same token, on the Muslim world’s need for a Strategy of
culture given that civilizational flourishing is contingent upon the
implementation of a sound Strategy of culture.
The introduction to the Cultural Strategy,
therefore, provides the general principles which guarantee the soundness of the
Cultural Strategy.
It then identifies the general cultural trends of
the contemporary reality of the Muslim world, analyzing the dimensions of
mutations and interactions and their basic factors worldwide, and concluding
with an emphasis on the role of culture in the developmental process.
The Cultural Strategy for the Muslim World is the
compass of Islamic cultural action. It is the fruit of a rigorous scientific
planning characterized by extreme precision. Delineating the culural map, in the
general acceptation of culture, it puts on the path followed by governments,
organizations, individuals and communities the landmarks which would help them
perform cultural action in a way that bears a strong positive impact on the
environment, society and the Muslim individual in the present as well as the
future.
The Cultural Strategy for the Muslim World
constitutes the general framework which helps lay down the cultural policies
aimed at finding a suitable climate, creating auspicious conditions and
providing the resources apt to catalyze the cultural movement in the Muslim
society.
In fact, this Strategy is an official instrument
adopted by the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference; it
serves for that matter as the beacon guiding the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization in devising its plan of action and developing its
programmes.
This Stratgey is the outcome of an in-depth
analysis of the Islamic trends, of the global Islamic perception of the mission
to be performed by culture in society and of the Islamic approach to cultural
action on the whole. Is it not, therefore, a full-fledged product of reflection
and planning rounds for arriving at cultural development from an Islamic
perspective ? It is an important document, coming to complement the other
documents adopted in the area of joint Islamic action which rests on the basis
of Islamic solidarity and aims to achieve the contemporary integrated Islamic
civilizational project .
All programs, projects and activities enshrined in
the plans of action of the Islamic Organization revolve around a major fulcrum,
namely, the achievement of cultural development in its educational and
scientific dimensions and with its all-encompassing cvilizational contents. In
short, it seeks to attain the so-called sustainable development.
In the context of the far-reaching Islamic
solidarity, cultural cooperation may flourish among the Islamic countries
through the competent official channels, on the forefront of which is the
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiztion (ISESCO). This
cooperation will be further consolidated and fostered through mustering up
efforts in the light of the guidelines of the Cultural Strategy for the Muslim
World, in such a way as to promote cultural development in the Islamic
countries. In this context, cultural cooperation would include the exchange of
expertise and the capitalization on the experiences of each Islamic country, in
addition to achieving a sufficient measure of mutual cultural assistance which
mandates that the self-sufficiency should provide cultural assistance to the
needy, particularly the infrastructures and the facilities required for setting
up the integrated cultural edifice.
In conclusion, cultural development from an
Islamic perspective is a basic step towards the development, prosperity and
well-being of the Muslim world.
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