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EDITORIAL
Approach to redress the image of Islam
There is a growing conviction that the image of
Islam taken by the West, at the present juncture, does not reflect the truth of
this righteous religion, nor express its principles of tolerance and distinctive
values.
The reasons behind the distortion incurred by the
image of Islam among Western societies, whether at official, popular, media or
academic levels, are manifold. Perhaps, the most prominent causes bear on
specific local factors. Indeed, historical leftovers have been piling up to form
a thick shroud of fog enveiling the sun of Islam and denying Western mind access
to the bright truth of Islam, in the largest enterprise of falsification ever
witnessed by human history. The result was a comprehensive distortion of the
concepts and notions of Islam as a religion, a culture, a history and a nation.
This, in turn, gave rise to impassable obstacles thwarting any attempt to
explore the Islamic civilization and culture.
Although the Western mind has fought hard to rid
itself of uncountable impediments that prevented its take-off and enveiled the
lights of science and knowledge, it remained, nonetheless, in the captivity of
the sequel of dark middle ages Europe, when the Muslim world was in its heyday,
strong as it was with a flourishing civilization, an aggressive mind and
unparalleled innovative powers.
With the passing of time and the advent of
imperial colonialism of the Muslim world in the first civilizational clash ever
witnessed by the Ummah since the Mongolian invasion of the Middle Eastern
Islamic World in mid-seventh century of the Hegira, a number of factors
intertwined to widen the cultural gap separating the West from the Muslim world.
They were also instrumental in the rise of unprecedented Islamophobia fuelling
hatred and hostility to Islam and Muslims, in a premeditated plot to besmirch
the image of Islam and harm its interests, putting into play the same devices of
distortion, falsification, infringement and intoxication.
An in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of
Islamophobia pervading the West at large, and a glimpse into the root causes of
hatred and hostility to Islam and Muslims, would inevitably lead to the
conclusion that the conditions of the Muslim world in their complexity and
ramifications are also to be blamed. The restoration of the image of Islam in
the West should evolve in the Muslim world itself. Efforts should be exerted to
improve the general conditions and living standards of the Muslims, to secure
proper development of the individual and society and maintain an adequate level
of progress and advancement to shore up the Islamic edifice and consolidate the
sturdy foundations of our towering civilization, this being a joint objective
shared by all Muslim individuals and communities.
To be fair and honest with ourselves, we should
stress the fact that the image of Islam in the West will remain blurred as long
as Muslims did not redress their own image within the Muslim world by means of
promoting their conditions at all levels, in line with the sublime values and
tolerant teachings of Islam, and keeping pace with world developments. They also
must build on the Islamic solidarity and capitalize on the mutual bonds of
brotherhood, intercomplementarity and cooperation in all fields, thereby cutting
the way before misunderstanding and conflict which only conduce to further
dislocation and disruption, and open the door wide to foreign infiltration and
conquest. Decision-makers in every part of the Muslim world should, each in his
position, expend every effort to give fresh impetus to the development process
and gear it to the right direction to uproot the causes of deficiency and
weakness of the Muslim society and expurgate all alien elements that may disturb
normal pursuit of life as commanded by Islam, the religion which was revealed to
bring peace and mercy on all mankind.
From this perspective, the restoration of the
image of Islam is a complex, interlinking process joining action at the local,
regional and international levels, which shall proceed in full harmony and
consonance to achieve the lofty objective consisting in the elimination of all
causes of denigration and distortion of the image of Islam, the ultimate purpose
being to foil all attempts to tarnish the image of Islam or harm the supreme
interests of the Muslim world in any way or by any means.
The responsibility to be shouldered by the
cultural, scientific and intellectual community is incessantly growing at this
critical juncture through which the Muslim world is wading. Indeed, the concepts
and notions are mixed up, the truth is distorted and the waves of hatred and
aggression are on the rise, rendering the sole means of salvation is to stick to
the genuine, righteous Islamic approach and apply any efficient tools and
methods at hand.
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