|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Muslim Minorities: Insights into Integration
Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi(*)
Muslim Presence in the West:
This paper addresses what Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries should do. These minorities represent the Islamic presence in non-Muslim lands, particularly in the West.
I would like to start by saying that an Islamic presence in the West is beneficial to both Muslims and Westerners. It allows the West to interact with Islam in the absence of any intermediary. Such opinion is ardently opposed by Muslim radicals who believe that living on non-Muslim soil (what they call the lands of disbelief) is not lawful, nor is seeking to obtain foreign citizenship, an act seen, in fact, as a cardinal sin.
More than a decade ago, I had the honor of participating in a religious conference held in France and attended by a number of prominent scholars. At this gathering, we addressed issues such as residing in Western countries, and seeking and obtaining the nationality of these countries. The majority agreed on the lawfulness of such acts but emphasized the need to respect certain conditions(1). They also agreed that this was concordant with the universality of the message of Islam and in line with the rapprochement trend witnessed in today's increasingly village-like world. It affirmed the orientation followed by many rational-thinking Westerners of bringing Muslims and Westerners closer to understanding and harmony, removing all mistrust, achieving emancipation from the remnants of history, and endeavoring to establish a sense of coexistence founded on tolerance instead of bigotry, mutual acquaintance instead of blind denial, dialogue instead of clash, and cooperation instead of a tug of power.
Thankfully, the Islamic presence in Europe occurred through divine providence and for natural causes that made this presence easier and spontaneous on the part of us Muslims. Therefore, we need to turn this presence into a bridge linking us to the West, a bridge that favours communication between Muslims and others, and helps remove the misconceptions embedded in the minds of some, and refute the allegations that may be leveled at Muslims.
This is exactly what the European Council for Jurisprudence and Research has dedicated its efforts to since its inception. This comes through the fatwas and legal opinions it provides, the recommendations it issues and the statements it makes at each of its sessions, extending advice to Muslims in the West on how to be a dynamic and efficient minority that fulfills its duties, and how to serve society and avoid seclusion and withdrawal from this society. Anyone reading the legal opinions, decisions, recommendations and statements made by the Council during the sessions it held can clearly understand my point.
I responded to some hardliner scholars and preachers who reject the Islamic presence in the West and in other countries where non-Muslims live, whether they were people of the Book or pagans. I drew attention to an important fact, namely that the presence of many of these Muslim minorities is in fact indigenous in the sense that they belong among the original inhabitants of the countries and are not immigrants. This is the case of Muslim minorities in India, China, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) and other Asian countries, as well as for many Muslim minorities in several African countries.
I believe that it is necessary for Islam at this point in time to be present in all societies that have a say in world politics.
The Islamic presence is a necessity in Europe, the Americas and Australia for many considerations:
There is a need to spread the word of Islam and ensure that its voice is heard, preaching to non-Muslims and inviting them to embrace Islam through the word, dialogue and by serving as a good model.
This presence is necessary to provide care and guidance to those who convert to Islam, help entrench their faith and provide them with an Islamic environment that is conducive to a sound Islamic life.
It is necessary to welcome newcomers and immigrants and assist them until they find those who love immigrants and provide them with an environment where they can breathe the air of Islam.
It is necessary to make possible the defense of the causes of the Muslim Ummah and of the lands of Islam in confronting hostile and misleading forces and currents.
Muslims have to have their special gatherings in known states and cities, as well as their religious, educational and even entertainment institutions.
They must have their scholars and sheikhs to answer their questions, guide them out of ignorance and reconcile between them when differences divide them.
Conservative but not self-centered and open but not dissolute
I have said to my expatriated brothers: try to have your own little society within the greater one, lest you should melt into it as salt melts into water.
Endeavour to have your own religious, cultural, social and leisure institutions. This only becomes possible through mutual affection and cooperation; Man is powerless when standing alone, but powerful if supported by his fellow men. Allah's hand helps those who help each other.
What has helped the Jews preserve their identity throughout the long history was their little society which stood out by its principles and rituals, namely the 'Jewish quarter'. So strive to create your own 'Muslim quarter'.
I am not calling for self-centredness and isolation from the rest of society for that is tantamount to death. What is required is openness but without dissolution. This openness would be that of an individual willing to act and have an impact, not the one content to imitate and surrender, one whose sole concern is to melt and be engulfed, emulating the ways of other people to the last letter.
We have been suffering for a while now from an Islamic and Arab brain drain. Some of these brains are geniuses in some vital and important specialties and they have found a home in the land of exile that they could not find in their own homelands.
If this is the undeniable reality, then we must not allow these brilliant minds to forget their faith, nation, heritage and origins. We have to spare no effort in keeping their hearts and minds alive with thoughts and sentiments for their countries, people and kin and kith, with no prejudice to their obligations to the countries where they have chosen to live.
This is possible if their loyalty to Allah, the Prophet and to Muslims is secured, if they remain preoccupied with the concerns of their ummah and are not immersed in serving their own interests and giving them priority over those of the nation, as the world's Jews do for Israel wherever they may be living.
This is the duty of the Islamic movement: not to abandon these people to be swallowed by the materialist and profit-minded trends prevailing in the West, to remind them always and ever about their origin for which they will always yearn(2).
If the Islamic presence is strong in the West and holds a religious, cultural, social, and sometimes economic weight, it is only natural and logical that such presence would seek to acquire a political weight. Politics have become enmeshed with every other aspect of life, and even if we steer clear of politics, politics will always catch up with us.
For these reasons, it is essential to seek an answer for the many questions raised by Muslim minorities living in the West. Some of them are original inhabitants and others are immigrants who settled there, obtained the host country's nationality and became an integral part of the population:
Should they satisfy themselves with religion and relinquish politics? Or should they remain attached to religion and integrate politics? If they become involved in politics, should they do so as part of existing political parties or as an independent entity? Is it lawful to become a member of a secular political party? Is it lawful to found a party bound to adhere to the country's constitution? Should Muslims run for election as parliamentary representatives in such conditions? Does the Muslim's involvement in politics require from him recognition of the man-made constitutions in force in Western and other countries?
If a Muslim wins an election and becomes part of a representative body that requires him to take the oath of allegiance to the regime in force and act according to the constitution, will this be in contradiction with the religion of Islam and the Sharia laws?
These are questions that arise within Muslim communities anywhere in Europe and elsewhere.
In fact, these concerns are raised even by some Islamic formations within many Islamic countries.
Some of these formations consider as unlawful the creation of political parties and see them as a novelty and a religious heresy.
Others believe that participating in elections and seeking to access a representative position is unlawful, and some even consider such actions a total violation of the faith and call the representative councils the 'councils of shirk (polytheism)'. Someone even wrote a treatise titled: 'The Truth about Being a Parliamentary Representative: A Negation of Monotheism'.
Some object to the wording of the oath taken by representatives to respect and obey the constitution, etc... Some Islamists solved the problem by suggesting that after the word of 'obey', the oath taker should audibly add 'in everything that is not an act of disobedience to Allah'.
If these conflicting thoughts occur within Islamic countries, what then would be the case in non-Muslim countries?
Muslim minorities should not derive their political fiqh from such groupings whose extremism has caused them to stray far from the straight and moderate path. They see the Muslims' presence in foreign lands as unlawful unless justified by extreme necessity. For them, living abroad can only be out of pure necessity, just like a person is forced to use the toilets despite their uncleanness.
For some others, acquiring the nationality of the host country is prohibited. They proclaim those who do as apostates since the act involves loyalty to non-Muslims(3) and since Allah (SWT) said: 'O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust' (Al Maida, verse 51).
Others see the mere act of living in these countries unlawful except out of necessity, and the degree of this necessity is defined by the benefit to the person. But such opinion is open to debate and scholars have addressed the weaknesses of such an opinion.
The virtue of Islamic Charia is that it is realistic and takes into consideration the requirements and demands of the human being, whether spiritual or material, religious or political, cultural or economic, and whether this person lived within or outside a Muslim society. Islamic Sharia seeks facility and ease in all its decrees, removes hardship and prevents harm and mutual harm, particularly for those living outside a Muslim environment and who are more deserving of support and attention to their needs.
Muslim minorities need to remain attached to their religion, faith, rites, values and code of conduct as long they harm no one. They also need to integrate the society in which they live, to be productive and creative, to evolve and to take part in all activities. They need to engage in charity, spread the word, preach virtue and fight vice, to leave an impact on society by being a good model and by preaching goodness as much as they can without melting into this society and forfeiting their religious components and identity.
Not all Muslim minorities are made up of immigrants. Some are made up in total or in part of original inhabitants, so no one can tell them: go back home!
In any given country, a minority needs a voice to speak for it in the legislative or municipal forums and to defend its rights. Only then, the laws that are passed will not undermine them and ban what is permissible for this minority, hinder them in the performance of their religious duties or force them to commit what their Sharia proscribes.
It is advantageous to have Muslims elected to these councils, whether as independent candidates or as part of an existing political party - to protect their sanctities, and defend their rights as a minority that has the right to conduct religious rites and rituals in a way that harms no one. These elected people can sway to their side the independent ones, the just ones and those who champion justice and freedom at all times and in all places.
There are a number of Sharia principles that can guide us in this regard:
1. The principle of 'an element that is essential to the performance of a duty is a duty in itself': If it is only possible for the Muslims to enjoy their religious, cultural and other rights if they partake of politics and engage in elections, then this involvement becomes a duty in itself.
2. The rule of 'the value of an act lies in the purpose behind it' based on the famous hadith: 'The reward for any deed depends upon the intention'(4) , and on many other texts. If the motive behind participating in politics is to defend the rights of Muslims, their religious freedom and greater good, then Allah will reward such as actions and Muslims will welcome them.
3. The principle of 'preventing harm': If withdrawal from politics and refraining from participating in political life represents a danger to the minority and entails the risk of relegating its members to the margin of society, depriving them of many benefits and propelling them into critical situations and in the way of endless harm, it is their duty to prevent this harm and pre-empt these plights and hardships. The hadith says: 'Whoever bars the way to harm pre-empts harm'(5).
4. The principle of 'necessity makes what is unlawful lawful, in which case need shall be made equal to necessity, whether private or public'. If a Muslim community in a non-Muslim society needs someone to defend their rights in a country of democracy, and this need involves actions that may be feared unlawful such as swearing allegiance to the constitution or acts that may be deemed dangerous by some religion-conscious people, this unlawfulness falls away in the face of need: 'But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.' (Al Baqara, verse 173).
5. The principle of 'al masalih al mursala' or consideration of public interests: These are interests that the Charia did not expressly or implicitly address, but which if addressed through rational thinking would be acceptable and bring about either a financial or moral gain for the Muslim community. The Prophet's companions applied this rule to many matters, as along as such reasoning did not clash with a categorically clear text or a definite sharia rule, and as long as the benefits that the Muslim community gains from them are real, not imaginary.
In the light of all these sharia principles, we believe that it is in the interest of Muslims to take part in politics as a means of serving their religious and community interests and prevent the harms and prejudice that may befall them. This is all the more valid since even if they steered clear of politics, politics would not let them be.
Muslims can create a political party to defend their rights and the rights of others if they are numerous, powerful enough and have the resources necessary to set up an independent party, and if the constitution and the law allow them to do that.
Muslims can present a program of reform and rationalisation derived from the sources of their Islamic thought, enriched by the Western theory and experience and the new horizons these open up and that are compatible with their Sharia precepts and spirit of Islam.
Neither is there harm in party being joined by non-Muslim members. Such party would be mainly for Muslims but remain open for citizens of all faiths. Any Islam-based system is supposed to serve the wellbeing and genuine interests of all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Muslims can also join any other political party active on the scene. They can choose the one best serving Muslim interests, on the one hand, and the one that is most compassionate towards Muslims and their interests, on the other, provided they apply caution and have reservations on any of the party's aspects that clash with Islam.
Such steps can only be taken after an objective and scientific study is conducted by experts. This study should then be discussed by the decision makers of the Muslim minority in any given country. After study, discussion and comparison, Muslims then could decide on what would serve them better in terms of religion and worldly life: to form their own party or join an existing one, and in the second case, which party would serve them better and deserve them more.
They may even see that it is best for them to neither form a party, nor join one, but to remain an independent block that can have a say in elections by giving one candidate or the other their votes as they deem fit and as their religious and worldly interests dictate.
Only then will candidates lobby for their votes and seek rapprochement with them because a minority often plays a decisive role by tipping the balance in favour of one candidate or the other, particularly when the difference between them is not too wide. The votes of the minority given thus to one candidate sway votes and ensure the victory of one over the other.
(*) Director of the Centre for Sunnah and Sira Research in the State of Qatar, and chairman of the International Union for Muslim Scholars.
(1) One of these conditions was for the Muslim and his children to be safe in their beliefs and identity. Should he perceive some danger to his faith and identity, he should hasten to return to his country of origin in order to preserve his most cherished religion and the faith of his children.
(2) Refer to our book: Priorities of the Islamic Movement, pp. 146-148, Maktabat Wahba, Cairo.
(3) At a certain point in time, Tunisian scholars issued a fatwa that ruled as guilty of revoking their faith (ridda) Tunisians who acquired the French nationality because Tunisia was at the time suffering under the yoke of the hegemonic and oppressive French occupation. Obtaining the French nationality back then was tantamount to proclaiming allegiance and support to the apostate occupier. It was considered a religious ridda as well as an act of national treason. The situation has changed today since the Muslim's acquisition of a foreign nationality gives him power and clout, and helps him preserve his identity and convey the message of Islam. It also grants him many privileges such as the right to vote and to run for elections without sacrificing any part of his religion.
(4) Narrated by Al Bukhari in 'The Book of Revelation' (1) as reported on Omar Ibn Al Khattab. The hadith is also narrated by Muslim in 'The Book on Government' (1908), by Abu Dawoud in 'The Book of Divorce' (2201), by Al Tirmidi in 'The Virtues of Jihad' (1647), by Annassai in 'The Book of Purification', and by Ibn Majah in 'Asceticism' (4227).
(5) Narrated by Attabarani in 'Al Awsat' (118/3) quoting Abu Dardaa, by Al Daraqotni in 'The Book of Reasons' (219/6), by Abu Nuaim in 'Al Hilya' (173/5), and by Al Baihaqi in 'Ash-Shuaab' (398/7). Al Iraqi says in 'Takhrij Ahadith Al Ihiyaa: reported by Al Attabarani and Al Daraqotni in 'The Book of Reasons' on a hadith by Abu Dardaa qualified as weak (141/3) and deemed as 'good' by Al Albani in his 'Silsilat al-Ahadith as-Sahiha' (342).
|
| All Rights Reserved To ISESCO 2000 - 2012 |