Strategy of Islamic Cultural Action in the West

Adopted at the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference held in Doha – State of Qatar, 2000

Mission Statement

Based on God’s Word “To each among you Have We prescribed a Law and a Way”, and believing that the development and prosperity of nations are conditioned by the awareness of their civilizational identity and their planning for the future, ISESCO, in collaboration with cultural centres and Islamic associations, has striven to provide a strategy guiding Islamic cultural action in Europe, motivated by many factors, chief of which are the following :

a. Principle of civilizational differentiation : It calls for awareness of the principles of Islamic civilizational peace, and for safeguarding Muslims’ cultural identity against the pitfalls of ideological and political trends which do not match our civilizational identity.

b. Awareness of the spiritual and moral dimensions : This is manifested in laying down the background and objectives, and specifying positions according to the relevant variables, needs and challenges.

c. Emphasis on the principle of cooperation : Cooperation and coordination among the parties involved in the Islamic cultural arena constitute a crucial factor towards developing the civilizational mission of cultural centres and Islamic associations.

d. Strategic work : Aware that civilizational projects can materialize only when based on effective plans and strategies, the Organization has laid down several guiding strategies for the Islamic world in the cultural, educational and technological fields. And knowing that the immigrant Islamic communities constitute part of the Islamic nation, the Organization has put forward this guiding policy for this community in the West so as to achieve certain objectives, chief of which are :

- to emphasize the role of culture in preserving the Islamic immigrant communities,

- to bridge the gap between opinions, unify work methodologies, and consolidate cooperation links among the parties involved in the field of Islamic practice in the world,

- to rectify the notions and define the relevant terms 

- to provide an Islamic referentiality and a guiding policy enlightening our activities so as to safeguard them against alienation and seclusion.

The present strategy hinges on the following basic background principles :

First

Religious principle : the strategy  concepts are based on the Islamic referentiality which views cultural action as an act of worship, and not merely a  set of skills and techniques, emphasizing thereby the spiritual dimension for the desired global development of Muslims.

Second

The principle of balance  : This principle is meant to strike a balance between the principles of authenticity and modernism. It aims at consolidating the values of religious and civilizational sense of belonging on the one hand, and openness  vis-à-vis current concerns on the other. The rationale behind this is to preserve a link between these generations and their past and, at the same time, to prevent them from lagging behind.

Third

The principle of Comprehensiveness : This principle is based on the premise that the appropriate building of the civilization of any society should cater for the various cultural, social and educational concerns, stressing thereby the various dimensions of the Islamic civilizational model.

While these strategies constitute merely a guiding policy, general principles  and cursory signs, they can only accomplish their objectives by plans of action and programmes reflecting the nature of these strategies, and by the determination of the people involved in them as part of their working lives.