Strategy of Islamic Cultural Action in the West

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

Chapter Four : Concepts

The concept of cultural and educational strategy

The strategy of Islamic cultural performance in Europe is oriented towards the domains of Islamic culture in an attempt to elucidate its points of departure  as well as its specificities, and to serve as a reminder of the contributions of Muslims in building the blocks of human culture. Of equal importance is its role in propagating Islamic culture in European countries on grounds that are in keeping with the requirements of the modern age, and for the purpose of interaction with other cultures in a way that does not conflict with its values and assets .

The need is first to elucidate the concept of culture (as regards the concept of strategy, we refer the reader to Cultural Strategy in the Islamic World)(1).

"Culture is a framework of conduct which is created by individuals, and is adopted by collectivities in such a way as to constitute an identity that distinguishes a community from others, no matter how similar it is to them. In this sense, culture builds the personality of a human being and orients his objectives as well the style of his life. It also preserves his ethnic continuity as well as his social, political, economic and psychological stability. Human personality is a product of culture and its outcome. Therefore, the difference that one notices between the personality of an Arab, an African or an American is but the direct outcome of the difference in their culture. While personality is the result of culture, it is in its specificities and general conduct also a means of its preservation and continuity."(2)

Of close relation to the concept of culture is the concept of civilization : "Civilization is a system of thought, production, conduct and interaction. It stems from a cultural background of beliefs, history and popular culture, which are in turn generated by concepts, models and specific criteria as well as distinct political, economic and social orders; every civilization uncovers its existence through arts, legacy, scientific, ideational and cultural products through the years. It also comes into existence through its creativity in the different domains of literature, art and society."(3)

The culture of a society and its civilization constitute a heritage which society, through education and upbringing, seeks to preserve and to pass on to generations in order to integrate the latter in its religious, social and cultural orders, as well as through the following mechanisms :

- The transposition of culture and its preservation.

- The development of the culture of society in keeping with its overall aims  and the requirements of  its continuity.

- The upkeep of society's continuity as a distinct umma, one that has its own identity, values and existence.

- The development of the personality of youth and the reinforcement of its humanness.

- The preparation of youth for the kind of mature acceptable life style that society goes by.(4)

Islamic culture, which derives its constituents from Islam, has enough room for the meanings suggested by the concept of culture. In that way, its understanding of culture is consonant with the Islamic method, which is an expression of the extent of progress and advancement in various aspects of human life. It is an elucidation of what man has created through his interaction with his immediate human and material surroundings, as well as a foregrounding of the kinds of gifts inherent in it, all in accordance with Islamic contents and criteria.

The Islamic cultural context establishes an equilibrium in the mind and conduct of Muslims and in ways that fit in with the teachings of Islam, in such a way as to avoid any conflict in their minds between reason and Revelation; or between religion and science. The Islamic cultural milieu also seeks to preserve the integrity of individuals, away from confusion and division.

And since culture is the foundation of the personality of the umma, and the expression of its aspirations and hopes, as well as the pillar of its unity, it has become necessary to work according a unified Islamic cultural plan among  Islamic migrants in foreign countries, the purpose being that they preserve their identity and reinforce their existence as Muslims. For this plan to see the light, it is necessary to educate individuals as well as groups, to be flexible and to be infused with preservance and flexibility, all in such a way as to be able to adapt to the various conditions and the differing circumstances encountered in European countries.(5)

The objectives that this cultural and educational strategy seeks to achieve are as follows :

- To preserve the essence of Islamic culture, and cement its foundations as well as mobilize Muslim  migrants to contribute to its preservation.

- To correct the concept of culture among the children of Muslim migrants, and rectify European public opinion about it.

- The need to unify perspectives among the groups that constitute Muslim migrants in Europe on the basis  of Islamic culture.

-The preservation of the identity of the growing Muslim generations, and its protection from confusing concepts by encouraging a correct understanding of Islam.(6)

- The inculcation of civilizational belonging in the hearts of Muslim youth in the West, and the organization of their lives on the basis of Islamic pattern.(7)

The areas the present strategy concerns itself with are : Islam, the Arabic language and civilization, cultural heritage, history, local culture and human principles.

1. Islam

Faith is the formost of human life as a whole. Muslims believe in Allah, the only of His kind, the Creator and the Manager of every thing. They also believe in Allah's Angels, Book, Prophets, the Last Day of Judgement, and  in destiny and fatality. One of the manifestations of faith in Allah, the Almighty is their commitment to the religious observances that were prescribed to His subjects such as prayer, fasting alimony, pilgrimage (hajj), and the good manners that lift the soul up to the highest reaches of human exaltedness in its relation with the Creator and creatures. Here we ought to distinguish between true Islam, which is understood from its two essential sources; namely, the holy Quran and the Prophetic Sunna, and between extraneous traditions and customs which are mistakenly attributed to Islam.

The Islamic religion represents the foundation upon which rests the building of the identity of the second and third generation of the Muslim migrants' children. To present Islam to these children by way of developed scientific and educational methods is likely to enable them to offer the best solutions for an identity under the threat of loss. In this particular context, however, we have to distinguish between two practices :

a/ Teaching Islamic faith : This means educating in the light of faith. Such a responsibility is to be assumed by Muslims themselves (parents, teachers, Islamic bodies and institutions).

b/ Teaching Islam as an epistemic legacy : That is using Islam as a subject of history or sociology, offered within the framework of French teaching syllabi. Should this type of teaching have any important role, it remains incapable of offering an adequate Islamic education."(8)

2. The Arabic Language

To firmly secure and reinforce identity language inevitably needs to be considered as "an effective proprietor of identity", which is, in this case the Arabic language, the language of the holy Quran. It is an essential element in the cultural identity of Muslim migrants in Europe; the personality of these people cannot be dissociated from the language that expresses their values as well as  embraces their aspirations and worries. For this reason, learning and mastering Arabic as a practical and creative means constitutes one of the vital tasks this strategy ought to carry out in the fields of expression of all aspects of Islamic culture."(9)

The relationship a child living in a foreign country entertains with his native language is determined at the level of the family. The language stock that children acquire is too poor to enable them to interact with other people in some satisfactory manner, which leads them to take recourse to the type of language used by society at large; or mingle the two as much as possible. Here appears the importance of teaching one's native language, and developing one's linguistic stock at the level of reading, writing and communication. There is no doubt that this requires the availability of  the requisite aids such as adequate pedagogical procedures as well as didactic tools like methodologies and appropriate book contents. The need is also for offering opportunities and establishing a linguistic environment which allows the children to speak Arabic. Also, one ought to think seriously about an appropriate training for teachers in special trainings sessions.

A bilingual of teaching where Arabic is given increasing importance is likely to meet the parents' wishes for a reconsideration of native Islamic Arabic culture, which serves as a reference that expresses the kind of identity they cling to. This type of teaching is also likely to respond to the needs of the children, for them to be successful at school, to integrate in the host country, and to live in total harmony within two cultures which are mutually enriching.

In this vein teaching  Arabic will undoubtedly be beneficial to the children of Muslim migrants, for it allows these children to establish close links with their native culture as well as facilitates their integration in the host countries. In fact, such a type of teaching will be beneficial to native children themselves; it allows them to come into close contact with other cultures, should the same chances be given to Arabic as those given to the type of bilingual teaching which is based on languages other than Arabic. Two benefits can be drawn from bilingual teaching : first, to learn Arabic, native children will be able to appreciate its rhetoric as well as its cultural store. Their interest in the Arabic language will be a definitive proof that they have regard and respect for the people who speak it and their culture. The second benefit resides in the fact that openness on the Arabic language and its culture is likely to bring to the fore a new elite among Western societies, one who does not only master two languages, but puts them in use to reinforce relations between their countries and the Islamic ones.

We should not fail to emphasize in here that Arabic can play a primordial role in unifying the word of Muslims in foreign countries, no matter how different their cultures may be; Arabic, the language of the Quran, came to encounter all the languages of preceding civilizations such as Persian, Hindi, Greek, and became the language of Muslim thinkers, faqihs and philosophers of every nationality and ethnic background. It contributed thus in unifying the Islamic world, for a proper understanding of and insight into the Quran and the Sunna depended on mastery of the Arabic language.(10) "Verily, this is a Revelation from the Lord; With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth, to thy heart and mind, that thou mayst admonish in the perspicuous Arabic tongue” (the Poets (Ash’ara’),verses 192-5).

3- Islamic Civilization

Islamic civilization can be defined as "all what has been achieved by Muslims in the first centuries where Islam became prevalent in all the vital domains, politically, economically, scientifically and technologically. On the basis of this moral, religious and human culture, a colossal civilization emerged which yoked  together religion and life, religious and natural sciences, mathematics and humanities, linguistics, astrology and chemistry. It also embraced arts, politics, economics, professions and industries, and had a great impact on people's existence and modes of life(11).

Thereupon, interest in the civilizational aspects of the Islamic umma is tantamount to inculcating in the mind of the Muslim learner how Islamic civilization came to blossom when the impetus for scientific research, which helped in the flowering of "rational sciences" along with more "traditional sciences", was nothing short of religion itself, and how Islamic culture interacted in a positive manner with what Greek philosophy and Persian wisdom came to produce then. And this endeavour never precluded them from remaining faithful to their origins. In this manner, to expose the Muslim learners born in the West to Islamic civilization as being in some respects a successful interaction with other civilizations will undoubtedly help them to accommodate that, and to lead them to view such an interaction with proud, so much so that they would be able to overcome the kind of malaise, worry and opaque attitude they may have regarding identity(12).

4. Legacy

It is possible to consider legacy as the best expression of the cultural identity of the umma, of its civilizational personality. It is one of the aspects of creativity that an umma has in store, whether it originates in individuals or in collectivities. The Islamic legacy comes in two types : recorded intellectual legacy, of which thousands of libraries are fraught; and the material and visible legacy --which unrecorded-- such as architectural monuments and achievements, artistic skillfulness, some of which are still erect, raising as they do awe and respect.(13)

Sustaining interest in legacy, disseminating and teaching it the young in foreign countries is likely to make children and young people alike aware that Western civilization rests to a large measure on the Islamic scientific and civilizational heritage ; that is on the arts and sciences that the Muslims created as well as on the historical and architectural monuments that they left behind. Coupled with this are the professions and skills they have always practiced.That is in sum, every thing that Western civilization adopted and learnt from.

5. Islamic history

In deed, history is a record of the nation’s glorious days, past event, developments and changes, especially the social, economic, political and cultural history. It is therefore a collective memory of the nation and trustworthy custodian of its cultural identity.

However, more often than not  the Islamic history undergoes severe distortion and untold prejudice, sometimes by neglecting it and leaving it to oblivion, sometimes by obliterating its sacred, spiritual aspects or by citing political events without any word on the bright social, economic and cultural aspects of that history to which the perennial Islamic hallmarks are bearing obvious testimony.

It is, therefore, necessary to rewrite more fairly and more objectively the Islamic history in order to fathom out the shortcomings and the possible reasons thereof. From a pure educational perspective, it would require a rereading of history with a view to presenting it to younger generations brought up abroad so that they come to reconcile their historical memory and the novel discovery of their deep-seated origins. Any nation which does not stimulate interest in their own history would be left behind and struck by oblivion.

6. Local culture

The densely  populated Islamic world  is a mixture of peoples with different cultures, languages and customs. The variation in their environment and social life patterns makes of this melting pot a rich source of enrichement to the Islamic heritage. Despite the diversity, there is an affirmed unity and harmony among the different components of the social texture based on the common Islamic faith. It is, indeed, a case of unity within diversity.

This cultural strategy should capitalize on these cultural specificities and recognize them. The aim of this strategy is, indeed, not to standardize culture, but rather to achieve unity to which local culture could contribute significantly when it becomes aware of its full consonance with the Islamic culture from which it had originally stemmed(14).

7. Human principles and values

The cultural strategy should affirm and  stress the compatibility of the Islamic teachings and the broad lines of the Islamic culture with the common human principles and values shared by mankind as a whole.

The Holy Quran and the Prophetic Tradition (Sunnna) addressed all aspects of man and all sides of life, hence the comprehensive approach underlying the Islamic culture. However, the credibility and strength of the Islamic culture, although drawn up from a transcendent source, also stem from the instinct and common sense which emphasise the principles of righteousness, justice, and human dignity as universal virtues shared by all humanity. The best evidence to this could be the numerous ethics and values developed by the Quran and confirmed by the Sunna(15). The principles of equality, human right respect and liberty publicized, today, by the international covenants are only confirmation of the same principles set up by Islam fourteen centuries ago.

Concept of Islamic identity :

Individual, collective and societal identity is the incarnation of the “self”. That is to say all distinctive features of the personality and all components of one’s existence within a small or large community. It is also the set of rules governing one’s actions and reactions as well as one’s personal connections and public relations. The distinctive features that mark and characterize each person could be broken down into three main components :

1- Environment, with all its natural and human ingredients, materialized in social systems and conditions that evolve into mental and psychological attitudes, and constiute the notion of the home country along with its connoations and values.

2- Religion, on account that it enshrines one’s perception and vision of the world, a specific code of conduct, a particular way of worship and a legislature governing all aspects of life ; an ethical system specifying behaviour and standards of relations.

3- Language, viewed as a means of communication ; a medium of thought and feelings ; and a token of identity and self-reliance(16). Language is also a recorder for the collective historical memory which encompasses all experiences and past events of the nation, from which the umma derives its civilizational identity.

Therefore, one could safely argue that there is a collective identity built on the culture of society, on account that culture is a conventional set of values and principles agreed upon and shared by all members of society .

This culture, which society seeks to produce, together with the resulting collective identity, constitutes an overwhelming power since it is the component which supplies individuals with the elements of their identity. This accounts for the integration of the self within the process of socialization and training in their relation to society, culture and identity.(17)

It is widely believed that the concept of identity is so obvious and clear that belabouring it would be redundant. Isn’t identity belonging to a geographically and politically defined nation ? Isn’t it belonging to a given people and language ?

The issue of identity, in fact, is difficult to deal with in any theoretical aproach regardless of its area of speciality. Rather, it is an issue where many disciplines converge such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, politics as well as the relevant conscious or subconscious sensitive side involved.

For these reasons, research on identity took different trends. Some would address the issue of identity from a subjective individual perspective intended to understand how people see and understand their own identities. Others would do the same from a collective standpoint; and a third approach based on a synchronic study meant to examine the formation of the concept of identity itself(18).

Islamic comprehensive identity is based on openness onto the world and the surrounding environment. It is not by chance that the Islamic culture could manage to assimilate numerous human cultures and merge them in a rich but diverse identity without its principles and values(19).

Today, no culture could survive without getting in contact with other cultures. Diversity and intercomplementarity have become living realities. This does not mean,however, that Muslims would open up onto alien cultures without being selective. Assimilation of other cultures should be built first and foremost on selection(20).

This issue becomes more critical when it relates to Muslim communities living abroad or living in countries which used to be Muslim but lost their independence are not any more. The problem is felt more sharply by the second and the third generations who face serious crisis identity. They neither recognize themselves within authentic values nor feel comfortable enough to  identify with the host society(21).

Addressing this issue requires extensive,in-depth studies and a novel educational model taking into account the different religious and cultural conditions.

In the deep sense of the term, identity is not only linked to the past. It also involves the present, and the aspiration for the future. Identity is not a frozen entity. Rather, it is built  gradually on a solid basis. However, if it is necessary to preserve the distinct features of identity, it is also indispensable to introduce the required changes from a perspective of open-mindedness, and innovative, deep thought.

Concept of Muslim Migrant community

The concept of Muslim Community probably emerged in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It was linked with the emigration of manpower to European countries to fill the severe shortage caused by World War II and to reconstruct and strengthen Europe's economy according to the Marshall Plan. Certain Islamic and Arab countries were selected in view of their relations with Europe. The momentum of Islamic emigration grew as from the early sixties. The flux continued, and wave after wave arrived to a wide open Europe. France brought workforce from the Arab Maghreb in particular, while Britain attracted large numbers of Muslim workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Holland brought manpower from Suriname, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco and Turkey. Germany and Belgium, for their part, brought workers from Turkey and Morocco. Some Muslims emigrated later to other countries, such as Sweden, Norway, Danemark, Finland end Luxembourg(22).

Emigration expanded in scope after the independence of a number of countries. It came to include categories such as merchants, students, diplomats and staff of international organizations. The right of provisional and permanent residence as well as of nationality was granted to Muslim emigrants according to specific laws. The Muslim community in Western Europe started therefore taking form(23).

In general, the Muslim community may be said to have diverse categories, containing three types of emigrants :

First type : emigrant workers and their families who settled in Europe for generations (second and third generations).

Second type : businessmen, capital holders and economic developers who transferred their economic activity to certain European countries.

Third type : Brain drain of scientific competencies, including engineers, physicians, university professors, researchers and students.

The transition from provisional to permanent residence, particularly with the rise of new generations born in Europe, would inevitably lead to a new approach to the Muslim community. The latter has come to be considered a "large number minority" with distinct population, economic, social and cultural characteristics(24).

As to its constituents,the Muslim community encompasses three major groups :

The First group is made up of Arabs, totalling 5.3 million, 45% of whom are of Moroccan origin. They are distributed over France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy and Spain. They are followed by Algerians, based especially in France.

The second group is made up of Turks, totalling 5.2 million. They are based especially in Germany, then in Belgium and Holland.

The third group consists of  Muslims from the Indian sub-continent, totalling 800,000, and based especially in England(25).

In spite of the diverse origins, cultures and traditions of the Muslim communities, Islam remains the unifying power that cements their ranks. However, such unity is not inconsistent with the requirements of constructive coexistence with these societies. It rather affirms such coexistence  the more so since the Islamic religion, in essence, calls for coexistence, tolerance, understanding and cooperation. 

Notes

1. ISESCO, Cultural Strategy for the Islamic World, publications of ISESCO 1997.

2. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Islamic culture and its role in building the identity of Muslim and children in France, typed text, p. 4.

3. Cultural Strategy for the Islamic World  Ibid., p. 44.

4. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., p. 4.

5, Cultural Strategy for the Islamic World, p. 41.

6. Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Conditions of the Muslim world and the future strategy, Al Maarif Al Jadida Publishing House, Rabat, 1994, p. 13.

8. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., pp. 19-20.

9. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., pp. 9-10.

10. Strategy, Ibid., p. 54.

11. Dr. Abderraouf, On the Strategy, Ibid., p. 44.

12. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., p. 19.

13. Strategy, Ibid., pp. 44-56.

14. Strategy, Ibid., p. 56.

15. ISESCO, Strategy, Ibid., p. 49-56.

16. Abbas Al Jirari, Problems of growing generations with regard to the preservation of identity In Islam and Muslims in Europe, University of the Awakening, Ministry of Waqf and Islamic Affairs, 1997.

17. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., p. 5.

18. Dr. Al Habib Al Affas, Ibid., p. 6.

19. Strategy, Ibid., p. 73.

20. Strategy, Ibid., p. 73.

21. Strategy, Ibid., p. 74.

22. Abdessamad Benkirane, Remarks on the reality of the Muslim family in Europe In Islam and Muslims in Europe, University of the Awakening, Ibid., pp. 261-263

23. Mohammed Hajji, Historical and legal background of the Islamic existence in Europe In Islam and Muslims in Europe, University of the Awakening, Ibid., p. 246.

24. Mohamed Al Houari, Muslims in the West and their cultural future, typed text, p. 2.

25. Abdessamad Benkirane, Ibid., p. 269.