There is a lingering suspicion and fear that exist between the “Western” World (secular) and the world of Islam. Because of some “extremist” groups, there are places and cultures where suspicion and fear have actually become antagonism and hostility. The depressing fact, nay tragedy, is that, despite globalization and the rapid advances of technology and mass communications, the misunderstanding between the Western world and the World of Islam continues. Distrust, fear and even hostility continue to persist.
The many and varying peace processes as well as “democratization” in many hot spots are very remarkable and encouraging events. A new man in the White House has given peace processes in the Middle East hope for new life. The “return” to democracy of Indonesia, considered the “largest Islamic” country, is a positive development in a new and growing perception about Islam. The surge of the protest movement in Iran over what is perceived as a blatant poll manipulation victory of the entrenched hardliners is also seen as a ‘refreshing new wind’ of moderate Islam versus its extremist and ugly face.
The suspicion and fear, even hostility, are deeply rooted in history. People claim that the “rootedness” of misunderstanding is also to be found in the very “psyche” of the two cultures and two worlds. The history is marred by conflict. The history of the relationship between the Western World and the World of Islam has given rise to that enduring tradition of fear, distrust and hostility, because the two worlds have so often charted collision and contradictory courses. The history of crusades, the Spanish re-conquista, the fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman expansion to Europe in 1529 and 1683, Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt in 1798, the Western colonial expansion embracing almost the entire world of Islam, and the fall of the Ottoman Empire are few examples of the historical “rootedness” of the fear, distrust and hostilities.
Yet, for all the fear, distrust and hostilities between the two worlds, there are interesting, nay wonderful convergences or “kindredness” between the Western world and the world of Islam. First and foremost, Christians, Muslims and Jews are all “Peoples of the Book.” Judaism, Christianity and Islam share a common monotheistic vision. In the language of Vatican II: “They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to people” (Vat. II, NA, No. 3). In fact, the same Council recognizes the quarrels and dissensions between Christians and Muslims over the centuries and (it) “now pleads with all to forget the past, and urges that a sincere effort be made to achieve mutual understanding; for the benefit of all, let them together preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values” (ibid.).
Moreover, Christians and Muslims share many key values in common like respect for knowledge, justice, compassion towards the poor and underprivileged, the importance of family life, respect for parents and elders and consensus in the determination of societal/community affairs.
These days, there is a growing myopia not only in our common attitude towards each other, but also in the way we understand the roles of religions and the religious in society. It is a tragedy that our attitudes and understanding have been temporarily hijacked by the extreme and the superficial versions of Christianity and Islam. Many Christians view Islam in terms of the tragic wars in the Balkans, the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and the extreme developments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. No doubt, the extremes exist in both Islam and Christianity, and they must be dealt with. But when used as a basis to judge a people and society, they lead to distortion and unfairness.
Oftentimes, our judgment of each other has been grossly distorted by taking the extremes to be the norm. This is a serious mistake! It is like judging the quality of life in a community by the existence of murder, rape, drug addiction, etc. We have to school ourselves to see that the extremes are rarely practiced and the extremists are, indeed, a very small minority. By highlighting the extremes, we are actually engaged in peddling those thoughtless prejudices. The truth is, of course, different and always more complex.
Moreover, in the cases of the world of Islam, there is the urgent need to distinguish the religion of Islam from the practices of some Islamic States. We do not judge Islam by the practices of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the “fundamentalists” in many countries today. We must not succumb to the temptation to believe that extremism is in some way the hallmark and essence of Islam and/or Muslims. In the first place, extremism is not the monopoly of Islam. Religions and ideologies including Christianity have their share of extremism. The good news is the fact that the vast majority of Christians and Muslims are moderates in their politics. Theirs is the religion of the “middle way” or moderation. Thus, if we are to understand each other, we must learn to distinguish clearly between the vast majority of believers who are moderates and the terrible violence of a small minority who are known as “Extremists”.
The challenge to us today is to learn to understand each other, and to educate our children – a new generation, whose attitudes and cultural outlook may be different from ours – so that they understand too. We have to show trust, mutual respect, and tolerance, if we are to find the common ground between us and work together to find solutions to the many and varied issues that divide us. We can no longer afford the absence of a common effort to solve our common problems of “unpeace” and lack of development.
Understanding and movement towards peace has to be two-way. Each of us needs to understand the importance of peace, reconciliation, development, and reflection. There is the necessity to open our minds and unlock our hearts to each other. The Arabic word for this is “TADABBAR”!
