Perspective

In order to discuss the role of Islam in building up a world of peace and promoting mutual co-operation between the Muslims and the Westerners, we should first discuss what would happen if the world was without Islam. I think this will make our idea about the role of Islam in building up a world of peace more clear. An article entitled, “A World Without Islam” written by Graham E. Fuller (Professor of History, Simon Fraser University, Canada and Ex-high official of CIA) was published in the widely circulated paper, “Foreign Policy” during January-February, 2008 (Page 46-58) which created a big sensation amongst its readers in the west irrespective of age-group, old or young alike. Some of them were overwhelmed with joy and expressed their reactions that if there was no Islam, the world would be free from suicidal attack, explosion due to car-bomb, violence and terrorism, guerilla war, dreadful video, events like Nine-Eleven etc. Many of the old people expressed their view shouting, “In the absence of Islam the religion of Jesus Christ would become the world-religion or the global religion. Hundreds of crusades would become unnecessary. The Christian community would not require to pass sleepless nights for centuries being afraid of Jehad (Crusade)”. Again, there were others who like philosophers expressed their views like this: “If Islam would not come in this world, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) would not be there (Nauju Billah). There would not be the incredible and prolonged stories of golden victory of the Muslims over the territories of Asia, Africa and even Europe. If we realize the greater spread and higher degree of such reaction about Islam in the West we may become clear about the following facts:

In recent times under the leadership of the USA and the supervision of Europe, terrorism has become a terrible anti-West, anti-US theory.
Particularly after Nine-Eleven the special quarter of the West deliberately started campaign against Islam focusing the fact that Islam is not only identical with terrorism, but both are just two sides of the same coin, In the popular news media of the West Islam is misinterpreted as the fascist religion (Islamofascism). In some cases, in the text book of schools and colleges the chapter on Islam as a fascist religion has been incorporated to orient the teachers with the wrong notion about Islam.

Propaganda has been in operation spreading the rumor that if there was no Islam, the world would become ever peaceful.

The West is very efficiently spreading wrong notion about Islam; their anti-Islamic publicity is deep-rooted and widespread. In the last century (from second to seventh decades) the West strongly propagated against socialism/communism terming it as force-based, fascist, undemocratic, inhuman and uncivilized system. Adopting the same strategies in a developed way they are also making anti-Islamic campaign to misguide the peace-loving people of the world.

In line with Graham Fuller we like to ask the question:

If Islam would not come in this world, then would peace come in the war-torn Middle Eastern countries? Would down-trodden people in different parts of the world get rid of violence and terrorism if there was no Islam?

As G. Fuller said, influential ethnic groups like the Arabs, the Persian, the Turks, the Kurds, the Jews, the Pastoon etc. are still dominant groups in the region of the Middle East. Before the advent of Islam, the Persian Empire expanded up to Athens and the Persians emerged as the strong hostile group against the inhabitants of Anatolia. The people of the Semitic race opposed them, occupied Persia and marched towards Iraq. The Arab businessmen and the people of the Arab tribe did not remain silent for long. They also took over the whole of Middle East before the advent of Islam. In the thirteenth decade of the last century the Mongols came like storm and tried to vanish all the achievement of the Middle Asia and the Middle East. The Turks established their dominance over the Middle East occupying Anatolia and marched towards Vienna of Europe. The main aim of these campaigns was power, occupation of territories, business and commerce. There was no relation of these events with Islam. Let us suppose, Islam did not come in the Middle East. In such case, there would live only some Jews and Zoroastrians. Perhaps in such situation the Middle East would become the territory of the Christian. Would it (Middle East) then become the place of everlasting peace? If we look at the Europe of the 14th decade of the last century, we find that the Christian Europe was the most terrible. If we analyze the main objective of Crusade we find that it was mainly for attaining political dominance and economic supremacy rather than for religious reasons. This disgraceful age of imperialism aimed at establishing colonies in the East to achieve political and economic dominance in the name of spreading Christianity or Crusade. The Europe needed lands for providing human habitation for its growing population and they ultimately occupied America, Australia and different parts of Africa for their vast population. Their aggression came to a halt only in those lands where Islam was spread. The Christian Europe planned to drive out all the non-Christian people from the occupied territories for good which did not go unchallenged where Islam was established specially in the Muslim areas of Africa.

The Latin American countries where majority people are Christians, the Hindu-majority India, Confusian China, Buddhist Vietnam, Christian Africa- all became disgusted at the Christian Europe, and started movement to drive them out. In such case, would it be fair to identify Islam as the source of hostility, antagonism and violence? Is it not unfair, disgraceful, biased and ill-motivated?

Somebody may argue that Christian Europe gave birth to the concept of democracy. But they should remember that Christian Europe has not only gave birth to democracy, it also gave birth to Nazism, fascism, totalitarianism. Democracy came in Europe after 1500 years of the establishment of Christianity. The direct democracy established by Islam in 622 A. D. under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the glaring example of democracy and peace in Islam. The kingship, dictatorship is a deviation from Islam and it has no relation with Islam.

The origin of hostility of the Muslims towards the US may be attributed to the uprooting of the Palestinians from the soil of the Middle East and the establishment of the state of Israel in May 14, 1948 and the same was reflected seriously in the event of Nine-Eleven. Later on, many other events added fuel to the flame of this anti-US attitude of the Muslims. Some of them may be pointed out below:

The biased and supportive policy of US towards Israel divided the whole world on the one side and Israel on the other. It is a popular belief that the US is indirectly assisting in the massacre of the innocent Palestinians by the Israelis on the one hand and the US is not paying due attention to the legitimate claim of the Palestinians to get back their homeland on the other.

The US is assisting Israel to make research in atomic weapons on the one hand and trying to attack Iran on the plea that Iran is conducting atomic research on the other.

• Assistance of USA to retain undemocratic govt. of the Middle East countries in power.
• To establish military base of USA in some puppet states of the Middle East.
• To impose embargo on nationalist Arab countries in different ways.
• To make negative propaganda against culture, religion and people of the Middle East in the news media.
• To continue attack and aggression in the Middle Eastern countries to suppress the Muslims. (For example, Iraq and Afghanistan).
• It is further evident from some other facts such as-
• When people are preparing for Qurbani (Eidul Azha), the fallen leader Saddam Hossain was being hanged.
• How could the US soldiers go to the holy shrine of Hazrat Ali (R) without putting off their shoes?
• Why were the Philippino Muslims killed ruthlessly in the name of Balikatan, a Military Assistance Pact?

However, most of the American people are not bad. At the same time some of the Muslims may not be good. But there may be some bad people in both the groups. But Islam is not responsible for it. We must give up misunderstanding amongst both, try to come closer to each other, resolve the existing problems of mistrust and injustice and establish unity in diversity for everlasting peace all over the world.

Writer: Dr. M. Abdul Mannan Chowdhury
Professor of Economics
University of Chittagong.