Islam's revival: A threat or a challenge?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The revival of Islam is not a threat to the
\nmodern, established, and secular Western countries, an Islamic
\nexpert says.<\/p>\n
\"Western countries cannot merely generalize and say that the
\nrevival of Islam is a threat to their national interests and
\nstability,\" said Prof. Dr. John L. Esposito, Director of the
\nU.S.-based Center for Moslem-Christian Understanding.<\/p>\n
The revival of Islam has long been identified as a threat to
\nWestern countries, with many fearing a second Iranian-like
\nrevolution.<\/p>\n
The 1979 revolution in Iran, led by the spiritual leader
\nAyatollah Khomeini, overthrew the ruling Shah Reza Pahlevi,
\nforcing him and his family into exile.<\/p>\n
Esposito, a devout Catholic, told participants at a discussion
\ncalled Islamic Threat: A Myth or Reality that Islam welcomes
\ndemocracy everywhere, including in Islamic-based countries.<\/p>\n
He specifically illustrated the case of Algeria, where the
\nruling government canceled the general election results when the
\nminor Islamic Party won the country's first general elections.<\/p>\n
He criticized Western countries for adopting a negative view
\nof Islam because of the Arabic countries and their different and
\nopposing policies.<\/p>\n
\"Differences in foreign policies could become the source of
\nbilateral and regional conflicts,\" he said, stating as examples
\nthe prolonged conflicts between Iran, Iraq, Libya and others
\nregarded as promoting terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"The Western countries should not forget that they also deal
\nwith Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt in their economic and
\nforeign relations,\" Esposito said.<\/p>\n
Repressive western actions could stimulate stronger opposing
\nactions, as evidenced during the Iranian revolution, which gave
\nthe previously minor fundamental Islamic movement control of the
\ncountry's leadership.<\/p>\n
He also criticized the role of the mass media. \"Television
\nviewers might jump to the conclusion that Indonesia is an
\nundemocratic country when they see a demonstration asking for the
\nrelease of a prisoner on the evening news,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The discussion, which featured Esposito as the main speaker,
\nwas held by the Mizan publishing company and the Republika daily.<\/p>\n
Esposito started studying Islam seriously in 1968 when he was
\nworking on his doctoral thesis on Hinduism and Buddhism at Temple
\nUniversity in the United States.<\/p>\n
He changed his topic of research to Islam after meeting Ismail
\nFaruqi, a Palestinian-born professor who started a new field of
\nstudy on Islam at the university that year.<\/p>\n
Esposito, currently a professor of religious affairs and
\ninternational relations at Georgetown University, has visited
\nseveral Arabic countries to study Islam and returned to the
\nStates in 1977 to start working on his thesis under Faruqi's
\nguidance.<\/p>\n
He obtained his doctoral degree after completing a thesis on
\nwomen and their status under Islamic family law. The thesis was
\nthen published into a book entitled Women in Muslim Family Law in
\n1982, just four years before Faruqi was killed by Jewish
\nextremists.(imn\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/islams-revival-a-threat-or-a-challenge-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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