Japan can bridge gap between Islam and West<\/p>\n
Kosugi Yasushi, a professor of Islamic affairs and
\nglobalization at the Graduate School of Asian and African Studies
\nat Kyoto University, Japan, spoke recently with The Jakarta
\nPost's Muhammad Nafik about a possible role for Japan in bridging
\nthe gap between Islam and the West. The following is an excerpt
\nof that interview.<\/p>\n
Question: You have said that Japan can bridge the
\nmisunderstandings between the Islamic world and the West. Would
\nyou explain why you think this?<\/p>\n
Answer: Many Muslim countries want to have modernization, and
\nat the same time they want to preserve their Islamic identities.
\nAnd Japan has been successful in modernization. It is now one of
\nthe leading countries in the world. Japan's success indicates
\nthat modernization and westernization are not same. Japan is a
\ndemocratic country. When we look at Japan as a developed country,
\nits development is not at the cost of Japanese culture and
\nidentity.<\/p>\n
Japan has apparently succeeded in that modernization. Did the
\nWest have modernization? No, they didn't. What the West did is
\nthat they had just created their own modernity. So, it's always
\nconfusing that many people think that the West knows a lot about
\nor teaches modernization. It's wrong.<\/p>\n
Japan knows very well how to learn and it became an
\nindustrialized country by learning. In my understanding, western
\nelements are not necessarily modern. Japan took modern elements
\nfrom the West, not necessarily western cultures. When the modern
\nelements were taken or adopted and applied by Japan successfully,
\nwe can see this is really modern and universal. The problem is
\nthat western countries tend to mix both modern and western
\nelements. Of course, we should separate them completely. They are
\ndeeply related but they are not the same.<\/p>\n
How can we differentiate between these two elements?<\/p>\n
It can be done through adoption. You take a western thing and
\nwhen it is applicable and workable in other cultures, then it's
\nmodern and universal. Japan started modernization by adopting
\nother cultures. What Japan adopted and re-exported to other
\ncountries, especially in Asia, has worked very well. So,
\nmodernization must go with the needs of people in other areas.<\/p>\n
The West often claims to be great in modernization -- \"We have
\nthis and you learn it.\" Learn what? That's the problem. A thing
\nis good if it's in line with the needs of people. Modernization
\nin the western way has often not worked perfectly, partly because
\nproblems with its own culture.<\/p>\n
Could you give an example?<\/p>\n
Okay, democracy is good. In western and European countries,
\ndemocracy has cultural elements. We can take democracy as such,
\nbut its cultural elements may not be good for other countries. It
\ncould even be destructive for democracy itself.<\/p>\n
Many talks have been held to ease tensions or resolve
\nmisunderstandings between the West and the Islamic world, but the
\nproblems remain. What do you think about this?<\/p>\n
The point here is not about the conflict or dialog. I have
\nsaid that Japan has studied the civilizations of other countries.
\nWe learned a lot from China, and we also have studied Islamic
\ncivilization. I have a feeling that the Japanese understanding of
\nthe Islamic world is more balanced than the West.<\/p>\n
Japan has studied civilizations from around the world,
\nincluding Islam and western cultures, over the last hundreds of
\nyears. The study of the West was conducted probably over two and
\nthree centuries, while the study of the Islamic world has been
\nless than one century -- maybe 40 years.<\/p>\n
How does Japan study the Islamic and western civilizations?<\/p>\n
When we study a world civilization, we do it from itself. We
\ntry to listen to what it says and what it has. Nationally, when
\nwe study the West, we study what it is. When we study Islamic
\ncivilization, we do it from itself. We have studied both, Islam
\nand the West, and we developed our understanding based on logic
\nand societies.<\/p>\n
We listen to the Islamic world before judging. But western
\nOrientalists always see Islam from their own perspectives. I
\nwould say the best example for this is the question of
\nfundamentalism. This word is not recognized in Islam. It was
\ntaken from Christianity in North America. In Japan, we call it an
\nIslamic revival movement. It is defined as a movement to revive
\nor reactivate Islamic values and try to reformulate them into
\nsociety according to their understanding.<\/p>\n
So, Islamic understanding is probably something new and not
\nnecessarily traditional because it's dynamic. And people think
\nand try to reformulate new things based on the Koran and hadith.
\nThat doesn't necessarily mean their Islamic interpretation is
\nold.<\/p>\n
What do you understand by Islamic fundamentalism in connection
\nwith terrorism and militancy?<\/p>\n
First of all, fundamentalism is wrong in this sense. It was a
\nmovement of Protestant Christianity during the 20th century in
\nNorth America. Such a term does not exist in Islam. They (the
\nWest) brought the Christian term and call it Islamic. This is not
\nan understanding of what is actually happening.<\/p>\n
Second, fundamentalism is a term very much to do with a threat
\nperception. So, when the West thinks Islamic fundamentalism, what
\nthey think is only a threat.<\/p>\n
Some Muslims say, \"Let's go to the mosque, pray and study the
\nKoran.\" They are not fundamentalists. \"Let's collect zakat
\n(obligatory donation under Islam) to help the needy.\" That also
\nis not fundamentalism. So the Islamic revival is generally
\npeaceful and it's a social movement. It involves people at the
\ngrassroots level and they are apolitical activists.<\/p>\n
So when we talk about Islamic fundamentalism, we should not
\nlink it with terrorism and militancy. It's just a term borrowed
\nfrom the West.<\/p>",
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