Sino-Islam harmony
Sino-Islam harmony
The Hong Kong-based Chinese magazine Yazhou Zhoukan in its
Feb. 18 issue reported it as a breakthrough that a Sinology
center was set up at Muhammadiyah University in Yogyakarta on
Oct. 10, 2001 and Chinese language was also being taught.
Pan Lynn quoted in her book The sons of the yellow emperor
what the late Victor Purcell wrote in 1965 that the continuance
of the Cold War had caused anti-communism to blur into
antisinicism and vice versa.
Hopefully this breakthrough will also break new ground upon
which intercultural dialog may be opened and mutual understanding
and tolerance can be promoted.
The Japanese Professor Toshihiko Izutsu in his book Sufism and
Taoism, a comparative study of key philosophical concepts,
explored much of Ibn Arabi's Magnum Opus, Fasus Al-Hikam (The
Bezels of Wisdom) and elaborated on the striking similarities in
the ontological concepts between Ibn Arabi's Sufism and Lao-Tzu's
and Chuang-Tzu's Taoism, theorizing that both world views are
based on similar premises, the Absolute and the Perfect Man.
Ibn Arabi's philosophy of Wadah Al-Wujud (oneness of
existence), Haqq, Tajalli and Mumkinat are in Chinese Taoism's
Tao Te Ching, Tien-ni/Tien-Ch'un, Tao, Sheng and Wan Wu.
As for Confucius' analects and syariah, Osman Bakar, in his
book, Islam and Confucianism wrote that: "...The six fundamental
articles of Islamic faith include a belief in the idea that
before the revelation of the Koran, God had revealed books and
scriptures to various branches of the human family... The
Chinese, being an ancient race and an ancient civilization,
surely must have received at least one message from Heaven...
thus Confucius may have been a prophet who brought (Islamic-like
teachings) to the Chinese people."
Also in the same book, William C. Chittick further added that
the goal of Muslim intellectuals in addressing Chinese
civilization should be to recognize the wisdom that is inherent
in Chinese civilization, as well as the prophet Muhammad's
proverb which says, "...seek knowledge, even unto China...".
SIA KA-MOU
Jakarta