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