The West and Islam

The West and Islam

The AFP report published in The Jakarta Post dated March 30,
1995, entitled UK told to bridge gap between Islam and the West
is to me refreshing to read.

Prince Charles' call to Britain to play the role of bridge
builder between the west and Islam, openly recognizes the
existence of a serious gap between the two. Hence, the call to
bridge the gap came from heir to the British throne himself.

The West's misunderstanding of Islam is a clear indication of
the existence of the gap.

One clear example of such misunderstanding is the western
interpretation of the term "Islamic fundamentalism."

The term is given anything but the right interpretation. It
has always been associated with slurs uncomplimentary to Islam.
The West's references to the governments of countries such as
Iran and Saudi Arabia, and to groups such as HAMAS, Hizbul
Muslimin and Ikhwanul Muslimin, and even to the so-called Islamic
Party of Malaysia, PAS, as "Islamic fundamentalists" illustrate
the above point.

Through such references Islam is perceived, in a passive view,
as a religion which rejects worldly affairs, for those of
"spiritual" (meaning after death), oblivious to the material
needs and demands of real life.

In an active perspective, it is associated with practices such
as capital punishments, including public flogging, severing of
limbs and executions; also acts of injustice, such as suppression
of human rights and other such acts considered unacceptable to
the norms of modern life, at least, as set by the west.

Worse still, Islam is also viewed as a religion which
propagates militancy, violence, murder and other such forms of
undesirable activities, including hostage-taking and bombing or,
at least, as a faith which justifies such cruel acts as a means
to justify its end.

That Islam is just the opposite of what has been perceived as
mentioned above is obvious from its actual peaceful and flexible
premise and teachings. There are, indeed, ample revelations in
the Quranul Karim, for example, to illustrate the above.

Why has the misunderstanding of Islam by the west occurred? I
think it is attributable to a number of reasons.

Western prejudice towards Islam, as well as its inability to
really understand it could be among the reasons. The prejudice
might have to do with religious and/or ethnic considerations.
Their inability to understand Islam, possibly due to their wrong
premise in judging it through their own perception of religion.
With regard to the latter point, it should be appreciated that
there is a fine distinction in the perception of religion between
the west and Islam in that, whilst the former believes that there
should be a separation between church and state, the latter does
not. Islam, instead, looks at religion (Islam) as a total way of
life. So, for the west to view Islam based on the former
perception would certainly not bring about the right perspective.

But, Moslems too, or at least some of them, are as much to
blame for Islam being misunderstood by the west.

A narrow, inflexible, intolerant and, worse still, militant
view of Islam, commonly held by some Moslems, has led to their
passive, rigid, insensitive, fanatical, or even cruel and unjust
actions, as indicated earlier. These are in themselves, in fact,
clearly questionable in Islam, having only served to mislead, or
to be used to mislead, the western perception of Islam.

Thus, Moslems themselves, have much to do if western
misunderstanding of Islam is to be rectified.

Rectifying such misunderstanding is, indeed, a necessary step
to be taken in the efforts to narrow the gap between Islam and
the west, as called for by Prince Charles. But, both Moslems and
the West are equally required to play their roles towards
achieving that end.

CLIFFED WARDIAN

Jakarta