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