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Disappointment and hope after Cairo
By Sheikh Ali Gomaa
Last month marked the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world in Cairo where he sought "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect"
However, the hope that greeted President Obama's speech has turned into disappointment as people realized that turning promises into reality is not easy to achieve. While he should be congratulated on his efforts to change the discourse of US policy towards the Muslim world, it is clear that people expect more than simply statements from him.
It is vital to rekindle the new spirit that accompanied President Obama's speech and to discuss together how we can transform it into practical programs that bridge the concept of dialogue with real and affective partnership between East and West.
I believe there are several ways that can help forge a constructive partnership between the Muslim world and the US. The Islam we were taught in our youth is one that calls for peace and mercy. The Prophet Muhammad told us: "Those who show mercy are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those who are on earth and the One in the heavens will show mercy to you." Furthermore, the Qur'an teaches us: "O people we have created you from a single male and female and divided you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another." When God says "to know one another" He did not mean in order to kill one another. All religions have forbidden the killing of innocents. Rather we have been ordered to cooperate in a constructive manner.
For over a thousand years ordinary Muslims have worshiped God, engaged in developing their society and the human civilization, and have sought to cultivate good moral character. They have engaged, absorbed and assimilated a multiplicity of civilizations such as the Persians, Indians, Chinese, and Greeks, into our cultural and intellectual life. We benefited from all of them as well as contributing to them. Such a humanitarian and cosmopolitan worldview does not allow us to consider ourselves as superior to other people. And since our civilization is concerned with humanity, it brings together both the spiritual and the material. We do not hate life nor do we seek to create social imbalance, and anyone who engages in this has gone against the teachings of our religion and what we have been taught as being worthy of good moral character.
The need for dialogue between people of different faiths and cultures is far greater today in view of the problems faced in the relations between peoples and communities. Dialogue stems from the recognition of identities and specificities, avoiding at the same time that their assertion turn into hostility towards others leading to bloody borders among religions and cultures. Dialogue is based upon the respect for religious plurality and cultural diversity. Dialogue is not about trying to defeat others, but about understanding and learning about them. The Qur'an insists that the world's beauty lies in its racial and religious pluralism, otherwise God would not have created it so (see Qur'an, 10:99 and 5:48).
Our world is changing at a rapid pace. Staggering developments in travel, migration, trade and technology have brought communities closer, yet we have become alienated in many other aspects. Many find such ever growing closeness and communication enriching, but for others it can be a source of confusion and intimidation. Constructive dialogue, in such situations, can help defuse tension and keep problems from escalating. We must do all that we can to promote reconciliation in the aftermath of any conflict.
Constructive dialogue is indeed a powerful tool in conflict prevention, management and resolution. But we still need to work harder on many fronts.
There is, for example, an urgent need to promote the value of cultural diversity through education. We must strengthen educational systems with a wider vision so that young people could benefit from cultural diversity and accept the 'other.' For solutions, we must create a wide network engaging the collaboration of local governments, civil society, the media, young leaders and other professionals.
We must also endeavor to clear misconceptions and misinterpretations, which often mar our attitudes towards the other. These include the position of women in Muslim societies, the role of the Shariah, the right of minorities, and so on. These must be discussed honestly and effort must be made to understand the broader historical, theological and cultural premises and dynamics.
In the case of the position of Muslim women, many in the West only understand it in terms of 'women's issues,' a categorization that is uncharacteristic in the Muslim milieu, where both women and men are seen as intrinsically linked, as individuals, to family and society. The status of women in Islam is not just confined to her being the first believer (Khadijah, the Prophet's wife), or the first martyr (Sumayyah), or the first emigrant (Ruqayyah who emigrated with her husband 'Uthman). Rather, history attests to Muslim women who took the positions of rulership, judgeship, teaching, participating in armed conflicts, issuing fatwas, regulating economic and public affairs, and expressing opinions on key matters in community issues. As a case in point, in the fatwas issued by Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, for example, we emphasize a woman's right to dignity, education, work and assuming positions in the political arena and have condemned all forms of violence committed against a woman.
We also need to open permanent and effective channels of scientific, technological, economic, cultural and scientific dialogue and cooperation between the Muslim world and the US. President Obama mentioned in his speech that throughout their history, Muslim communities have proved that they have contributed immensely in the fields of education and innovation. He even made the point that it is not possible for development strategies to depend solely on wealth-- innovation and education are more important for long term progress.
This can only be achieved in an environment that respects international legitimacy, religious distinctiveness and the cultural traditions of people. Any reform must stem from societal reality, cultural and religious specificities, convictions, and their epistemological outlooks. Reform simply cannot be imposed.
Furthermore, there is a critical need for global Muslim representative bodies such as the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which together with Fiqh Assembly in Jeddah and the scholarly assistance of institutions such as al-Azhar and the Islamic Research Assembly, can become key focal points for the development of moderate and peaceful Muslim discourses.
However, it is necessary that balanced foreign policy be the basis for improved relations. For the Muslim world, and particularly its clerical community, it is important that the rule of law prevail in times of conflict. There should be a concerted effort on both sides to respect international law and UN resolutions. By holding high the rule of law, justice can prevail and no one can hide behind false excuses. Most immediately amongst Muslim world opinion, this needs to be applied to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict removing long-standing suffering from the Palestinian people. We all are aware that making a durable and just peace in Palestine would have a sustainable influence over relations between cultures and religions. Moreover, a just peace is a necessity for the success of any initiative that seeks to achieving a genuine rapprochement between the US and the Arab and Muslim World.
The responsibility of an improved relationship between the Muslim world and US falls on both sides. I feel that this is not only possible, but it is in fact the only way we can build a brighter and more prosperous world for our children. With cooperation and respect, I believe that no task is impossible.
Dr. Ali Gomaa is Grand Mufti of Egypt.
By Sheikh Ali Gomaa |
July 12, 2010; 10:21 AM ET
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Posted by: faith-on-space-ship-earth | July 13, 2010 8:34 PM
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Mufti, you're preaching to the choir. The US and the west are the most liberal, free, tolerant and democratic societies in the world. I sincerely hope you will send this essay to the newspapers in Egypt and other intolerant, brutal and uncivilized countries in the Muslim world. If you can change them a little by teaching them how to conduct themselves in a civilized manner, you'll be doing a great service for your religion. Hope you'll start with Egypt. Good luck.
Posted by: Indian51 | July 13, 2010 4:48 PM
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“We also need to open permanent and effective channels of scientific, technological, economic, cultural and scientific dialogue and cooperation between the Muslim world and the US.”
I thought that your Quran has all the knowledge, scientific and otherwise, that humanity needs. Every time a scientific breakthrough occurs, your religious establishment is quick to locate verses in your holy book that alluded to it. Some Egyptian clerics are writing books about the “miraculous information” in that book. One in particular that caught my attention is about the “four years women pregnancy” that you defended publicly. I like the American Medical Society to take note of this “scientific” bit of information
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | July 13, 2010 11:43 AM
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Speaking of the Palestinians, I wonder if the Mufti would comment on why Palestinian Egyptians are treated as fourth-class citizens, unable to attend Egyptian public schools. I would also like to know why so many were deported, forcibly. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
Of the eighty thousand Egyptian Jews, whose presence in Egypt predates Islam, four Jews remain. What does the Mufti say about their forced deportations, exile? What initiatives are underway in Egypt to invite them back and/or compensate them for the theft of their property? Eighty thousand down to four. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
It appears that the Mufti has not issued a fatwa against the virulent antisemitic films, propaganda overflows from Egypt into the rest of the Middle East. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
The Mufti has said nothing about the hideous persecution, kidnappings, rapes, pogroms, murders of Egyptian Christians. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
The Mufti has said nothing about the torture of homosexuals. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
The Mufti does not mention the abuse, kidnapping, and sale of little boys for use in camel racing. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
The Mufti does not mention the corrupt Mubarak regime, the corrupt army, the corrupt oligarchy, etc., which takes the 2.5 billion we give Egypt annually and pockets it, while Egyptians literally starve to death. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
The Mufti does not mention honor killing, domestic violence, and other crimes against women. The rule of law, Mufti, and justice.
THE rule of LAW, Mufti, and JUSTICE.
Posted by: farnaz_mansouri2 | July 13, 2010 1:00 AM
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The Egyptian cleric claims among many other ludicrous posits:
“ we emphasize a woman's right to dignity, education, work and assuming positions in the political arena and have condemned all forms of violence committed against a woman.”
Hogwash!!
All forms of discrimination against women and minorities in your society have their source in your Quran and Hadith, the tradition of your prophet, and are propagated mostly by clerics like you.
The latest manifestation of your “emphasis on the right to dignity” of women is the torture of Egyptian attorney Najla Imam by your so-called “security apparatus” for simply having the audacity to request that her religious affiliation in her identity card be changed from Muslim to Christian. Please have some respect for our knowledge.
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | July 12, 2010 6:15 PM
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Posted by: good-bad-n-ugly | July 12, 2010 5:42 PM
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Oh grand mufti of egypt how much do you respect and embrace the Coptic Christians of your own country? You babble verses from you nonsense book and sayings from your prophet while your countrys human rights are pitiful. Why should the US citizen care about egypt or the muslim world when they are busy self destructing?
Posted by: Arif2 | July 12, 2010 4:43 PM
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I am heartened to see Dr. Gomaa call for greater respect for the concept of the rule of law in international law, but I wonder why he declined the opportunity to speak for the urgent need for the rule of law in Muslim countries.
It seems like one of the biggest issues in the Middle East and the Muslim world as a whole is the lack of good and legitimate government. Many Muslim-majority nations are populated by citizens who have little say in their own governance. Many are subject to dictatorships or monarchies that refuse to recognize and protect the basic political rights of their own people. This is a pretty big injustice, but it goes unmentioned.
Posted by: cianwn | July 12, 2010 2:52 PM
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Note: Islami's as a Whole Can Be One Super Rich Country; But Just because they are Rich (via Natural Resources & Cash) does Not makee them Smart. Yet al Islam, per Capita & per All Modern History; Have ZERO Patents, Zero Copy Rights, Zero Intellectaul Property To Proudly boast about say It Genunely There's (Islam) or their own. Rich History?
The Ex-Idol Worshiping Islamics Stole the Judeo-abe-Abrahamic Religion System & Rehashed or Re-Bottled its Mono Theoness. Now Islami's Copy Cat'd Kafir Discovery's but Rehashing Them or Telling their Baby's that Kafirs stole Atomic Patents or Ideas from Islam People. Wow! Now
Since The sneaky & Jealous Elders of WAHHABi & AYATOLLAH Ummah Want to Build a Islami Center near WTC area; Thus "adding Insult To Injury" then as a response;
H O W -- M A N Y -- M O S Q U E S -- A R E
There in the United States of America?
100? 1000? AND
WHO -- A R E -- T H E i R -- Owners & I M A M's.
This should Be Made Public. It''s a KAFIR Right to know where the Islami's embassy's are located or where new mosques will be built (new or from used).
VOTE: To Establish a Counter Islamic Mafia "Religious Police" of America.
Remember: The Int'l islami AL TAQIYAHists & Their sneaky {hidden?] Elders of Wahhabism & Ayatollahism already have a Islamic U.N. called the " OIC" made of 54 Islami Nations; Let alone the Illegal or outdated "Arab League" (a Satanic Versus Lovers trouble maker front).Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_of_the_Islamic_Conference AND
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League AND
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEC
Note: Islami Ummah WANT WAR with KAFIRS (hence Israeli;s et al) so that They can Get Higher Prices. Else if Peace/Shalom/Salaamthen Their Islamic Kids or Islamic Grand Kids via Islami Ummah will be Drink & Swim in their PETRO (which We helped them Discover & Find & Extract/Technology).
VOTEL: Help ex-jungle & Cannibal Indonesia & Malaysia folks to UN-Islamicize from their Slave Master; The Wahhabi & Ayatollah Ummah! Islami Religion does not belong there. Wake up Indonesians! Wake Up Malaysians!