In The Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

DIALOGUE VERSUS CONFRONTATION – THE BEST CHOICE FOR UMMAH

Last week on November 30, 2005, Allah (SWT) gave me Tawfeeq to contribute on the topic: “Elections in Egypt – What It connotes?” with a concrete proposal to organize a MOOT at Washington, DC. with President Bush to be its Chief Guest as he is currently the most “interested” person to restore democracy and human rights in the Muslim world. Through this write-up, I appealed at one hand to President Bush to welcome such move and facilitate the enactment of this International parley while on the other requested the Muslim leadership of the USA and the world at large to undertake its physical arrangement. While I am still waiting for response from both the sides, I thought that I must further illustrate the concept of “dialogue”, discussion and joint parleys against the existing air of “confrontation” as it is most akin to teachings of the Qur’an and the traditions of Rasulullah (S). Islam prefers, promotes and propagates free discussion and dialogue with its contemporaries/adversaries at the very outset under extreme friendly and cordial environment that is free of duress, threats, intimidation or any kind of violence so that its message is clearly understood by the people of other faiths and the pagan world at large.

Muslim Ummah should and must have undertaken this exercise first before cursing and antagonizing the Christians, the Jews and the world of idolaters. If any where any Muslim community has resorted to confrontation or adopted the course of violent behavior with its adversaries, they are unquestionably wrong and have violated the clear injunctions of the Qur’an. That is the reason the gulf between the two parts of humanity: the Muslims and the non-Muslims, is gradually widening. Misgivings are rampant everywhere. Mutual trust no longer exists, generating only allegations and counter-allegations against each other. Justice, peace and security are the only victims of this mishap. Muslims who are even oppressed have no choice but to follow the directives of the Qur’an. They ignored it and, as such, they stand no where in the process of resolving either world affairs or their own. Those who excel in knowledge and technology are dominating and dictating their terms to those who “claim” to be obedient to their Creator and Sustainer. This is the logical consequence of neglecting the directives from the Lord of this cosmos to manage and keep the human society in balance.

The option of “confrontation” is not recommended by Allah and His Prophet (S). That is the last resort in the Shariah of Allah. It can be resorted only when all the means of dialogue, persuasion, personal approach and mutual friendly discussions are totally exhausted. No alternative is left and the adversaries are determined to wipe out the “truth”. In fact, Muslims have not done their job at all. They have not fulfilled the task of inviting others to the fold of Allah with love and wisdom and presented themselves as its model. Have they done their assignment of Da’ee Ilallah [one who calls the people to the fold of Allah] their die-hard enemies could be turned into their bosom friends as Qur’an ordains: “Good deeds and bad deeds are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one that is better, then lo! He, between whom and thee there was enmity, [will become] as though he was bosom friend”

[Verse 34 of Chapter Ham Mim Al-Sajda]

The Muslims have been ordained by Allah to treat the bad [evil] with good deeds and then categorically advises that: “Have patience, and you cannot have patience except by the help of Allah. Grieve not for them and be not in distress because of that they devise“. [Verse # 127 of Chapter Al-Nahal] Your job, the job of a Muslim, is: “To call the people unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortations” [Verse 125 of Chapter Al-Nahal] in a continuous process. In recent human history, Muslim Ummah could not do this job anywhere in Asia, Europe, Africa and America in a planned, organized, determined and progressive manner except a few sporadic instances here and there, There is a big backlash and the Muslim Ummah is harvesting its evil effects in the shape of opposition to Islam and Muslims in every nook and corner of the world. They are treated like “militants”, terrorists and “Jihadist”. This is our creation and we should not blame anyone for the repercussions of our failure in the field of Dawah Ilallah at each level - local, national and international.

However, in the midst of these adverse realities of our own negligence there are certain other factors that have poisoned our relations with the West at an accelerated pace. But it is the creation of Western colonial powers and they are not prepared to accept their past blunders and ready to correct the situation even to this day. While leaving behind their respective “colonies”, they “intentionally” created issues and left the fate of some territories or land unresolved. Kashmir, Palestine and Chechnya are amongst them. Simultaneously, the colonial powers were not sincere in transferring the right of paramountacy to the people of the land but to the vested interests that were loyal to them. They are still dominating the “so-called “free-lands” and fulfilling the wishes of their old masters somewhere openly and somewhere under various disguises. It has created unrest, agitation and political turmoil throughout the Muslim world. Islam is nowhere in picture at the roots of these human tragedies. Europe and the USA have created them and they are reaping its “harvest” in Iraq and elsewhere in the world. They cannot blame Islam at all for these mishaps in any way. They are to correct the situation by withdrawing their “unlawful” physical support to the undemocratic regimes/rulers of the Muslim world. They must go out of the way to get the problems of “disputed” territories resolved and vacate the occupied lands of Afghanistan and Iraq. The sooner they get the situation corrected, the better it would be for the peace and security of the world.

Undertaking Islam, as the West is behaving, in the context of the foregoing situation will be disastrous and would tantamount to “evasive” tactics to leave the world as it is in turmoil. The time has come that the USA and the European nations must study Islam as a perfect identity of its own as an ideology and as Al-Deen from their Creator and Sustainer to make the human society balanced and a model of perfection. It was in this respect, I proposed the holding of a MOOT in Washington where both Muslim and non-Muslim leadership should sit together and examine Islam as the only way of life now available to mankind to give redress to its centuries old ailments and see what it offers to make the world an abode of peace and security. Through these and many more conferences to follow, Muslim will get the opportunity to present Islam as the dire need of humanity and the non-Muslim world will get the chance to study Islam closely as their paramount need in the context of the modern world.

Equally, Muslims must try to “detach” Islam from the burning and bleeding issues and present it unemotionally as the need of man. If world is able to understand and accept Islam as a way of life, there is every possibility that it would realize its “blunders” of the past, separate Islam from the geopolitical situation of the Muslim world and help in getting the outstanding issues resolved in the best interest of the world peace and order. The suggested MOOT at Washington will be the first step in right direction. It may look a small but it would become a giant step toward remodeling the future of mankind. Let us work for it jointly and concertedly. It is incumbent on the followers of Abrahamic faith to work for this process of understanding Islam honestly and sincerely. God Almighty will pave its way to success, Insha Allah.

Shamim A Siddiqi December 5, 2005