Arab world is poorer without Al Baghdadi

I used to see him from time to time, on the way to his section at the university or coming out of a lecture on his way home. During these brief encounters, we used to laugh together while exchanging small talk. It never occurred to me that this outstanding professor, who filled the world with laughter and joy, would soon leave us forever. Nothing indicated his departure, for he was healthy and energetic at the university where he lectured. He was also bustling with energy in the civil community and his daily articles filled the Kuwaiti Al Siyasa newspaper.

After some time, my brief encounters with Dr Ahmad Al Baghdadi became less frequent. I soon discovered that he was ailing and had travelled to London to seek treatment for his serious health condition. A few months passed and Al Baghdadi returned to Kuwait, but his health had not improved. Fate had it that I never met him again, because he was always being transferred from one hospital to another.

Then I heard that he had left for Abu Dhabi, on his way to the US for further treatment. However, destiny intervened and he passed away in Shaikh Khalifa Hospital.

Before Al Baghdadi's demise, President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had ordered the best hospital in the world to tend to Al Baghdadi's health condition in the US, on the president's personal expense.

Shaikh Khalifa's generous offer stemmed from his belief in the role of thinkers in the development of their nations, and we cannot but thank His Highness, and wish him longevity and health.

The late Al Baghdadi was one of the enlightened thinkers who joined Islamic movements that took off after the June 1967 setback in Kuwait.

That experience had a great effect on his life, as he remained highly religious to the very end, despite all the accusations that landed him in prison in 1999, making him one of the first prisoners of conscience in Kuwait.

If he had not been pardoned, Al Baghdadi could have easily spent his remaining days in prison.

Eye-opener

The experience of working with religious groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis educated Al Baghdadi about the way they functioned. He discovered that they were far removed from the spiritual values of Islam. He specialised in the Islamic theory of government, having majored in political science and obtained his doctorate in the same field.

Hence, Al Baghdadi was hated and disliked by these religious groups and they opposed his opinions. What made matters worse were the books he wrote, in which he criticised their methods and reactionary ideas, especially those that called for a religious state. Instead, Al Baghdadi called for the establishment of a civil state that respects human rights, development and legislation. Nevertheless, Al Baghdadi never called for society to abandon its values and Islamic faith.

Al Baghdadi argued for a secular state — a concept that was sharply criticised by Islamic movements. Al Baghdadi noted the development of societies that had adopted the concept, and the prevalence of peace and religious tolerance. He also noted that societies which mixed religious and political affairs together suffered both religious and sectarian wars.

These ideas were exhibited in a number of Al Baghdadi's books, such as Liberal Islam, A Study in the Understanding of Political Theology, The Islamic State — Between Historical Reality and Theological Theory, The Renewal of Islamic Thought And A Call for Utilising the Mind. The last-mentioned book is still banned in Kuwait.

Feeling his end was nearing, Al Baghdadi published his last will in Al Siyasa. His students and followers were distressed when he wrote one of his last articles, titled My Students: Goodbye, in which he apologised to all the students he had unintentionally hurt.

No doubt, the passing of Al Baghdadi is a great loss to the Arab enlightenment movement. He was one of many rational thinkers we have lost. Others include Hamid Nasser Abu Zeid, Mohammad Abed Al Jaberi, Fouad Zakaria and Ahmad Al Rabee.

Our only solace is that those brilliant thinkers passed away after creating a logical, enlightened movement that will be the foundation of an Arab renaissance, led by science and armed with religious acceptance of the other.

May they rest in eternal peace.

Dr Mohammad Hussain Al Yusefi teaches at Kuwait University.