Exclusivists versus inclusivists

During the nearly four years since September 11, 2001, I have been looking closely at the situation of Muslims all over the world.

The new threat of terrorism that has sprung up in many parts of the Muslim world is a constant source of worry and anxiety, not only to me but to millions of other Muslims the world over.

The last two years in fact have seen terrorist acts in my own country, Saudi Arabia. Such acts are alien to Islam and its ideology; they cannot be justified in any way since there is no justification for the murder of innocents.

At the same time, there are those in the Muslim world who believe that "terrorist actions" are a direct reaction to and a result of attacks on Muslims in other places.

There is no excuse for those "terrorist actions"; they lack any validity and violate every principle of Islamic behaviour.

Yes, indeed, I am well aware and do not deny that Muslims have been and are under siege in Palestine and Chechnya and even in certain parts of the Western world where they have been alarmed and frightened by a "rising tide of Islamophobia" emanating from some government officials, sections of the media and a few right-wing Christian leaders.

John Ashcroft, the former American attorney general, has made some very insulting remarks about Islam. The Reverend Franklin Graham, a man with many followers, branded Islam a "very evil and wicked religion".

Jerry Falwell, founder of the infamous, intolerant and narrow-minded so-called Moral Majority, even went so far as to accuse the Prophet (peace be upon him) of being a terrorist.

In Bosnia, Muslims were expelled from their homes and butchered. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Hindu mobs massacred more than 2,000 Muslims in 2002.

In the interest of fairness, however, we must admit that Muslim extremists have also victimised non-Muslims. Inexcusable events have taken place in the US, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Only last Friday, a Christian priest and his driver were gunned down in cold blood in Peshawar, Pakistan.

In his new book, Dr Akbar S. Ahmad faults both Muslims and non-Muslims for what he calls "hyper-asabiyah", excessive tribal, religious or nationalist loyalty.

According to Ahmad, who holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in Washington, D.C., too much asabiyah can be dangerous.

It must be tempered and diluted by the Islamic values regulating human relations justice (adl), knowledge (ilm) and balance and compassion (ihsan).

Real battle

In spite of Muslim differences and conflicts with Christians, Jews and Hindus, Ahmad says the "real battle of the 21st century" will not be between religions but between exclusivists on one side and inclusivists on the other.

Exclusivists such as the terrorists who carried out the Madrid bombing concentrate on the differences between their religion and everyone else's, especially that of the despised enemy. They draw clear lines between themselves and "others".

Inclusivists, on the other hand, concentrate on the similarity between themselves and others despite religious and national distinction.

They draw on the famous Quranic "diversity verse" which says that God made humankind "into diverse nations and tribes" so that the various nations and tribes could "come to know each other, not despise each other" (49:13).

Another Quranic verse that they emphasise is 2:256 which states clearly that there is "no compulsion in religion".

The inclusivists are unfortunately now being silenced by an aggressive exclusivist minority which is betraying Islam's concept of justice and mercy and its guarantee of equal rights to women and minorities.

According to Ahmad, the exclusivists' ideas have also resulted in increased violence as well as the persecution and silencing of scholars who do not agree with their interpretation of Islam.

By taking this path, the exclusivists have negated all the principles of tolerance and compassion for which Islam has historically been noted and then added fuel to the flame by resorting to violence.

It is pointless, in the face of such well-publicised exclusivist actions, for us to say that Islam is a religion of peace.

We including our religious scholars must speak out and make the point strongly that exclusivism has nothing to do with us or with Islam.

We can begin to do this by saying No to terror. We should make people aware not only of the dangers of listening to the preachers of hate and intolerance but also of following them.

Meaningful dialogue within our Muslim societies is probably the best way of countering this danger but in order to have a meaningful dialogue, we must be well prepared, able to quote the Quran in its proper context and possess an intellectual understanding of what we are opposing.

Ahmad calls for a new global positioning in which Muslims put themselves in place of non-Muslims who fear them.

Non-Muslims need to listen to what Muslims are saying instead of ceaselessly telling them how and what to think. Along these lines, the need for consistent international morality must not be overlooked.

If we can solve the problems in Palestine and Iraq, the terrorists will have much of the ground cut from beneath them. If we can stop the menace of Islamophobia, we could then engage in meaningful and inclusive discussions with other groups and religions.

No solution to any of these problems lies in the expert use of words at conferences. Important as that may be, it must be followed by a determined, cooperative effort by all concerned.

Muslims must get rid of grievances against their fellow Muslims. And Muslims, instead of wallowing in self-pity and a lack of self-confidence, must face their own reality, remove ignorance from their midst and ensure good governance along with the dignity of Islam.

This would put into practice the same inclusivist Islamic values that all Muslims must incorporate into their daily lives in order to defeat the exclusivists.

Achieving this or even just beginning it would create a new mindset and a new way of thinking among us. At that time, I can assure you, we will assuredly not be under siege.

Khaled Al Maeena is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jeddah-based Arab News