To avoid clash of civilisations, there should be a genuine dialogue between the Muslim world and the West, as the present one-sided dialogue in the wake of 9/11 would do no good. This was the consensus of speakers at a book launching ceremony held at a local hotel here on Thursday.
The book "Arab Dialogue with the World on the current international issues" written by a former Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan Dr Mohammed Noman Galal was launched by Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
Besides the former ambassador, other eminent speakers included Senator Wasim Sajjad, Dr Kaniz Yusuf, former Quaid-e-Azam University vice chancellor Dr Tanvir Ahmed and Senator Syed Mushahid Hussain. All focussed on the urgency of a genuine dialogue to ensure peace and security in the world.
The former Egyptian ambassador lamented that there was an orchestrated campaign to tarnish Islam, which was religion of moderation and tolerance. But unfortunately some Muslims too contributed to the process due to their rigid interpretation or their ignorance of the real spirit of Islam.
He said that Islam enjoins four basic principles. These are flexibility in interpretation of texts of the Holy Quran; since Islam is an eternal message it is necessarily adaptable to local conditions of various people; the principle of people's interest is the will and legislation of God; and acceptability of other religions due to the principle of one origin.
He also said that all these concepts and principles are taking into account the changing circumstances in the world. Therefore, one should look accordingly into many terminologies or vocabularies in the Holy Quran or the sayings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
He suggested that one should re-examine concepts developed later on, by some Muslim scholars or jurists. Terms like Kafir, Mushrik, Aarabi or Beduin or the status of those who renounce religion (Redda) need to have new interpretation as they are related to certain circumstances in the Arab Peninsula during the days of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Concepts such as Dar Al Harb or Dar Al Islam or Jihad need to be revisited, with a scrutinising eye and a critical mind according to the new circumstances. He said that one does not mean to reinvent Islam, but to reorient and reinterpret it to be in accordance with its true spirit.
Dr Kaniz Yusuf held low-level of education of the Muslims as the main source of their backwardness.
She said that dialogue is necessary to ease the Middle East situation. In the unipolar world, the US managed the attack on Afghanistan and then Iraq in order to serve its obsession for security of Israel. She deplored there was no word of sympathy for millions of Muslims who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite massive massacres, there is no end to the problems for the occupying forces. The use of force has not brought any solution, rather the US is caught in a political quagmire.
She also urged the Muslim world to improve their social and political structures. She surmised that political change was the most difficult to achieve. She said the world must learn to live in unity and diversity.
Senator Wasim Sajjad said that the book raises several important issues. The first is why should there be a dialogue? A large number of people in the West had their own narrow and biased image of the Muslims while the Muslims thought they too could do without the West.
Speaking in the same vein, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that the dialogue with the West is one-sided or it can be called dialogue of the deaf.
In any dialogue, he said that the biggest challenge is of battle of ideas. This should be pursued through books, parliamentary discussions and TV channels.