Entering the XXI century of scientific advancement and astonishing communication between nations and cultures, Homo Informaticus has been infected by Islamophobia, a new form of racism.
The diagnosis includes religious illiteracy and cultural amnesia: new specimen, a victim of information terror, bends human principles set in the Quran and the Bible. George Orwell, in spite of his own complicated views of faiths, predicted the emerging new reality – a result of total brainwashing, in his novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four: War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength”. For the sake of shared justice and the future, Muslims and Christians should use the powerful force of education to tackle this issue. The aim would be to then unite in order to make politicians and media – “the Ministry of Truth,” stop fearmongering and adhere to a culture of peace.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”[1]
Following the Word of God, in quest of Enlightenment, people in all times have pursued research in various dimensions of human life and experience. For the progress of mankind, it is important then to disseminate valuable knowledge about the universe, intellectual concepts, scientific ideas, achievements in the culture and arts. That is how mutual understanding and respect are passed on to the following generations allowing us to come closer to God. However, history also serves as “a reminder that the spirit of tolerance can be lost unless continued vigilance is exercised.” [2]
The recent 13th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on one hand, and top-level meetings in Brussels in search of “a common Europe an answer to common European problems”- on the other, were indicative in this regard. The gist of good speeches, concepts and initiatives found that there is a growing gap of distrust and even enmity between the East and the West. Earlier, due to ignorance and even deliberately, European politicians announced “failure of multiculturalism.” The pretext “they are different” is somehow justified to continue attacks on Muslims and Islam.
“Newspeak” media give unlimited free publicity to al-Qaeda off-spring – International Terrorist Gang (the “original” name which terrorists strive for the media to continue calling them will not be mentioned here). However, not that it needs to be justified but one billion six hundred million peaceful followers are not responsible for a few thousand thugs – spawns of military adventures of the West on Muslims homeland.
Islam and the Renaissance
Washington D.C. based Smithsonian TV channel’s advertisement proclaim: “Years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic Empire had achieved global supremacy. Though, while it was expanding in territory, its people were expanding their minds. Discover how medieval Muslim scholars saved Greek knowledge from oblivion and generated revolutionary scientific ideas of their own. Join us as we explore their forgotten contribution to world knowledge.
Then learn how the Christian conquest of Muslim Spain spurred on a new dawn for intellectual life, kick-starting Europe’s emergence from the dark ages.” The title “Toledo guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in public schools”[3] carries, as a tribute to the birthplace of the Enlightenment, the name of the Spanish city. In the tenth through the mid-eleventh centuries another city, Cordoba, was also “under enlightened Muslim rule – the Umayyad Caliphate – where Muslim, Christian, and Jewish scholars and artists engaged in inquiry and passed on enduring legacies to the world.”[4]
By contrast, the current state of modern-day society is a disturbing reality. “The present world order has failed to address the challenging crises that place international peace and security at great risk. It has also failed to take the measures needed to deter anyone from violating international laws, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, just as it failed to prevent transnational organized crime, vanquish the advocates of racism, hatred and fanaticism and eliminate terrorism hubs that are instead on the increase.”[5]
In the quarters that are to blame for fueling and spreading Islamophobia, a horrible, ahistorical term “Islamofascism” has been invented. Mainstream TV channels do not mention civilizational treasures of the Umayyad Caliphate anymore. The words “extremists,” “terrorists,” “threat” are used more frequently and are glued by politicians and media to the name of what was one of the most respectable than phrases such as “dialogue of cultures,” “co-existance of civilizations,” “mutual respect” and other peaceful terms.
Last year International Terrorist Gang, praising results of drum-beating and media hysteria, quoted Osama bin Laden in its online magazine Dabiq: “The world today is divided. Bush spoke the truth when he said, ‘Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists,’ with the actual ‘terrorist’ being the Western Crusaders.” The very embodiment of evil acclaims the main freedom-lover?
In this new reality, in 2006 the head of the very Church that repressed reason and free thought with inquisition in the Dark Ages in Europe, had attempted to preach Muslims about “reason and Islam” with a speech he wrote, presumably himself. Information that sets facts straight can be found in ISESCO’s Director General’s Dr. AbdulAziz Othman Altwaijri’s educational article “Enlightenment as an Islamic Concept.”
“The high stature of reason in Islam has made it possible for intellect to play its role in the scientific and cultural spheres in Islamic societies. In this way, the reasons that allowed one institution to dominate in the name of religion have been omitted and the excuses that were used to oppress the freedom of mind have been outdone. For these reasons, the conflicts between science and religion that Europe underwent in the dark mediaeval ages did not take place in Islam. In Europe, these conflicts led to the emergence of the idea of enlightenment. This was a war that free intellectuals, the tenors of the movement of enlightenment, waged against the clergy.”
There have been very rational, spiritually pure and morally right principles of the Quran and teachings of Islam that have attracted millions, including famous people, to this religion in all times. German Goethe was only 23 years old when he wrote a wonderful hymn in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. But even when he was 70 years old, the poet declared “devoutly celebrating that holy night in which the Quran in its entirety was revealed to the prophet from on high.”
His compatriots Leibniz, Lessing and Herder, as well as Irish Bernard Shaw also viewed Islam as a humane and rational religion. Russian Leo Tolstoy being confident “the law of the Quran will prevail in the world because it agrees with reason and wisdom”, stressed, “I have come to understand that humanity needs only a Divine law to establish the truth and destroy falsehood. Islamic law will encompass the entire world because it is consistent with reason and agrees with wisdom and justice.” Indeed, modern emblematic characters having affinity to Islam also stated, like famed Francis Fred Coppola did: “Islam is a beautiful religion based on a Holy book that emphasizes tolerance and a merciful God.”
To contact Jan Dulac: jaandulac@gmail.com
