Letter From the Editor

World Peace among Religions Award

The National Council on US-Arab Rela- the laws and regulations of their countries tions has conferred the World Peace among and that they should demand their religious Religions Award on the Secretary General of specificities according to the constitution the Muslim World League (MWL) Sheikh and the law and not to practice any form of Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa for violence or hatred. his international arduous efforts aimed to Any observer to the numerous activities promote peace among followers of religions. of the Muslim World League realizes that it Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa has carried out nu- exerts strenuous efforts to disseminate the merous assignments in combating the ide- culture of peace and revive the values of ology of extremism and promoting the val- dialogue and cultural communication, to- ues of moderation and tolerance through an gether with giving more space for construc- enlightened Islamic discourse and within tive discussions and dialogue among ju- cultural communication initiatives together rists, scholars and intellectuals. The Muslim with putting practical programs related to World League shoulders a big responsibility values of tolerance and coexistence into towards the world, and seeks to demonstrate action, especially in the countries of reli- the universal message of Islam along with gious pluralism. These programs are flex- explaining its supreme principles and toler- ible and capable of absorbing everyone in ant teachings aimed at achieving peace and accordance with the values and principles security in the human society. In addition, of Islamic law. These principles and values the Muslim World League has taken mea- reconciled hearts and underscored the nature sures to carry out the objectives of peace of diversification and difference along with through two important themes: the intellec- preserving the human rights to live in peace tual and cultural awareness, and the focus of guaranteeing the requirements of human be- fieldwork. ings’ dignity and the legitimate freedom. The Muslim World League held thirty Since his assumption of the MWL’s sec- conferences, meetings, discussions and fo- retariat, Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa has been keen to rums in the year up to November 2017, rang- spread the true moderate values of Islam, ing from intellectual to cultural activities. achieving many successes in the Islamic and These events were supervised and attended international worlds through his ceaseless by the MWL Secretary General, around the tours around the world. He has been keen on key themes of peace, moderation and the confronting the ideas of civilizational con- confrontation of violence and extremism. flict, discrimination and provocation, and This important award represents a global upholding the values of justice, dialogue gesture to the key role of the Muslim World and understanding. He has stressed the im- League whose charter stresses the spirit of portance of Muslim minorities’ respect to peace, tolerance and moderation.

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Washington Institute and National Council 4 on US-Arab Relations hosts Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa Rajab 1440/ April 2019 1440/ April Rajab

Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa receives World Peace 14 among Religions Award

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Rajab40.indd 2 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa holds meetings with num- ber of US senators 12

Five stunning floating mosques of the world 41

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Rajab40.indd 3 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa during a meeting with members of the Washington Institute in Washington, DC.

Washington Institute and National Council on US-Arab Relations hosts Sheikh Dr. AI-Issa

WASHINGTON - MWL

Washington Institute and National Council on US-Arab Rela- tions in Washington hosted the Secretary General of the Muslim World League Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa in the presence of the leaders of the Institute, the Council and a raft of American political, religious and intellectual figures.

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Rajab40.indd 4 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM A number of members of the Institute during the meeting with Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa.

Executive Director of the Institute Mr. Robert their extremist agenda. The correct concepts Satloff welcomed the Secretary General and of Islam should be clarified to non-Muslims expressed the happiness of all officials of the through dialogues and intellectual discus- Institute for this open meeting. The head of sions as unilateral information caused diver- the National Council on US-Arab Relations sion for those who have not had a correct ap- Mr. John Duke welcomed the guest. proach in the sources of information and that Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa delivered a speech ex- Islamophobia as an example was the result plaining the fundamentals of the moderate of that wrong methodology. religious discourse and concepts of modera- The MWL Secretary General said certain tion, noting that the Muslim World League’s groups of followers of religions committed initiatives and programs inside and outside some mistakes and these groups shoulder the Islamic world have been highly praised the direct responsibility for these mistakes. and are based on three goals. For instance, Christianity cannot be respon- First, the clarification of the essence of sible for some mistakes committed by some Islam. This includes spreading and raising Christians, specifically those who launched the awareness of the correct concepts of the Crusades, which are rejected by a num- Islam in the Islamic world, especially reli- ber of Muslim jurists and historians who in- gious texts, historical facts and Islamic ter- vented another term for these military wars minology as terrorists seek to distort these and replaced it with “Franks”. Muslim schol- matters and principles in a way that serves ars and jurists believe that Christianity is a

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Rajab40.indd 5 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Dr. Al-Issa meets with the National Council for US-Arab Relations in Washington

divine religion that cannot be responsible for plicity for the aim of achieving peace, secu- errors committed by some of its followers. rity, justice, development, equality, freedom There are many similar examples in Islam. and tolerance. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) The third one is relief, welfare and devel- said that all his wars aimed at defending Is- opment in places of need. This is available to lam and confronting injustices and oppres- all without any discrimination for religious sions and were not launched for the aim of or ethnic reasons. Governments, not indi- forcing others to embrace Islam. viduals and institutions, no matter how con- Second, building bridges and promot- fident they are, should carry out these relief ing dialogue between cultures and religions. programs. “We said that only 10% is sufficient to bring Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa answered questions about peace and harmony in today’s world.” posed by the attendees about different im- The Muslim World League is currently de- portant issues and topics while the attendees veloping a major project in the countries of praised the transparency and clarity of the religious and ethnic minorities for promoting MWL Secretary General who clarified many positive national integration and contributing ambiguous issues including the differentia- to bridging the gaps. It is currently exerting tion between radical jurisprudence and intel- arduous efforts to spread and raise awareness lectual extremism, concept of Jihad in Islam of all people to understand the law of Allah and the definition of nation, caliphate and the concerning diversity, differences and multi- term Kufr (disbelief) in Islam.

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Rajab40.indd 6 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa fully answered all Islamic doctrine is the Qur’anic injunction questions posed by attendees. The discus- that “there shall be no compulsion in matters sions that took place were considered as an of religion.” important intellectual document and were Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa wondered, “Does ex- recommended to be published and made tremism in all its forms ignore these Islamic available to the general public. He also made texts? If extremist groups know these Islam- clear that Islam is based on monotheism ic texts, why do they not apply them? What and respects faiths of others and cares for is their position on these Islamic texts?” He the rights and dignity of followers of other elaborated in his answer to make matters religions together with effectively promot- and facts clearer. He also answered a ques- ing values of humanity. Islam, he stressed, tion about the difference between Al-Qaeda supports principles of humanity among all and Daesh and said that both stem from one people because all people are brothers and ideological source. Regarding reasons of this sisters in humanity. phenomenon, he stressed, “As we have noted Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa explained that Islam before, there is no extremist or terrorist reli- is a religion of peace and tolerance, and is gion but all religions have extremist and ter- not at all associated with terrorism, which is rorist followers. This took place throughout alien to its values. Islam also calls for co-ex- history. As you know, enlightenment was istence with others and this is the law of Al- obliterated in Europe for several centuries lah in diversity and difference. A beneficial because of religious extremism and charg-

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Rajab40.indd 7 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Number of attendance of Board members

es of heresy against innocent scholars who that Islam is not a terrorist religion even if lived during a period of time that went down some of its followers have committed acts of as a harsh chapter in the human history.” terrorism; besides, some Catholics commit- Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa said open-minded Is- ted acts of terrorism as well. Consequently, lamic scholars and jurists use “Franks” in- it is wrong to hold any religion responsible stead of Crusades. It is a new term because for the acts of terrorism. He also said that all Muslim scholars and jurists know well there are some reasons for the terrorist phe- that Christianity is a divine religion and nomenon including the global presence of some of its followers committed historical deviation in general, religious enthusiasm mistakes not the religion itself. These mili- accompanied by weak scientific, intellectual tary campaigns destroyed Christian Ortho- and political awareness and the weakness of dox villages and therefore not everyone who crucial confrontation of this phenomenon, raised the banner of the Lord was right. Pope especially not to enter into details of the John Paul II issued a courageous apology ideology of extremism and then respond to for historical errors of the Catholic Church. them. The most important tool for fighting Current Pope Francis was asked one time terrorism is the immunization by the family, about a terrorist attack carried out by those the school and the influential platforms in who were said to be Muslims, he pointed out general; every member of the public should

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Rajab40.indd 8 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM contribute to teaching young people how to ily mean conviction, and the Qur’an speaks think properly. about that in the verse, “To you your reli- His Excellency said, “Another reason is gion, and to me my religion”. the desire of some of the lost young people to Third, cooperation is important in the search for an exciting entity by finding a major area of religious and humanitarian common- issue that they run into its dangers for the sake alities, of which 10% is enough to establish of the religion concerning what they claim harmony and peace in the world. and fancy. They find their religious entities Fourth, humanity has had throughout in these thoughts and actions to fill the other its long history religious, civilizational and with them through that illusion, and whenever ethnic conflicts, and has not benefited from there is a vacant immunization and confronta- that, rather, it just suffered for a long time tion, the gap gets deeper. This exists in some and everyone lost, and even the first victor is countries of religious minorities, where there ultimately a loser. are feelings of deprivation, exclusion and rac- Fifth, historical errors are borne by those ist practices against them, and some of them who committed them only and not others. In suffer from weak enlightening immunization. Islam, no one is perfect but Prophet Muham- We said that Islamophobia served the terrorist mad (peace be upon him). He never aggressed extremism, which evidenced by the fact that it anyone; he only defended his message against is one of the most promoters of this phenome- attack, injustice and oppression; he never non’s social and political aspects. Yes, the ter- forced anyone to embrace Islam. His biogra- rorist extremism promoted that phenomenon phy is an open book for everyone to read and which served it a lot.” ascertain of this fact. The Prophet (peace be upon him) only sought the satisfaction of God Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa then explained ways to Almighty, while material and expansionist correcting this in detail. goals were common among humans, except On the historical, spiritual and cultural re- for a few of them, and often religious banners lationship between the East and the West, were raised for those goals throughout the which is still raised as tainted with caution, conflicts of the human history. “God -is dis uncertainty and mistrust, despite the material associated from our material and expansion- cooperation and cognitive exchange, he said, ist goals. States and cities have been violated “The religious and cultural gap has not been through forged religious banners.” oftentimes addressed in the right way. The One of the audience said it was reported result is that the East has not properly under- that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon stood the West and vice versa. In one of the him) said: “I have ordered to fight people to lectures, I said that there are five core points force them to embrace Islam”, and this is a regarding this issue.” forcible imposition of Islam. His Excellency “First, we believe in God’s way of dif- replied: “This rather means the confronta- ference and diversity, which does not mean tion of injustice, aggression and persecution clash, conflict and hatred, but on the con- which faced Muslims and questioned every trary. Such belief produces awareness and criminal in that regard; he did not exempt not just an abstract perception.” him from punishment unless that criminal Second, understanding does not necessar- declared joining the group that he persecuted

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Rajab40.indd 9 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa during a meeting at the Washington Institute in Washington, DC

or paid it compensation, and this is practiced with the People of the Scripture in Madinah in old and recent international norms.” and did not raise the sword on them to force Sheikh Dr. AlIssa took this opportunity them to embrace it. Some of them and not all to discuss misconceptions and applications of them led a political action that had noth- of the so-called “jizyah” in Islam, which ing to do with the aspect of religion, a matter is sometimes translated as “tribute”, while which prompted the Muslims to take politi- many others believe that it should be trans- cal actions that did not differ from what was lated simplay as “tax”. agreed upon in that time by Muslims or non- To provide some context: Zakat “alms” Muslims. Islam is not the only religion that are payable only by Muslims and not those took such measures, which are now known of other faiths. This fact is manifested in the as the international norms. Qur’anic verse, “There is no compulsion in Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa added, “I would like religion” along with other verses ordering to point out that texts explain themselves and Muslims to fight only the aggressors and that the deeds of the Prophet, peace be upon warning Muslims not to fight others unless him, interpret the texts as well. We should they start the fight. understand the text through other texts and This is because Islam was met by severe the deeds of the Prophet (peace be upon him) oppression of the pagans while it coexisted as the Islamic law taken in total and not in

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Rajab40.indd 10 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa during the meeting in Washington.

parts, and this is in all laws, that we find this women who won seats in the US Congress, in the interpretation of constitutional and le- Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa said, “Like all members, gal texts. With the danger of leniency with they should do their national duty and live up Daesh, Al-Qaeda remains the most danger- to the expectations of the American people ous and is currently in the situation of a vi- who placed their trust in them.” rus waiting for the vulnerability of immu- Concerning the conference organized by nity to reactivate again. Complete defeat of the Muslim World League in Makkah, on the violent terrorist extremism can be achieved perils of labeling and exclusion, the MWL only by dismantling the ideas on which it has Secretary General said the conference’s most based its fragile entity, which is dangerous to important and prominent recommendations, young people, as is the case with the whole confirmed the pride of attendees of more ideology it was built on. These thoughts are than 1,200 muftis and scholars representing dangerous because they target young people 28 Islamic sects and groups who expressed who lack awareness. As for non-violent ex- their appreciation for the great role played by tremism, while it seems peaceful, it repre- Saudi Arabia from its holy lands in leading sents the raw materials of violent extremism the Islamic world spiritually and scientifical- and terrorism.” ly as the center of its weight, reference and Asked about the advice for Muslim symbolic representation.

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Rajab40.indd 11 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Secretary-General meets US Senator Ted Cruz

Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa holds meetings with number of US senators

H.E Excellency Secre- lim World League (MWL) Abdulkarim Al-Issa met tary General of the Mus- Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin with US Senator Ted Cruz

Sheikh Al-Issa meets with Senator Joseph Lieberman

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Rajab40.indd 12 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM in New York and discussed with him a number of top- ics of mutual concern. In the meeting, which came during Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa’s visit to the United States of America, Senator Ted Cruz valued the Mus- lim World League’s in- ternational efforts to raise awareness of the values of moderation and strong confrontation of the con- cepts of violent extremism Dr. Al-Issa meets US Congressman Brad Sherman and terrorism. He com- mended the MWL’s pro- grams aimed at promoting coexistence and harmony number of topics of mutual meeting, they both dis- in countries of religious concern with him. cussed means of confront- and ethnic diversity. Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa met ing radicalization, violence Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa re- also with the Executive Di- and deviant and extremist ceived at his residence in rector of the Anti-Extrem- thoughts and explored ar- New York Senator Joseph ism Project, Ambassador eas of mutual action and Lieberman, former chair- Mark Wallace. During the cooperation. man of the Senate Com- mittee on Homeland Se- curity, and discussed with him a number of issues and ways to defy and counter the concepts of violent ex- tremism and terrorism, as well as means to promote the values of moderation and coexistence around the world and spread tolerance and dialogue among all civ- ilizations. The MWL Secretary General also received Con- gressman of the Democrat- ic Party of California, Brad Sherman, and explored a Dr. Al-Issa receives Ambassador Mark Wallace

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Rajab40.indd 13 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa receives World Peace among Religions Award

Issa at a ceremony held in Washington on the sidelines of his visit to the United States of America. Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Abdulkarim Al- Issa has embarked on a mission to combat the ideology of extremism and promote the values of moderation and tolerance within an enlightened Islamic discourse and cultural communication initiatives together with put- ting practical programs related to values of tolerance and coexistence into action, espe- cially in the countries of religious pluralism. These programs are flexible and capable of absorbing every one similar to the values and principles of Islamic law that reconciled hearts and underscored the nature of diversi- fication and difference along with preserving the human rights to live in peace guarantee- ing the requirements of dignity and the le- gitimate freedom. Since his assumption of the MWL’s sec- retariat, Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa has been keen to spread the true moderate values of Islam, Washington - MWL achieving many successes in the Islamic and international worlds through his ceaseless The National Council on US-Arab Rela- tours around the world. He has been keen on tions (NCUSAR) has conferred the MWL confronting the ideas of civilizational con- Secretary General with the prestigious flict, discrimination and provocation, and “World Peace among Religions Award”. upholding the values of justice, dialogue and Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al- understanding. He has stressed the impor- Issa received the accolade for his extensive tance of Muslim minorities’ respect to the international interfaith work to promote laws and regulations of their countries and peace amongst followers of different reli- that they should demand their religious spec- gions. ificities according to the constitution and the President of the Council Dr. John Duke law and not to practice any form of violence Anthony handed the award to Sheikh Dr. Al- or hatred

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Rajab40.indd 14 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Muslim World League cited in US for its anti-extremism campaign

Washington - MWL extremism and terrorism, cation to countering violent and promoting the values of extremism and terrorism. H.E the Secretary General moderation, tolerance and They also praised the of the Muslim World League coexistence. many programs developed (MWL), Sheikh Dr. Muham- The US officials com- by the MWL aimed at pro- mad bin Abdulkarim Al- mended the MWL for its moting coexistence and har- Issa held talks with several efforts toward spreading mony within religiously and prominent US politicians, awareness of the values of ethnically diverse communi- including counter-extrem- moderation, and for its dedi- ties across the globe. ism campaigner and former UN ambassador, Mark D. Wallace, Democrat Senator Joseph Lieberman, Repre- sentative Brad Sherman and Republican Senator Ted Cruz. The meetings, which took place during the MWL Secretary General’s visit to the United States of Amer- ica, highlighted the impor- tance of confronting violent

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Rajab40.indd 15 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Al-Issa giving a lecture at the National Defense College

HE Sheik Dr. Mu- hammad bin Ab- dulkarim Al-Issa giving a lecture to the officers of the National De- fense College in the American Capital Washington DC fol- lowed by an open discussion.

Al-Issa meets US Ambassador for Religious Freedom

HE Sheikh Dr. Mu- hammad bin Abdulka- rim met in Washington DC with HE Amb. Sam Brownback, United States Ambassador-at- Large for International Religious Freedom. They reiterated the im- portant role of spiritual leadership in promot- ing values of tolerance, as well as religious and ethnic harmony.

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Rajab40.indd 16 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM MWL’s Islamic Unity Conference

By Mufti Muneebur Rahman

RECENTLY, I attended a Muslim strictly discouraged calling others fa- World League (MWL) conference in siq. This I believe will prove helpful Makkah, attended by delegates from in removing hatred among different all over the world. sects. People belonging to different The conference decided that Mus- schools of thought expressed their lims must help each other in times views on the problems facing the of distress regardless of economic Muslim world and came to some im- disparities with a view to fostering portant conclusions, the aim being to the Islamic spirit of fraternity. I was resolve differences among Muslims glad that extremism was also brought and unite them. under the microscope. One recom- A declaration adopted by the con- mendation was for Muslims in non- ference contained 26 recommen- Muslim countries to follow the laws dations agreed upon unanimously. of their lands instead of turning to ex- Among these one was that all Mus- tremism. The recommendation that I lims should define themselves as found most heartening was about the Muslims. Sectarianism, it said, has need for establishing research centers existed for a long time, but the only in every Muslim country, besides an way to coexist peacefully is to em- MWL council in every state to guide phasize our commonalities and stand the people on modern-day problems as one body under the roof of Islam. and protect them from those who The conference also discussed the may mislead them. The conference sensitive issue of fatwa (religious stressed upon the need for Islamic edict), and it was suggested that only scholars to teach the youth to dis- an authentic and credible group of card an outdated approach to modern muftis should be allowed to issue fat- problems and think critically. was. Unschooled individuals should Of course these are complex is- keep their opinions to themselves sues, but if we were to fight Islamo- instead of engendering chaos. Re- phobia and forge unity, the imple- ligious verdicts, the conference de- mentation of these recommendations cided, should not be passed without could play a vital role in guiding the consulting experts. The conference Muslim world on the right path.

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Rajab40.indd 17 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Dr. Muhammad Hasbi: Instability and disunity are harming the Ummah

Interview By: Mohammad Zakir Hossain

Dr. Muhammad Hasbi, President of “Muslim Missionary Society Singapore” where he is engaged in social activities. Mr. Hasbi was recently in Makkah to attend an international conference on “Unity in Islam,” which was held under the auspices of the Muslim World League (MWL). Muhammad Zakir Hossain, the MWL editor, spoke to him on the sidelines of the conference on a range of issues con- cerning Islam and Muslims in Singapore as well as the Ummah. Fol- lowing are the excerpts of the interview:

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Rajab40.indd 18 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Dr. Muhammad Hasbi with MWLJ editor Mohammad Zakir Hossain during the interview.

How productive and effective did you The quest for Muslim unity and peaceful find the international conference on ‘Is- collaboration could be realized if Muslim lamic unity’? leaders and other concerned groups with- First, I must congratulate MWL Secretary in the Muslim Ummah are prepared to put General His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mu- aside the less pertinent, tangential matters hammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa for hold- and empty slogans; and focus their atten- ing the conference, which was timely. The tion and resources on the real issues con- Muslim countries are currently facing a fronting the Muslim Ummah today. One deficit of solidarity and cooperation. of the resolutions, namely, the importance In this background, it is quite an of coexistence among all communities achievement to gather Muslim leaders and – both among Muslim communities and scholars, drawn from several parts of the sectarian groups and in Muslim, non- world, in the vicinity of the holy land of Muslim relations — should be brought Makkah to discuss the issue. The success into the public sphere, and practiced by of such a conference hinges on the deter- all in our daily lives. mination of Muslim leaders and govern- ments to implement the agreements and Instability and disunity are harming resolutions reached during the seminar. the Ummah. What could be the reasons This is an initiative that needs more to be for this growing phenomenon and how done in this regard. do you see these should be checked? Yes, our Ummah is facing these problems How do you see the practical imple- both from within and outside. While ex- mentation of those resolutions? ternal factors can be studied and taken

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Rajab40.indd 19 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Leaders should set the ex- ample as models of good con- duct and a just leadership

care of, the internal factors can be more 5. The current weak democratic cul- disastrous; for example, the ills of seclu- ture. The spirits of democracy, if properly sion and exclusion currently practiced in understood and applied, is compatible some parts of the Muslim world are dis- with Islam, which emphasizes on shurah turbing and must be tackled head on. Not (consultations), justice and the concern just this but there are several other issues for the downtrodden, poor and needy; and that are facing the Ummah and which 6. Muslim countries have little influ- seeks attention. ence on world affairs.

Can you please elaborate on those oth- What are your suggestions for uniting er issues? the Muslim Ummah? Some of them are as follows: This is obligatory on part of the Muslims, 1. The image of Islam today stands as Allah has said in the Holy Qur’an, tarnished; a faith of peace, love and mod- “And hold firmly to (the) rope (of) Allah eration is being equated with violence, all together and (do) not be divided.” Of poverty and indignity. Both the external course, it is easier said than done. Lead- forces that are out to damage Islam and ers should set the example as models of a minuscule extremist group within the good conduct and a just leadership so that community are responsible for this; Muslim masses can see that they walk the 2. The economic resources, in posses- talk and not just talk the talk. sion of Muslim countries, have not been fully and strategically utilized; The MWL initiative on the religious 3. Western media is doing much harm and civilizational dialogue has received by linking Islam to so-called “Islamic ter- great attention in the West. How better rorism”. This is accentuated by the vul- can we build up a global culture of dia- nerability of Muslim youth to extremist logue among civilizations? ideas, especially through social media; The MWL should sustain the inter-faith 4. High illiteracy rates in many Mus- dialogue, holding it on a regular basis. It lim-majority countries; is our duty to call upon the humanity to

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Rajab40.indd 20 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM “Islamophobia” must be countered with knowledge, empathy and rational expla- nations

adopt a cooperative and tolerant culture able writings about Islam, its teachings and also live in peace. and principles. Issues of “Jihad”, “ter- If this can be done, InshaAllah, we rorism”, “Shari’ah” and similar termi- can then hope to bridge both the ideo- nologies must be explained rationally. logical and the development gaps among “Islamophobia” must be countered with followers of all faiths and cultures. On knowledge, empathy and rational expla- top of that, such an approach to dealing nations. with others will promote understanding; tolerate pluralism and diversity as essen- What could possibly be the best global tial components of human progress and mechanism to create a congenial at- advancement. mosphere that can facilitate civiliza- tional interactions and bring about Critics of political Islam consider peace and security in the world? What Shari’ah law as threat to their society. role the MWL can play in this regard? How can we change this stereotyped We earnestly suggest and encourage image of Islam and its vital institu- MWL to carry on its efforts at organiz- tions? ing cultural and civilizational dialogue Muslims should create awareness that among leaders of different faiths. Or- the Shari’ah law bases its objectives and ganizing symposiums and conferences concerns towards “maslahah ‘ammah” to create awareness of the universal or public interest. We need the coopera- values that Islam portends to humanity tion of all, both Muslims and peoples of should be sustained. Dialogues, espe- other faiths since bigotry and jaundiced cially amongst youth, should be encour- stereotypes of any community or faith aged. Obviously, all these efforts take will never help in fostering peace and time, energy and resources, but Mus- goodwill with all humanity. The Western lim international organizations such as media’s distorted messages and writings the MWL, given its history and global about Islam and its adherents should be reach, has a big part to play in this noble countered with rational, knowledge- effort.

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Rajab40.indd 21 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Governor of Makkah inaugurating the Unity conference Unity in Ummah Options before the Muslim leaders

By Muhammad Nasir Jawed

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts togeth- er and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guid- ed.” (Surat Al-Imran, Verse 103)

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Rajab40.indd 22 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Scholars from all over the world in the Unity Conference in Makkah

Unity – or disunity – in the Ummah has Muslim university is in the global list of top been at the center of a never-ending debate 100; and the top media houses in the world for quite some time. Interestingly, the issue is do not include any one from the Muslim raging more from within than from the out- world. There is no Massachusetts Institute of side. Technology (MIT) in the Ummah; no Har- If coherence is integral to a community’s vard University so far; no NASA; no Silicon progress, the said lack of the same in the com- Valley; and no world-class think-tank. munity is pushing it back in areas of utmost Yet, Muslim countries are under spotlight importance – education, economy, culture and for all the wrong reasons: they are drawn to identity, leadership, sectarian harmony, media crises like conflicts and political disorder in empowerment, etc. The rot that set in resulted countries like Pakistan, Syria and Yemen on in an all-round decline of the Ummah. a daily basis. Sectarian division is taking a Imagine Muslims in the 21st Century: heavy toll on the Ummah and the sad role They have numbers to their huge favor – 1.7 that our Islamic scholars, or Ulema, are play- billion-strong population; and at least 57 ing today is pushing the Ummah hundreds of countries form a political group in the name years back. All this, and more, shows weak- of Islam, arguably largest after the United nesses in the community. Nations. Besides, they are rich: Some of This has all handed an opportunity to the them hold key to world economy on account critics, both within and outside, to question of possessing immense natural resources. the idea of a coherent Ummah. It gives an Yet, Muslims have been globally at a low impression that the Muslim community is ebb in terms of political respect, educational disunited and regressive, a condemned cul- report card, knowledge campaign, economic ture, not ready to blend or bond with others. management, military preparedness and me- It is a fundamentalist and terrorizing culture dia empowerment. and, hence, they do not, and should not, mat- No wonder, the Muslim world is con- ter when it comes to forming world opinion, spicuous by its nearly no representation in or formulating a general decision. decision-making international bodies like the I am constrained here by the limited space UN Security Council and the World Bank; no to go in detail as how it roundly affects Islam

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Rajab40.indd 23 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Final Session of the unity conference in Makkah

and the Muslims. Makkah merits attention in this regard. Global rules and agendas on any issue Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King are formulated without the need being felt to Salman delivered some great words of wis- consult Muslims; an opinion, even on a sen- dom meant for the nearly 1,300 religious sitive matter, is formed without taking into scholars and intellectuals, participating in the consideration the sentiments of the Muslims; conference. and terms and terminologies are imposed that The King’s speech – which was read out hurt Muslims. In most matters, they are done by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of the to irritate, or marginalize the community fur- Makkah Province – touched upon some of ther to the corner. the major points, vital for the Ummah to stay united. By urging the Ummah to embrace dif- Cry for Unity ferences, “as ordained by God,” the King has In these increasingly tumultuous times, the provided the key to resolving community’s Muslim World League (MWL) has risen to internal strife and confusion. the occasion to raise the issue of stability and And embracing differences could be peace that the world in general so desperately achieved by “building bridges of dialogue, needs. It has clearly given a clarion call to understanding and cooperation, towards rec- reset things within the community that are of onciliation, harmony and hard work. We must utmost priorities. look to the future with a promising prospect The recent holding of an international con- filledwith a spirit of brotherhood and solidar- ference on “Islamic Unity” in the holy city of ity,” the King suggested.

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Rajab40.indd 24 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM The unity among scholars and preachers is hence local cultural agents have all contrib- the need of the hour. Because they can bring uted to making their own concept of Islam. visions closer together, streamline the culture Yet, the MWL – guided by a broad ap- of disagreement, and work according to the proach of the government – has time and moderation of Islam and its tolerance. again risen to unite the Muslims on several The King struck the responsive chord with occasions in the past. It has the ability and the the spirit of the seminar when he underpinned wherewithal to do again in future. “moderation” and “tolerance” as the driving force of a civilization that covered about two II. Research project thirds of the world surface. Taking a cue from the King’s good advice, Inculcating such Islamic values in the we first need to embark on a study project Muslim community, which seems desperate – an empirical research – to study the enor- and despaired, is the need of the hour. I here mity of the project and the complications in- cite a future line of action that includes some volved. This will serve as the foundation of of the ideas vital for the unity project. the whole idea, which will help us understand and analyze the reasons for the state of angst I. A unified approach and anger in the Ummah. This should not be Backed by King Salman, the MWL has genu- limited to a one-time assignment, but remain inely laid the framework for developing a uni- a continuous work. fied approach and an action plan, if indeed the We will soon find details of not just the debate is to be taken to its logical conclusion. internal forces but external forces as well that I do not think the MWL, and the schol- have been negatively influencing and affect- ars who participated in the conference, are ing the youth in the community and which unaware of the enormity, complications and has been going on for quite a long time. multiple facets of the project. It is not just a Based on the sustained and detailed find- project, but a complete mission – a move- ings, important organizations – like the MWL ment – and a huge effort on part of the or- – can draw strategies to be forwarded to sev- ganizers if we aim to achieve success in this eral governments for action at their end. The regard. It needs a long-term planning on a sustained research efforts will also take into sustained level. account the nature of educational system in Why I term it a herculean task, because it the Muslim world – which is key to progress involves not a section of the Muslim commu- and development. The crying need of the nity in one specific place, but it engulfs the hour is to integrate education both Islamic as entire Muslim Ummah. Rather, we need to go well as so-called modern education. beyond the community level. The role of Islamic scholars and imams in the The MWL might need to form a separate community must be studied as they are at the team to embark on the work. forefront in making or breaking the community. We indeed need a unified approach, - be And lastly, we must have a comprehensive cause we are sadly divided into sects, sub- media plan, which in these times has become sects, different schools of thought, besides a vital tool to an image-building process as Muslims come from different nations hav- also to develop an understanding between Is- ing different cultural and social behavior and lam and the other cultures.

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Rajab40.indd 25 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Some Aspects of Islamic Penal Policy As Revealed by a Proper Definition of Zina

By Ahmed Kamal El-Din Izzeddin

Misconception is one major cause of mutual misunderstanding among different cultures and peoples. This would apply to the case of Islamic criminal law, the division of law which is dedicated to protect the society from delinquent acts of individuals seen as harm- ful to the society. In fact this description also applies to positive, non-Islamic criminal law, as far as it is directed towards preventing public wrongs against the society.

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Rajab40.indd 26 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM This article is limited to one crime under the rules of Is- lamic criminal law, namely, zina, which is used to denote both adultery and fornica- tion, but only as a sample to be studied and analyzed to discern broader rules govern- ing the whole area of crimi- nality in Islam. A similar at- tempt has been made in this very forum but in connection to Islamic economics, where the rules governing interest on capital, and the rules re- lating to the levying of alms, are studied and used analyti- cally to demonstrate some specific crime, namely zina, required in Islam is refrain- aspects of Islamic econom- it is only appropriate to say ing from extramarital sexual ics policy. a few words on the specific intercourse, but not from all legitimate interest which the such relation, as is the case Reproduction of Offspring ordaining of zina works to with certain Christian tradi- as a Legitimate Interest preserve, which is the pro- tions, especially in connec- Starting from a broader are- tection of offspring. tion with priests. In Islam no na, all criminal law rules in Some refer to this interest natural human desire is com- Islam, among other rules, are as the protection of chastity. pletely forbidden. They are designed in such a way as to However, ‘offspring’ is more only guided and organized. combat anti-societal acts or accurate, since it covers the Sexual intercourse is one behavior. The ultimate aim maintenance of chastity and such human desire which is to protect certain inter- other smaller interests serv- is governed by Islamic law ests of the society, called by ing the main one which is and tradition. It is even en- Muslim jurists the ‘five -le human reproduction or off- couraged within the marital gitimate Shari’ah interests’. spring. Islam not only en- domain. It has been reported These are (1) the protection courages reproduction, but that the Prophet (peace be of personal life and well- it also inclines to provide a upon him), told his compan- being, (2) the protection of multifaceted environment ions that an act of sexual in- religion, (3) the protection for the nourishment of such tercourse by a husband with of the intellect or brain, (4) interest. Chastity falls within his wife is akin to an act of the protection of offspring or such environmental require- charity, which is to be re- human reproduction, and (5) ments for human reproduc- warded by God. The com- the protection of property. tion. But by no means is it panions asked the Prophet: As this article deals with one absolute chastity. What is How come that one of us

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Rajab40.indd 27 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM satisfies his lust and gets, over and above, are not abreast of Islamic criminal law or a reward for it? The Prophet Peace be upon even Islam in general. Such un-Islamic re- him replied: “Assume that he did it in a for- cipient would conclude that Islam is solely bidden manner, shouldn’t he be sinful? Like- concerned with prohibiting the act of sexual wise, doing it in a permissible manner entails intercourse among consenting but unmarried reward”. The rationale behind such reward, parties, a practice which is widely permis- which was possibly not comprehensible to sible among adults in the Western and other the companions of the Prophet who asked non-Islamic countries. The degree of alien- for explanation in the aforesaid report, is part ation and difference between the Islamic and of the environmental requirements for the non-Islamic regimes appears therefore in its protection of reproduction. Satisfying one’s extreme. desires within marital wedlock would help minimize the need to do the same sinfully, i. e. outside the marital relationship. It also helps curtailing one’s gaze on other partners, not matrimonially related. Sexual harassment would also be guarded against, preemptively.

Towards a Proper Definition of Zina (Adultery or Fornication) Traditionally, the crime of zina is introduced in a poor, almost abject manner, reducing it to its minimal components. One common Now let us introduce a different definition example is that zina comprises “sexual in- of zina offence, by using the same traditional tercourse between a man and a woman out- wording but completing them with the inclu- side a valid marriage”. This definition directs sion of the evidential requirements within the the attention to the act of sexual intercourse, text of the substantial definition. The -com disconnected from other circumstantial in- bined ‘substantial and evidential’ definition stances which are crucial to the overall crimi- will provide us with the following version: nal policy in this connection. The above in- “Zina is sexual intercourse between a man complete definition results from traditional and a woman outside a valid marriage, con- categorization adopted in presenting the Is- ducted in such circumstances as to enable an lamic offences, by defining the substance of audience of four male adults to observe the the offence separately from the requirements details of the core act sufficiently enough for for proof. It is submitted that these evidential each one of them to qualify as an eye wit- requirements form part and parcel of the of- ness, who would be willing to testify before fence ingredients which are usually used to the court”. definethe substance of the crime, leaving the Under the above definition no act of sexual means of proving it to a separate, procedur- intercourse committed privately would be a al or evidential category. Nothing is wrong crime punishable under the Islamic law. Yes, with such separation except with regard to that may look bizarre. But it is only so because the message to be received by recipients who of the dominance of the traditional, incomplete

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Rajab40.indd 28 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM definition of the crime. People are so accus- bined definition version) is made punishable, tomed to such traditional definition that any because it is disgusting. Here we come closer deviation from it would look outlandish. The to the inner criminological policy in Islam full truth about the Islamic criminal policy has about this particular sexual offence. As far been buried under such misconception, which as the jurisdiction of worldly courts of law is caused by a simple, probably innocent, ap- are concerned, God allows the judge powers proach to the definition of zina. limited only to such acts as may be testified upon by four male witnesses of integrity. No worldly judge has any power whatsoever to seek to try or punish those who commit extra- marital sexual intercourse in privacy – away from the eyes of others. It is worthy to mention at this stage that under Islam there is a dual penal system. The first part is similar to the traditional penal systems, which is described in this article as the worldly courts of law. The other part, be- lieved by faithful Muslims, is the punishment in the Hereafter for ‘sins’ committed on earth. Not only the short, traditional definition These sins are defined in the Qur’an and the of the offence that causes astonishment. Our Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be elaborate, combined definition does the same, upon him). In the case of zina, where the acts albeit from a different viewpoint. Go back by the accused fall short of satisfying the and read the definition closely and imagine above definition, with both substantive and the defined act: a man and a woman conduct- evidential aspects thereof, the accused will ing sexual intercourse in the presence of four be set free and acquitted of the offence of people! Who would do that? I recall being zina, because of lack or shortage of four wit- interviewed in Khartoum, Sudan, by a smart nesses. However, assuming that the offence American journalist, knowledgeable of Islam is otherwise complete, except for the wit- and the East. Her areas of concern included nesses, then God will punish such offender Islam and its criminal law. We happened to in the Hereafter, as God knows with no need talk about the very subject of this article. In of testimonial evidence. Another important fact that interview is one motive behind this point is, where only less than four witnesses account. I expressed my idea on the com- view the act, none of them is allowed to say bined (substantial-evidential) definition of a word on the incident, otherwise he will be the crime of zina. When I finally stated the severely punished. above definition and came to the ingredient To conclude, what is essentially punish- of “an audience of four male adults …” she able in the case of the offence of zina is the interrupted me by saying: “This is disgust- obscenity and vulgarity of committing such ing”! I immediately responded, almost spon- act in public (symbolized by the 4-witness taneously, “Indeed it is”! requirement), and not any secretive act of In fact, that is why the crime (in its com- sexual intercourse.

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Rajab40.indd 29 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM Why do Muslims, Christians and Hindus coexist peacefully in Kerala State?

By Qais Bajaeifir

If anything distinguishes Kerala and sets it apart from other In- dian states, besides its mesmerizing scenery, breathtaking tropical greenery and captivating topography, it is the civilized coexistence of Hindus, Muslims and Christians. In Kerala, religious plural- ity, tolerance and cultural diversity come into play on the ground and members of different religions live together peacefully, set- ting a notable example of social, multireligious and multicultural harmony.

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Rajab40.indd 30 21/07/1440 AH 12:19 PM The coexistence of diverse religious hood, one can see a mosque, a church groups in Kerala, historically known and a temple all standing next to one as Keralam, dates back thousands of another, as evidenced in the center of years. Over the centuries, people hail- the state capital of Trivandrum (now ing from a wide variety of cultures - known as Thiruvananthapuram). Ko- Arab merchants, Jewish and Christian chi in the southwest, the most densely migrants, and even European traders populated city in the state with over – followed the spice route to Kerala 667,000 inhabitants, has the oldest and settled there. A predominately synagogue and the oldest European Hindu state, Kerala has since time church in India, both dating back to immemorial welcomed foreigners the 16th century. A significant Jew- in, and locals have even converted to ish community also existed in Kochi the religions incomers brought with until 1947 when many migrated to Is- them. rael and other countries like Australia, Muslims, Hindus and Christians with only a small number deciding to all speak the same language - Malay- remain. What is believed to be the first alam; there are no special villages for and oldest mosque in India, Cheraman Muslims, Christians or Hindus. In- Juma Mosque, is found in Methala in stead, they all live together as neigh- the Thrissur district of Kerala. It is bors. Children of different religions said to date back to the seventh cen- sit side by side at school and even tury when its founder Malik bin Dinar play together. In the same neighbor- arrived in India to spread Islam.

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Rajab40.indd 31 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM today. ters of its land to a neighbor- ing mosque so the Muslim community could build an extension. With Muslims constituting 30 percent of its over 33 million-strong popu- lation, and Christians and Hindus making up 20 and 50 percent respectively, Ker- ala has the highest religious pluralism rate of any Indian state. It is no wonder that its treasured civilized coexis- tence is Kerala’s true point of pride.

Reasons One possible reason be- hind this peaceful coexis- tence in Kerala - dubbed one of the ten paradises of the world by the National Geographic Traveler - is the state government’s provi- sion to all Keralites equally of basic needs and services and the protection of every- one’s rights. In a healthy en- vironment where everyone is Malik bin Dinar built 11 mosques in treated equally it is difficult, Kerala, the most important of which if not impossible, for resent- ments to fester or conflicts to is Cheraman Juma Mosque arise. Conflicts erupt when the basic needs of one group in society are threatened or The adherents of all these Communal violence and not met, such as the need for major religions borrowed flare-ups are rare among food, water, public services, cultural practices and life- Muslims, Christians and safety, housing, sanitation, styles from each another, and Hindus. In 2017, the presi- security etc. When no one is the result was the cultural di- dent of one Hindu temple denied access to basic social versity found across Kerala donated some 40 square me- and economic rights, no one

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Rajab40.indd 32 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM feels neglected and everyone no conflict. Perhaps that is around three thousand years feels they are treated equally, why the Muslims of Kerala ago to trade in spices. They there is little cause for griev- have a greater inclination to mixed with the local popu- ance. live in peace and harmony lation, marrying locally and Another reason is Ker- with Hindus and Christians settling there. Keralites were ala’s high rate of literacy and are more willing to work duly influenced by Muslim which, matching that of side by side with them and culture and values, and many many advanced countries, is other members of the public embraced Islam when it was the highest in India. In 1991, for the greater good of soci- first brought by Malik bin Di- India’s National Literacy ety. nar. People were impressed Mission, tasked with creat- ing a literate society, was able to declare full literacy across Kerala. The high rate of literacy has also had a beneficial effect on the em- powerment of women and gender parity. Women are encouraged to pursue edu- cation and even the poorest families send their girls to schools. Compared with their counterparts in other Indian states, women in Ker- ala have fewer children and longer life expectancy. The state government places great emphasis on education and allocates to it a large portion of its annual A third factor is that all how Muslims practiced the budget. Education is taken Keralites, whatever their eth- religion in all aspects of dai- seriously across Kerala, and nic origins, are united by a ly life. Islam spread quickly in 2017 it became the first single language, Malayalam. in Kerala and beyond to all Indian state to achieve a pri- There are no barriers to com- parts of India. Malik bin Di- mary education attendance munication and everyone nar built 11 mosques in Ker- rate of 100 percent. It also can express their ideas and ala, the most important being has one of the best health- thoughts clearly. the Cheraman Juma Mosque. care systems with the high- It has undergone renovation est life expectancy rates Arab traders several times of the years in India. When such basic Arab merchants arrived in and can today accommodate needs are met, there will be the coastal region of Kerala some 3,000 worshippers.

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Rajab40.indd 33 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Islamic Education in Africa

Dr. Muhammad Salim

The International University of Africa has published a book titled: “A Symposium on Islamic Education in Africa” held by the Univer- sity in Jumad Awal 1440AH corresponding to January 2019. The book consists of five volumes as well as a special volume containing the activities of the first symposium held in 1408AH corresponding to 1988AD on the same subject.

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Rajab40.indd 34 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM States have been divided into four groups as per the strength and weakness of Islamic Education in each group: 1. Group of countries which are mem- bers in the League of Arab States, besides the states in which Arabic is the language of everyday life such as Somalia, Djibouti, and Chad. 2. Group of states of effective majorities: Nigeria, Senegal, and Zanzibar. 3. Group of states of Islamic majorities: these are states in which Muslims are the majority as it is the case in Tanzania, Ethio- pia, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Si- erra lion, and the like, besides the states of effective minorities such as Uganda, Kenya and the like. 4.Group of states of small Islamic minori- ties such as Rwanda, Zaire (Congo now), The reality of Islamic Education 30 Gabon and the like. years before: The book shed light on the reasons of The book of the first symposium deals marginalization of Muslims in most African with the most important issues discussed in countries, on being kept away from partici- that symposium which are: the problem of pating in politics, on not sending their sib- Islamic Education caused by colonial pow- lings to modern formal government schools, er in Africa, the obstacles faced by Islamic on preferring to establish private schools to Education, the project of developing educa- teach their siblings Arabic, religious subjects tion to increase awareness level, the educa- as well as modern sciences and the difficul- tional policy and its reflections on Islamic ties faced by them to achieve such goals. culture in Africa, the school stages, the ob- It is stated that these problems were faced stacles faced by society in educational aids, upon the arrival of the European colonization buildings, finance and woman education, the to the African continent as it brought along problems of setback of education, problems the Western educational systems through its of Islamic education curricula, besides the ecclesiastical institutions. Accordingly, Mus- importance of finding the efficient teacher, lim siblings turned away from it lest it may and the importance of Arabic Language as not affect them; therefore, they were kept it is the medium of Islamic sciences.” More away from the administrative and political than a hundred scholars, thought leaders, influence. As a result, the graduates of eccle- those concerned with the Islamic Education, siastical schools dominated and took hold educators from universities and higher in- of administrative and political jobs that en- stitutes, ministries, and Islamic associations abled them to exploit the sources of Muslims participated in the panel discussion. for establishing further western educational

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Rajab40.indd 35 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM schools. Moreover, the educational institu- this down-Arabic Qur’an…etc” (Surat Taha, tions in Africa do not include, within its cur- Verse: 113). This involves that Arabic must ricula and other educational programs, the be respected to take its proper position by special requirements of Muslims in the field spending on establishing schools and taking of education. All the above-mentioned rea- care of their mission by improving their cur- sons made Muslims establish special schools ricula, providing books and efficient teacher to teach their siblings Islamic education in all specialties. and Arabic besides other modern subjects. · Curricula are not related to the environ- However, to do so, Muslims were faced by ments in which such curricula are taught: problems that prevented them from achiev- the educationalists consider it an educa- ing their goals. Such goals are many, but the tional problem that lessened the efficacy of most important are: the Islamic educational institutions and pre- · Arabic language requires a lot of effort vents them from teaching Islamic subjects so that it becomes an educational language at government schools. It is proved by a through which youngsters can attain the scientific study that an attempt to export the religious meanings to be capable of under- Islamic educational curricula to the African standing the Qur’anic and Prophetic tradi- communities is doomed to failure. Also, to tions texts. It is mentioned that concern over design one curriculum for the different Af- Arabic is derived from the faith in Islam and rican countries is useless and vain because the relation with Arabic is a relation with such countries are of different environments the Holy Qur’an which Allah the Almighty and cultures, thus, some issues have priority has revealed it in the Arabic language. Al- over others. Also, preparing curricula is one lah the Almighty said: “Thus have we sent of the most important issues as it needs to

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Rajab40.indd 36 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM cope with the updated changes in the world. conflict here and there and sad clashes oc- Academic books also need to be provided by curred between the two parties. Disputation establishing printers and publication houses meetings were held with the relationships to meet the requirements of schools. of the Islamic nation almost cut off. How- · Multiplicity of curricula at Islamic edu- ever, some educated groups from the two cation institutions. parties, who graduated in Arab universities, The existence of intellectual trends in the managed to reconcile the dispute between educational methodology at Arabic schools the two parties, achieved intimacy and un- that contradict each other is among the basic derstanding between them and urged them to obstacles that led to the setback of the Arabic direct their efforts in spreading Islam among language. Such intellectual trends are repre- non-Muslim people. sented in the Sufi Curriculum, the Liberation 3. The Modern Curriculum: this one has a Curriculum, and the Ancestral Curriculum. scientific tint, and it prevailed the post-inde- 1. The Sufi Curriculum is considered pendence era, where the Westernized educat- to be the first one for the Islamic educa- ed people to dub the Arabic educated people tion in Africa and it is a natural extension as being dervish and jugglers. The supporters to the Qur’anic schools which were based of this curriculum want to confirm that there on solitary retreat system (Khalawa system, is no difference between what they do in Eu- singular of Khalwa) and to belong to a ju- rope and what is taught at Arabic schools. rist (Faqeeh), thus, this leads to practice the By adopting this modern school curricu- Sufi remembrances and rituals. Such schools lum, Islamic education made a big jump as it have played a basic role in establishing the has become free from the hold of Sufism to Arabic language; especially the inception of enter the cultural competition arena between these schools was during the colonial rule Western and Arabic education so that many and post-independence era. students were able to migrate to Arab coun- 2. The Ancestral Curriculum: This is one tries to pursue their higher education. of the most influential curricula on African · Scarcity of efficient Muslim teacher: This people although it came late with a variable had a negative impact on Islamic education effect from a country to another. It relied process resulting in African Muslims being upon jurisprudential dialectics, monotheism, uninterested in education posts because they and maintaining of the Prophet’s traditions could not find the schools that qualify them and the rules that control the conduct of the to such posts; even those who are qualified individual in the Islamic society. Most stu- could not find the institutes that train them. dents who belong to this school of thought Moreover, there were no curricula for teach- are graduates of Saudi universities and the ers to be trained on. To solve this problem institutes of Qatar and Kuwait. there must be specialized institutes in differ- The colonial administrations, particularly, ent regions of Africa to graduate qualified the French one have distorted this curricu- teachers to meet the needs of the continent. lum before they leave, as well as instigated · Lack of educational aids at most schools, disagreement between these schools and such as blackboard, chalk, schoolbook, lin- the schools that adopt the Sufi curriculum. guistic labs, simplified dictionaries and - lit The two schools were brought into a strong erature books series. However, these aids, if

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Rajab40.indd 37 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM they were not of utmost importance at that · The general economic crisis that hit time, yet they became elements of represen- the Islamic communities of Africa due to tation and attraction in the age of competi- the economic colonial policies, the result is tion among different languages and cultures, Muslims failure to make their sons pursu- especially, Muslim students at government ing their education throughout school stages. schools would like to pass the exam they sit Sons of Muslims got puzzled as to nowhere for, no matter if they have to sit for an exam to go following finishing the first three years in Christian education as long as it guaran- of schooling. Do they have to attend secu- tees success for them. lar government schools that link them with · Lack of school building: This is one of modern styles of life and cut them off their the basic problems of the educational pro- cultural identity and move them some steps cess. Schools are cottages that are often built towards Christianity? Or to go for crafts of local materials if schooling is not prac- which do not require education to allow ticed under trees. The ceiling of these tradi- other non-Muslims to dominate over matters tional school buildings is made from tinplate making it worse than it is? which reflects heat. This is because African Although faced by these obstacles, Mus- states do not allocate budget for Muslims ed- lims succeeded in establishing a few schools ucation. Expenditure on education is mainly for the stage between high school and el- born by students’ guardians despite being ementary school. However, Islamic univer- impoverished. There is no foreign support sity education is hardly existent except for by cultural centers as is the case in the Eu- a few institutions counted on the fingers of ropean countries. This problem is considered one hand. to be an impediment to Islamic education in The first symposium held 30 years ago Africa. It is a complicated problem that can- demonstrated the reality of Islamic educa- not be solved and overcome except by exert- tion in Africa and the outputs set forth by the ing efforts of support from in and outside the symposium to solve the problem. No doubt continent. that publishing the works of the first sympo- sium explained the situation as to what has been and has not been achieved by the Afri- can countries. What about the second symposium on Is- lamic Education in Africa? The reality of Islamic Education in Africa: Africa came next to Asia, as the second biggest continent of the world in terms of area and population. Its population is esti- mated to be one billion according to 2009 census. The name Afri is given to any group of people who live in North Africa while some historians are of the opinion that the or- igin of the word turns back to the Phoenician language “Afar” i.e. dust. However, some

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Rajab40.indd 38 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM studies confirmed that the word is derived moros during the colonial era focusing on from the Amazigh word (Ifri or Ifran) which the ancestral school, Falah schools, Fatah, means cave in a reference to cave dwellers. Al Noor and the institutions of Islamic edu- Some sources indicate that the word Africa cation in post-independence time in terms or Ifri is designated for the Amazighian tribe of identifying these schools, counting them, of (Banu Owaifer) which lives between Al- their development phases, their curricula, geria and Tripoli and the name was main- their educational levels, their outputs, ob- tained in one of its forms when designated stacles faced by them and the role of the to the Islamic African kingdoms that were noble Sharif of (Alaween) in spreading the established later; also there are those who legal (Sharia) science in East Africa in gen- consider it to be of a Greek origin. eral and Comoros in particular. The book also discussed the role of reli- gious institutions in spreading the (Sharia) legal sciences and Arabic language in Af- rica (Almurabiteen) “the Garrisoned Group as an example”. It also dealt with the spread of Islam, the methods and reasons behind the success. The care and concern of the state about education are one of the reasons for spreading science and knowledge at that time. A dialogue was held on free Islamic edu- cation in North Africa represented in “Ibn Badees’ practice in Algeria”. The sympo- sium came up with some results and find- ings the most important of which were: In the introduction of the book, it is men- · The practice of Ibn Badees in Islamic tioned that the aim of the second sympo- education is a pioneering one at mosques in sium is to evaluate the outputs of the first terms of its religious and cultural function. symposium to know to what an extent that It is worth to be studied from various as- the goals of the first symposium have been pects as mentioned below. achieved; as well as to realize the strong as- · The reformation function of Islamic ed- pects and the weak aspects for the purpose ucation from the point of view of Ibn Badees of benefiting from success and to avoid fail- as he viewed it to be the basic reform of dif- ure, if any, and to provide a future vision for ferent pivots upon which the education pro- Islamic education in Africa plus taking ac- cess is built which are scholar, learner, and count of the latest developments in the area. scientific subject. An analysis of the reality of Islamic edu- · The legal (Sharia) dimension of educa- cation institutions was made. For example, tion: Ibn Badees drove this dimension from Dr. Saeed Burhan Abdullah, a faculty mem- the Holy Prophet’s tradition (Sunnah), es- ber of the University of Comoros, present- pecially the behavioral (pertaining to deeds) ed a study on the Islamic education in Co- Sunnah. It is proved that the Prophet (peace

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Rajab40.indd 39 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM be upon him) did not build his own house subjective material potentialities, the inex- until he built the mosque to perform prayer perienced administrative cadre the matter in it and teach his companions there. Thus, that affects school running administratively Ibn Badees considers the mosque relation and scientifically and the problem of recruit- with prayer is like its relation with learning ing the graduates of these schools because and educating, for education is the basis of government does not recognize certificates Islam, and Allah the Almighty must not be of religious school graduates. worshipped ignorantly. The study recommended having a fund · Ibn Badees’ opinion of Islamic educa- for the union of Islamic universities in Afri- tion: His effort in this field came fruitful and ca to help Islamic schools in designing cur- the mosque education developed into free ricula, establishing endowments to lift the Arabic education. Schools were established financialburden off schools and to establish for this kind of education. The society an institute affiliated to the union of Islamic scholars fellows of Ibn Badees continued universities in Africa to qualify the teachers the work following up his method in caring of Arabic Islamic schools. about mosque education to develop it into The symposium discussed the role and free formal schools. the efforts exerted by religious groups under The book also discussed the problems the title: “Religious Groups and its impact of Islamic education in the middle of Af- on Arabic and Islamic education in Africa, rica “Chad state as an example” amidst the Nigeria as an example.” The study aims at several educational changes in the middle exploring the cultural and intellectual roots of Africa and the nature of problems that of religious groups in Nigeria, and the im- stand in the way of the education process. pact of deviant sects on the Arabic and Is- The study conducted came to the neces- lamic education, and the relation of these sity of preparing, qualifying, and training sects with the deterioration of the Islamic of teachers, attracting efficient competent, education system in Nigeria. immigrant experts and to finance scientific The symposium also discussed the im- research. The study recommended support- pact of the extremist religious movements ing Islamic education financially and -edu such as (Boko Haram) on the Arabic and Is- cationally. lamic education in Nigeria and the necessity The book also dealt with the problems for a faithful national will to solve the intel- of Arabic Islamic education in West Africa. lectual conflict among the religious move- The study reached several results, the most ments in Nigeria. important of which are: Lack of correct cur- The study recommended that people riculum with many Arabic Islamic schools, should shun intellectual and cultural devia- the curricula taught are not suitable for the tion and rectify the concept of monotheism local environment as the curricula of Ara- and practice worship on the basis of Islamic bic institutes are limited to legal (Sharia) Sharia, to form committees for designing sciences and Arabic language; this led to curricula for schools and the Islamic uni- the ignorance of graduates in European lan- versities in Africa together with considering guages and physical sciences, weakness of objectives and content.

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Rajab40.indd 40 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Five stunning floating mosques of the world

By Aftab Husain Kola

Among the most distinctive sights in cent ones that are architecturally stun- any Islamic place is a mosque with a ning edifice, the mosque is intended to dome and slender, tall minarets loom- function primarily as a religious centre ing large on the horizon. From simple, and also occasionally serve as a edu- open space surrounded walls of sun- cational and social place for the town’s baked brick of the bygone era to the re- Muslim population.

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Rajab40.indd 41 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Amirul Mukminin Mosque, Makassar, Indonesia

Having been to more than 15 countries dur- it is a fine specimen of the very best Moroc- ing my stint as a media person I always can artisanship: hand-crafted stone and wood, made it a point to visit important mosques eye-catching marble flooring and inlay, gild- of a place, for my regular prayers and also ed cedar ceilings and exquisite zellige (tradi- to apprise myself of the Islamic/education- tional Moroccan tiles mostly used in mosques al/dawah activities that are happening in and palaces) abound. Set against the scenic mosques. Through this feature I will not be setting of the Atlantic Ocean the mosque de- touching upon the great mosques but will fo- signed by French architect Michel Pinseau, cus on some of world’s finest mosques that and commissioned by King Hassan II (1929- juts into the waters - yes, they are known as 1999) was completed in 1993 with the help floating mosques. of 6,000 craftsmen. The Hassan II Mosque can accommodate 25,000 worshipers inside 1. The King Hassan II Mosque, Casablan- the building with an additional 80,000 able to ca, Morocco pray in the surrounding vast courtyard. The The stunningly beautiful Moorish style mosque is fitted with large windows, which mosque whose minaret adorned with a broad opens out to the ocean where the building band of colored tilework and crowned with a juts out over the Atlantic. A segment of the crenelated top cranes straight out of the At- prayer floor is made of glass so that worship- lantic waves to a height of 200-meter. From ers can see the sea below. Guided tours of its peak, a powerful laser beam splashes in- the mosque in French, English, German and dicating the direction of Makkah. Spanish are conducted outside prayer times Perched on an outcrop jutting into the ocean, for decently attired visitors.

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Rajab40.indd 42 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM The King Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco

2. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Bandar thetic columns make this iconic mosque one Seri Begawan, Brunei of the most beautiful ones in the world. It An architectural delight to the eye, the Omar can accommodate a congregation of ap- Ali Saifuddien Mosque, locally called Mas- proximately 3,000 worshippers. Besides a jid Omar Ali, was opened in 1958 in Negara large prayer hall for men, there is a women’s Brunei Darussalam, a tiny nation flanked by prayer room separated and located upstairs, South China Sea along the northern coast which can be accessed by a staircase. Says of the Island of Borneo. One of the defining Adi Yusri, Brunei’s celebrated photographer landmarks of Brunei’s capital city of Bandar and whose photos accompany this article, Seri Begawan, the mosque sits royally in an “The mosque is beautiful beyond descrip- artificial lagoon on the serene banks of the tion.” Well-manicured gardens bursting with Brunei River. A timeless architectural work flowers and shrubs, water fountains and also of art, the mosque is named after the current benches for visitors are part of the mosque’s Sultan’s late father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifud- beautiful environs. dien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, the 28th Sul- tan of Brunei. 3. Fatima Al-Zahra (Rahma) Mosque, Topped by an exquisite dome made of real Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gold, the mosque is an epitome of classic Named after Fatima, one of the daughters Islamic architecture. Clad in Italian marble of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon and Chinese granite, its magnificent stained- him), this graceful floating mosque in Jed- glass windows, hand-made Arabic carpets, dah’s North Corniche area is the world’s English chandeliers, elegant arches and aes- most visited floating mosque. Jutting into

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Rajab40.indd 43 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Fatima Al-Zahra (Rahma) Mosque, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

the Red Sea, the mosque was opened in - all in Jeddah. 1985. During peak Umrah and Hajj seasons, pilgrims who visit Jeddah after Hajj/Um- 4. Amirul Mukminin Mosque, Makas- rah make it a point to visit Fatima Al-Zahra sar, Indonesia mosque. Embracing an area of 2,400 square Being world’s largest Muslim-majority coun- meters, the mosque design is inspired by Is- try, Indonesia is home to more than 800,000 lamic style of architecture. The main dome mosques. With its approximately 18,000 is- spans the main prayer hall while 52 smaller lands ranging from tiny atolls to the second- domes make up the courtyard. The 23 ex- and third-largest islands in the world, Indo- ternal umbrellas, adorned with verses of the nesia has strong coastal cultures, and people Noble Qur’an, enhance the beauty of the living in areas surrounding the country’s mosque. The mosque is equipped with state- principal rivers are more than familiar with of-the-art technology, equipment, sound and making a life close to the water – or even lighting systems. on it. Thus the country has several floating The 56 Islamic-styled windows further ac- mosques, like Oesman Al Khair Mosque, centuate the mosque’s external look. A sep- North Kayong; Amirul Mukminin Mosque, arate high-hanging covered wooden area Makassar; Arkham Babu Rahman Mosque, is meant to cater for women to pray. This Palu (administrative and cultural hub for the mosque is one of Jeddah’s four mosques that whole Sulawesi province), to mention but a permits non-Muslims to visit during non- few. praying hours. The three other mosques in- Here, I will highlight Amirul Mukminin clude Al-Taqwa, King Fahd and King Saud Mosque in Makassar. Built on wooden stilts,

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Rajab40.indd 44 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Malacca Straits Mosque, Bandar Hilir, Malacca, Malaysia

the modest yet stylish twin-domed Amirul es one shore while the South China Sea the Mukminin mosque in Makassar was opened other. The country is home to many floating for praying in 2009. mosques; notable of them include the Ma- Indonesia’s first floating, the mosque spans lacca Straits Mosque, Tengku Tengah Zaha- an area of 1,683 square-meter. During high rah Mosque, Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, tides the 164 foundation piles are submerged Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque. There are in water making the mosque appear to be other mosques which overlook the waters floating at sea. Located on Losari beach in but cannot be called floating mosques. the heart of Makassar city, South Sulawesi, Here, spotlight is on the Malacca Straits the mosque is a three-storeyed building with Mosque built on stilts at the shores of Ma- the first floor reserved for men and the sec- lacca in Bandar Hilir. Consecrated in 2006, ond floor for women to pray in congrega- the mosque is a fine specimen of Malay ar- tion. With a capacity for 500 people, the chitecture interspersed with Middle Eastern mosque is crowned by two domes, of nine elements of architecture. Topped by a gold- meters each. In Ramadan, the mosque is a colored dome and four corner turrets and a beehive of activity, hordes of Muslims come slender graceful minaret annexed from main here to break the fast. From the mosque’s ve- prayer structure which works as the guide randah, the sunset view is a feast for the eyes. for water crafts, boats and air ships to stride safely across the sea, the mosque is a feast 5. Malacca Straits Mosque, Bandar Hilir, for the sore eyes when illuminated after Malacca, Malaysia dusk. The use of stained glass with Islamic Malaysia has the strategic advantage of abut- motifs enhances the quality of the light fall- ting two great seas - the Indian Ocean wash- ing inside the building.

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Rajab40.indd 45 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Idris Elnaw

Urbanization and Challenge of Food Sustainability

Austin

Living in a city turns you into a cannibal. ready to sacrifice one another to satisfy their That, at least, is the metaphor preferred by appetites: cannibals. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who considered cit- Rousseau’s fear that cities inspire inhab- ies a pit of human corruption. Rousseau was itants to pursue their own interests at the so convinced of the malign effects of urban- expense of others remains as relevant today ization that he “would rather see men graz- as it was in the eighteenth century. And no- ing on meadow grass than devouring each where is this truer than in the food system. other in cities.” Urbanization inures people For as long as there have been towns, to the suffering of the countryside, and as there have been strategies to feed them. In townspeople crowd together, their capacity the United Kingdom, the allotment move- for compassion toward others atrophies. Ur- ment during the Industrial Revolution estab- banites become the kind of people who are lished a system that gave the working poor

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Rajab40.indd 46 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM access to land for the cultiva- tion of fruits and vegetables. Today, these urban gardens remain a popular means of sustenance for British urban- ites; an estimated 350,000 people have allotments and another 800,000 want them, explained a report on Daily Star newspaper. Cities worldwide are rec- ognizing the importance of urban agriculture, and par- ticularly urban agroecology, ments from protecting citi- diabetes. which uses biological diver- zens. sity – rather than chemical Consider the food indus- Washington State resi- inputs – to build soil qual- try’s lobbying campaign dur- dents were persuaded to sac- ity, increase crop yields, and ing the run-up to the recent rifice one another. manage water use. Metro- midterm elections in the They are not alone. Over politan areas from Rome to United States. In Washington the last decade, 12 American Sao Paolo have supported State, The Coca-Cola Com- states have passed legisla- agroecology to tackle health pany, PepsiCo, and Keurig tion to stop municipalities crises, climate change, and Dr Pepper spent over $ 20 from addressing the public- poverty. million to craft a ballot mea- health crisis of processed But if you have never sure to prevent cities from foods, and at least 26 states heard of this type of farming, raising taxes on groceries – have enacted laws to shield a careful reading of Rous- including sugar-sweetened food companies from law- seau might explain why: it beverages, which are known suits linked to diet-related threatens the wealth that ur- to increase the risk of type 2 diseases. ban elites accumulate. Rousseau anticipated where and how democracy becomes subverted: “If cities are harmful, capitals are even more so,” he once wrote. “A capital is an abyss where nearly the entire nation goes to lose its morals, its laws, its courage, and its liberty.” In the context of food, capi- tals today are where money is spent to stop local govern-

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Rajab40.indd 47 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Pakistan eyeing the New Tech Wave

San Jose, California

Technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship are the key ingredients for econom- ic success in the twenty- first century, as the US and China are demonstrating. If Pakistan can also realize its huge untapped potential in these fields, the result could be a more dynamic country that is better placed to solve many of its other problems. In the old days, it was the discovery of natural re- the world’s most dynamic know by now, a one- or two- sources, such as gold or economies. Today, it is tech- person tech start-up with no hydrocarbons that drove nology, innovation, and en- physical assets can become trepreneurship. As we all a multi-billion-dollar com- pany and transform entire industries, almost in the blink of an eye. This tech-driven revo- lution potentially gives de- veloping countries a great chance to speed up the mod- ernization of their econo- mies. For example, Pakistan – which has 130 million people and a largely tradi- tional economy – and other developing countries could

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Rajab40.indd 48 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM learned that in the new In- ternet world, these obstacles were perfectly normal and surmountable by visionary, passionate entrepreneurs with big dreams and ideas. Consequently, my firm went ahead and invested in Rob- in’s vision. Within five years of that first meeting, Baidu went from little more than an idea to being the leader in China’s Internet search industry, leaving Google and Yahoo far behind. To- day, it is one of China’s top three Internet companies, forming the so-called BAT triumvirate along with Ali- baba and Tencent. Robin himself is now the Larry Page (or Bill Gates) of Chi- na, with a net worth of over $10 billion”. Baidu’s story is similar to that of many other suc- cessful tech firms. Like Ali- baba, Apple, Google, and look for inspiration to Chi- I met Robin Li, a Chinese Facebook, the company was na, which just two decades entrepreneur in his twenties driven by young founders ago had a small tech start-up who was seeking funding rather than older business industry, but is now home to for his new company, Bai- tycoons. Since then, the pace nine of the world’s top 20 du. Based on conventional of technological innovation digital companies. investment criteria, Baidu’s has accelerated further, with Asad Jamal the founder chances of success seemed the computing and Internet and chairman of ePlanet low. The company had no revolution morphing into a Capital, a Silicon Valley track record, limited fund- new one powered by artifi- venture capital firm wrote “I ing, and an inexperienced cial intelligence, nanotech- moved to Silicon Valley and team, yet they were aiming biotech, and cyber-physical founded ePlanet Capital, I to challenge search giants systems. Here, too, the op- was new to the field and un- Google and Yahoo”. portunities for visionary en- sure what to expect. In 2000, He continues “But I soon trepreneurs are huge.

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Rajab40.indd 49 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Anti-Muslim politician converts to Islam

By Idrees Elnaow

A former member of Geert Wilders’ switch from critic to convert while far-right Dutch party announced writing a book about Islam. “During that he has converted to Islam. Jo- that writing I came across more and ram Van Klaveren said he made the more things that made my view on

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Rajab40.indd 50 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Islam falter”. Van Klaveren was a harsh critic His publisher says his conver- of Islam during his time as PVV sion came as Van Klaveren, who was politician, now saying “PVV policy: brought up as a Protestant, was re- everything that was wrong had to be searching a book that was intended linked to Islam in one way or anoth- to be critical of Islam. er.” “With this book, we hope to con- Arnoud van Doorn, a former tribute to getting rid of the many PVV official, was an earlier convert misconceptions about Islam and pre- to Islam. Van Doorn congratulated venting polarization in our society,” Van Klaveren on his decision via said Muhammad Ben Hammouch, Twitter, writing: “Never thought that chairman of the book’s publishing the PVV would become a breeding house. “During that writing, I en- ground for converts.” countered more and more things that In fact, Klaveren has reverted to shook my vision of Islam,” he said. the nature of its true origin, truth and Van Klaveren, who grew up in an or- road to paradise. Islam is the religion thodox Protestant Christian environ- of peace and tranquility, the religion ment, said “I have been searching for of all the prophets. An open mind a long time. It feels a bit like a reli- searches and questions. Klaveren has gious homecoming for me.” obviously chosen to go to Islam’s Van Klaveren was a member of roots and origins for his information parliament for the Freedom Party rather than forming judgements and (PVV) from 2010 to 2014, but quit opinions based solely on the behav- the party after Wilders’ asked sup- ior of terrorists and hypocrites who porters during a rally in 2014 if they hijack Islam for self-serving mo- wanted more or fewer Moroccans in tives. Klaveren has proven he is true the Netherlands, to which the crowd follower of Islam; it is amazing what chanted “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” knowledge and wisdom does. So After leaving the PVV, Van Kla- many people who are anti-Islam do veren set up his own party, For Neth- not even know or understand it. They erlands, but failed to win a seat in lack basic knowledge and cannot the 2017 national election and quit even answer simple and important politics. questions about it.

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Rajab40.indd 51 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Unspeakable horror of Boko Haram

Maiduguri, Nigeria

Fatima portrays little emo- of her son, Mohammed. “I duguri, the capital of Borno tion as she describes how didn’t want to have eye con- State and the birthplace of she came close to killing her tact or even see the child. I Boko Haram. But when own son. Wearing a black tried to murder him, to poi- someone fetches Moham- headscarf, the 18-year-old son him. med, now 4 years old, from Nigerian is lovely, although school, her face opens into the raised scars than run Real Ordeal a broad smile. She laughs down the left side of her Fatima is subdued and mat- as she swings him over her face, neck, and body – scars ter-of-fact during the several shoulder and tickles him, she got escaping from the hours we talk about her or- and he giggles with delight. brutal terrorist group Boko deal. We are sitting on a mat “I don’t want anything to Haram in northeastern Ni- on the dusty ground in an come between us,” she says. geria – suggest some un- open-air tent that does little Mothers’ Isolation speakable horror. to abate the relentless heat in This is not the story be- “I did not like the boy in Bakassi camp for internally hind #Bring Back Our Girls any way,” she says softly displaced people in Mai- – the hundreds of Nigerian

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Rajab40.indd 52 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM schoolgirls from Chibok whose kidnapping by Boko Haram sparked an interna- tional social media cam- paign to rescue them. It is the story of the thousands of others and their children. The mothers, many no more than children them- selves, are shunned by their husbands or fathers or mothers and forced to live in isolation in the squalid camps that have mush- roomed around Maiduguri. On top of the widespread are understandable, says bors slaughtered, their cattle stigma against victims of Cindy Chungong, country stolen, their crops and live- sexual violence in this tra- manager for Nigeria for In- lihoods destroyed. But still, ditional, patriarchal soci- ternational Alert, one of a “it is absolutely traumatiz- ety, the survivors face an handful of nonprofits that ing for those girls and wom- additional burden. Many in collaboration with the en. Their suffering is part of people fear that the “Boko United Nations Children’s the collective nightmare that Haram wives,” as they are Fund (UNICEF) are work- has gripped northeastern Ni- derisively called, have been ing to reintegrate victims geria for a decade now – in radicalized and are spies for into communities. People which virtually everyone the insurgents or may even have suffered tremendously has been affected. What’s kill them – fears that are at the hands of Boko Ha- unusual about the crisis is compounded by Boko Ha- ram. Many witnessed their that some of its most severe ram’s practice of using girls family members and neigh- effects are psychological. as young as 10 as suicide bombers, says a report pub- lished in CS Monitor news- paper.

Collective Nightmare The Bakassi camp in Maidu- guri, a mélange of tin-roofed shelters, houses more than 26,000 people displaced by fighting in northeastern Ni- geria. The people’s worries

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Rajab40.indd 53 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Accounts of desert life by Thesiger continue to inspire and enchant

AFTAB HUSAIN KOLA

The works of late Sir Wilfred Thesiger, the most advanced, modern regions of the world. celebrated explorer and writer who brought This Region of the bygone days was a picture the life of the desert Bedouin of the Arabian of amazing culture and beauty. Today’s gen- Peninsula to public notice more than half a eration are not aware of how people in Ara- century ago, by twice crossing the inhospitable bia lived their lives in deserts, marshes and Rub’ al-Khali desert (Empty Quarter), beauti- mountains. They lived a simple, yet dignified ful in their barren wilderness, still continue to life. It is important that the new generation of inspire, enchant and inform even today. people who now use technology for virtually The Arabian Peninsula is today one of the anything and everything need to be told how

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Rajab40.indd 54 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM their forefathers lived braving the hot and though Philby’s 400-mile waterless crossing cold weather of the deserts. In this connec- was an amazing feat, both he and Thomas tion, it is time to revisit the classic books on adopted relatively easier routes. Thesiger the subject penned by Sir Wilfred Thesiger. crossed both the eastern and western “Sands” His books The Marsh Arabs (1964) and Des- - the Bedu term for the Empty Quarter- over ert, Marsh And Mountain (1979), his autobi- steep 215 meter high dunes. ography The Life Of My Choice (1987), his Thesiger’s books on his travel through portfolio of superb monochrome photos, Vi- Arabia throws spotlight on Bedu Arabs, their sions Of A Nomad (1987), and his description lifestyles, their culture, their relationship with of the traditional life of the Bedu, Arabian the desert, camels, etc. Assigned by the Unit- Sands (1959), continue to inspire, enrich and ed Nations Food and Agricultural Organiza- inform. His books crease on countenances tion (FAO) to study the movement of locusts of men and women who lived harsh lives in on the Peninsula, he began to travel and live inhospitable conditions with smiles writ on with the Bedouins and, eventually, cross and their faces, which have been depicted through re-cross the Empty Quarter. his black and white and images. I had the privilege of reading the Desert, Vast sweeps of sand dunes Marsh And Mountain - The World of a No- Spanning more than 2.6 million square mad (Motivate Publishing, Dubai) and found kilometers and covering today’s Kingdom it extremely engrossing and got transported to of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Sultanate the Empty Quarter as I was shuffling the pag- of Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates es on the subject. When I was in Oman I had and Yemen, the Peninsula is home to world’s penetrated 100-km deep into the Sharqiyah most inhospitable terrain and climatic condi- Sands (popularly called Wahiba Sands) driv- tions. Until the 20th century, the vast sweeps ing a four-wheeler and we were not far away of sand dunes and gravel plains, the baking from the Empty Quarter and it was a fantastic heat and the food and water scarcity acted experience. That was just a very, very small as deterrents to European explorers in gen- part of the desert. I wonder how Thesiger and eral, and to cartographers especially. Despite others had crossed the Empty Quarter either hardships, Wilfred Thesiger undertook two walking or on camels covering thousand of epic journeys in the 1940s across the Rub ‘Al kilometers braving sandstorms, extremely hot Khali, or Empty Quarter, the largest single or cold weather and sometime hostile people. stretch of sand desert in the world and the sec- Must have been a really enduring journey. ond largest desert area after the Sahara and at Exploring the Arabia desert the same time the most forbidding, and least Thesiger was in the Arabia desert from penetrated region of Arabia. Even today these 1945-1950 covering Oman’s Dhofar region, journeys are being talked about and cher- Yemen’s Hadhramaut, southern Hejaz (King- ished. dom of Saudi Arabia), the Sulaiyil to Abu Before Thesiger it was Bertram Thomas, Dhabi route, the Trucial Coast (UAE) and In- an English diplomat and explorer, the first terior of Oman. The book captures the wide officially documented Westerner to cross the scope of his voyage and his affinity with the Empty Quarter riding a camel in 1931, fol- nomadic way of life. lowed by St. John Bridger Philby in 1932, and Thesiger writes, “I arrived in Dhaufar

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Rajab40.indd 55 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM (Dhofar - Oman), on the southern coast of Pakistan’s Chitral and Hunza, Afghanistan’s Arabia, in October 1945, and stayed in the Hazajarat and Nuristan and then Yemen. RAf staging camp near the small town of Sa- In Arabia Sands (published 1959), an in- lala (now spelled Salalah, capital of Dhofar ternational bestseller, Thesiger documents a region), where the airmen were strictly con- journey of unimaginable hardship and stun- fined to their camp to avoid incidents with the ning beauty, as well as a time, place and peo- tribesmen. I had come to Arabia resolved to ple on the cusp of change. Through his ac- resolve the Empty Quarter. It was one of the counts, he conveyed his declaration of love few places left where I could satisfy an urge for the Bedouin Arabs, whose harsh way of to go where others had not been.” life he had shared. It was in 1946 and 1947 that Sir Wilfred His another book, Marsh Arabs, (1964) made his first crossing, traveling by camel Thesiger chronicled the seven years he and escorted by a motley group of Bedu Ar- spent, from 1951 to 1958, among the Madan abs and taking a circular route through the (Marsh) Arabs of the expansive marshlands eastern part of the desert from Salalah, on the at the confluence of the Tigris and the Euphra- Arabian Sea coast, to Mughshin, Khaba and tes Rivers in southern Iraq. back to Boi. Armed with Arabic language, he could dis- In 1948 he made his second crossing, tra- tinguish and understand the Arabic spoken in versing the western part of the desert from Oman, Iraq, Syria, Morocco, the Hijaz, Egypt Manwakh to Sulaiyil, Laila and Abu Dhabi on and among the Bedouin of Saudi Arabia. He the Arabian Gulf. Besides, he journeyed to always believed to be one among Bedu one Oman’s Dhofar and Hadramaut and to Oman has to adopt their lifestyle. Thesiger said, “I and the Persian Gulf states. refused to wear sunglasses, even though the Once Thesiger was asked if the beauty of glare off the sands was murderous. I didn’t the desert was worth the loneliness and isola- want any advantage over the Bedouin.” His tion, he said, “I was with the Bedu constantly, dress was a loin-cloth and a long, unironed the Bedu brought the empty desert to life. thawb, and at night slept on his saddle rug There was no privacy in the desert.” next to his camel. Besides the deserts of Arabia, Thesiger Thesiger was surprised to see Arabia 27 also journeyed Persia and Kurdistan (Iraq) years after left it. Modernity was getting vis- and the marshes of southern Iraq, and also to ible and even Bedu Arabs were becoming part

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Rajab40.indd 56 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM of it. In 1977 he was received with warmth. Thesiger demonstrated remarkable s em- He was featured on a stamp by Abu Dhabi. pathy towards the tribal people with whom He once said, “The attraction of my trips he had developed a sense of bonhomie, his is that life was reduced to bare essentials. I love to animals, his innate spiritual feeling could load my entire belongings onto a camel for the controlling power of the land itself. in 10 minutes. We clutter and obsess our- One of the world’s last explorers, The- selves with possessions, houses, cars ... The siger’s travels were by non-mechanical means Empty Quarter was great precisely because I of transport; he walked, rode camels or, used did manage without ‘possessions.’ Motors es- reed boats to navigate the marshes. Without pecially destroy the magic of a place for me. I maps but with the help of local Bedu Arabs was shocked to see Philby motoring into Mar- Theisger undertook his journey. ib... [and] just before I left the marshes in Iraq Death of Thesiger hydrofoil boats were introduced to replace the Wilfred Thesiger passed away in 2002 in a reed taradas used for 5,000 years.” retirement home in Coulsdon, Surrey. He was The bond which he developed with the no- 1993. Long before his death he donated his mads of Asia and Africa endured the whole priceless collection of 25,000 negatives to the of his life. His insistence that he lived as they Pitt-Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, did and endured the same privations allowed and the manuscripts of his books to Eton. him insights into their cultures and a respect Portrait that was unique. Thesiger was born on June 3, 1910, at the He once remarked, “We marched 12 hours British Legation in Addis Ababa, where his fa- a day, at times for weeks on end, with a pint ther served as the British minister at the court of water a day and little or no food. Daily fare of the Emperor of Abyssinia, as Ethiopia was might consist of a single biscuit - Even the then known. He received education at Eton Bedu considered it starvation rations; [and] and Magdalen College in Oxford. Five years our camels scrounged grasses left over from with the Sudan Political Service led him to rains four years before.” barely known regions of the Anglo-Egyptian Writing in his autobiography, The Life of Sudan, and to a major Saharan journey which My Choice, he said, “There was of course the deepened his intense feeling for the desert. lure of the unknown; there was the constant After participating at the World War 2, he de- test of resolution and endurance. Yet those voted himself single-mindedly to the life of travels in the Empty Quarter would have been his choice: seeking always the unknown land, for me a pointless penance but for the com- the unchartered mountain ranges, the inhos- radeship of my Bedu companions.” Thesiger pitable desert, the unspoilt tribe, the society recollects repeatedly how he was forced to untouched by Western ethos. leave his adopted tribal home as revolutions, In 1934, Sir Wilfred joined the Sudan Po- political and technological, forced him out of litical Service which then administered Sudan the latest variation of nomadic life to which on behalf of Britain and Egypt. He then joined he had adapted. Be it the Empty Quarter, or Britain’s elite Special Air Service. Then came in the marshes, and later the mountains, The- his travels which I have touched upon in the siger did savor an uninhibited sense of physi- preceding paras of this write-up. His books cal and emotional freedom. continue to inspire and endure even today.

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Rajab40.indd 57 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM ISLAMIC VIEW ON THE CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS OF RELIGIOUS CRISES IN NIGERIA

By Busari, K.K.

Nigeria is a pluralistic society, culturally, politically and reli- giously. A pluralistic society according to Oshitelu (1997, p. 86) is a society with many different cultural and religious groups. He submits further that plurality and pluralism have become common terms in modern society whereas in about two hundred years ago, African society might not be called a pluralistic soci- ety in terms of religion but today, there exists ethnic, religious and political pluralism.

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Rajab40.indd 58 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Speaking on pluralism, Sulaiman (2000, p. have spoken out against killing people in 37) asserts that plurality cannot be wished the name of religion. away, nor decreed out of existence, it is a This was a big lie. It is the Christians permanent feature of the society, and will in the South that were crumbs. Some oth- endure as long as society endures. ers used to say that Nigeria membership of The problem we face in Nigeria as a plu- the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ralistic society is that we could not tap the (O.I.C.) is the root of all religious crises in vast benefits inherent in plurality. Instead, Nigeria. They are pretenders. They, more we stuffy them by the incessant fundamen- often than not closed their eyes on some talist activities, religious fanaticism and of the struggles between the Christians and crises, religious discriminations and intol- the Muslims as enumerated above under the erance, social crises and religious riots that theology of Christian Muslim relations in occurred in many parts of the country in the Nigeria. recent past. The thrust of this paper is to examine the causes of religious crises and Causes of Religious Crises in Nigeria riots and their effects on the society. Rec- Religious violence has been rampant in our ommendations will be made and conclusion society (Nigeria). No section or zone of the shall be drawn to serve as suggested solu- country that has not suffered from religious tions to the menace. crises of one form or the other. Below are some causes of religious violence/crises in Etiology and Effect of Religious Crises in Nigeria: Nigeria Many scholars, religious people, politicians, 1. The Press clergymen, and press-men had used many The Nigerian Press is another factor that adjectives to describe some of the crises that determines whether or not a case should erupted in this country. The summary of the be given a religious colouration. Frankly genesis of one crises or their other is “re- speaking, reactions of Muslims to Chris- ligious” whereas, some are political, some tians or Christians to Muslims could be es- are tribal, while some are truly religious. sentially determined by mass media report The problem in the main, for Nigerians (Akinyemi, 2001, p. 266). is that, they always overlook the fact of his- Media practitioners are at liberty to de- tory and dwell unnecessarily on superfluous termine which incidents is newsworthy, issues and lies. For example, speaking on what and what are inimical to their faith “Inter-religious Dialogue and nation-build- and that should not be published and which ing” Isizoh (2000, p. 1) says: event out of the many events covered by The recent introduction of the Islamic them is against the other religion that should Shari’ah system of justice in some states be made public. Without any iota of doubt, of the country has not gone down well mass media reports or news bulletins, news with a good number of Nigerians. Violence analysis and features can play a positive or a has erupted in some parts of the country; negative role in the Christian-Muslim rela- many lives have been lost and properties tions, depending on the background, the in- destroyed. Many well-meaning Nigerians tention and the orientation of the journalist

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Rajab40.indd 59 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM concerned (Akinyemi, 2001, p. 266). Akinyemi (2001, p. 264) assents that natu- 2. Unnecessary Claim to Superiority rally, Islam and Christianity have mission- This is a very serious factor for religious ary tendencies calling people to the worship tension in Nigeria. Such provocative state- of God is an obligatory duty to Muslims and ment or unnecessary claim to superiority Christians. He cited Qur’an 16:12 which includes: “Awon Elesin Imole (The Muslim says “call to the way of your Lord and Sus- Fundamentalists), “Awon Bakatabi” (The tainer with wisdom and fair counseling” and Unbelievers: Christians). The Christian the Bible, John 12:49 as saying “he gave me would say, Jesus is the only way, nobody commandment (preaching about the king- can get to the father except through him” dom of God) what I should say and I should Muslims would say, “There is no other re- speak”. ligion acceptable to God besides Islam”. However, we found that in attempt to ful- These are few of the common statements fill these scriptural injunctions most people and claims the adherents of Islam and Chris- overdo it that their actions resulted in reli- tianity make in offices, classrooms/lecture gious tension. Our assertion here has bear- room, hospitals, in buses, etc. it has got to a ing with what Isizol (2002, p. 1) says that ridiculous stage that in the west, or Yoruba- Nigerian has more tribes than most coun- land some Muslim landlords and landladies tries of the worlds thus in some places there will never give their houses to Christian ten- are either too many followers of one religion ants and similarly some Christian landlord and too few of others, hence efforts by one or landladies will never give their houses to group to expand its followership has always Muslim tenants. Muslims should recollect been resisted by the other. He submits that that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon this expansionist tendency of one group and him) lived with non-Muslims while in Ma- resistance attitudes of the other group has dinah. Therefore, Muslims should imbibe been a major cause of religious tension or the practice of the Prophet Muhammad in crisis in this country. The unfortunate thing their lives. in such circumstance is that such a religious group that resisted conversion of its mem- 3. Evangelical Zeal bers to other religion would be called names

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Rajab40.indd 60 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM like fundamentalists, fanatics, etc. by the due to the Middle-belters resentment to the lovers of the group that wanted to increase Fulanis in no uncertain terms and embraced its followership. Christianity. The Colonial masters seized that opportunity to sow seed of discord be- 4. Political Factor tween the northern Muslims and Christians The political factor is a fundamental issue (National Concord, 1987, p. 4). in religious crises in Nigeria. Remember The creation of twelve (12) states by that we had earlier asserted that most of the General Yakubu Gowon was a strategy de- clashes/riots, which led to the destruction of signed for the purpose of stopping the Bi- lives and properties occurred in the north- afra Republic from being succeeded and ern part of Nigeria. The frequencies of riots secondly to break and limit the power of the in the north might be due to the determined Sultan of Sokoto. The advice was given by efforts of some southern to achieve what a powerful southern politician who was an the colonial masters could not achieve. Im- advocate of the decentralization of the north mediately after the amalgamation of 1914, and the very personality was nursing post all efforts by the colonialists to penetrate military ambition of ruling this country (Na- Hausa culture as Islam did were resisted be- tional Concord, 1987, p. 4). Unfortunately cause of the incompatibility of the Europe- the ambitions did not materialize in the post an culture with that of Hausa culture. More- military presidential election of 1979. over, some northern tribes of the middle belt Since 1977, religious crises have in one joined Christianity that was not due to the form or the other occurred and reoccurred in evangelical efforts of the Missionaries but Nigeria in general and the north in particular.

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Rajab40.indd 61 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM The What should be understood and be hap- random but spontaneous reoccurrence of re- py about the Muslim is that compulsion is ligious crises in the north can be genuinely incompatible with Islam, because the reli- explained only in terms of politics and is gion depends upon faith and will, and these underlying dialectics of tribes. would be meaningless if induced by force. Truth and error have been so clearly shown Guideline to the Muslims on Interactions up by the mercy of Allah that there should Islam makes provisions for homogenous or be no doubt in the minds of any persons of pluralistic society. It makes a categorical goodwill as to the fundamentals of faith. statement in Qur’an 2:256 that “Let there be Surely Allah’s protection is continuous, and no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out His plan is always to lead us from the depths clear from error: whoever reject Taghut and of darkness into the clearest light (Ali, 1401 believes in Allah has grasped the most truth AH). worthy hand-hold that never breaks”. Muslims should stay clear of anything

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Rajab40.indd 62 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM that would be tantamount to religious ministers, Muslims, Alfas, tutors, adminis- clashes, religious fanaticism or religious trators, politicians etc. should be exposed to fundamentalism. Destructions of lives and religious dialogue and inter-faith relations. properties have no basic in Islam. Even the enemies of Islam and their properties were References protected by Prophet Muhammed. The Abdulrahman, I. (2001). Management of Holy Qur’an (Surat Al-Imran, Verse 159) Religious Conflict in Nigeria: The Form of says, “And had you been severe and harsh- Government Intervention, Ife Psychologia, hearted, they would have broken away from Vol. 9, No. 3. about you.” Adelowo, E.D. (1979). Islam and Chris- The guideline on Dawah from the tian Church in Yorubaland in the Second Qur’anic point of view is that all Muslim Half of The Nineteenth Century: A Critical dawah groups should avoid the use of harsh Study of the Interplay of Religions In, Mala, languages and be modest in the choice of S.B., Boluade, E.B., Balogun, I.A.B., Eno- words, to be polite, courageous and cheer- mate, J.M. Dopamu, P.A. Kenneth, E. and ful in the general approach to the people of Oseni, Z.I. (eds) Religion. A Journal of the other faith. Nigerian Association for the Study of Reli- Muslims and Christians should tolerate gions, (NASR) Ibadan, Vol. 4. one another. There is no other country for Akinyemi, D.Y. (2001). Religious Dia- us to go. Sulaiman (2000 p. 38) advises that logue: A tool for Sustaining Democratic we allow in Nigeria all the social, econom- Governance in Nigeria in Ismail, B.R., Oje- ic, developmental, legal, and civilization bode, P.A., and Afolabi, S.O. (editors) Chal- choices available to us operate and compete lenges of DemocraticGovernance in Nige- with each other on equal terms without let ria, Oyo, Odumatt Publishers. or hindrance. Fr. Isizoh, C.O. (2001 p.1). Opening Ad- dress – Read at a Seminar on Interreligious Recommendations Dialogue Commission, Ibadan. Firstly, Muslims should respect Christians National Concord: Causes of Religious and Christians should also respect Muslims Crisis in Nigeria (4), Lagos, Friday May 8, and stop calling each other names. They 1987, p. 4. should refrain from incitement or provoca- Oshitelu, G.A. (1999). “Religious Fun- tive statements against each other. damentalism in a Pluralistic Society” in Secondly, there should be religious toler- Orita – Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, ance on both sides. Unhealthy rivalries, pet- Vol. XXX 1/1-2 June and December. ty jealous should become things of the past. Sulaiman, S. (2000). Sustainable Gov- Akinyemi’s (2001, p. 269) idea should be ernance Selected Works of Ibraheem Sulai- bought. He recommends that government man Kano, Nigeria, The International Insti- should introduce inter-religious dialogue tute of Islamic Thought. and inter-faith relations into the curriculum Yusuff Ali (1410 A.H.). The Holy Qur’an: at all levels primary, secondary and tertiary English Translation of the Meanings and institutions in Nigeria. commentary. Al-madinah Al-muhawarahi, Thirdly, journalists, broadcasters, church King Fahd Holy Qur’an Printing Complex.

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Rajab40.indd 63 21/07/1440 AH 12:20 PM Steps taken to meet growing demand of Zamzam water

Arab News The construction of the new plant began in 2014. Originally consisting of The very mention of the word “Za- two production lines, a third was added mzam” evokes a feeling of awe in the in 2017, which massively increased hearts of the faithful. Zamzam water is production capacity. With the water be- considered holy in Islam. ing dispensed into 200 milliliter bottles, It is found in a 30 meter well in it means that the plant can produce well the basement of the Grand Mosque in in excess of 150,000 bottles per hour. Makkah, about 20 meters east of the The bottles are then distributed to Ka’aba. The water is believed to pos- pilgrims upon arrival in Makkah, and, sess healing qualities, and is treated under the Zamzam Water Additional with reverence by all Muslims. Services program, are also made avail- The Saudi government takes special able near the central area of Makkah’s measures to ensure there is an uninter- Grand Mosque and in other holy places, rupted supply of the water to the Two such as Mina and Arafat. Holy Mosques all year round, and to pilgrims during the Hajj and Umrah seasons. In addition to the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Zamzam Water Project, the Zamzam bottling plant operates with a separate mission under the United Of- fice of Zamazemah in Makkah. Zamzam water is bottled and dis- tributed by the King Abdullah bin Ab- dulaziz Zamzam Water Project, which is operated by the National Water Co., and whose new bottling plant can pro- duce up to 30,000 liters per hour.

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