Optimization of American Interfaith Dialogue
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OPTIMIZATION OF AMERICAN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE BASED ON QURAN AND PROPHETIC TRADITION by HISHAM M. QURESHI (Under the Direction of Alan Godlas) ABSTRACT When national American interests, such as religious freedom and respect for all, are undermined by both "Islamophobic" Americans and "Isolationist" American-Muslims, then Interfaith Dialogue needs to be prioritized and optimized. Unfortunately, American Muslims face several theological, psychological, social, financial, and administrative challenges that limit interfaith dialogue. A literature review guides to Diana Eck's "pluralism" as most conducive environment to prioritize interfaith dialogue. Despite negative perceptions that Islam teaches isolation and exclusion, Quran and Prophetic tradition actually discourages "isolation" and encourages "pluralistic" interfaith dialogue per Diana Eck's definition. While a minority of "literalist" Muslims do practice "isolation," this study shows that majority of Muslims promote “pluralism,” while utilizing 1400 years old "traditional" methodology. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis of Qur’ān shows that while there is no internal priority to proselytize non-Muslims, the priority for developing interfaith relations is just as high as mandatory acts of worship. INDEX WORDS: Islam, Muslim, Minority, American Muslim, Qur’ān, Hadith, Interreligious relations, Interfaith Dialogue, Priority, traditional, integration, Pluralism, Literalist, Exclusionary, Isolationist, Religious Freedom, Acts of Worship. OPTIMIZATION OF AMERICAN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE BASED ON QURAN AND PROPHETIC TRADITION by HISHAM M. QURESHI B.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1996 M.B.A., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2005 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2018 © 2018 Hisham M. Qureshi All Rights Reserved OPTIMIZATION OF AMERICAN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE BASED ON QURAN AND PROPHETIC TRADITION by HISHAM M. QURESHI Major Professor: Alan Godlas Committee: Sandy Wayne Kenneth Honerkamp Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2018 iv DEDICATION Alḥamdulillāh! To my mother Malika - May God Bless Her. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Alḥamdulillah! I would like to thank my parents, especially my mother for her continuous and unconditional love and care. I would also like to thank all my teachers for questioning my work and generously answering my questions. Also, I would also like to thank my MA thesis committee advisors Dr. Alan Godlas, Dr. Sandy Martin, and Dr. Honerkamp for their generous guidance on this project. Additionally, I would like to thank my teacher Dr. Muhammad Yahya Al Ninowy for initiating me in the field of Islamic sciences. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends from around the world, who supported me in all my ups and my downs. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 CURRENT ISSUES IN AMERICAN-MUSLIM COMMUNITIES ................1 American Islamophobia ...............................................................................2 American Muslims’ Isolationism .................................................................6 American Muslims’ Exclusivism .............................................................. 10 2 INTERFAITH-DIALOGUE IS NEEDED BUT CHALLENGED ..................14 American Muslim Population and Demographics .....................................17 Mosques in America ..................................................................................18 Imams and Mosque Administration ...........................................................19 General Approach to Interpretation and Community Outreach .................24 Challenges Reducing Priority for Interfaith Dialogue ...............................26 3 SOLUTIONS FROM CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARS ..............................37 View of Others Religions: Exclusion, Inclusion, and Pluralistic...............39 Types of Social Participation: Isolation, Integration, & Assimilation .......45 Types of Scriptural Hermeneutics: Literal, Traditional, & Liberal ...........49 Optimized Interfaith Dialogue Model ........................................................63 vii 4 COMPARISON WITH QURAN AND PROPHETIC TRADITION .............80 Islamic Teachings Do Not Support Isolation and Assimilation ................71 Islamic Teaching Fully Support Diana Eck’s Pluralism ............................75 Islamic Teachings Encourage Non-Triumphal Dialogue ..........................78 Priority of Interfaith Relations versus Acts of Worship ............................81 5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................98 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................102 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................108 A AMERICAN MUSLIM POPULATION BY STATE AND CITY ...............108 B MAP OF MUSLUM CONCENTRATION IN USA .....................................109 C ḤADĪTH JIBRĪL ...........................................................................................110 D LOW-PRIORITY REVELATIONS WITHOUT SPECIFIC COMMANDS 112 E HIGH-PRIORITY COMMANDS SPECIFIC TO BELIEVERS ..................113 F QURANIC TEXT SUPPORTING INTERFAITH RELATIONS .................128 G HERMENEUTIC METHODOLOGY AND PLURALISM SUMMARY ....132 H MAP OF DIFFERENT INTERFAITH DIALOGUE EFFORTS ..................133 viii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1: Distribution of Hermeneutic Approaches in USA ............................................25 Table 3.1: Alan Race’s model-terminology for viewing other’s religious truth................40 Table 3.2: Amjad Mohammed’s Relationship Model........................................................49 Table 3.3: Summary of Original Interfaith Dialogue with Hermeneutic Methodology ....63 Table 4.1: Quranic revelation allowing for treating verses differently ..............................83 Table 4.2: Example of High Priority Revelation Without Imperative Command .............84 Table 4.3: Quranic Verse Relating Islām and Īmān ...........................................................86 Table 4.4: Quranic Verse Relating Īmān, Iḥsān, and Ṭaqwā .............................................87 Table 4.5: Example of Quranic Revelations with Low-Priority Commands .....................89 Table 4.6: Example of Quranic Revelations With High-Priority Command .....................92 Table 4.7: Themes and Frequency of High-Profile Commands ........................................93 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2:1 Political Participation and Islamic Approach ...................................................25 Figure 3:1 Map For Categorizing Different Interfaith Dialogue Efforts ...........................67 CHAPTER 1 CURRENT ISSUES IN AMERICAN-MUSLIM COMMUNITIES يَا أَيﱡ َها النﱠا ُس إِ ﱠنا َخ َل ْق َنا ُكم ِّمن ذَ َك ٍر َوأُنثَ ٰى َو َجعَ ْل َنا ُك ْم ُشعُوبًا َو َق َبائِ َل ِلتَعَا َرفُوا ۚ 1 إِ ﱠن أَ ْك َر َم ُك ْم ِعن َد ﱠِ أَتْ َقا ُك ْم ۚ إِ ﱠن ﱠَ َع ِلي ٌم َخبِي ٌر O’ humankind, indeed We have created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples (groups) and tribes (so) that you may know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allāh is (all) knowing and (all) acquainted.2 In this above English translation of Qur’ān (49:13), God (Allāh) is the source for encouraging all humans from all religions “to know” (li-ta‘ārafū) one another; despite our differences in our gender, nation, tribes, color, or race. Yet, getting to really know each other has become a major challenge for most. According to President Bill Clinton who speaks from his experience at Government-level negotiations for peace, “too few people are committed to reconciliation through honest dialogue.”3 In the year 1893, the city of Chicago witnessed the first formal gathering of interreligious leaders under the “World’s Parliament of Religions” initiative, representing more than seven religions, including Bahai, Budhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jain, Judaism, and Islam.4 At the opening session of this conference, a crowd of seven- thousand cheered for two minutes to the conference’s opening salutation of the Hindu 1 “The Noble Qurān,” 49:13, last accessed May 2, 2017, https://quran.com/49/13. 2 Ibid., Translated by Sahih International. 3 Marc Rabbi Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali, Sons of Abraham (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2013), xii. 4 New World Encyclopedia, s.v. “Inter-religious dialogue,” last accessed December 2nd, 2017, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Inter-religious_Dialogue. 2 representative; a salutation which famously began with, “Sisters and Brothers of America”.5 The primary purpose of this gathering was to create a global dialogue of various faiths. So while interfaith dialogue in the United States has something of a history, with the “World’s Parliament of Religions” being a watershed moment, should American Muslims climb on the bandwagon? If so, why? What problems are American Muslims facing that interfaith