DAÑWAH IN CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE SOCIETY: A CASE STUDY OF TOKYO MOSQUE BY MUHAMMAD ABDUR RAHMAN SIDDIQI A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia AUGUST 2014 ABSTRACT This is a case study on Tokyo Mosque and the daÑwah activities in Japan among contemporary Japanese and local Muslims. It deals with the arrival of Muslims in Japan and the establishment of Islamic daÑwah organizations and mosques. It studies the Muslim perception and sensitivities in the context of the current daÑwah situation in the Japanese society and relations with various religions and culture of Japan. The main aim of this research is to explore and analyse the origin of the organised daÑwah activities at Tokyo Mosque and its impact. This study also traces the inner problematic issues related to daÑwah and its challenges for the realization of peaceful coexistence among the Muslims and Japanese in Japan. The thesis specially focuses on the debate and dialogue of the Muslims with the followers of other religions and cultures in Japan as this will decide the future attitude of IslÉm and Muslims in Japan and its relation to the Japanese community. It attempts to assess the structure, organization and the pivotal role of Tokyo Mosque and its educational activities. It explores the position of IslÉm and Muslims and their interaction with a completely different culture of Emperor worship of the past and a highly modernized, industrial and civilized nation. This includes the study of the strategy Muslims have adopted for daÑwah and their fresh understanding and analysis with reference to Tokyo Mosque. It deals, therefore, with Muslim participation and cooperation in dialogue, welfare and social activities with other religions. It discusses the salient features of Japanese culture and community and IslÉm and local Muslim community. Feasibility of IslÉm and its compatibility in the Japanese society has been studied to identify the progress of daÑwah in Japan. An additional objective of this study is to examine the social and cultural development between Muslims and non-Muslims from the early days of the arrival of IslÉm in Japan. Expectations and apprehensions of the Muslims have also been identified. The thesis also analyses how far the Muslims are ready to consider sensitive issues arising due to the construction of mosques and the expansion of daÑwah activities in Japan. The thesis further discusses the problems faced by the new generation of Muslims in Japan in holding fast to their Islamic belief and practicing the Islamic traditions in a non-Muslim, godless and atheistic society. Finally, it investigates how Muslims in Japan face and overcome the apparent materialistic society of Japan, which has now become their home. The thesis is followed by a conclusion and some recommendations. ii خﻻصة البحث إن رسالة الدكتوراه هي دراسة حول مسجد طوكيو وأنشطتها الدعوة اﻹسﻻمية بني املسلمني اليابانيني واملقيمني يف اليابان. وإهنا تقدم فكرة عن وصول املسلمني يف اليابان الذين أسسوا املساجد وكونوا اجلمعيات اﻹسﻻمية هنا. وإهنا تقدم التصور اﻹسﻻمي واحلساسيات يف سياق وضع الدعوة اﻹسﻻمية احلاضرة يف اجملتمع الياباين والعﻻقات الثقافية مع خمتلف اﻷديان يف اليابان. واهلدف الرئيسي من هذه الدراسة هو استكشاف وحتليل أنشطة الدعوة اﻹسﻻمية اليت تنممها مسجد طوكيو وأررها يف اليابان. وإهنا تقدم أيضا القضايا واملشاكل الداخلية املتعلقة للدعوة اﻹسﻻمية وحتدياهتا لتحقيق التعايش السلمي بني غري املسلمني يف اليابان.وهذه الرسالة تركز بشكل خاص على املناقشة واحلوار بني املسلمني مع أتباع اﻷديان اﻷخرى والثقافات املختلفة يف اليابان حيث يؤدي ذلك إىل حتديد موقف مستقبل اﻹسﻻم واملسلمني يف اليابان وعﻻقتهم باجملتمع الياباين. وإهنا حماوﻻت لتقييم هيكل وتنميم للدور احملوري واﻷنشطة التعليمية ملسجد طوكيو. وإهنا تستكشف موقف اﻹسﻻم واملسلمني وتفاعلهم مع رقافة خمتلفة متاما من عبادة اﻹمرباطور يف املاضي، ولكن الشعب الياباين يف الوقت الراهن أصبح قوما متقدما للحضارة والصناعة والتقدم التكنالوجي. وإهنا تشمل اسرتاتيجية جديدة لفهم وحتليل املسلمني يف مسجد طوكيو للدعوة اﻹسﻻمية. وإهنا تتعامل مع مشاركة وتعاون املسلمني يف أنشطة احلوار والعمل اخلريي مع اﻷديان اﻷخرى. وإهنا تقدم السمات البارزة للثقافة اليابانية واجملتمع الياباين واﻹسﻻم واملسلمني يف اليابان. وإهنا دراسة اجلدوى لﻹسﻻم وتوافقه يف اجملتمع الياباين لتحديد التقدم للدعوة اﻹسﻻمية يف اليابان.وإهنا تقدم دراسة التنمية اﻹجتماعية والثقافية بني املسلمني وغري املسلمني من اﻷيام اﻷوىل من وصول اﻹسﻻم يف اليابان. وكما إهنا تسجل حتديد التوقعات واملخاوف من املسلمني يف اليابان. وإهنا تقدم أيضا دراسة حماوﻻت مدى املسلمني مستعدون للنمر يف القضايا احلساسة اليت تنشأ بسبب بناء املساجد والتوسع يف أنشطة الدعوة اﻹسﻻمية يف اليابان.وإهنا تناقش مزيدا من املشاكل اليت يواجهها اجليل اجلديد من املسلمني يف اليابان يف التمسك بعقديتهم وإمياهنم وممارسة التقاليد اﻹسﻻمية يف بلد غري مسلم، ويف جمتمع ملحد.وأخريا، إهنا حتقق يف كيفية املسلمني يف اليابان وتواجهم وتللبهم على اجملتمع املادي يف اليابان، واليت أصبحت وطنهم اﻵن. وتتبع هذه الرسالة ملخصها وبعض التوصيات أيضا. iii APPROVAL PAGE The thesis of Muhammad Abdur Rahman Siddiqihas been examined and is approved by the following; ___________________________________ Muhammad Mumtaz Ali Supervisor ____________________________________ Thameem Ushama Internal Examiner ___________________________________ Yoshiaki Sanada External Examiner ______________________________________ Ismaiel Hassanein Ahmed Chairperson iv DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references and a bibliography is appended. Muhammad Abdur Rahman Siddiqi Signature.......……..........… date........………….......………….. v INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH Copyright © 2014 by Muhammad Abdur Rahman Siddiqi DAÑWAH IN CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE SOCIETY: A CASE STUDY OF TOKYO MOSQUE No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writ ing with due acknowledgement. 2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes. 3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries. Affirmed by Muhammad Abdur Rahman Siddiqi . ……………………………… ……………………………… Signature Date vi To the 586 out 655 noble martyrs of the marine official goodwill delegation sent by SulÏÉn Abd al-×amÊd II of Ottoman empire to Japan. These noble souls sacrificed their lives as an investment for IslÉm in Japan when their ship Al-Thugral capsized in the south Japan Sea near Wakayama on September 16, 1891. My sincere dedication goes to all past and present workers and leaders of the daÑwah movement in Japan and all over the world vii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS Is there any reward for good other than good? (Al-Qur’Én, al-RaÍmÉn:60). A person is made by so many other persons who have helped him to be what he is today. There is nothing like a self-made man, though many people claim so. The man as he exists today is a combination and mixture of training, education, culture and environment in which he has spent a part of his life, in my case it is Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Malaysia. The support, encouragement, initiative and various kinds of cooperation all put together makes a person what he is now. I recall vividly how the short tafsÊr of SËrat al-FÉtiÍah under the title Umm al-KitÉb written by my father, Mohammad Nematullah Siddiqi inspired me and I said to myself that one day I too will write something after doing research. So the dream came true. “Man proposes and God disposes.” Looking with the background stated above, I acknowledge with a sense of pride that I was accepted by International Islamic University Malaysia, the garden of knowledge and virtue for writing this thesis. I was lucky to find a friendly supervisor in the personality of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mumtaz Ali, Associate Professor, Department of UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences. His untiring and continued support to my thesis brightened it and made it an authentic document. Saying thanks to him is too little a word for his kind and encouraging patronship throughout. Dr. Mumtaz took time out of his busy teaching schedule, book writing and many academic projects to check and supervise my thesis to make it presentable. Before proceeding, I respectfully record with thanks, the immense moral support given to me and to my doctoral project by Prof. Dato’ Sri Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin, Rector, IIUM. An important personality who initially induced me to Ph.D project is Tan Sri Prof. Mohd. Kamal Hasan, the former Rector of IIUM. This happened when I first met him at his library type chamber and presented him my book in English, ‘IslÉm Shines in Japan’ and ‘Exploring IslÉm in Japan’ in Japanese personally. In just in a short discussion with him, I was convinced by him to go for a Ph.D. and Dr. Kamal personally took me to Prof. Dr. Thameem Ushama, Head of the Department of UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion who very kindly gave me important guidelines and suggestions and made me feel that Ph.D. at IIUM is possible for me. This was the beginning of a new chapter of my academic career after graduating from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo in 1963 and completing M.A. Islamic Studies in 1986 from Karachi University, Pakistan. Before I go to a long list of my supporters and helpers, I wish to thank my talented friend Mr. Sayyed Mohamed Muhsin, Research Assistant to Dr. Mumtaz Ali. He devoted his time and took special pains to reset the draft of the thesis with corrections to meet the requirements of the University.