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Feb. 9, 2007
History brings truth
Look to the Islamic past for answers, says prof.
VERONIKA STEWART
In his controversial political theory entitled "Clash of Civilizations,"
Samuel Huntington describes Islamic religion as one plagued with
violence and that has and will always have "bloody borders."
But not all scholars agree.
"Bloody borders have two sides," according to Sarah Stroumsa,
professor of Arabic studies, Arabic language and literature and
of Jewish thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Stroumsa was guest speaker at last Sunday's fourth annual Rogow
Lecture, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Robert Rogow, which was
held at Beth Israel Synagogue. Stroumsa, whose topic was Free Thinking
and Free Speech in Classical Islam, With Implications for our Current
Times, explained that our current understanding of Islam is based
mainly on violent images portrayed in the media, providing a false
consciousness of the religion as a whole.
"Violence is not an essential part of Islam," she said.
Stroumsa discussed the types of media coverage that portray Islam
in a violent manner, using the example of the fatwa issued by Ayatollah
Rouhollah Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie for his book, Satanic
Verses.
The reaction to Rushdie's book, according to Stroumsa, served to
show how "fierce" Muslim reactions can be to those who
question their religion. This, she said, along with other events
like it, has resulted in a rise in religious tensions surrounding
the discussion of Islam.
"Public discourse concerning Islam has only become more emotionally
charged," Stroumsa declared. This discourse, she said, is also
often weighed down by both prejudice and diplomatic beating around
the bush.
She suggested that this diplomatic dance is often a result of the
speaker's identification as Christian, Jewish or Muslim. Because
anything said can be attributed to a certain point of view, words
must be chosen carefully.
Stroumsa said our understanding is "hindered by fear or prejudice."
She suggested that greater comprehension can be gained by looking
at the roots of contempt in classical Islamic studies, which is
a less politically charged and "safer" arena than contemporary
studies of Islam.
She went on to explain that modern clashes are directly tied to
history, through the persistent ideas of those she terms the "free-thinkers"
of the medieval era. She gave the example of the anti-Muslim writer
who uses the penname Ibn Warraq; a direct reference to a Middle
Eastern profit-questioning dissident from the ninth century. The
first among a short line of scholarly disciples, Ibn Warraq and
his followers, Ibn Al Rawandi and al-Razi, questioned the validity
of the prophet Mohammed (and all prophets for that matter), and
were labelled by contemporaries as heretics and atheists.
These anti-Islamic thinkers continue to be relevant today, Stroumsa
said, because they questioned the use of prophetic revelations as
an excuse for bloodshed that took place in the holy wars of that
era.
Stroumsa also said the memory of these thinkers, few and negligible
in influence as they were, is kept alive to unite Muslims against
those who question their beliefs and to excuse violence.
Stroumsa said, in the modern context, this excuse for violence is
relevant to the "gravely serious matter of humor" –
referring to the series of riots and violence that began after Danish
newspaper Jyllands Posten published controversial cartoon
depictions of the profit Mohammed. The effects of these cartoons,
she said, are still lingering, present in Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's "sickening" Holocaust cartoon contest.
At the time, she said, these cartoons were used by local religious
figures to promote violence among their followers. Stroumsa said
the cartoons were "often symbolic," and "not actually
representing the prophet." She added, though, that the whole
conflict could have been avoided, had the Danish newspaper not printed
the images.
"We should pick our battles," she said, citing women's
rights as a more worthy cause. "The issue of humor rights can
be left aside."
Stroumsa admitted, however, that it is simpler to analyze than to
offer a solution to the modern conflict surrounding Islam today.
She cited moderate Muslims as part of the solution, saying their
empowerment is necessary to curb the more radical side of the ideology.
Veronika Stewart is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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