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The international
community has come to agree, through the institution of the
United Nations, on a body of human rights and interests which
Islam has always endorsed. This ought not to surprise anyone
if the basic realism, rationality and pragmatism of Islamic
law is recognized.
The critics
of Islam, however, insist that Islam and Muslims are openly
hostile and intolerant towards communities other than their
own. They refer to the Qur’anic verses that exhort the
believers to fight the infidels, they point to the battles
of early Islam and the eventual confrontation between the
Crusaders and the Saracens or Moors, and now, the contemporary
stereotype of the Arab “terrorist”.
It must
be noted that many Orientalists might object to this characterization
of their views on the question. Indeed many of them subscribe
to more nuanced positions. More recent scholarship has completely
abandoned the emotionally-charged vocabulary of earlier Orientalism.
It remains true, however, that Islam is still imagined as
threatening, fanatical, violent and alien by significant sections
of the world’s media.
In formulating
an answer to all of this, it is crucial to focus on a general
definition of Islam, so as not to fall into any misunderstanding
about Jihad and its place within the Din. The common expression
that Islam is a “way of life” has become hackneyed
to the point where we can well do without it. Islam is more
accurately described as “establishing the kingdom of
heaven on earth.”
This latter
statement must be carefully understood if we are to avoid
the superficial moralizing or equally misleading literalism
that characterizes much contemporary thinking about Islam.
It is far from desirable to simply quote, as an apparent show
of understanding, scriptural support for this or that personal
opinion we may have about a particular subject. Neither is
it enough to use Qur’anic or Prophetic texts without
adequate knowledge of the human situation and cultural milieu
in which they were revealed and first applied, as well as
the precedence of some verses over others based on order of
revelation or abrogation.
In other
words, context and circumstance of Qur’anic revelation
and Hadith are crucial in coming to terms with Jihad. It is
an error to judge Islam and Muslims in the light of the kind
of “Jihad” that has fallen victim to ideological
tendencies. The critic also has to be wary of the interpretation
of “Jihad” which is projected, and sometimes imposed,
by the selective “religious reformism” so rampant
today. They ignore central aspects of Islam’s intellectual
heritage, selectively repress important figures and disregard
Islam’s impeccable history of adherence to the standards
of law and justice in affairs of state.
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