Abstract
It is our hope that these few essays will be a humble step toward introducing Muslims and non-Muslims alike to the traditional Islamic teachings that are necessary for bringing an end to the agonizing failure that
has characterized relations between Islam and the West for too long. Our
intention is not to lay blame, for nothing is to be gained from an endless
cycle of recriminations. Our intention is only to identify the true nature
of the illnesses which now afflict both the Islamic world and the West. In
these flagitious times, when too much is determined by pelf and power,
and when world leaders believe their juxtaposed ideological monologues
constitute dialogue, there is an urgent need to move beyond subjective
blame to objective analysis. Though some may blame the West for many of
the illnesses in the Islamic world, the effects of colonization and globalization could never have been so far reaching had Muslims maintained their
traditional teachings. Though others may blame Islam for the spread of
wanton violence, such violence is a defining, if not the defining, feature of
the twentieth century, and certainly did not originate in the Islamic world.
In either case, neither Western civilization nor Islamic civilization can be
exonerated. In answering the question "what went wrong?" it is incumbent
upon us all to acknowledge that much has gone wrong the world over. To
look at the other and ask this question is to answer the question itself; for
what has gone wrong is that we of the West and we of the Islamic world
have foisted the blame for our folly upon one another, rather than taking
account of ourselves.
has characterized relations between Islam and the West for too long. Our
intention is not to lay blame, for nothing is to be gained from an endless
cycle of recriminations. Our intention is only to identify the true nature
of the illnesses which now afflict both the Islamic world and the West. In
these flagitious times, when too much is determined by pelf and power,
and when world leaders believe their juxtaposed ideological monologues
constitute dialogue, there is an urgent need to move beyond subjective
blame to objective analysis. Though some may blame the West for many of
the illnesses in the Islamic world, the effects of colonization and globalization could never have been so far reaching had Muslims maintained their
traditional teachings. Though others may blame Islam for the spread of
wanton violence, such violence is a defining, if not the defining, feature of
the twentieth century, and certainly did not originate in the Islamic world.
In either case, neither Western civilization nor Islamic civilization can be
exonerated. In answering the question "what went wrong?" it is incumbent
upon us all to acknowledge that much has gone wrong the world over. To
look at the other and ask this question is to answer the question itself; for
what has gone wrong is that we of the West and we of the Islamic world
have foisted the blame for our folly upon one another, rather than taking
account of ourselves.
Original language | English |
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Publisher | World Wisdom |
Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |