January, 2003

Muslims and contemporary Islamic relations [Intoduction]

Anwar Al-Hawary

Why is this our chosen topic? In short, because Islam as a religion, the communities of those who adhere to it, and its cultural and political manifestations are all today at a serious turning point. This, of course, is not the first time Islamic civilisation has come under attack, and so far it has demonstrated its historic resilience and ability to withstand internal and external forces against it.

Today, Islam faces a very specific challenge to its existence. There appears to be a clear intent on the part of the United States to undermine Islamic civilisation by forcing it to abandon the very foundations of its existence, and to reorganise itself according to US rules if it is to be allowed to survive. The concepts of 'globalisation' and 'clash of civilisations' are based on the same implicit assumption: Islamic civilisation must disappear in order for the rest of the world to be able to get on with growth, prosperity and peaceful coexistence.

It is true that Islamic civilisation has been stumbling, for several centuries now, in its pursuit of modernisation. It is only fair to recognise, however, that the West has deliberately hampered these efforts, and has helped to strengthen the internal impediments to change. Efforts at Islamic revival continue, persistent and undaunted, even if the desired outcome has yet to be achieved. Yet this failure should not be taken as an excuse for the United States to impose a definition of development and modernity on the Islamic community. This will only result in a new crisis, placing Islamic societies in confrontation with the outside world, in addition to their ongoing domestic struggles.

It is clear that issues concerning the Islamic world today - its culture, politics, society and resources - have become of great interest to the general public as well as within the field of international relations. This file represents a step in the direction of addressing these issues with the serious deliberation they merit. It is our belief that Islamic civilisation can only flourish through interaction with other civilisations, and that Islamic societies will only achieve modernity through a well-measured degree of integration with the modern world. It is vitally important, however, that this integration does not take place under US coercion.