‘If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out again?’ Well, obviously because we’re not done being stupid, and Sarah Palin hasn’t even started yet.
The loss of trillions of dollars in wars and irresponsible borrowing resulted in the US economic crisis, which in turn resulted in a high jobless rate, a drop in credit rating, and ‘deleveraging’.
The debt crisis in Europe raised spectres of default and austerity measures, and led to riots in Greece and other more unexpected places such as England which suddenly appears unsettlingly similar to Beirut.
The failure of governments in the Middle East also led to riots, death and destruction and the deposition of erstwhile rulers who either fled the country as in Tunisia, hang on grimly as in Libya, or as in the case of Egypt remained in the country, only to be brought to court in cages.
The full blown epileptic state of the world today makes occurrences such as the dissolution of the Soviet Union appear either like a very large twitch or a very small seizure.
Is all this plain stupidity, or is it that we are failing to consider all options?
The thought intrudes: has Islam a solution to offer?
Many of the problems besetting us today are apparently caused by what is seen as Islam – the armed ‘Islamic militants’ with their suicide vests and ‘jihadist ideals’.
And yet…
Yahya Hendi, an American imam and founder President of ‘Clergy Beyond Borders’ is also a Muslim Chaplin at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Recently he posted a comment on Facebook in which he defined the concept of Jihad:
“Jihad is not fighting in a combat zone that claims the lives of men and women. Instead, Jihad is to spiritually, mentally and physically say ‘no’ to all forms of evil including the evils of our souls.
Jihad is to say ‘no’ to hate, violence, revenge, and war. Jihad is to tell the truth, keep the promise and speak for justice for ALL. Jihad is to look after our earth and protect our water resources. Jihad is to stand up for women’s rights and of the poor.”
Those educated correctly in the teachings of Islam are well aware that this is so, and yet the world at large continues to associate jihad with militancy. If this is not the case, where else do the misconceptions lie?
The Islamic way of life (deen) covers the fields of banking, governance, social work, education, the rights of women, orphans, the old and sick. It covers the ‘etiquette’ of wars, social interaction, marriage, and much more. There is a great scope for misunderstanding within this huge range, and yet probably the biggest misunderstanding has been that the teachings of Islam are believed to be written in stone. It is a sad fact that for most people, Islam is all about whether or not to cover the hair, and whether or not to shake hands with strange men.
While some aspects of Islam are inviolable, such as its strict monotheism and the other four ‘pillars’, there was no way that a way of life meant to be for all times could be so prescriptive. It is obvious that what Islam teaches is a set of principles, based upon which rules may be formulated. And it is only if this is accepted that the religion can be applied, successfully.
Professor Rodney Wilson is the Director of the Finance Programme at the University of Durham which offers postgraduate degrees in Islamic banking systems. He says that an increasing number of people in the West are skeptical about (traditional) banking services, and that Islamic retail financial institutions are now well established in many Western countries. He also says that ‘Islamic banking and finance is about the emergence of a distinctively Islamic form of capitalism that may co-exist and interact with Western, Chinese, Russian or any other capitalism. Such a development should be welcomed and facilitated, and not be hindered or suppressed.’
The ADAMS mosque in Virginia offers more than prescribed prayer. It offers (to both men and women) computer, language and literacy classes, and its prayer hall doubles as a basketball court during off hours.
All those years ago, tolerance and coexistence with minorities was taught by Islam, and yet it is only now that members of the National Assembly of Pakistan expressed their approval of Jinnah’s dream of people being ‘free to go to their temples, mosques or any other place of worship.’
This column is not intended to be a religious rant. The idea is to point out the rather annoying tendency of putting down ideas without knowing much about them, and that we need to keep our options open or else we fail.
With the world in the mess it is in today, it is worth trying anything that sounds promising, although I for one draw the line at Sarah Palin, and I’m not ignorant about her, I’ve looked her up.