When I speak in Europe or America, there is one question I always know is coming: Why don’t Muslim religious leaders condemn violence? I try to explain that even though the western media doesn’t report on them, they do exist. There are many Muslim leaders who speak regularly against violence and present Islam as a religion that supports peace and coexistence.
Last week, I co-organized a weekend in Istanbul with 120 of these Muslim leaders, with a focus on the future of Afghanistan. They tackled hot issues like violence, peace, the misinterpretation of Islamic texts and the role of Muslim religious leaders in promoting peace. Click here to listen to a radio interview about the event. Below is a press release I wrote along with my George Mason University colleagues ahead of the conference.
ISTANBUL, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — From every province of Afghanistan, Imams and civil society leaders will meet together today with Islamic scholars for the first time during the Islamic Cooperation for a Peaceful Future in Afghanistan conference, an unprecedented gathering that opens today in Istanbul, Turkey. More than 80 Afghan scholars will meet with over 20 of the world’s most prestigious Muftis and Islamic scholars, with millions of followers across the world, from Pakistan to Indonesia.
The conference participants consider this gathering, discussion and commitment for peace and non-violence as the establishment of a historically significant point of reference for Islamic teachings of moderation, tolerance, peace and cooperation.
The conference is an academic forum created by the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University, together with a highly distinguished Afghanistan advisory board, Marmara University in Turkey, and the Grand Mufti of Istanbul. The conference is designed to foster and provide a safe venue for intensive conversations on peace, Islam and the future of Afghanistan. The conference opening will be observed by senior Turkish officials, senior diplomats from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), including U.S. President Barack Obama’s Special Envoy and the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Turkey.
The goal of the conference is to empower Afghan religious leaders who are committed to peace and cooperation, and help them create a tolerant civic space wherein the Afghan people and their leaders can jointly move toward stability, peace and prosperity.
Aziz Abu Sarah, Co-director of CRDC commented, “There are deep concerns about the use of religious interpretations—often misinterpretations—in justifying violence, particularly against civilians, religious leaders, places of worship, and cultural heritage in Afghanistan and beyond. I believe the participants hope for a responsible and pro-active role in peacemaking and peacebuilding via dialogue and non-violence.”
Neamatollah Nojumi, Senior Fellow of CRDC and critical architect of the project concluded, “This alignment of scholars inside and outside Afghanistan will give great strength to Afghan civil and spiritual leaders, and will set the foundation of a new spirit of cooperation with practical projects for nonviolent civil society that will be announced in the near future.”
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Borg
Violence against people-bad
Violence against Jews-good
Im sure you understand
AYLA
@Aziz–you’re so tuned in to exactly where to take your healing and leadership powers, and how, and why. The question to which you were responding is one I’ve heard countless times, and it always offends me, but I’ve also asked something similar in a very particular circumstance. Generally, I believe that the more we all reflect on ourselves rather than pointing fingers, the better off we’ll be collectively. Thank for the difficult work you’re doing, thank you for where you’re doing it, and thank you for being your own media coverage
. You’re one of the most emotionally brave people I know of, and hope to know.
Aziz Abu Sarah
@Ayala,
Thank you so much, I appreciate your nice words. you should come to our next tweet up
Greg Pollock
There are some remarkable verses in the Qur’an. Some, paraphrased, without citation, from memory:
.
Vie among yourselves in good words [or deeds], and leave your differences to me [us]. [the verse context is interaction between Jews, Christians, and Muslims]
.
To every people we have sent a prophet, and nothing said here detracts from what they say [or bring] [There are a LOT of different "people" out there--Hopi, Navajo (both native american), so many cultures in Africa, etc.]
.
We made you different so you would be a test among each other. [Obama quoted this one in Cairo]
.
If all the oceans and rivers were made of ink, still there would not be enough to write the Book [which obviously implies the Qur'an is not closed in some sense]
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I quoted the first one to a Believer and pointed out that if we are to leave our differences to God, it might be that Muslims, in some cases, will be wrong; he didn’t know what to say. That verse, appearing twice in the Qur’an in slightly different forms, strikes me as an advance in monotheism. I was amazed upon first encounter. There are unpleasant things in the Book as well, as there are in Torah and the Christian Book of Revelations. I adhere to none of these faiths. But I cannot understand why these verses are not better known. I think of the three faiths the Qur’an has within it the clearest tools for nonviolent action across faiths. There is, unlike the Gospel of John, no single door to truth. The Qur’an has within it a metatheology, a way of interacting across faiths, and a way of accepting, in some sense, what other cultures produce.
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I think Gandhi would embrace all of the above paraphrased quotes. There are a few more. But I do not think that much of Islam, on the ground does embrace these quotes. As Gandhi confronted his own faith, so too, I believe, Muslims must confront theirs. And they have the tools, within their faith, to do so.
Muhammad Umar
Dear Aziz Abu Sarah,
First of all congratulations for organizing the important conference.
Are the lectures or the papers presented by the scholars available online ?
Kind Regards,\
Dr. Muhammad Umar (Ireland)
Aziz Abu Sarah
@Muhammad Umar
We are building a website that will have all the speeches. Keep in touch and I will let you know when it is published.