COPING WITH MODERN CHALLENGES

From right to left, East to West, North to South, the same decimal is common SADNESSNowadays, the best of the news, is the worst to hear More worrisome is the plight of Muslims, and orchestrated attacks on Islam and Muslims, Most bad and sad news are always associated with Islam and Muslim countries Most dreaded religion in the world Most embraced religion Most misunderstood religion Most wrongly represented Most prejudiced Most negatively reported Is the final stage of religion, revelation and prophethood Led humanity in all fields of endeavour – Maths, Geo, Sci, Invention etc Led to global development and gave birth to modern science The driving force was Faith – Determining the Qiblah, Inheritance, and Travelling on Hajj etc. The Clash between Science and the Church however led to the battle against Religion First it was against the Church, then against Christianity, then against Religion, then against Islam. “Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. In 1990, 935 million people were Muslims and this figure had escalated to around 1.2 billion by 2000, meaning that around one in five people follow Islam. Although the religion began in Arabia, by 2002 80% of all believers in Islam lived outside the Arab world. In the period 1990-2000, approximately 12.5 million more people converted to Islam than to Christianity” (Guinness World Records 2003, pg 102) Islam is a comprehensive code of life Q16:89 Muslims are submissive inhabitants of Allan’s creatures (49;15, 2;208) Modernism, contemporary idealogies and ways of life of people (Capitalism, socialism, secularism etc) Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement in the arts, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries The battle against Islam manifested in Colonialism, emergency of modern states, pseudo-Muslims. Muslim power was attenuated with the demise of Khilafah The Modern questions are on Secularism, Freedom and Human Rights, Democracy and Women Liberation, Technology etc Those were the foundations of Modernism and Western Civilisation The earlier conflict brought the Church under Western Civilisation ambit till today. The emerging trend in Islamic Revival has thus become a problem for the West. The pagans fear the death of their ritual practices and the ascendancy of Islam which will also imply the demise of their socio-cultural ways, which modern governments are promoting. The Jews were aware of the coming of a prophet which they hope would be from them. Coming from the Arabs meant serious envy and attempts on his live. Now the fear is Palestine The Roman and Persian empires, the two reigning powers, saw Islam as a threat. They abandoned their mutual hostility to face Islam and just as today they may be open enemies but they unite against Islam and Muslims Adherents: Ignorance and inadequate knowledge of Islam; Compartmentalization of Islam Q2:85; Uncoordinated efforts of adherents to translate Islamic ideals to reality; Poor publicity ; Low self confidence due to inferiority complex Enemies of Islam: Islamophobia and high negative stigmatization Efforts of the enemies of Islam (orientalist school) People that are non receptive of change, especially the benefactor of the existing order, culture Islamophobia traced to Qurayshi in Mecca Psychological war Physical assault Social ostracization Economic depravity Politically unrecognized Islamophobia is a neologism[1] used generally to refer to prejudice against, hatred towards, irrational fear of, or a form of racism[2] towards, Muslims.[3][ "an outlook or world-view involving an unfounded dread and dislike of Muslims, which results in practices of exclusion and discrimination In 1997, the British Runnymede Trust defined Islamophobia as the "dread or hatred of Islam and therefore, [the] fear and dislike of all Muslims," stating that it also refers to the practice of discriminating against Muslims by excluding them from the economic, social, and public life of the nation. The concept also encompasses the opinions that Islam has no values in common with other cultures, is inferior to the West and is a violent political ideology rather than a Painting the picture of Muslim horde destroying holy places and Muslim horses desecrating such places by urinating on them. This led to the Crusades. Reconstruction of history to reflect that Muslim conquerors waded through the earth literarily with ‘Qur’an in one hand and sword in the other.’ Ingrain in the public mind that Jihad means only Qitaal, fighting and killing, a merciless killing of even the innocents. That Shari’ah means nothing other than cutting of hands and it is primitive, archaic, even unjust. That Islam oppresses women and domesticate them Therefore, that Islam and Muslims are violent, love bloodletting and are always too eager for war and ample evidence in Iraq, Boko-Haram, Palestine, etc. All above + Name metamorphorsis Fundamentalists Extremists Insurgents Terrorists Fanatics Now in Nigeria, Boko Haram Military Power – Personnel and Weapon of war Media – Ownership of institution, Personnel and Training The People – Organised Labour Unions, Civil Societies, and Cultural Groups Economy – The ownership controls Deep State, Foreign Economic Support, Foreign investment/withdrawal WAYFORWARD Constructive engagement through Human capital dev Social and cultural identity Economic independence Military strength Technological advancement Morally upright Spiritually sound Receptive apologists/Indigenous foreigners Silent lamentations/passivity Islam-western nexus (interpreting Islam in western context) Emotional /Extremist reactions Constructive engagement Propagation Planning and building structures Expanding base Reviewing present and projecting future Critical success factors Self confidence and self belief Ideological soundness Intellectual vibrancy Economic independency Cultural identity Ideological building (Mosque) Brotherhood Erecting structures (Market, economic base) Self-reformation: Ideological soundness, purely sound worship, civilisation in thought, strength of body, earning ability, capability to control internal instinct, organisation in affairs, consciousness of time management, usefulness for others, soundness of morals Establishing Muslim home Establishing Muslim community or society Freeing the lands of Muslims Establishing Islamic Government Establishing the Khilaafah Assuming the commandership of the world Know Islam Believe Islam Practice Islam Call to Islam Defend Islam Bond together in the process of the Islamic work Re-populate the mosque, especially with youth Re-energise the Mosque as a tool for reformation Create rapport between the elders and the youths Establishment of Da’wah Support Institutions Let all become Da’wah Ambassadors, Develop Detailed Plan for the Work and the Worker Cooperation with others and eventual unity of all Allow for specialisation in areas of best performance Establish standard Mosques in the newly evolving communities The war between falsehood and truth is eternal, cannot end till end of time. The dimension may be different, but it is the same war against truth. The solution to it is continuous striving and struggling of the vanguards of truth. Remember everybody calls to what he/she believes Q4:75 Falsehood can only prevail when truth is docile ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى الاْرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِى ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدّلَنَّهُمْ مّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً﴾ ﴿وَلاَ تَهِنُوا وَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الاٌّعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴿يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُواْ نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَـفِرُونَ ﴿الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَّكَّنَّـهُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَقَامُواْ الصَّلَوةَ وَآتَوُاْ الزَّكَـوةَ وَأَمَرُواْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْاْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَـقِبَةُ الاٍّمُورِ ﴾