Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SUNWAY LAGOON RESORT HOTEL,
PETALING JAYA, SELANGOR
Tarikh/Date : 25/04/97
Tajuk/Title : THE OXFORD ISLAMIC FORUM ON "THE
ISLAMIC WORLD AND GLOBAL
COOPERATION: PREPARING FOR THE
21ST CENTURY"
1. I feel privileged and honoured to be here today to
speak at this Oxford Islamic Forum entitled `The Islamic
World and Global Cooperation: Preparing for the 21st
Century'. I hope this topic will generate a lot of
interest and discussions as currently there are many
contrary views and debate on this subject.
2. Let me start by looking at the Islamic World itself.
There are at the moment not less than 56 countries which
are members of the Organisation of Islamic Conference
(OIC). Not all these countries have Muslim majorities
and fewer still officially accept Islam as the state
religion. But Muslims are sufficiently influential as to
cause the Governments of these countries to seek
membership of the Islamic community of nations. All
told, Muslims make up more than one billion of the
world's population. But they are far from being a
monolithic group, being broken up as much by their own
loyalty to their countries as they are by the differences
in their interpretations of Islam or indeed allegedly by
the degree of commitment to the faith. They certainly do
not make up one cohesive Islamic civilisation which can
pose a meaningful threat to other civilisations or indeed
anyone. They are too busy fighting and undermining each
other to be a threat.
3. There is also not a single Muslim country that can
be classified as developed. A number are very wealthy
being well-endowed with natural resources. But almost
all are lagging behind in modern knowledge, technological
skills and in many instances effective Government. In
fact in quite a few countries a state of near-anarchy
prevails. By no criteria can any of these countries be
classified as developed.
4. Poverty, ignorance and instability have become such
a common feature in the Muslim nations that it is assumed
this is a natural consequence of following the teachings
of Islam. It is therefore not surprising that today the
world associates Islam with backwardness. This angers
many Muslims. They think that it is an unfair judgement.
They are right of course. It is unfair. It is not due
to the teachings of Islam. But the fact remains that the
Muslim nations are poor, are backward, are weak, are
disunited, are dependent on non-Muslims for all kinds of
things including their own security and the continued
existence of Islam itself. With the powerful weapons in
the hands of the non-Muslims it is entirely possible for
them to wipe out the Muslims from the face of this earth.
It is only by the Grace of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and
His mercy that those whom we labelled as the enemies of
Islam have not done so. But the Muslims themselves have
done nothing to help themselves. If at all, they have
weakened themselves more and more by their constant
feuding among themselves, by their confusing and
contradictory interpretations of Islam and by their
failure to obey the injunctions to help themselves even
as they pray to Allah for His protection.
5. The Quran is very clear on this. Verse 79 Sura IV
An Nisaa stated that "Whatever good happens to thee is
from God but whatever evil happens to thee is from thy
soul."
6. That Muslims were at one time the most advanced
people in all fields is a fact of history. Apart from
being the best strategists and warriors, they were the
most learned, the most enlightened and the most liberal
of the people in the world then. It is difficult now to
think of Muslims as being enlightened and liberal. But
consider the situation and the civilisation of Europe in
the Middle ages. What we now call the West was then one
of the most backward communities of nations in the world.
They were hopelessly superstitious that they banned the
sciences as witchcraft, and books were kept locked
because knowledge was feared. They regularly burnt
witches at the stake. Only the priests may know about
their religion and other subjects. Since knowledge meant
power the priests ruled directly or indirectly and they
imposed a reign of terror through the Inquisition for
centuries. Such was the oppression by the priests that
many migrated, seeking freedom from Christian
intolerance.
7. By comparison with the Muslims of the period, the
Europeans were indeed primitive, superstitious and
anything but liberal. They were certainly feudal and
oppressive. Their oppressive Governments led their own
Christian subjects to welcome conquests by Muslims, going
so far as to abet in these conquests. Even the Jews
preferred to live under Muslim rule and left Spain
together with the Muslims to settle in North Africa. All
these must indicate the tolerance and liberalism of
Muslims and their Governments in the past, in the great
days of the Muslim Empire. Everything was not rosy of
course. There were oppressive Muslim rulers too. But
for long periods non-Muslims in Muslim countries were
free to go about their business and to practise their own
religions.
8. When Islam came to the Arabs over 1400 years ago
they were wallowing in superstition and ignorance.
Living in the arid and inhospitable desert, forced to
wander in search of water and meagre pasture for their
animals and food for themselves, they had broken up into
a number of feuding warring tribes. Such were their
feuds that for generations they would fight their sworn
tribal enemies even when the cause of their enmity had
long been forgotten.
9. They developed their own codes of honour which were
at once gracious and cruel. They would be the most
considerate of hosts to strangers who seek shelter from
them and yet if they believe they had been slighted they
would take revenge in the most cruel and unforgiving
manner.
10. For these Arab tribes, the main cause of shame was
always their women. They regarded women as mere chattel,
as property to use in exchange for alliances, as the
objects of their lusts. Yet in their wars they always
feared capture of their women by the enemy. This they
regarded as most dishonourable and shameful to their
family and their tribe. But in order to avoid this
possibility they would rather kill their daughters or
sisters, who may dishonour them or were likely to cause
shame to them. And so it was their custom to bury alive
their infant girls, to commit infanticide in order that
the chances of being dishonoured later would be less.
11. They were inordinately fond of praise for
themselves. And so the beggars could always expect the
rich or the prominent to throw their coins if their
praises were sung. Flattery was the best way to win them
over always.
12. Their superstitious fears lead them to attribute
godly powers to various objects of stone and wood. And
they would regularly visit the places where these objects
were kept in order to offer sacrifices, including human
sacrifices, for their salvation, for protection from the
unkind elements which buffeted them. And when the
feuding tribes met during their pilgrimage they would
fight and kill each other.
13. There were among them a few who professed the
Christian or the Jewish faith, who believed in one
Almighty God, who were people of the book. But the
ignorant Jahilliah Arabs preferred to believe in the gods
of their ancestors. They rejected the messages of the
apostles who came before Muhammad although it is clear
that they knew of them. That they knew of the Christian
faith is clearly shown when the Christian Waraqah was
consulted about the voices heard by Muhammad.
14. This then was the primitive, superstitious, feuding
people and tribes to whom Muhammad was sent with the
message of Islam. It is no wonder that he found
difficulty in convincing them to give up their beliefs
and custom, to honour and save their women, to reject
lust and the taking of innumerable wives, limiting them
to only four and even then only if they could do justice
to all four, which he pointed out they never could. "Ye
are never able to be fair and just as between women" -
(Sura IV Verse 129). And so they should take only one.
Knowing their fondness for alcohol and the difficulty in
giving up this vice, they were enjoined to forego alcohol
little by little until it was forbidden altogether. A
sudden injunction to stop alcohol would not have been
accepted by them.
15. They were instructed to befriend their enemies if
the latter accepted the faith. And under the leadership
of the Prophet they became united, forgetting their feuds
and their tribes. This is clear from Verse 103 in Sura
III Ali Imran "be not divided among yourselves. And
remember with gratitude God's favour on you; For Ye were
enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His
Grace, Ye became brethren."
16. In Medina their society was finally organised with
proper laws detailing crimes, the methods of judgement
and the punishments. Always justice and quality of mercy
was stressed. Those who repented should be pardoned.
17. The feuding, barbaric tribes which accepted Islam
united and became a nation under the Medina constitution,
the first written constitution in the Islamic world.
Thus was the core of the first Muslim nation created.
From Medina the prophet sent envoys to neighbouring
countries urging the rulers of these countries to accept
Islam. The prophet followed scrupulously the teachings
of Islam in peace and in war. No one should be forced to
accept Islam. This is made clear in Verse 256 of Sura II
Al-Baqarah "Let there be no compulsion in religion."
18. Unfortunately his followers were not so patient and
ready to tolerate the taunts and the opposition of those
who rejected the teachings of the Prophet. While the
Prophet fought only defensive wars and was ever ready to
make peace and enter into treaties to settle disputes,
his disciples were more aggressive, believing in
spreading the faith through force of arms. And so within
the first century of the Hijrah the definitive Muslim
Empire was conquered largely through force of arms.
While the conquests resulted in the spread of Islam and
the enlargement of the Muslim Empire, they also presaged
the trend towards disregard for the teachings of Islam.
Anything and everything was accepted as legitimate if the
perpetrators invoke the interest of Islam. And so today
the Greatness of Allah is often proclaimed as some
dastardly act is committed often against other Muslims.
Sura II Al-Baqarah - Verse 41 "Nor sell my signs for a
small price." Again in Verse 224 "And make not God's
(name) an excuse." Sura III Ali Imran "They will not
sell the Signs of God for a miserable sum".
19. Only angels and the prophet could not be corrupted
by the success of the Islamic enterprise. Of the four
enlightened Caliphs who succeeded to the leadership of
the Muslim Ummah, only Abu Bakar Assadik died a natural
death. The other three, companions of the Prophet, were
killed by those envious of their position. Clearly there
were members of the Muslim ummah who did not respect
authority as enjoined by Islam. They were prepared to
assassinate their own leaders, something the Quran
forbids.
20. By the time of the fourth Caliph, Saidina Ali, the
warring had become as serious as the tribal feuds of the
old pre-Islamic Arabs. The Muslim ummah was split
permanently into two. The opponents of Ali followed
Muawiyah and became known as the upholders of the
traditions of the Prophet - Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jamaah. The
followers of Ali, probably against the wishes of Ali
himself, split off to form the Shiah Muslims, venerating
Ali as the true successor of the Prophet.
21. From then on each sect not only sought to justify
itself through numerous and contradictory interpretations
of the teachings of Islam, but they invented many
traditions or sunnah of the Prophet in order to justify
the frequently unIslamic practices in which they
indulged. So many were the traditions that by the time
Imam Bukhari studied them in order to verify their
authenticity there were said to be 600,000 of them. Of
these Bukhari verified only 7000. Other scholars
verified an even smaller number including a few which had
been rejected by Bukhari. Obviously there were more than
590,000 false traditions which continue to be quoted off
and on to justify dubious Islamic practices.
22. As the empire grew many seek to inherit the mantle
of Caliphs and Amir ul Mukminin. Wars were fought
between Muslims as the different claimants seek worldly
power. Regional Governors ignored the authority of the
imperial Government in Medina, Baghdad or Istanbul as
the case may be. They began to rule independently, to
set up their own domain.
23. New Islamic sects were founded and groups of Muslim
jurists emerged who emphasised the supremacy of the
Syariah over the Quran even. The tolerant and forgiving
nature of Islam gave way to the rigid interpretations of
the jurists whose rulings could not be disputed. Only
religious subjects were allowed to be studied. The
sciences, mathematics and the arts were not only
neglected but were proscribed. All non-religious
subjects were labelled as unIslamic. The vast libraries
fell into neglect or were destroyed. The Muslims became
more and more ignorant even as the Christian Europeans
availed themselves of the writings of Muslim scholars and
progressed their Renaissance. The decline of the Muslims
and their civilisation had begun in earnest.
24. Success and power corrupted the Muslim leaders and
deviations from the teachings of Islam became more and
more common. This gave rise to reform movements intended
to bring back the fundamental practices of Islam.
Caliphs were overthrown and new Governments set up,
principally by the Al-Murabitun (Almoravids) and then the
Al-Muwahhidun from North Africa and Spain.
Unfortunately, the reformist Governments either became
corrupted themselves or they interpreted Islam to suit
their extremist views. Whatever, they too contributed to
the decline of the Muslims and their empire. Weakened by
their narrow-minded interpretation of Islam, rejecting so-
called unIslamic knowledge and skills, they lost the
capacity to defend their territories in Spain.
25. Finally in 1492, Grenada the last bastion of Muslim
Spain, fell to the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella. Bo
Abdul, the King who never led his army on the battlefield
was forced to surrender and departed for North Africa.
The Muslims remaining behind were eventually forced to
forsake their religion or face death. Thus ended the
last Muslim enclave in Western Europe.
26. But the Europeans were not about to leave the North
African Muslim states in peace. France and Spain
extended their domain to the Magreb and eventually all of
Arab North Africa from Egypt to Morocco fell under
European rule.
27. However, even as Muslim Spain ceased to exist, Turks
began to expand and build a new Muslim Empire. Turkish
armies conquered most of the Balkan and actually knocked
at the Gates of Vienna. The Mediterranean Sea was
dominated by Turkish naval forces, regular and irregular.
28. But the courts of the Turkish Sultans soon became
corrupted by their wealth and their love of luxury. The
Sultans no longer led their armies into battle, nor were
the armies made up of Turkish soldiers. The children of
Christian citizens were recruited and brought up as
Muslims and trained as professional soldiers. In time
these Yeniceri or Janisaries came to dominate Turkish
politics and engineered several palace coups.
29. The religious advisers of the Turkish Sultans were
sycophants who readily approved everything the Sultans
did. Thus huge harems were maintained to satisfy the
lusts of the Sultans, and the brothers of newly enthroned
Sultans were all murdered in order to ensure that the
Sultan would not be challenged.
30. While these practices were approved and even
encouraged by the religious authorities, attempts at
modernising the armed forces were opposed as unIslamic.
When proposals were made to change the baggy trousers for
less clumsy pants and the fez replaced by peak caps,
there was mutiny in the armed forces.
31. In the end the formerly invincible Turkish army was
armed with obsolete weapons and was no match for the
disciplined, professional European forces, equipped with
ever more effective weapons. Beginning with the failure
to capture Vienna, the Turkish Empire began to decline.
The process seemed inexorable. By the end of the First
World War the Turkish Empire had broken up into a
multiplicity of little states all of which came under
French or British overlordship. Turkey itself was almost
lost to the Greeks but for Mustafa Kamal.
32. The Muslims who emerged from the Arabian Peninsular
were initially true adherents of the teachings of Islam.
They were tolerant of the people of the book, and were
broadminded and willing enough to learn the skills, the
sciences, mathematics and the arts of the non-Muslims,
particularly those of the ancient Greeks. They did their
own research and contributed greatly to the body of
knowledge in many fields. They became technologically
advanced as a result.
33. Unfortunately, with the advent of the Muslim jurists
and the so-called reformists, studies other than those
specifically related to religion and its practices were
frowned upon and eventually proscribed. With this the
Muslims regressed. True, it was the abuses and
deviations from the teachings and practices of Islam,
particularly by the elites which brought about the reform
movements and the ascendency of the Muslim jurists. But
what was achieved was not a return to the true teachings
of Islam. The reforming fanatics and jurists simply
wanted an Islam that was more rigid in the observation of
certain practices and rituals while precluding anything
that they considered as unIslamic. And so not only did
they proscribe so-called non-Islamic knowledge, but they
considered anything that did not seem to have originated
in the Muslim past as unIslamic as well. Thus the
modernisation of the Turkish army was considered
unIslamic. They ignored the injunction in the Quran that
the Muslims must always be prepared to defend themselves.
Instead they clung to the form rather than the substance
of the teaching. It was more important to relive the
past than to consider the present.
34. The Quran speaks in parables, the real meaning of
which must be interpreted in the context of the situation
faced by the Ummah through the ages. But most
interpreters insist on the literal meaning of the words
in the Quran. And so the defense of the Ummah lost its
importance to the need for `steeds of war' as stated in
Sura VIII (Anfal) Verse 60 "Against them make ready your
strength to the utmost of your power, including `steeds
of war', to strike terror to the enemies".
35. It is a fact that once upon a time there was a great
Muslim empire. It is also a fact that that empire is no
more. Defeats in the fields of battle and in the conduct
of diplomatic relations had not only whittled the empire
down but had broken up the Empire into ineffective Muslim
states which for a period of time became colonies of
Western powers. The fragmentation and colonisation of
the Muslim world is no doubt due to the machinations of
the Europeans and their military power. It was the
Europeans who manoeuvred the Arabs into fighting against
the Turks for their independence.
36. Muslims all over the world often talk longingly of
the Empire they had lost, of their past greatness, of
their domination of the world. They had ruled Spain for
800 years and much of Eastern Europe for almost 400
years. They even talk of their past mastery of the
sciences, mathematics and the arts, their past prowess in
battles and their victories. They point to the artifacts
of their past glory, the astrolabe, the armour and swords
of their past commanders such as Salah el Din Al Ayubi
and the great architectural tributes to their engineering
and construction skills as evidence of their worldly
achievements.
37. And then they think of the reality of the present.
They and their nations are backward, disunited, weak and
are pawns in the political games of the Europeans. They
are powerless to help Muslims when they are being
slaughtered by their enemies. They see their holy
Palestine divided and given to their sworn enemies, the
Jews. Their initial belief that they could defeat tiny
Israel proved unfounded. The Israelis defeated them
again and again, aided and abetted by the Europeans.
38. Not only is the Empire gone but whatever little
respect and honour that they had is now gone. They are
openly caricatured as bumbling incompetents whose chances
of recovering past greatness will forever remain pipe
dreams.
39. And the more they think of their parlous state, the
more angry they become. Frustrated, they feed on their
anger, frequently getting themselves into a state of
frenzy. And like most angry people they react
irrationally. They resort to acts which gain them
nothing at all except to intensify the hatred others had
for them.
40. Terrorism was not invented by the Muslims. The
first hijacking of aircraft was by an American. But the
Muslims learnt this quickly enough as they did other
terrorist acts. Soon terrorism, the invention of the non-
Muslims, became synonymous with Islam and the Muslims.
Far from being ashamed for giving them and their religion
a bad name, the Muslim extremists went on to commit more
frightening crimes. They would think nothing of killing
the children of their enemies in order to strike terror
in the hearts of their tormentors. But their acts have
availed them of nothing except the increased hatred of
their enemies, who retaliated with equal ferocity. And
this increased the anger of the Muslims even more,
driving them into committing worse acts.
41. It would seem that for some extremist Muslim winning
their fight or achieving their objective are not
important, not relevant. It is the fight that counts.
The more they create hatred for themselves, the more will
they be condemned and abused, and the greater will be
their hatred for their enemies. And the more determined
will they be to continue the fight against their enemies.
42. One is again reminded of the tribal feuds of the pre-
Islamic days. There was no objective, only hatred for
the enemy tribe. And so they mount fights and kill for
generations without seeking settlement or even victory.
43. For as long as the obsession with hurting the enemy
prevails, for so long will the Muslims fight their
enemies. There will be no peace for peace is not the
objective. The only end is the total destruction of the
enemy. That this is not likely to happen is irrelevant.
The important thing is that enemies must be fought
against, irrespective of the result.
44. But is this in accord with the teachings of Islam?
True in Verse 190 of Sura II the Muslims are urged to
"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you" and in
the next Verse "And slay them wherever you catch them,
and turn them out from where they have Turned you out".
But immediately following this Verse Muslims are told by
the Quran (Verse 192) "But if they cease, God is of-
forviging, Most Merciful".
45. And again in Verse 193 "But if they cease, Let there
be no hostility, Except to those who practise
oppression". (And we know who practises oppression
today).
46. But despite these Verse 194 says- "But fear God and
know that God is with those Who restrain themselves".
47. It is natural for the Muslims to yearn after their
past greatness, their Empire and their dominance over the
rest of the world. But they must know that Imperialism
is a thing of the past. Neither the Muslim Empire, nor
the British Empire, no any Empire can be resurrected.
48. All that we can hope to aspire to is the development
of independent Muslim countries to the level of the
developed countries of the world. This is not an
impossible task. Muslims are not created by Allah to be
inferior. Indeed the opposite seems true if past history
is anything to go by. If they want to, Muslims can
master all the skills and technologies now monopolised by
non-Muslims. If they want to, Muslims can govern their
countries well and effectively. But they must decide to
do this, decide that Allah created this world for them
too, and that it is their duty to show that Islam is a
great religion which can bring greatness to those who
profess and practise it.
49. The Quran says in Verse 11 of Sura XIII. "Verily
never will God change the condition of a people until
they change it themselves." Again it must be remembered
that "Whatever good comes to thee is from God; but
whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy soul". Sura
IV Verse 79.
50. They can develop their different countries to the
desired level without attempting to come together as an
empire. Of course they must cooperate with each other as
they are all members of the Muslim Ummah. Their loyalty
to their own country should not extend to warring against
other Muslim nations purely due to national ambitions.
They can strengthen the OIC and help the members in
distress. But that is as far as they should go.
Coordination and cooperation, but no Empire.
51. The Muslim countries -- independent, strong and
developed -- must take their places as members of the
World Community of nations. They must remain Muslim of
course and they must uphold Islam. But they must be true
Muslim fundamentalists - i.e. they must do what is right
and reject what is wrong. The Quran says in Sura III
Verse 104, "Let there arise out of you a band of people
inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and
forbidding what is wrong." Islam has always upheld what
is right and just. Islam has never advocated that we
should plot or support each other in doing what is wrong.
And so if Muslims do what is wrong, other Muslims must
condemn it. And they must condemn even if the victims
are not Muslims. For the Quran enjoins "let not the
hatred of others make you swerve to wrong and depart from
justice" (Sura V Verse 9). Sura V Verse 45 stresses "If
thou judge, judge in equity between them, for God loveth
those who judge in equity".
52. In this modern world Muslims have a real mission.
They must bring back the spiritual values to a world that
is fast becoming Godless and thoroughly materialistic; so
arrogant that it thinks it knows all the answers to
everything; a world which will develop the ultimate means
of destruction and place it in the hands of irresponsible
and insane individuals; a world tittering on the brink of
a Man-made Apocalypse.
53. These people think that they know enough to play God
Himself. Already they believe they can create anything
that God creates. They may want to create a world
according to their wishes. And they have become
insufferably arrogant, accepting no one as being greater
than them.
54. They forget that for all their brilliance they
cannot answer the question "why". They cannot answer why
there is life in the world, why there is a universe, why
matter acts in the way it does, why oxygen and hydrogen
form water and a myriad other chemical and physical
reactions. They may know how all those things happen but
never why. They are not the genius they think they are.
55. And because the human race is becoming more and more
arrogant, religion and spiritual values are needed even
more. And Islam can provide the spiritual values, to
those who believe and to those who don't. The Islam that
can provide these values is fundamental Islam, the truly
fundamental Islam which advocates peace, charity and
caring, not the Islam which commits crimes and calls out
the name of Allah to justify it.
56. The 21st Century is not relevant to the Muslims. It
is just a period in time. But the 21st Century will see
many changes and the Muslims will be a part of these
changes whether they like it or not. It is better for
them to face the 21st Century with their eyes wide open
and with a clear vision of what they want to do and the
role they wish to play. And if they chose to play a
constructive role while retaining their faith, their
spiritual values and their true brotherhood, they would
be able to contribute positively to the development of
mankind, to put it on an even keel again and to prevent
the self-destruct course which the human race appears to
be heading for. The Muslims can be a force for human
good in the 21st Century. F
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