The Quest for World Peace - United Nations University



Speech by

Dr. Mahmoud Karem

Egypt

on

Islam: Fostering Peace and Dialogue in an Interdependent World

The United Nations University

Please check against delivery. December 13, 2002

At the outset, let me thank the United Nations University for inviting me to the Islam Symposium. I am truly grateful to Dr. Hans van Ginkel, Rector of UNU, the Parliamentary League of Ruling Parties for Islam, particularly Hon. Mr. Matsunami, OIC Ambassadors and their contact group headed by Ambassador of Morocco, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and last but not least our active Dean Ambassador Rachad Farah.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I shall begin with my conclusion. It is important to the extent that I shall read it upfront. Today, we are living in the age of science and technology. Common interaction and cooperation must be our global ideology. We must step into the 21st century and the new millennium confident that we are a united community based on intellectual, religious and cultural pluralism. Our communities should not rely on the achievements of one single society. Late Prime Minister Obuchi put it very clearly in his policy speech to the 145th session of the Diet, when he said, “ in the world of today no nation can stand alone “. Mr. Yohio Kono mentioned in an excellent and carefully reasoned piece published in Mainichi on September 23 that Japan too must adapt by:

“Deepening relations with the people in the Islamic world in order to gain long term security in the global society as well as holding a place in the business world, not to be distanced by Europe, US, and China.”

Immediately, after the end of the Cold War in the late eighties, some spoke of ‘the clash of civilizations,’ and that a clash between the West and Islam was inevitable. Samuel P. Huntington has once again underlined a new paradigm of an inevitable social evolution. To him it seems that social change is anchored on contradiction and conflict, a dictum I prefer to call “Fundamentalist theory building.” Before him, many scholars like Bernard Lewis argued in terms of “Dar Al Harb” and “Dar Al Silm”. But soon these theories were falsified. I do not believe that a clash between Islam and the West is inevitable, for there were and still are, different means of mutual communication and interaction between different societies.

In this context, I can point to at least two historical occasions of such interactions. On one hand, the Islamic civilization, in its early stages, benefited from the many contributions of the Greek civilization. On the other hand, the western civilization during the renaissance era benefited substantially from the achievements of the Islamic civilization.

The western intellectual awakening was stimulated by Arab cultural contribution in Sicily and Spain; translators eager to spread and use Arab knowledge began translating Arab theorems and quantitative research, Cordoba became a beacon of knowledge.

A noted Japanese scholar Prof. Itagaki argued that the influence of the Islamic civilization on the Japanese civilization in middle ages, which came through Europe, by way of the Islamic Arab State in Andalusia, and through the Middle East by way of the Islamic movement, which expanded to China. He also pointed out to the fact, that the impact of Islamic civilization was not confined to the three old continents but also to the new world.

It has been claimed for centuries that scientific progress is a direct result of separating religion from the State. This view is derived directly from the European history. Religion was therefore perceived as impractical, inflexible and full of contradictions.

Unfortunately, in many quarters today, science is regarded as an intellectual exercise alien to religion. It is considered as a materialistic pursuit devoid of any belief. Science is not a divine revelation. It provides means to enhancement of mankind and to a better understanding of God's creation. Science is knowledge and Islam has laid great emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge. Islam urges its followers to be ever up and about, in the pursuit of knowledge. In the Holy Qur'an, God has ordained His servants:

"O Lord! Increase me in knowledge:"

Islam’s, main mission is to build an ideal and healthy society on earth, so that mankind may be able to cultivate all the physical, mental, spiritual and other inherent faculties to the fullest possible extent. This forgotten legacy of Islam found its manifestation in the renaissance in Europe; in the 14th to 16th C. Little is told about the glorious history of Islam. People from different nations and cultures were molded by Islam into a society in which the life, honor and property of every citizen, Muslim and non-Muslim, was secure. Furthermore, Islam broke the shackles of ignorance that engulfed humanity and provided for them a system in which they excelled, among other things, in developing the scientific culture. I will focus specifically on some of the scientific achievements of the Muslims from the time when Islam prevailed as a way of life. It is a solid proof that Islam does not prevent scientific progress; on the contrary, it encourages it. Let me now cite some areas of knowledge in which Moslem scientist achieved breakthrough.

Medicine

History is a testimony, as huge strides were made in the field of medicine during the time of the Abbasid rule. Mobile clinics and hospitals were established and funded by the Islamic state during the rule of Khaleefah Haroon al-Rashid, (169-194 Ah/786-809 CE)

Many schools of pharmacy and drugstores were established. Ibn Sina and Abou Bakr al Razy discovered small pox.

Chemistry

"And we made from water every living thing. Will they then not believe?"

Perhaps the greatest strides in the sciences were in chemistry, and this is reflected even in the word 'chemistry', which is derived from the Arabic word al-kimiya. Among many words that originated from the Muslims include alkali from al-qili ('potash'), alcohol from al-khul ('antimony powder'), elixir from al-iksar. Gabber Ibn Hayyan; discovered the properties of metals. Muslim were very advanced in this field.

Mathematics

"It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory, and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for her, that you might compute the number of years and the count of time."

The Muslim scholars made great achievements in Mathematics. The use of zero enabled the Muslims to denote units of tens, hundreds, thousands and so on. This transformed the whole science of mathematics, forming the most fundamental part of modern mathematics. The use of zero made it possible to take square and cube roots of numbers with great ease. The word 'cipher', meaning zero, is taken directly from the Arabic word sifr. Al khawarisimy in mathematics, Ibn al Haytham in the area of physics, optics and astronomy, as well as Ibn al Nafiss, are all but examples of success in this field.

Astronomy

"It is He who created the night and day, the sun and the moon. Each one is traveling on an orbit with its own course."

The science of determining the direction of the kiblah (direction of Mekkah) was highly developed, as a result of which many other breakthroughs were made. This direction of the Kiblah is significant because Muslims are commanded to pray facing Mekkah, irrespective of where they are. As Islam expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula the problem of direction surfaced, and to solve this problem scientists started the study of astronomy and navigation for the people who traveled from far towards Mecca for pilgrimage.

Education

"Are those who know and those who do not know equal?"

"Allah raises those of you who believe, and those who have been given knowledge, in high degrees."

Education has always been important for the Muslims. Indeed, the very first word that was revealed to Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, was 'read', and it was directed to teach the Qur'an by the pen.

Formal education was started from the days of the Messenger of Allah and it continued throughout the history of the Islamic state. Elementary schools were set up and colleges and universities established. The most famous university Al-Azhar in Cairo was established in the 10th century.

Geography

"And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth."

The Muslims were able to sketch the map of the world as they traveled widely. Al-Khwarizmi, at the request of Khaleefah Al-Ma'mun, prepared a great map of the world with accompanying text. The geographers till the 14th century used this work extensively.

Agriculture

"And fruit of every kind made in pairs, two and two."

It is sufficient here to point out that the Crusaders learned to value the agricultural techniques developed by the Muslims, and through Sicily, Spain and Cyprus, agricultural knowledge and skills passed into “Christian” Europe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

With modernization comes a new set of values that infringe on the conduct and practice of human interaction. I say that because Islam like all other religions and faiths faces challenges from rapid social changes, intrusive modernization and westernization thereby upsetting traditional norms and values. Issues of “Freedom of Information” pause questions. What do we mean by freedom, and which kind of information. Is materialism and decadence freedom? Are we forced to have open skies for satellite channels diffusing immorality? The same is said about the Internet a tool that is crucial for progress and an indicator of healthy economic growth. What about organ transplant? Should it be from donation or can it be from purchase but such a market should not create an illicit trade or an illegal black market! It is interesting to state that we have faced these challenges before when the telephone was discovered, and later with the advent of the radio and television. Where are we today, we have debated these issues and now the telephone, TV and radio are in the houses of all pious Moslems, they were adapted and amalgamated. Hence there is no contradiction between these inventions and Islam. It is only what we make of them.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies argued as early as 1993, and I quote:

“Because the degree of misunderstanding between the Islamic and Western world remains dangerously high, and because the need for the two to live and work together in our increasingly interdependent world has never been greater…we must not be tempted to believe that extremism is in some way the hallmark and essence of Muslim. Extremism is no more the monopoly of Islam than it is the monopoly of Christianity.”

It is our common responsibility today to avert dividing the world, instigating a clash or instilling a symbiotic linkage between terrorism and particular societies or faith. September 11th is an act of brutal terrorism not justified by religion. All Moslem nations condemned what happened and showed immediate solidarity with the US, these acts of terrorism, we believe, constitute a challenge to globalization efforts and contradict the true essence of great religions and civilizations by undermining their outstanding contributions to the development of mankind over an extended period of time. We must work for mutual respect of cultural diversity. No single civilization alone can claim one applicable universally representative formula for humanity in our present day interdependent world. We must not allow Sept 11 to be a factor dividing the world, on the contrary, let it be a reason for solidarity.

Thank you

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download