The discussion on the possibility of changing the West’s distorted image of Islam, taking place in both Islamic and international contexts, has reached an unprecedented level. The tragic events of Sept. 11 and the dangerous insinuations that followed have created deep feelings of despair among Muslims as well as non-Muslims.
Though change may be difficult, we should, nevertheless, refuse to give up; nor should we give in to the many Islamic and Western “extremists” who believe that Islam and the West can never see eye to eye and who seek to widen the cultural, political and economic divides separating Islam from the West. These “extremists” are taking advantage of the anti-Islamic campaigns in the Western media and even in some important Western policy-making circles.
These campaigns have exceeded all reason. They have brought us all together to cry loudly: “Things have gone too far.” We must not forget though that this propensity to distort the image of Islam and Muslims is not new. It is, instead, the revival of a tendency whose roots go back more than ten centuries. Politicians and thinkers from those times regarded Islam as a threat to the West. This same tendency is evident today in works by Zingenio Bergensky, “Crescent of Ages”, Bernard Lewis in “The Resurgence of Islam”, Francis Fukuyama in “The End of History” and finally in Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations”.
We are faced today with an enmity of unlimited organization and influence, what one British researcher calls the phenomenon of “anti-Islamism”. He believes that this phenomenon has been widening, not merely in the West but throughout the world, as a result of a number of factors. With the end of the Cold War, the idea that Islam, not communism, is the enemy of the West gained acceptability in many circles. Another factor is the rise of an extremist right wing in both Europe and the United States. Far too much anti-Islamic writing and sentiment is being spread in the name of such principles as openness, democracy, freedom of expression and the benefits of globalism.
We must resist all of this. We are a nation with a universal message that must be conveyed to the world. If the image of Islam and its culture remains unchanged, it will keep people from understanding its culture and living peacefully with its followers. It is not within our power, even if we so wished, to live isolated from the world. Our interests have become intertwined. “Islam exists in the West and the West exists in Islam” as a famous French social scientist has remarked. The flood of Western information and advertising has invaded our homes and now shapes much of our thinking. Islam is present in Western societies and is spreading with amazing speed, becoming significant in terms of demographic composition and politics.
The success of efforts to change Islam’s image in the West depends on two factors. The first — Muslims themselves must be convinced of the need for real efforts to change it. Sept. 11 has reinforced the need for us to act and give the matter the attention and care that it deserves.
The second factor is to have an environment in the West, susceptible to such a change. Do we see any real indication in the West of this willingness? Has the question of change been brought up? Is there any sense in trying? And if so, what can we do? How can we act and is there still a chance for us? These are questions that we will attempt to answer next week.
