Does the world know the real meanings of Islam, or does it only know the irresponsible behavior of some reckless Muslims? I think the second question is the most relevant. People living in remote villages in Europe, America, Brazil or Argentina will not look at Islam academically but rather through the extreme conduct of some Muslims: murder, threats, blowing up trains and hijacking aircraft. They will not know about Islam from great Muslim scholars, but rather from people like Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Muhammad Omar, Ayman Al-Zawahri and others whose hands have been soaked in the blood of the innocent.
In his interview with Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would make efforts with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to promote the Muslim world in order to improve the image of Islam in the West and correct misconceptions about it.
He said he was thinking seriously establishing a front to spread the correct understanding of Islam.
I think the first thing we should begin with is to purify the major sources from which the communities come to know about Islam being mosques or schools.
The curricula might project a distorted picture of Islam either because they contain extreme and rigid opinions canceling the other or because they are unable to cope with new developments in the world.
We cannot correct Islam through advertisement and publicity but rather through being a role model in conduct, discipline and good manners. It is ironic to talk about the tolerance of Islam while some preachers hit girls with sticks and follow young men in our streets.
By doing so we are contradicting ourselves and affirming the already bad picture of Islam. We cannot correct the real understanding of Islam while we are doing provocative things. This is a truth that many people do not understand.
