ICSFP
Reviving the Spirit of Islam by Following the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him)
Recommendations of the Second Conference for the Support of the Final Prophet
(peace be upon him)
Toronto, Canada; 4-5 November 2003
Never have so many Arab and Muslim countries and organizations been as united as
they have been in condemning the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Regardless of their various ideologies and orientations, they have spoken out
strongly against those atrocities that took so many innocent lives. Many have
gone to varying lengths, openly and secretly, to help America in its all-out war
against what it calls “terrorism”. They did so under the principle that “you are
either with America or against America”. Nothing, however, is being done to put
an end to the attacks being orchestrated to make people hate Islam and the
Muslims. The most vicious of these attacks are those that target Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and those that ridicule Islam. This campaign has
been growing in strength and ferocity day after day. Many important public
figures and thinkers in the United States, including many prominent religious
and political leaders, have joined the fray, supported by Jewish lobby groups.
What We Have to Do
We, the world’s Muslims, comprise over one and a quarter million people. That is
roughly 23 % of the world’s population. There are 54 Muslim countries covering
over 19 % of the Earth’s landmass. We are to be found in over 120 other
societies around the world. We have to make it known that we condemn these
baseless accusations being levied against the Prophet (peace be upon him), the
Muslims, and the religion of Islam. We must emphasize the facts that such
attacks are precisely what will bring about a “clash of civilizations”. This is
what some circles in the Western world want. They find support in the radical
Jewish right. They find an ideological framework in the theories of Samuel
Huntington, who, in his Clash of Civilizations, advocates inciting Western
decision makers against Islamic civilization, and in Francis Fukuyama’s The End
of History that praises Western civilization, declares its superiority, and
asserts its greater right to continue existing. Then there is The End of the Era
of Ideologies, wherein America’s ideology is declared superior to all others.
It is the responsibility of the Muslims to wake up and understand the threats
and challenges that face Islam today. We must not give in to the provocations of
the bigots who want us to react irrationally and give them the justification
they need to attack us while we are unprepared. It is also our responsibility to
work together in a spirit of cooperation to resist the vicious campaign being
waged against us. We must muster all of our skills an expertise to refute the
falsehoods being spread around and clarify the truth to the world. We must put
aside our differences to deal with this very real threat.
It is also imperative for us as Muslims to become stronger in our adherence to
Islam as found in the Qur’ân and Sunnah. We have to make it clear that there
will be no compromising our beliefs and our principles. In this way, those
waging their campaign against Islam will know how hopeless their efforts really
are. They will realize that they are bringing about the opposite of what they
are trying to achieve when they see that the Muslims only become stronger and
more united when their religion is attacked and their beliefs are threatened.
Therefore, the unity that we as Muslims much achieve today as scholars, leaders,
and citizens, must be grounded in the Qur’ân and the authentic Sunnah.
The onus is upon Arab and Islamic organizations to initiate an international
alliance against this hate campaign against Islam and the Muslims. This alliance
must then call for an end to these poisonous campaigns that prevent people from
seeing the truth and that merely open the door to a world of unjustifiable and
uncontrollable bloodshed. It must also call for an end to the calumnies being
levied against Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him). We must demand this
especially from the West’s leaders, who ironically are the ones demanding from
the Muslim governments to take responsibility for the actions of a few Muslims
who are not even living within their countries’ borders. It makes more sense for
the leaders of the West, especially those in America, to take action to put an
end to the slanders and calumnies coming from some of their own most prominent
and influential people, many of whom have strong and intimate ties with the
highest-placed decision makers in their governments.
It is the duty of Islamic organizations and Arab to make it clear that radical
right-wing Christian and Jewish interests that support Israel are behind this
fruitless campaign that they are able to wage by using their inordinate
influence over of the media.
It is the duty of all Muslims to live according to the guidance of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and show the world the beauty of Islam and the good
that it has to offer through its mercy, its justice, and its tolerance. The way
the Prophet (peace be upon him) conducted himself with non-Muslims is the most
eloquent testimony to these noble qualities that anyone can hope to find.
It is the duty of our Islamic workers, intellectual leaders, and media people
throughout the Arab and Muslim world to engage in productive dialogue with the
West, especially with regard to the contradictions, the bigotry, the bias, the
selective vision, the moral bankruptcy, and the many other problems that plague
Western civilization and especially American society.
In conclusion, we call upon all thinking people to put an end to the bigotry and
the intellectual terrorism that fosters hatred and civil unrest and to work
productively towards solutions for the problems that threaten us all.
ICSFP
