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News Item: Islam Meets Western Ideals
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| Islam Meets Western Ideals | 11 Oct 2006 |
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By Joseph Tateoka, BYU Daily Universe Western ideals and the Islamic faith are brought into harmony through understanding and personal responsibility, said Alwi Shihab during Tuesday's Forum address to BYU students, Oct. 10, 2006. President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, introduced Shihab. He referred to the adviser to the Indonesian president and special envoy to the Middle East and all Islamic countries as "my dear friend." Shihab, in turn, opened his address with an Islamic saying, "Peace be upon all of you." After telling the audience how many Muslims there are in the world, Shihab focused his remarks on religious radicalism and intolerance as the root causes of hatred. Shihab said Islam never condones or endorses any act of terror, but it still receives the focus because the terrorists claim affiliation and justification through Islam. "This forum, I believe, can motivate and stimulate concerted efforts to bring together a wide range of perspectives, opinions and backgrounds for the purpose of furthering constructive dialogue in mobilizing the force of moderation," he said. He invited students to reflect with a clear mind and objectivity the root cause of religious radicalism encountered by humanity in our day. The western world's perception of Islam, he said, has created misunderstandings that have brought about mistrust between Muslims and Westerners that have led to bitter feelings. "Islam has been presented in a complicated way that the minds of common people hardly can absorb," he said. "Oftentimes Islam has been introduced in such a simplified way that it cannot reach the hearts of people." Modern society's biggest challenges are comprehending and appreciating the values of Islam, while understanding the life and mind of the West, Shihab said. "We all must strive to correct the erroneous perception in the mind of any Western intellectual who puts Islam where communism was yesterday," he said. Shihab said Jews, Christians and Muslims must learn how to share their common spiritual roots to avoid discrimination and religious and racial hatred. "Religious tolerance is not enough," he said. "To tolerate something is to learn to live with it, even when you think it is wrong and downright evil." To achieve harmony in the world, Shihab said, "we must go beyond tolerance." One solution to the problem would be to begin working for peace from within each individual. "It depends on us," he said. "The solution to the ignorance, bigotry and narrow-mindedness that lead to hatred is within ourselves, within our communities." Shihab quoted the Quran to emphasize his point: "We can only change our human condition if there is a change in our individual makeup and outlooks as well as our soul and mind." He challenged students to reach out to the hearts and minds of all communities to strengthen the voice of moderation and isolate the forces of extremism and radicalism. To conclude his remarks, Shihab thanked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its efforts in helping tsunami victims in Indonesia. "You have to be proud to be a member of this church," he said. http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/61353 |
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