Invitation to Islam [Electronic resources] : A Survival Guide نسخه متنی

A
Profile of Secularism

1. A Profile of
Secularism

It is often rather
a simple matter to get Westerners to admit the unicity of God. But this rarely
leads to their embracing Islam as a way of life. This study will focus on the
trouble spots which prevent people from moving consistently from belief to
practice. Among these will be the status of women, interest, dress, the use of
alcohol, music, art, the confusing of culture and religion, traditional and
historical fear of Islam, and prejudice. Each of these present different
challenges and require different ways of confronting them, although they have
their roots in the same problem.

The preponderance
of difficulties we are now approaching have their source in Western secularism.
If one is able to convince a believing Christian that the Bible is actually
more supportive of Islam than it is of Christianity, there is every likelihood
that the other barriers to embracing Islam will be negligible. The secular
person may well be willing to admit the unicity of God in defiance of Christian
belief, but such defiance is still a far cry from embracing Islamic practice.
Although the specific barrier touched upon by the individual may require a
specific response, it is well to keep in mind that the basic problem is
identical in every case, and that is the problem of secularism. It is not
specifically the "freedom" for women to dress skimpily in public, the fear that
the financial establishment will fail without interest, or addiction to alcohol
which truly prevents a commitment to an Islamic life-style. The true barrier is
secularism.

Secularism is
basically a social psychology that has probably been intentionally developed in
the West. Its roots are in the dissatisfaction of the ruling elite in Europe in
their failure to increase wealth and of the religious elite in their failure to
control the belief and practice of the populace. Contrary to the folklore,
medieval kings in Europe were not fabulously wealthy nor was the church
successful in eradicating heresy. The process of change includes many factors,
such as the rise of the modern state and financial establishment as well as the
Protestant Reformation. Protestantism still remains a crucial factor in
fostering secularism, despite the overt conflict in aims. The function of
secularism is and will continue to be the enhancement of a financial and
religious elite.

In the long run,
it would seem that secularism could best be overcome by engaging it in a
dialectical relationship, whereby Islamic financial interests would become so
overwhelming as to determine the character of international finance on one
hand, and on the other, Islamic beliefs and practices might penetrate the
religious establishment over a period of time to the extent of changing its
character as well. Aside from the fact that the Muslim world has not pushed its
advantage in either sector, such an approach would be self-defeating. Muslim
history has clearly shown to what extent Islam is corruptible, and there is
every likelihood that should Islam gain control of Rome Muslims in Rome would
do as the Romans do. This is not to say that such strategies should be
neglected. Rather the opposite is the case.

The financial and
religious sectors in the West have manipulated the minds of the masses in their
own interests, creating a secular society with a common and unified religion, a
society that through marketing consumerism maintains the highest possible
increase of wealth for the elite. Any strategy for gaining control of the
financial and religious dictatorship of the West must take the brain-washing of
the masses into account. Victory over secularism requires the reversal of that
brain-washing process.

The secular mind
has been formed on a hierarchical democracy, in which there is competition to
rise in the hierarchy without any change in the mind-set itself. The mind-set
of secularism is quite simply that freedom and happiness are the most desirable
things to be pursued in life, and they are attainable only by increasing the
amount of leisure time at one's disposal and one's buying power. The failure to
experience either freedom or happiness is explained on the premise that one has
not yet achieved enough of either leisure or buying power. Justice is seen as a
by-product, which arises when there is a sufficiently high level of freedom and
happiness.

The Islamic
approach seems to be very much the opposite. Justice is the most desirable
thing to be pursued in life, and it is attainable to the degree that shari'ah
or divine law is carried out in society. The failure to experience justice is
explained on the premise that there has been at some point a failure in
carrying out shari'ah. Freedom and happiness are seen to be by-products, which
appear when there is a sufficiently high level of justice.

There are three
areas in which an individual can make a difference. The first is to act in
favour of Islamic finances by encouraging Islamic banking and speaking out for
the use of Muslim wealth to foster Islamic ideals. The second is to insinuate
wherever possible Islamic beliefs and practices into Western institutions. The
third is to meet secularized individuals with the invitation to Islam.

Some of the modes
of secularism are mentioned below, but it must be remembered that others exist
as well, and that all of them are basically the same thing, the product of mind
manipulation which needs to be reversed. The reversal process entails the
realization of the corresponding Islamic value and a strategy of activity to
bridge over from the secular mentality to the Islamic one. The process thus
uses the secular mode itself as an opportunity for presenting Islamic values.
They are not listed in a logical order below, nor are they categorized. The reality
is that most of them will have to be met in every individual in the order in
which they naturally arise.

1.1 Modes of
Secularism

In the matter of
relations between the sexes, feelings run high against Islam. The general
understanding is that Islam is backward, patriarchal, and suppresses women. The
truth is that the conditions in some ostensibly Muslim countries to some extent
confirm this prejudice. The first way of meeting this issue is to note that
such conditions are the result of the ignorance and poor economy caused by
colonial and neo-colonial policy. It is no use to cause trouble somewhere else
in the world and then lay all the blame on those who suffer from the trouble.
The second thing to point out is that historically-speaking, Islam as a social
movement began as a movement to improve the condition of women, who were
oppressed by Judaism and Christianity, religions that are still far inferior to
Islam in their laws relating to women. If the status of women has improved in
some sectors in the West in the last century or so, in areas such as
inheritance and rights of ownership, this is largely the result of new ideas
coming into Europe from Islamic civilization and fomenting through the
Renascence and Enlightenment. So the second thing is to get the history clear.
The third point to get across is what Islamic law actually is, a system which
recognizes the real biological differences between men and women on one hand,
and attempts to equalize the unbalance in the best possible ways. This only
works, however, when people adhere to Islamic law, rather than admiring Western
ways of exploiting the weaker.

In the matter of
interest or riba, Muslims have generally failed. They merely give in to Western
banking malpractice. The matter of interest at this point can only serve as an
area of discussion demonstrating the social and economic justice inherent in
Islamic law. Little can be done by the individual but lament the fact that even
where it is ostensibly put into practice, Islamic banking tends to conform to
Western pressures. The fact that Islamic law does foster such social and
economic justice, however, may be attractive to some secular people.

In the matter of
dress, the secular person can be approached through the fact that fashion and
design are important means of economic exploitation. This can be an opening
bridge for the introduction of Islamic principles of modesty.

The evils of
alcohol are so well known that a repetition of them is generally not very
effective in reaching secular people who drink. Islamic principles of
abstinence can form a point of contact with secular people who happen to oppose
the use of alcoholic beverages. A point which is more rarely noted is that
alcohol is one of the means of social control, and refusing to use it is a
means of attaining individual independence. Secular people interested in
personal freedom sometimes respond favourably to this argument.

Rock and popular
music are also important means of thought control. Dissent in the West is
generally disbursed and rendered innocuous through the use of rock or folk-rock
music. The drug-like effect of rock and popular music is well-documented by Western
scientists, and used quite knowledgeably by music producers. The consumer tends
to deny it, however, and pretends to listen to music solely because of personal
likes and tastes. This attitude is exactly the same as that of a heroine addict
who claims to use heroine because he likes it. Music addiction is one of the
greatest deterrents to the propagation of Islam. The only effective way of
dealing with it is the repetition of the idea that music is an addiction. The
secular person can break free of it only after having accepted that
realization, one which is amply supported by a great deal of scientific
research readily available.

As with music,
Islamic principles vary. All Muslims reject rock and popular music, since these
so obviously arouse excitement. Some Muslims reject music altogether. The
argument is many centuries old, and can hardly be settled here. In the same
way, some Muslims reject all art except calligraphy and geometric design.
Others accept inanimate portrayal, others animate portrayal of all except the
human figure or the human face. Finally, at the liberal extreme there are those
who basically reject only the portrayal of God and His prophets (as) and art
with tendencies to arouse excitement through pornographic themes. This final
stance is of course the easiest to get across to a secular person, and appeal
can be made to logic in this matter.

The three final
slots in the table refer to stages of prejudice in general, rather than to
specifics. The first point that can make a secular person susceptible to Islam
is to get across the realization that people in the world have become more and
more dependent on prejudices created by advertizing than on their own thinking
and personal choice. People tend to think they are making a personal choice in
one or another matter, but are in fact acting in function of marketing
influence. A discussion of this phenomenon, when successful, opens the way for
the secular person to think about Islam as a rational alternative, a choice
which may affirm independent thinking. Secular people, although most generally
the slaves of marketing, recognize the irrationality of Christianity. They
project this on Islam. When they can be brought to understand that Islam
differs essentially from Christianity precisely in the area of rationality,
interest can be awakened. One way of emphasizing this is by saying that Islam
is not a religion, but a way of life. In rejecting Christianity, the secular
person has rejected religion. They are open, however, to a way of life.

Secular people are
generally plagued by irrational fears of Islam generated by the Crusades at the
earliest point and transmitted through folklore, and confirmed by contemporary
media. Between the two lie the so-called Reconquista, the Renascence, and the
Ottoman invasion of eastern Europe. These historical factors still have
ramifications in the modern psyche, and serve to complicate the attitude
towards Islam. These irrational fears can be met in several ways. The first is
correct information about history. The second is balancing information about
Muslims today. The first can be attained by providing books and articles by
Muslims authors. The second is best attained through peaceful, friendly, and
direct contact with Muslims.

Religious
relativism is generally seen as a tolerant trend. In fact, it is really a way
in which secular people categorize all religious traditions as outmoded. They
are cultural remnants that should only serve the purpose of museum objects and
events interesting to tourists. This can be met by pointing out that religious
traditions differ in the effectiveness of their principles of economic and
social justice. Most secular people have an ostensible interest in these
matters. Hedonism usually has a veneer or cloak, and by plucking at the sleeve
of that cloak one may sometimes elicit a response. However, once one has made
the point that Islam has better answers to contemporary issues than other
religions, including secular trends, there is still the gap of faith to be met.
Islam is a revealed faith and requires belief in the revelation as revelation.
We can do much to foster a receptive attitude in those around us, but only God
can create faith. Da'wa is an invitation, and we are responsible for extending
it in as attractive manner as possible, but it is not, like missionizing, a
form of compulsion.