by MEMRI
In a recent article, leading Pakistani cleric Maulana Zahidur Rashdi noted that Islam and the West are indeed in a clash of civilizations, as argued by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
The article, titled "The Cultural and
Civilizational Struggle Between Islam and the West," was published by Roznama Islam, an Urdu-language daily published
from Karachi and Lahore, which is known for advocating Islamist causes and
pro-jihad arguments.
Maulana Zahidur Rashdi is a leading Islamic scholar
who frequently writes in newspapers and has visited several countries to preach
Islam, especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bangladesh, Iran, Kenya, Iran,
Uzbekistan, India, the U.K., Canada, the U.S., and others.
Following are excerpts from his article:
"[Our Intellectuals See It Not As A War Of
Civilization But As] A War Of Interests ... Between The Developed And The Developing
Countries, In Which Muslim Countries And Nations Are The Underdogs Due To Lack Of
Progress"
"'Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S.
House of Representatives, has said that those Muslims who believe in shari'a
should be expelled from America. Before this, U.S. presidential candidate
Donald Trump had too demanded a ban on the entry of Muslims into America. Newt
Gingrich... has said in an interview: Western civilization is in a state of
war. Shari'a is not compatible with the Western civilization, and we will
gladly accept those Muslims who do not believe in shari'a. Newt Gingrich has
also proposed monitoring mosques in America along with imprisoning individuals
who visit websites of extremist organizations.
"The statement of the former speaker of the house
is not the first such statement regarding this matter. Rather, statements of
this nature have previously come from numerous American and European leaders.
However, Newt Gingrich's statement is unique in that a few points have been
said bluntly without being diplomatic:
"One, Western civilization faces a state of war at
this time. Two, Islamic shari'a is not compatible with Western civilization.
Three, the Muslims believing in shari'a laws are not acceptable to the West.
Four, the progressive thinking the West speaks of means abandoning shari'a
regulations and laws, and the West will not accept anything less than this.
"Even now our intellectuals are not ready to
accept the struggle between Muslims and the West as a war of culture and
civilization. They say that this is not a civilizational struggle, but rather a
war of interests and a struggle between the developed and the developing
countries, in which Muslim countries and nations are the underdogs due to lack
of progress and have been left behind due to not cooperating with Western
society in civilizational progress."
"Anything That Is Light For Islam Is Called Darkness
In The West; And Anything That Is Called Light By The West Is Declared Darkness
And Ignorance By Islam"
"However, Newt Gingrich has bluntly clarified
that this is a civilizational war in which, on the one side, stands Western
culture and civilization, which has enveloped most of the regions and cultures
of the world due to scientific progress, military supremacy, economic domination
and media control; whereas on the other side is the Islamic civilization, which
is fighting a war for its survival and advancement with full force. The point
is that this war is now becoming clear and it is written on the wall that in the
future, of these two, only the civilization that is better able to solve
problems faced by the human society will lead it. This is not only our claim, but
a principle of nature and a necessity of the historical process.
"The former speaker's statement that there is no
compatibility between Western civilization and shari'a also warrants special
attention. It is of concern to those among our intellectuals who have been
engaged over the past two centuries in efforts to transform Islam according to [the
standards of] Western civilization, and seek out interpretations of Islamic principles
and laws that show them to conform with Western civilization's principles and
laws. These intellectuals cannot understand the simple fact that Islamic
culture and civilization is based on the teachings of the Koran and the Sunnah
[traditions of Muhammad] and wahi [revelations]...
"Allah says... 'This Book we have revealed on you
for the reason that you bring out people from the darkness towards light.' In
other words, according to Islam, pursuing the revealed teachings is called
light and progressive. Whereas, for the West, rejecting and abandoning the shari'a
directives is progressive. In other words, anything that is light for Islam is
called darkness in the West; and anything that is called light by the West is declared
darkness and ignorance by Islam. Therefore, it is meaningless and useless to
search for the path of compatibility and understanding between the two. This is
the reason that the West is not ready under any condition to tolerate Islamic shari'a
to any degree and to allow enforcement of shari'a directives and laws even in
the environment of Muslim countries..."
"This situation demands that instead of wasting
time condemning and rationalizing the statements of Western leaders such as
Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump, these statements are viewed as the reality on
the ground and that a correct path is charted for leading Muslims. For a long
time, I have been telling intellectual circles and educational centers of
Muslims that the growing international struggle between Western civilization and
Islamic civilization should be clarified at the intellectual and scholarly
level... It has become essential to state in clear terms which matters are
acceptable within the limits of the teachings of the Koran and the Sunnah and
what flexibility exists to accept some matters.
"The West's standpoint is very clear in that it
is not ready to accept the enforcement of shari'a. In response to this, it is
our responsibility to point out the errors of the Western civilization based on
the common collective interests of human society and revealed [Islamic]
teachings, to clarify the damages caused to human society by it [the Western
civilization], and to bring forth benefits and necessities of Islamic Shari'a
through reason and logic..."
Source: Roznama Islam (Pakistan), August 6,
2016.
MEMRI
Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9421.htm
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