Voice of British Muslim Women

Iffat Mirza, Cambridge

The word ‘history’ in many languages is the same word as the word ‘story’, thus signalling the question ‘do we ever have a neutral history?’ Or are all histories just narratives that have been spun in order to entrap their prey?

Quite often we attribute the horrendous terror attacks of 9/11 as the turning point in anti-Islamic sentiment but the reality is that it has permeated our culture for centuries. For many centuries we have attributed Muslim discoveries and inventions to later European or western scientists and philosophers. For example, we owe a lot of what we know about Ancient Greek philosophers to Ibn Rushd, or Averroes, for having translated and provided commentaries on eminent Western scholars such as Aristotle, who have formed the very foundations of Western Civilization. Whilst historiographies neglected the ways in which Muslims and Islamic nations have advanced humanity through their achievements in the sciences and humanities, they focussed on the more barbaric acts of a few so-called Muslims and thus painted the whole religion with the same tarred brush.

In doing so, a false dichotomy between the geopolitical region known as ‘the West’ and the religion of Islam has been created, fomenting the erroneous belief that the two are fundamentally incompatible and one will inevitably overpower the other, thus ensuring that it should be Islam that will be defeated.

The reality is actually quite clear. Islam being an Abrahamic faith has far more to reason to be compatible with Judeo-Christian traditions than to be cause for concern. In fact, the Holy Qur’an unites us in stating in chapter 2 verse 63, ‘Surely, the Believers, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians — whichever party from among these truly believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds — shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.’

Evidently, Islam seeks to unite civilizations across time and space, not only in this world but also in the hereafter. As such, it is worth questioning, why does it seem that Muslims are intent on destroying societal relations and making it their mission to destroy the West.

The simple answer is ‘they’re not.’

The false dichotomy of Islam and the West has cost countless lives in, both, immediate conflict and the long-lasting consequences of war and terrorism, such as damage to infrastructure and the halting of economy.

His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper), drawing on the long-drawn-out conflict in the Middle East and the interventions from international powers commented in 2018, ‘Thus, the world is stuck in a vicious cycle of conflict and counter-conflict, as rivalries ferment and hatreds become ever more deeply entrenched. No one knows where such issues will finally lead us or how horrific the consequences will prove to be.’

The key phrase is the creation of hatred. Hatred is not a natural response to anything – rather it is fear that develops into hatred. The fear of the unknown. The fear of the possibility of being overpowered. The fear that the Other may dominate can only be confronted if the fear manifests as hatred and as such leads to the ‘vicious cycle of conflict’ as stated by His Holiness.

In October 2019, His Holiness addressed the UNESCO headquarters in France and reminded us that “During the 7th Century, under the government led by the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him), astonishing progress was made in Medina to advance the cause of individual and collective rights. Indeed, for the very first time amongst the Arabs, an orderly and civilised society was established. In many ways, it was a model society – in terms of infrastructure, services and, more importantly, in terms of the unity and tolerance displayed in what was a multicultural society.”

Is this not exactly the kind of progress the modern world looks for today? Why then, is the idea of Islam so abhorrent to so many? It is clear that the criticisms that Islam faces today has very little to do with genuine Islamic teachings and far more to do with what is reflected in the narratives surrounding Islam.

As such, it is imperative that we look more closely at the narratives that have been spun regarding the Other, in this case Islam and Muslims in order to understand that there is actually nothing to fear for Islam teaches the unity and benevolence of God over all His creatures. It is evident that we all have far more to gain than to lose so it is imperative that we let go of the artificial rivalries that histories and mainstream media have whipped up in order to work towards a more peaceful world, where we understand that there is indeed no reason for there to be a clash of civilizations.