خوف الغرب من الإسلام ما مصدره؟

 

في بدايات عام 1410هـ (1990م) وصلتني نشرة من معهد هارتفورد اللاهوتي بناء على مراسلات بيننا وفي تلك القصاصة مقالة صغيرة أوشبه مقالة بعنوان (ما الذي سيكون الشبح الجديد؟) وبناء علي تلك القصاصة كتبت مقالة في صحيفة المسلمون أيام رئاسة الدكتور عبد القادر طاش رحمه الله بعنوان (لماذا يخوفون الغرب بالإسلام؟) واحتفظت بتلك القصاصة بين أوراقي ورغبة في شكر القسيس على تنبيهه لي على هذه القضية حتى لأظن أن مقالتي كانت من أوائل ما كتب عن خوف الغرب من الإسلام أو تحويل العداء من الشيوعية إلى الإسلام (وفي رأيي أن الإسلام كان ولا يزال عدوهم) وإليكم المقالة:

WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT BUGBEAR?

        As a result of the tumultuous and astonishing events in eastern Europe, the forces of world communism no longer seem as a threatening as they did before. So, those Americans who constantly dwelt on the supposed danger of communism to our nation are suddenly left deprived or their favorite themes. A Doonesbury character, depicted by the comic strip artist, Garry Trudeau, expresses the feeling by saying, “The cold was can’t be over! It’s gotta be some kind of a trick.”

      The question is, now, will the alarmist of our population choose another group to be hold up before the public as a threat to the U.S. A. and to the world? Knowing the generally bad press that the Muslims have received in the American media, some of us are alert to the possibility that Islam will be set forth as the new bogeyman. A recent syndicated column by Charles Krauthammer (February 19, 1990) gives reason for concern. Under the banner “Islam launches a new global crusade,” he writes about what he calls a movement just as portentous as the collapse of Soviet power, that is, the struggle of Muslims worldwide for “political independence and political domination.” The columnist terms this struggle as “a global intefadeh.” What makes it threatening according to him is that the force of Islam is autocratic and intolerant. He writes, “… in the Islamic world self-determination is permitted only to Moslems (sic).” As the restive Muslim population in the USSR stir we see evidence, in the words of Krauthammer that “the new arch of crisis grows.” The information in that column is badly distorted. The worst thing about it is the statement that Islam is engaged in a concerted movement world-wide. There is no central authority in Islam, so any political or ideological struggle on a global scale is quite out of the question. Readers of this Newsletter will want to be alert to counter such unreasonable attacks as Krauthammer’s with authentic information regarding Islam, as well as facts about particular local spots across the world where Muslim peoples are involved. 

R.Marston Speight

 

Office on Christian-Muslim Relations, NCCC USA

Hartford Seminary

Hartford, CT.