Thinking makes man great

THINKING•MAKES•MAN•GREAT1• Segâh•Tekin2• • • • • • • • • •• • • ••••••••••• • “If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one nation, yet they do not cease to differ.” 3 • • “Had Allah willed He could have made you one community,• but• that• He• may• try• you• by• that• which• He• has•given•you•(He has made you as you are).•So•vie•with• one• another• in• good• works.• To• Allah• you• will• all• be• returned,• and• He• will• then• inform• you• of• that• wherein• you disputed.”4• • •••• ••••••••••••••••••“-Why•does•a•man•live?• ••••••••••-In order to think about it...”5• • • Is• it• possible• to• understand• a• religion• just• by• observing• its• outward• features?• Certainly• not.• All• of• the• people• who• regard• themselves• as• Muslims,• living• scattered• around•the•globe,•are•not•identical.•They• come•from•different•historical,•cultural,•racial• and•socio-economic•backgrounds•in•addition•to•the•fact•that•they•do•not•share•the•same• level• of• understanding• when• belief• is• in• question.• This• is• also• true• for• other• religions.• Neither• Christians• nor• Jews• living• in• different• parts• of• the• world• form• homogeneous,• undivided• societies.• Beyond• the• differences• among• the• sects,• there• are• differences• in• perception• and• interpretation,• even• among• the• followers• of• the• same• sect,• which• are• manifest•in•a•range•of•issues•from•lifestyles•to•political•views.• Muslims,•just•as•the•people•living•in•China,•in•the•shanty•towns•of•Latin•America• or•elite•circles•of•Western•Europe,•are•human•beings.•In•addition•to•the•heterogenity•of• 1•Blaise•Pascal• 2• PhD• candidate• at• Selçuk• University• works• as• a• research• assistant• at• the• Department• of• International• Relations,•Necmettin•Erbakan•University,•Turkey.•Spent•seven•months•as•a•guest•researcher•at•USP/IRI•in• 2013,• as• a• part• of• her• PhD• project• on• Brazilian• foreign• policy.• Has• publications• on• the• topics• of• conflict• language•and•the•place•of•culture•and•religion•in•international•relations.•• 3•The Holy Qur’ân, Hûd,•11/•118.• 4•The Holy Qur’ân, Al-Mâ’ida, 5/48.• 5•Erich•Maria•Remarque,•Arch of Triumph: A Novel of a Man Without a Country.•• 178 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.3,•n.5,•nov.•2015• the• Muslim• world,• the• problems• occuring• in• the• countries• where• Muslims• are• in• majority,•are•mispresented•as•the•consequences•of•the•Islamic•worldview.•Indeed,•these• problems• are• shared• by• many• other• countries• around• the• globe,• which• have• no• significant• relation• with• Islam.• Many• problems• existing• in• Muslim• countries• such• as• internal•conflict,•non-existence•of•democracy•or•slow•pace•of•democratic•consolidation,• unemployment•and•challenges•of•development•in•addition•to•the•legacy•of•colonialism•in• some•cases,•are•also•the•problems•of•many•non-Muslim•nations•in•Asia,•Africa•and•Latin• America.• Many• writers• have• pointed• the• fact• that• urban• violence• in• Latin• America• is• taking• more• lives• than• the• conflict• areas• in• Iraq• or• Afghanistan.• Recently,• Europe• has• been• discussing• how• to• tackle• with• the• flow• of• Syrian• refugees• and• how• to• integrate• them. But the US has also its own ‘migration’ and ‘integration’ problems, due to the increasing•flow•of•Hispanics•to•the•country.•In•almost•all•of•the•Latin•American•countries,• including• Brazil• -one• of• the• two• largest• democracies• in• the• Western• Hemisphere-• the• uninterrupted•period•of•democracy•dates•back•to•no•more•than•thirty•years.•• Moreover,• as• the• previous• scene• of• power• struggle• between• the• US• and• USSR,• ethnicity•and•religion•have•long•been•used•as•tools•by•these•superpowers•in•the•so-called• ‘Greater Middle East’ region where Muslims comprise the majority of populations. For example,•it•is•known•that•the•roots•of•the•armed•fundamentalist•groups•in•Afghanistan• can•be•traced•back•to•the•US•support•during•Cold•War.•After•the•decolonization•period•in• the• 20th• century,• many• autocratic• regimes• in• the• region• were• supported• by• the• superpowers• with• political,• military• and• financial• aid.• And• today,• due• to• the• recent• involvement•of•both•Russia•and•the•US•in•the•conflict•in•Syria,•a•new•struggle•between• the•great•powers•seems•to•emerge•in•the•Middle•East.•• Nevertheless,•these•facts•are•quickly•disregarded•when•discussing•developments• occurring• in• Muslim• countries.• Islam• has• always• been• taken• as• a• holistic• and• unified• empire•and•as•a•permanent•threat•against•the•West.6•Nowadays•within•this•framework,• the• relationship• of• West• with• Islam• is• being• considered• abstractly• with• regard• to• the• issues•of•fundamentalism•and•assumed•intolerance•of•the•Muslims.•These•are•regarded• as• given• problems• of• Muslims• in• general• and• threats• against• the• West,• forgetting• that• Muslims•are•the•main•sufferers•of•both•fundamentalist•terrorism•and•the•violence•of•the• 6• Mustafa Aydın, Sinem A. Açıkmeşe, “Identity-based• Security• Threats• in• a• Globalised• World:• Focus• on• Islam”, Brauch vd. (der.), Globalization and Environmental Challenges,•Springer:•Berlin,•New•York,•2008,•p.• 413-420’• 179 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.•3,•n.•5,•nov.•2015• recent•Western•invasions•in•Afghanistan•and•Iraq.•It•is•beyond•the•scope•and•means•of• this• text• to• discuss• the• underlying• reasons• of• the• negative• perception• of• the• Muslim• world•in•the•West.•Probably,•the•long•historical•background•of•conflict,•beginning•from• the• expansion• of• the• Islamic• rule• against• Eastern• Roman• Empire,• causes• the• adverse• treatment•of•Islam•by•the•West•and•this•can•be•regarded•as•one•of•the•reasons.7•A•second• reason might be the place of the ‘other’ in the mental construction of the West. But this status• is• not• exclusive• to• the• Muslim• world.• Today,• many• critics• tend• to• combine• assumptions and historical facts with today’s problems and personal stories, and they present•a•generalized,•anachronistic•and•an•unfriendly•vision•of•Islam•as•opposed•to•the• modern•West.•The•easiness•of•judging•Muslims•based• on•such•comments•and•adopting• the•imposed•conflict•language•seems•quite•attractive•for•many•people.•• However,•an•objective•reading•of•the•history•of•Islam•would•provide•us•a•useful• framework•for•evaluation•and•would•enable•us•to•comprehend•what•Islam•is•and•what•it• does•try•to•achieve,•in•addition•to•the•fact•that•expansion•of•Islam•was•not•based•on•the• ‘otherness’ of a religion or a community. First of all, Islam came into existence as a world civilization.•Even•at•the• very•beginning,•Islam• was• not• the• religion•of•a• specific•nation,• dynasty•or•social•class.•Islam•came•out•of•Mecca,•not•an•isolated•Arab•city•in•the•desert,• but• a• cosmopolitan• city• and• the• most• important• trade• center• in• western• and• central• Arabia•at•the•time,•which•was•connected•to•two•major•routes•from•South•to•North•and• from• West• to• East.• The• first• one• connected• Yemen• and• the• Indian• Ocean• to• the• Mediterranean• coasts• and• the• second• one• connected• central• Eurasia• to• eastern• Africa.• The•spread•of•Islam•and•growth•of•the•Islamic•world•took•more•than•one•thousand•years• encompassing• cities,• empires,• nations• and• cultures;• all• of• which• contributed• to• the• enrichment•of•the•Islamic•civilization.•Indeed,•the•territory•of•the•Sassanid•Empire•was• conquered• by• the• Arabs• as• early• as• A.D.• 644,• while• the• conquest• of• the• Anatolian• highlands• started• four• hundred• years• later,• in• 1071,• by• the• Seljuk• Turks. 8• • All• of• the• “races” having embraced Islam such as the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Greeks, Abyssinians, Berbers,• Indians• and• others• have• contributed• to• the• development• of• science• and• 7• Seyyed• Hossein• Nasr, “The Spiritual Needs of Western Man and the Message of Sufism”, Jean-Louis• Michon•and•Roger•Gaetani•(eds.),•Sufism: Love & Wisdom,•Bloomington;•World•Wisdom,•2006,•p.•179-205,• p.•203.• 8• Marshall• G.• S.• Hodgson,• The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization, Vol. I, The Classical Age of Islam,• Chicago• and• London:• The• University• of• Chicago• Press,• 1977,• p.• 154;• • Robert• D.• Kaplan,•The Revenge of Geography.• 180 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.•3,•n.•5,•nov.•2015• civilization• in• the• Islamic• geography.• It• is• significant• that,• thanks• to• the• religious• tolerance;•Christians,•Jews•and•Buddhists•alongside•the•Muslim•scholars,•contributed•to• the• enrichment• of• science• within• this• civilization.9• As• there• is• “no compulsion in religion” according to Islam, the extension of the territories under Muslim control neither•meant•the•the•annihilation•of•non-Muslims,•nor•their•forced•conversion.10•• In• this• geographical• and• social• context,• Islam• emerged• as• an• inclusive• religion• open•to•people•from•all•racial,•economic•and•social•backgrounds.•In•a•famous•hadith,•the• Prophet• praised• his• companions• without• discriminating• any• of• them• with• the• words:• “My companions are like the stars in the sky. Whomever you follow among them,• you• will be rightly guided”. These first Muslims included both the rich and the poor; noble and• slave• men;• the• handicapped;• the• literate• and• the• illiterate;• single,• married• and• divorced•women;•blacks;•Jewish•and•Christian•converts;•Arabs;•Persians;•children•and•so• on.• Race,• sex,• ethnic• origin,• physical• or• socio-economic• status• were• not• • determining• factors in Islam as another hadith declares that “Verily• Allah• does• not• look• to• your• bodies• nor• to• your• possessions• but• He• looks• to• your• hearts• and• your• actions.” Accordingly,•the•achieved•status•of•these•first•Muslims•as•true•guides•was•the•reward•of• their•success•in•the•greater•jihad.••• It• is• meaningful• that• after• returning• from• the• first• important• war• of• Islam• with• victories,• the• Prophet• told• his• companions• that the “lesser jihad” was over and the “greater jihad” that every human being has to conduct against his/her ego; “the struggle against oneself”, had just begun. Clearly, he attributed more importance to the inward struggle• than• the• outward• one.• This• is• the• greatest• of• the• wars• since• it• does• last• a• lifetime until one’s last breath, whereas a period of peace might be reached following even the longest conflicts between the states. This greater war contains not only one’s fight• with• his/her• ego• in• personal• affairs• but• also• his/her• attitutude• towards• other• people•whether•they•are•a•family•member,•a•neighbor•or•a•non-Muslim•co-citizen.•• Fighting against one’s ego, with the guidance of religion, sets a moral standard which•is• crucial•for•all•the• human• beings•created.•This• point•of•view,•living•the• earthly• life•in•preparation•for•an•afterlife,•guided•by•the•principles•of•Allah•who•requires•human• beings•to•be•just,•merciful,•compassionate•and•polite•to•other•people,•has•influenced•the• 9•Muhammed•Hamidullah,•Introduction to Islam, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, Ankara, 2013, p. 248.• The Holy Qur’ân, 2/256; Douglas E. Streusand, “What Does Jihad Mean?”, Middle East Quarterly,• September•1997,•Vol.•4,•No•3,•pp.•9-17.• 10• 181 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.•3,•n.•5,•nov.•2015• thoughts,•actions•and•writings•of•many•scholars•and•statesmen•such•as•the•Caliph•Umar• Ibn• al-Khattâb,• since• the• early• years• of• the• Islamic• era.• Caliph• Umar• Ibn• al-Khattâb,• famous• for• his• strict• adherence• to• justice• under• any• circumstance,• has• always• been• a• prominent•exemplar•of•a•statesman•for•future•generations.•During•his•caliphate,•which• lasted•only•a•decade,•Persia•was•conquered•in•less•than•two•years•and•two-thirds•of•the• Byzantine• Empire,• including• Jerusalem,• entered• into• the• Muslim• rule.• Owing• to• this• expansion,•large•communities•of•Christians•and•Jews•started•to•live•within•the•territory• of•the•caliphate.11•He•allowed•the•resettlement•of•Jews•in•Jerusalem.•In•his•testament,•he• advised•future•rulers•to•treat•the•non-Muslim•citizens•of•the•state•well,•to•protect•them• and•to•defend•their•lives•and•properties•in•case•of•need.• On•the•other•hand,•he•served•as•a•caliph•during•difficult•times•of•drought,•famine• and• plague• which• severely• affected• the• community.• He• used• to• walk• in• the• streets• of• Medina• day• and• night• in• order• to• be• sure• that• every• citizen• could• sleep• with• a• full• stomach, unfortunately a goal that still hasn’t been reached by many developing nations. While• having• preferred• a• simple• life• and• humble• conditions• for• himself,• he• tried• to• achieve•the•best•for•the•people•under•his•rule.•He•dealt•with•various•problems•such•as• corruption,•hunger,•poverty,•minority•rights,•socio-economic•inequalities•and•internally• displaced people. His inspiring solutions offer good examples even for today’s statesmen who•have•to•deal•with•similar•problems.•••Establishment•of•a•welfare•state•providing•not• only•allowances•for•adult•Muslims•but•also•benefits•and•pensions•for•women,•newborn• children,• the• elderly• and• non-Muslim• citizens• in• need• of• money• or• healthcare,• became• only•possible•at•the•hands•of•this•statesman•who•did•not•refrain•from•sharing•the•pain•of• the•poor•or•confessing•his•own•mistakes•in•front•of•the•ordinary•people.•He•lived•like•the• poor,• spent• most• of• his• time• among• the• poor• and• the• needy,• and• reflected• on• how• to• solve•their•problems.•• Unfortunately• as• a• tendency• of• human• beings• of• our• era,• we• neither• want• to• empathize with ‘other’ people, nor spend time for reflection on who they really are. As Turkish• author• Sabahattin• Ali• wrote• in• his• novel• Madonna in the Fur Coat,• people• are• aware•of•the•reality•that•how•difficult•it•is•to•get•to•know•each•other.•That•is•why;•they• 11• For• the• situation• of• Christians• and• Jews• under• the• Islamic• law;• see• Muhammad• Hamidullah,• Muslim Conduct of State.• For• information• on• the• life• of• the• Caliph• Umar• Ibn• al-Khattâb, see “Umar”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar.•• • • 182 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.•3,•n.•5,•nov.•2015• prefer to hang around as if they are blind and only become aware of each other’s existence whey they clash. It is no surprising that in today’s world the “clash” of civilizations•has•become•quite•popular•as•a•phrase,•instead•of•an•interaction•or•even•an• encounter• of• civilizations,• which• would• more• suit• to• the• demands• of• the• age• of• globalization. Probably, our planet has (in Tom Friedman’s phrase) never been so “flat” allowing•us•travel•and•see•different•geographies,•meet•new•people•or•learn•more•about• them.• Thanks• to• the• advancement• of• communication• technologies,• information• has• never•been•easier•to•access.•Nevertheless,•travel•and•quick•access•to•information•are•not• prerequisites• for• healthy• interaction.• Instead,• getting• to• know• someone• in• depth• necessitates• both• self-reflection• on• who• we• really• are• and• reflection• on• the• culture,• background,• living• conditions,• pains• and• emotions• of• the• people• whom• we• call• as• the• “others”. Only through• reflection• and• empathy,• meaningful• and• constructive• dialogue• among• different• views• can• begin• and• we• can• benefit• from• the• achievements• of• each• other.••• • • • • • • • • • • • • 183 Malala,•São•Paulo,•v.•3,•n.•5,•nov.•2015•