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Islam, education against violence

interview with Adnane Mokrani

Islam is no religion of peace, Muslims must admit that hate incitement is in the holy books and take up responsibility for it and for Islamic extremism. So wrote Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali activist and writer naturalised American, in her book “Heretic. Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now”, pointing to some principles on which to base such reform:  The Coran is only a book and it is no repository of holy truths; earthly life is more important than what happens after death; ‘Shari’ah Law’ must be subordinated to the state laws. Her theses sparked many reactions when her book was released, and they come up again while in Europe there is a surge in the diffidence and hostility against the Muslims after the ISIS attacks.

To understand whether the reform of Islam is feasible and apt to make it easier for different religious and ethnic communities to exist, Gariwo interviewed Adnane Mokrani, Muslim theologian and professor of Islamic studies at the Pontifical Institute of Arab Studies (Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e di Islamistica - PISAI) and at Pontificia Università Gregoriana.

As a theologian do you subscribe to these proposals? Do you think they are feasible?

As a Muslim theologian, I find it hard to say that the Koran is only a book, as the Bible and the Vedas. They are the holy books and retain a particular value because they nurture the spiritual experience that opens people to the godly truths. Thus we cannot say that the godly truth is closed in one book, but a book can be the instrument, the start of a pathway: it enlightens us but does not replace the individual religious experience. I would then say that earthly life is important, as those who do not experience this opening to the human and godly and does not breath the perfume of Heaven today on this earth, cannot live fully afterwards. I also think that the Muslim must comply with the state laws, passed by a free parliament chosen by the people according to the democratic rules. The 'Shari’ah Law' indicates a pattern of religious behaviour, it must be meant as something ethical, not legal.  

Other principles that need be abolished, in Hirsi's opinion, are coercion and compulsory conformity as well as the ‘Jihad’ as a war against the non muslims and the heretic or apostate muslims. Do you agree?

Coercion is unacceptable, above all in reference to religious allegiance, that must be a fruit of free choice, and this is clearly stated in the Coran: “There shall be no compulsion in religion”, (2, 256). Imposed formalism is nothing but hypocrisy, abiding by the rules without any persuasion has neither meaning nor significance. Obviously, some Muslim groups failed to understand this koranic teaching and follow other indications that allow the use of force to experience religion.
As far as ‘Jihad’ is concerned, in the Koran this word  is no synonym for war, but rather of any effort a Muslim makes to serve God and thus for social justice and peace. War is allowed by the Koran only when defensive: when your nation is attacked by a foreign force, you can fight to defend it. Obviously, in history we find Muslims who have done conquests, waged war, invaded other countries: this is Islamic imperialism. Like other men, the Muslims have followed the logics of their time in every era, but it is difficult to find a religious justification for it in the Koran.

Is your stance centred on openness, tolerance and dialogue shared by the majority of Muslim theologians and faithfuls? And how can it spread in a context which is characterised by assault by armed groups to impose Islam?

In the Islamic world, from Marocco to Indonesia, there are many thinkers, wise men and youngsters who believe in peace and justice. They really represent the vast majority of Muslims, but the international scene is dominated by violent extremists who project the opposite image. In Syria people had started a peaceful protest through music and songs against the dictatorship, but the regime's violent response has unleashed a similar reaction on the side of rebels, so the civil war has begun and the voice of war has outweighed the one of civil society. The violent minority is very pervasive, because it perpetrates assaults, it blows, it makes noise. In fact, the solution must be political and social, because the reform of Islamic religious thought cannot be accepted without an act of political openness that allows freedom of expression and research. There are universities and research centres that try to open a positive and earnest discussion on modern Islamic thought, but unfortunately in many countries there are political obstacles and this also influences the cultural and social features of religious thought. Ignorance and illiteracy are a fertile soil for the development of extremism and fundamentalism. We can fight against them through a growing awareness of the value of democracy and above all through education, not only in the countries with an Islamic majority, but wherever hostility and closure show up. Hence, the key to progressing in this field is to open up these two worlds to a dialogue, not to consider each other as hostile because they are different.  Today terror groups, and the ISIS in particular, try to create a cleavage between the Muslim world and the West, a wave of hatred that is expressed through fear, suspicion, islamophobia and pressure on the Muslims. In this climate of terror, they can manipulate religion and take up strength. We Muslims, Christians, Jews and others including non-believers must be close to each other and refuse to allow the polarisation of society, because, if we react to terror with fear and racism, the terroristic plot strengthens and this weakens democracy and hits Europe in its soul.

The Pope's visit to the Mosque of Rome made headlines as it was the first pontiff visit to the Mosque of the Italian capital. Could this event help overcome barriers?

Of course, this gesture can hold a great symbolic significance. The Pope has recently headed for the Synagogue of Rome and a future visit to the Mosque somehow reminds of a recognition of the Italian Muslim community, a sign of dialogue and openness, which encourages the people who are engaged in on the field. 

Do the openness to dialogue and Islam reform expressed by you and other theologians manage to reach over to the Mosques and the average faithfuls?

Muslim associations in Italy are more and more aware of their duty, their responsibility. Many of them have supported the Jubilee of Misericordia, appreciating this initiative because if involves a key value for Islam: going back to misericordia means rediscovering the essence of religion. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, in January and November, nearly all Muslim associations categorically condemned terror. There is this will, but Italian Islamic communities should organise better and try to reach a deal with the Italian State, which will ensure some rights and advantages.

Muslim women are often in a condition of isolation, unless they learn Italian and find a job. Can Muslim community leaders commit to improving their situation?

Immigration flows are made by people of different descents, Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisian, Egyptians, but when they arrive in Italy they are all labelled as "Muslims". We must see where they are from, often they are from rural villages. Here in Italy we lack a cultural leadership and people sometimes are clueless as to how to integrate and to confront with modern society. In this case not only the Islamic associations, but also the religious and secular Italian associations must step in to accompany and encourage integration, which is no spontaneous pathway. The first step is education and learning Italian. This is true for the first generation, because the second one, formed by kids who were born here, learns the Italian language, culture and history at school.

Adnane Mokrani, Tunisian, Muslim theologian, professor of Islamic studies at the Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e di Islamistica (PISAI) and the Pontificia Università Gregoriana. He obtained his PhD in Islamic Theology from Università Al- Zaytuna of Tunis and in Islamic-Christian dialogue from  PISAI; fluent in many languages (Arabic, Italian, English, and French) he studied Biblical Hebrew and Greek.

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