Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 1999, pages 104-107

Muslim-American Activism

AU Hosts a Conference on Cultural Diversity and Islam

Presented by the American University Center for Global Peace and the Mohammad Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, a conference on Cultural Diversity and Islam was held at American University in Washington, DC on Nov. 20 and 21. More than 20 scholars from various educational institutions in the U.S. and abroad participated as speakers.

The participants examined Islam’s contributions to cultural co-existence and diversity in order to provide a genuine vision toward constructing bridges among cultures. Several Islamic conceptions of conflict resolution and religious tolerance were explored through presentations by the panelists and challenging questions from the audience.

Delivering the opening remarks of the conference, Dr. Abdul Aziz Said, director of the Center for Global Peace and director of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Division at American University, welcomed the participants who gathered to explore cultural diversity and Islam both in theory and practice. Said argued that Western liberalism has made great contributions that emphasize bureaucracies, regionalism, and separation of power. To him, however, Western liberalism “has not dealt with the issue of cultural diversity and pluralism. This is where I discovered Islam and its great historical tradition and its provisions for cultural diversity,” he added.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University in Washington, DC, gave the keynote speech, in which he discussed issues of unity and diversity in Islam. In the first of four conference panels, entitled “Cultural Diversity in Civilizational Perspective,” Serif Mardin, chair of Islamic studies at American University’s School of International Service, discussed cultural adaptation in Islam. He noted that contemporary mass movements have blunted the adaptive edge of the extraordinarily humanistic fundamental Islam. Mardin recommended that Muslims work to bring back the multiculturalism of pre-modern Islam.

Focusing on “Continuities and Discontinuities in Islamic Perspectives on Cultural Diversity,” Sulayman Nyang, professor of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, DC, discussed major factors that have affected the Muslim cultural world since the 15th century. Among these are the industrial revolution in Europe, the European colonization of Muslim lands, the transplantation of nationalist ideas to the Muslim world, the rise of communism, the eruption of the Iranian revolution, and the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

Richard Khouri, a free-lance writer affiliated with the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, discussed “True and False Pluralism in Relation to the West and Islam.” Khouri argued that the term “pluralism” tends to create confusion among those who relate it to the quantity of authorized points of view without regard to their quality. Khouri noted that “Islam was never intended to be established as a state religion.” He argued that the form of Islamic states these days is confusing. “To consider Islam as Deen wa-Dawlah (both the state and its religion) actually undermines Islam,” he said.

In the second panel on “Islamic Perspectives on Cultural Diversity,” John Voll, professor of Islamic history and deputy director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, noted that diversity and pluralism represent “characteristics necessary for a sound society.” He maintained that “Islamic traditions have an appropriate conceptual repertoire for expression of the virtue and rightness of pluralism.”

Sachiko Murata, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Asian studies program at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, discussed the “Islamic Encounter with the Chinese Intellectual Tradition.” Despite the fact that Muslims entered China 30 years after the Prophet’s death, she said, Chinese Muslims did not write about Islam in the Chinese language until the 17th century. Murata said the Chinese ulama (scholars) were the first example in history to use the language of a pre-existent intellectual tradition in explaining Islamic teachings. “The tactics they employed have something to teach all those engaged in religious dialogue in the contemporary context,” she noted.

Wadad Kadi, Avalon Foundation Distinguished Service Professor of Islamic Thought at the University of Chicago, discussed “Reflections on Islamic Perspectives on Cultural Diversity.” Kadi argued that the Qur’an expresses two views on diversity: “one that considers diversity as natural, and is hence positive, and another which perceives it as a consequence of disputation, and is hence negative.”

In the conference’s third panel on “Crisis in Islamic State and Society,” Mohammad Arkoun, professor emeritus of the history of Islamic thought at the Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III) in France, explored the concepts of Islamic state and civil society. Arkoun argued that Islamic states are unable to reactivate the perception of munathara (debate), which is the main source of the intellectual legitimacy of laws.

Yvonne Haddad, professor of Islamic history at Georgetown University, discussed modernization and the question of Islamic identity in the Arab world. Haddad criticized the recent Wye accord signed in Washington, DC in October, especially the requirement to crack down on Palestinian oppositionist groups and the agreement’s emphasis on security for the Israelis while disregarding the same rights for the Palestinians.

Ali Hillal Dessouki, professor of political science and dean of economics and political science at Cairo University in Egypt, argued that “the notion of the state as a force for nation-building led to political authoritarianism and the denial of cultural-religious pluralism.” According to Dessouki, adapting or failing to adapt to various aspects of modernization and globalization have led to crisis in Muslim societies and states. Robert Lee, professor of political science at Colorado College, noted that the Islamist phenomenon in the Middle East “may ultimately be remembered for legitimating changes predicted by modernization theories.”

The keynote speaker for the second day of the conference was Farid Esack, senior lecturer in religion at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. Esack presented a case study of cultural diversity and Islam in post-apartheid South Africa. According to Esack, many committed South African Muslims are making significant contributions to the reconstruction of South African society. There are, however, “several segments of the community that display a haunting fear of the light of democracy and freedom,” he added.

Reza Sheikholeslami, who holds the Soudavar Chair of Persian Studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, analyzed President’s Khatami’s civilizational dialogue. Sheikholislami argued that Islamic history and the Islamic Revolution are two basic elements that would help in understanding President Khatami’s openness to ideas emanating from the West. Sheikholislami explained, however, that “what Khatami said is different, but it is not revolutionary.”

Su’ad al-Hakim, chair of the Department of Islamic Philosophy at the Lebanese University in Beirut, analyzed issues of religious, confessional, sectarian, social, and cultural diversity in Lebanon. According to al-Hakim, Lebanon is a unique case study of cultural and religious diversity. With its two main religions, Islam and Christianity, and its small geographical area, “Lebanon’s various religious sects live side by side but do not interact,” she said. “In Lebanon, there are guardians for every single faction, but no guardian for the whole ummah [nation],” she said.

Chaiwat Satha-Anand, professor of political science and director of the Peace Information Center at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, discussed Muslim communal nonviolent actions as the basis of coexistence in a non-Muslim society.

The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion in which all the panelists, speakers, and moderators participated in commenting and answering questions. The conference attracted over 150 participants from different educational institutions and centers. Papers presented by the panelists will be published by the Center for Global Peace in February 1999. For more information about the conference, contact Mina Sharifi Funk at (202) 885-1632.

—Raja’ M. Abu-Jabr

Crown Princess Sarvath Hasan Speaks on “Women in Islam”

Crown Princess Sarvath, wife of Crown Prince Hasan Bin Talal, younger brother of King Hussein of Jordan, addressed the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Dec. 7 on “Women in Islam.” The event was co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and the Sisterhood is Global Institute.

Building on her thesis that Islam provides equal opportunities for women to work side by side with men in the service of humanity, Crown Princess Sarvath said, “The inequities between the sexes that appear from time to time and place to place are a by-product of cultural taboos and area-specific historical prejudices and have nothing to do with religion.” In countries where women are given equal access to education, she pointed out, they perform admirably and are productive members of society.

Using examples from Pakistan, where she grew up, and Jordan to drive home her points, the princess said: “Women in these countries have excelled in various walks of life like medicine, nursing, teaching, law and jurisprudence, economics and politics.”

Princess Sarvath, like American-born Queen Noor, wife of King Hussein, contributes in many ways toward the promotion of humane causes in Jordan, following a tradition in the royal family of the Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan, whose female members have always done volunteer work in the educational and social sectors.

This was the first-ever publicized public appearance of Princess Sarvath in Washington, and was the first of several scheduled appearances across the United States. Speaking with confidence and eloquence on sensitive and delicate subjects, she has a way that endears her to her listeners. This was evidenced when she fielded a range of questions and offered candid and convincing answers.

Princess Sarvath was born on July 24, 1947 in Calcutta, less than a month before the subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan. Both of her parents, Mohammed lkramullah and Mrs. Shaista Ikramullah, served in senior positions in Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and both served as ambassadors in various capitals of the world. The princess was married to Crown Prince Hasan on Aug. 28, 1968 in Karachi, Pakistan. The royal couple have three daughters, Princesses Rahma (30), Sumaya (27), and Badiya (25); and one son, Prince Rashid (20).

Princess Sarvath, who speaks Arabic, Urdu, English, and French, heads a number of charitable organizations, human rights bodies, educational institutions and womens’ welfare programs.

Her U.S. speaking engagements are occurring at a time when world attention is focused on Jordan because of King Hussein’s current treatment for cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

—M.M. Ali

Preventing Violence Against Women in Muslim Societies

The Middle East Institute held a Nov. 18 panel discussion of strategies Muslim women use to prevent, resist and cope with violence. Panelists discussed Sisterhood is Global efforts in the Global South to design and implement programs to eliminate violence against females.

Mahnaz Afkhami, president of the Sisterhood is Global Institute and executive director of the Foundation for Iranian Studies, began the discussion by saying, “Violence against women in Muslim society was always dealt with by the family in private.” In recent years, however, violence against women throughout the world has become a human rights issue, not merely a family issue.

Afkhami said that when males with power control females who are powerless, violence often results. For too long, state laws have condoned and educational imbalances have fostered the physical, verbal, economic or spiritual abuse of women. If women can’t take part in the interpretation of religion and they are not empowered to change their lives by legislation, they cannot change their lives, she said. By empowering individual women and giving them self-assertiveness training, institutions can enable women to protect themselves from violence, Afkhami concluded.

Haleh Vaziri, a scholar of comparative and international politics who has served as the acting coordinator of production and research for Sisterhood is Global’s Human Rights Education Program, discussed the manual Sisterhood is Global is using. She called it a “work in progress” as ideas and methodology are tested and altered. Vaziri said the manual addresses verbal abuse in the home or in public, spousal abuse, battery or rape, honor killing, and state-enforced gender segregation.

Describing such situations, Vaziri said that in some cases if a rapist offers to marry his victim, all charges are automatically dropped. In fact the victim’s family may force her to marry her rapist to preserve their honor. Sometimes a rapist has been told to “marry her for an hour.” Vaziri said violence occurs anywhere, but Sisterhood is Global manuals are tailored for Muslim participation.

Marlyn Tadros, deputy director of the Legal Research and Resource Center for Human Rights in Cairo and a visiting fellow at Harvard, supplied the context in which her center’s programs are held by describing the culture shock caused by her own move to the United States with her son. After his first exposure to U.S. TV programs and advertisements, her son, who she said doesn’t even know the word for “sex” in Arabic, asked, “Is sex a requirement here?”

There is no sex education in Muslim schools, she continued, because it’s a family matter. Tadros described different forms of violence against women including legal violence (laws that require women to stay in the home despite violence), media violence (women watch violence done to women on TV and think what goes on at home must be normal), and educational violence (illiteracy traps women and keeps them from learning about their options). Sisterhood is Global targets small groups, moving women slowly toward empowerment. Women discuss their problems with the use of the manual and come up with their own solutions.

For information on Sisterhood is Global or its publications call (301) 657-4355, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write them at 4343 Montgomery Ave., Suite 201, Bethesda, MD 20814 .

—Delinda C. Hanley

AMC Hosts Pakistan’s Mushahid Husain

Pakistani Minister of Information and Broadcasting Mushahid Husain discussed U.S.-Pakistani relations at a Nov. 24 program hosted by the American Muslim Council at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. The Pakistani minister was in Washington to prepare for the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif to the U.S. national capital.

In the last 25 years, three important events have shaped the Muslim world’s relations with the United States, Mr. Husain said. The Ramadan war in October 1973 brought the Palestine issue to the forefront. The revolution in Iran brought into Muslim politics a new element, political Islam. Finally, there was the Afghan war, which was a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union, which in turn produced six new Muslim states in the region.

The threat of war between the United States and the Muslim world no longer exists, Husain said. There is general acceptance of Islam and Muslims by Western society, and Muslims working together in a unified consortium in Bosnia helped bring about this acceptance. Husain said he expected U.S. President Bill Clinton to discuss with Prime Minister Sharif the “counter-productive” sanctions imposed on Pakistan after it responded to India’s nuclear tests with tests of its own.

“Sanctions should not be used to damage humanitarian concerns,” Husain said. “Pakistan is ready and willing to sign a comprehensive test ban treaty with the condition that the general atmosphere of coercion and pressure no longer be there.”

Kashmir is also on the discussion agenda, he said. In modern times Kashmir and Bosnia are the only countries in which rape has been employed as a weapon of war. Such a violation of human rights requires an urgent resolution of conflict. Finally, Husain predicted a discussion of terrorism issues and he noted that terrorism is a universal problem divorced from any ethnic or religious group.

The Pakistani information minister called upon Muslims to be more proactive regarding issues vital to them like Kashmir, Bosnia and Palestine. “Initiatives must come from the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” he said. In Bosnia five nations took the initiative and altered the course of the war. From that success, Husain concluded, “a more focused Muslim policy would encourage the U.S. to be more fair and even-handed” in other troubled areas.

“We have seen apartheid end, Russia collapse, Hong Kong returned in our lifetime,” so we now can hope for resolutions in Palestine and Kashmir too, Husain said. The mechanics are in place for conflict resolution in Islamic nations, but Husain said Muslims rely upon the outside world to work out problems in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Palestine. Husain concluded by discussing the rivalries between Islamic countries that have divided them and made them powerless.

“The rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is very encouraging, even a turning point in Islamic unity,” he said. “We are our own worst enemies. Mistakes are made but the worst kafir is pessimism.”

—Delinda C. Hanley