Recently, I was graciously invited to the BENS 2008 Washington Forum. Many influential people were there, giving important speeches about the problems we are currently facing as a nation, but also, the kinds of struggles they see that the United States will have to address as the world continues to change around us. A major concern of many at the conference was the rapid increase in technology, the kind of resources needed to keep up with technological advances, and the new kinds of threats that have developed as a result. Their reflections on these topics were timely and often indicated the kind of holistic approach the United States will have to take with the rest of the world if it does not want to be left behind. But not all discussions were technological in concern. Some addressed other issues, such as Newt Gingrich, who, at the end of his session, had an interesting debate with one of the audience members on the way we should understand Bin Laden’s religious affiliation.
The audience member pointed out that Bin Laden’s theological positions were not in accord with traditional, mainstream Islam. Because of this, he suggested that calling Bin Laden’s faith “Islamic” was actually reinforcing and validating Bin Laden’s religious perspective, and encouraging it as one of many possible ways one can be a Muslim. The audience member suggested we label Bin Laden faith as “pseudo-Islamic.” Newt Gingrich’s response was simple: Bin Laden is obviously a Muslim: Al-Qaeda recruits its followers at Mosques using Islamic sources for their ideology.
Both sides in this debate were right and wrong. Newt Gingrich is right: we have to recognize the fact that Bin Laden is a Muslim. There is no “pseudo” about it. Islam, as with most religions, is not univocal and contained within its domain are many forms of Islamic thought. To deny Bin Laden is a Muslim is ludicrous, just as it would be silly to deny that Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church are Christian. A study of world religions will easily classify both. However, what was implicit in the question is valid: how we deal with Bin Laden, how we describe his ideology, and how we express it in relation to the rest of Islam can be – and is – very influential in the Middle East. When people write on Islam and try to treat Bin Laden’s brand of Islam as authoritative and traditional, certainly this will reinforce Bin Laden’s propaganda in the Islamic world. He will be able to say, “See, even our adversaries know what Islam is about.”
Orientalism continues to be a issue the West has to address. We cannot just sit back and continue to do Bin Laden’s work for him. The West needs to engage a philosophical battle for the hearts of souls of Muslims – by pointing out (instead of ignoring) those peaceful Muslims who work against and condemn terrorism. No matter how few of them we might think exist (a supposition which I find to be in error), the West needs to engage them and let their voice be heard. Repeat what they say time and again – more than how often we repeat what Bin Laden has said. The more we acknowledge their existence, the more we restate what they say, the more their voice will be able to be heard by other Muslims, and the more valuable they can be in our struggle against Islamic terrorism. Symposiums need to be had on otherwise ignored topics, such as tolerance and peace building in the Islamic tradition. Papers need to be published and circulated far and wide, especially in Muslim dominated nations, which address the problems of terrorism and why it is unacceptable in Islam. We can no longer repeat Western clichés like “Islam was, from the beginning, a violent religion, and true Islam will always be violent.” We need to stop making such self-fulfilling prophecies. Instead, we need voices, such as the one offered by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Badshah Khan, who found in Muhammad the foundations of nonviolent resistance and peaceful co-existence to become the norm in the 21st century. Only then can we win the real battle, one which is not of flesh and blood, but for the hearts and minds of Muslims who, like everyone else, are made in the image and likeness and God.
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