November 5, 2012
"God Is Not A Dictator"
From:http://en.qantara.de/wcsite.php?wc_c=20041&wc_id=21651&wc_p=1
The Koran has thus distant been subjected to erroneous interpretation, says Mouhanad Khorchide, Professor of Islamic Religious Education during the University of Munster. Khorchide is job for an emancipation of the faith.
Interview by Arnfrid Schenk as great as Martin Spiewak
Professor Khorchide, what was your reaction to the recent controversial Mohammed movie upon YouTube?
Khorchide: we suspicion it was vapid as great as tasteless. we didn't recognise the Prophet Mohammed as he was portrayed in the movie so we didn't feel it was destined during me as the Muslim.
Many Muslims find it formidable to adopt this attitude, what is your recommendation to them?
Khorchide: Ignore it, do not allow yourselves to be provoked. The movie is the trap laid privately to provoke, as great as Muslims repeatedly fall into this trap.
Why do Muslims react in this way to insults directed during the Prophet? After all, unlike Jesus he doesn't have divine status.
Khorchide: The complaint lies elsewhere. On such occasions, Muslims opening their restrained anger. The video itself isn't the cause of the agitation, usually the trigger. The Islamic collective mental recall is still etched by crusades, the colonial era as great as what is noticed as an unjust Middle East policy, as great as the wars in Iraq as great as Afghanistan.
You have usually created the brand brand new book in which we report the Koran as the adore letter from Go! d to hum anity. How did we arrive during this interpretation? The Koran would normally be described as the absolute book as great as in the West additionally as the dangerous one.
Khorchide: The question is: which picture of God have been we articulate about? Many Muslims assume which their God wants to be glorified, which he despatches orders as great as creates certain these orders have been obeyed. Those who conform have been rewarded, as great as those who do not have been punished. But this is the notice of God identical to which of the genealogical personality who cannot be challenged. This is given many Muslims perspective the Koran as the rulebook.
And we don't?
Khorchide: we have the opposite celebration of the mass of the Koran. God is not an primitive genealogical leader, he's not the dictator. Of the book's 114 suras, given do 113 of them proceed with the word "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"? There has to be the reason for this. The Koranic God presents himself as the loving God. That's given the attribute in in between God as great as male is the down payment of adore identical to the the single in in between the mom as great as child. we would similar to Muslims to emancipate themselves from the picture of an primitive God that's being connoted in many mosques, in eremite preparation or during courses of theological instruction.
Are we observant which for centuries, Islamic divinity has supposing the injured direction primer for the Koran?
Khorchide: Contemporary Islamic divinity is during least unilateral. It is based upon the master-servant relationship. Reformers who appreciate the Koran differently, who contend Islam is some-more than usually the religion of manners as great as regulations, have so distant not succeeded in reporting themselves.
Why not?
Khorchide: For political reasons, partly. Many rulers of Islamic kingd! oms repo rt themselves as "shadows of God upon earth". This sends out an undeniable message: anyone contradicting the lady monarch is additionally contradicting God. In sequence to make certain which the populace remains compliant, they construct the picture of the God for whom tractability is paramount. To this really day, this plays an important purpose in the compulsory state such as Saudi Arabia, where any opposition is not usually held up as the physical opposition, yet additionally as the transformation against God.
The judgment of God's forgiveness additionally existed in Christianity, yet the opposite assimilate of the Bible was nevertheless accepted. Why has this not happened inside of Islam?
Khorchide: Many theologians have forged alliances with those in power, such as the Salafist scholars in Saudi Arabia, for example. After all, they additionally benefit from an Islam which serves as the regulatory authorised framework. People hold off to them when they have questions about what they should as great as should not do. Repressive structures mingle as the result. Christianity has succeeded in overcoming this incapacitation of the faithful. That's not quite been the case in Islam.
Do we see yourself as the source of enlightenment?
Khorchide: we wouldn't put it similar to that. If we take terms out of their European context, people suspect which you're perplexing to impose something visitor upon Islam. Change can usually come from within. We do not need an enlightenment of the kind we know from European history, yet perhaps the reform which focuses upon the maturity as great as reason of humankind. The Koran does only this, incidentally.
There is many talk of ruin in the Koran. How does this fit in with the judgment of mercy?
Khorchide: Hell is zero alternative than the confrontation with one's own transgressions. It's not the punishment which comes from without. As the famous crypt! ic once said: "I'd similar to to extinguish the hellfire as great as set bliss alight, so which people do not act out of fear of ruin or hope for paradise." We humans should essay for something higher, the closeness as great as fraternisation of God. However, normal divinity has taken the less metaphorical perspective of the images of bliss as great as hell, as great as instead literally described them as element spaces with element pleasures as great as punishments. But if you're usually doing something great given we fear punishment or hope for reward, afterwards that's not enough.
But this literal assimilate appears to be widespread, quite between immature Muslims in Germany.
Khorchide: Not usually in Germany, as great as not usually between youngsters, unfortunately. This is the highly done easy faith which presents God as zero some-more than the bookkeeper or the judge, who calculates how mostly I've prayed. we can assimilate those who want to keep the kind of eremite to-do list. But it's the pity. This kind of proceed doesn't allow faith to pierce upon from the highly facile stage. It's some-more formidable to say: we would similar to to do something great for the consequence of goodness; or we essay for internal perfection which finds the expression in great character traits as great as actions.
But this obedient take upon Islam, as preached by in advance Salafists, really seems to resonate with immature people in Germany right now. Why?
Khorchide: These youngsters feel rootless, sidelined. They have been searching for an temperament and, above all, for something which will heed them. Many immature people aren't hearing the "you belong", yet rather the "we Germans we Muslims". The Salafists yield them with the validation they seek. An temperament which flies in the face of mainstream society. They pick out elements of Islam which intensify the differences, such as the beard or wardrobe that's only the same length as the P! rophet's . But this is an external temperament though the core.
You sight Islamic eremite teachers. How do German Muslims react to your views?
Khorchide: The immature ones say: which all sounds really nice, given did no the single tell us about this before? we can brand some-more with this kind God, they say. And even yet there have been additionally the little reservations, my views have additionally met with high regard from associations noticed as conservative although they have been essentially quite heterogeneous. we try to yield theological explanations for everything, using Islam as my basis. we sustain my arguments with the Koran. The 220 pages of my book contain references to 400 passages of the Koran in sequence to uncover which this is not usually my personal view.
And what about reactions to your work in the Arab world, is there the little bargain there too?
Khorchide: In the summer, we went to Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the many important Sunni authority in Islam. After my lecture, the comparison scholars were reticent as great as didn't contend anything. But the undergraduates as great as doctorate students came up to me as great as asked if they could investigate in Munster or write their doctorates there. The immature ones have been looking for something new.
Will your book additionally be translated into Arabic?
Khorchide: Yes, yet I'll tailor it slightly to the Arab mentality.
Take the sting out of it the little?
Khorchide: we suppose we could put it similar to that. But the main message will be the same: which God is the God of mercy, which Islam is the religion of mercy. Any alternative assimilate of Islam is not Islam.
Why is it which many Muslims have the completely opposite bargain of Islam? They're celebration of the mass the same Koran, after all.
Khorchide: The Koran was create! d in the classical Arabic of the seventh century. It's therefore really formidable for non-Arabs to understand. When Arabs read it, they perhaps assimilate 40 per cent as distant as the language is concerned. But even larger difficulties arise in the theological celebration of the mass of the verses. Most Muslims do not regard themselves with the loyal hint of the Koran. That's given we Muslims mostly base our faith upon what we have been told. We have been harking back to statements done by theologians in the ninth as great as tenth centuries.
In your book we write which when noticed as the authorised system, Sharia is the counterbalance of Islam. Why?
Khorchide: For the really reason which it reduces Islam to the authorised system. Some Muslims even go as distant as to contend which if you're not in foster of physical punishment, afterwards you're not the Muslim. All the discussion surrounding Sharia equates to which it's usually about whether or not we follow rules.
Your parents have been Palestinian, yet we went to propagandize in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia as great as studied in Austria; what impact has this had upon your eremite socialisation?
Khorchide: Saudi scholars explain which their nation is pure, loyal Islam's usually home. But this Salafist mindset has marked down the faith to zero some-more than the faade. A male is the sinner if he shaves off his beard; the lady is the sinner if she doesn't wear the headscarf. In mosques, we saw how usually those with the longest beards were authorised to serve as imams as great as lead the prayers. What's the indicate of that? As the Palestinian in Saudi Arabia, we wasn't authorised to investigate or get any medical insurance, yet in Austria, the non-Islamic nation, nothing of this was the problem. we started asking questions, we longed for to get to the core of this religion.
You additionally criticise those who have been described as liberal Muslims. Why? Are ! we not s inging from the same song sheet?
Khorchide: They additionally revoke Islam in the identical way to the fundamentalists. The fundamentalists hollow it out, by focussing upon the faade, upon external features. The liberals yield the in advance response by dispensing with almost all external facilities as great as rituals as great as tying it to the shahada, the declaration of belief. That's not enough. The shahada contingency find the expression in life.
So what needs to happen for your bargain of Islam is to find wider acceptance?
Khorchide: There contingency be the discourse, as great as the sermon needs institutions, it contingency be taught, students contingency continue the message. we think Islamic divinity here in Germany represents the great opportunity given we have many larger leisure of movement. But it will take the single or dual generations.
Arnfrid Schenk und Martin Spiewak
DIE ZEIT 2012
Translated from the German by Nina Coon
Editor: Aingeal Flanagan
Mouhanad Khorchide has been Professor of Islamic Religious Education during the University of Munster given July 2010. His brand brand new bookIslam ist Barmherzigkeit Grundzge einer modernen Religion(Islam is Mercy Essential Traits of the Modern Religion) was published by Herder in October.
Read More @ Source More Barisan Nasional (BN) | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) | Sociopolit! ics Plus |
No comments:
Post a Comment