Is time linear? Perhaps it is. Even so,
some moments in time are clearly of far greater import than
others. Consider the following –
October 13, 2007: 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and
intellectuals from around the world, representing every
denomination and school of thought in Islam, come together "for the first
time since the days of the prophet" to declare there is common ground
between Christianity and Islam. In an open letter, "A Common Word between
Us and You", addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and other top Christian
leaders, they appeal for a common commitment to work for global peace.
November 18, 2007: Overwhelmed by the tone and content
of the "extraordinary" message, 300 Christian leaders, main line and
evangelical, issue a full page advertisement in The New York Times.
"We want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e.g. in the Crusades)
and in the present (e.g. in excesses of the ‘war on terror’) many
Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbours.
Before we ‘shake your hand’ in responding to your letter, we ask
forgiveness of the all merciful one and of the Muslim community around the
world," says the missive. The concluding sentence reads, "It is with
humility and hope that we receive your generous letter and we commit
ourselves to labour together in heart, soul, mind and strength for the
objectives you so appropriately propose."
November 19, 2007: The Vatican expresses "deep
appreciation of the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the
call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world", adding that
the pope was "most willing" to receive a delegation representing the 138
signatories of "A Common Word".
December 1, 2007: The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB),
an umbrella organisation and the largest body of Muslims in the UK,
reverses its earlier policy and announces that from now on MCB will join
Jews and everyone else in the UK to observe Holocaust Memorial Day
(January 27).
So can we think of a tentative date by which peace will
descend on earth? Not so fast. But to appreciate the significance of this
highly welcome Muslim initiative, one has but to recall images of angry
Muslims across the globe only a year ago, vociferous in their response to
Pope Benedict XVI’s speech suggesting a historic link between Islam and
violence. The 138 Muslim signatories trace the inspiration for "A Common
Word" to the same controversial statement by the pope.
More dates.
November 25, 2007: In an all-UK competition conducted
by the Islam Channel, Madni Jamia Masjid, Bradford, is declared
winner of the ‘Model Mosque Competition’! Best practices and inclusive
policy are what clinched the issue in this mosque’s favour.
November 29, 2007: UK’s year-old Mosques and Imams
National Advisory Board (MINAB) releases the draft of a national guideline
for mosques. The guidelines are said to be the most radical attempt so far
by UK Muslim leaders to tackle extremism and introduce an effective system
of self-regulation. Significantly, the draft wants all mosques in the UK
to preach to Muslims that forced marriages and domestic violence against
women are "un-Islamic".
December 3, 2007: Two Muslim politicians from
UK’s House of Lords, Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi, play a key role in
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s presidential pardon to a British
woman, Gillian Gibbons, convicted on charges of blasphemy. The Muslim
Council of Britain had earlier condemned her arrest as a "disgraceful
decision" and demanded presidential pardon.
"Winds of change appear to be sweeping across the Muslim
world", said our cover story ("Islam Reform") in May 2005, while
cautioning our readers not to expect miracles overnight. Two-and-a-half
years later, CC is pleased to record more happy signs. Particularly
noteworthy is the fact that we are not just talking about individuals and
groups that may be dismissed as "fringe elements" on the margins of Muslim
society. You can’t get more middle-of-the-road than the Muslim Council of
Britain, the largest Muslim organisation in the UK, or the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim body with offices in 30
cities in the US. Both are constantly criticised by progressive Muslims
for their views and positions on a whole range of issues.
When bodies such as these start defending a Muslim’s right
to convert, promote a Muslim woman’s right to equal space inside the
mosque, take the initiative in creating guidelines for self-regulatory
mechanisms to ensure mosques are not abused for promoting extremism, teach
imams to preach that forced marriages and domestic violence are
"un-Islamic", it is a sure sign that the times they are a-changin’!
There is a lot the Indian Muslim could learn from the
impressive intellectual and theological leaps being made by a fast growing
tribe of fellow Muslims living in the West.