Chapter ( 5 )

Some ancestors have said that the signs of loving Allah is to love the quran and the signs to love , the Quran is to love prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) ; to love Muhammad , to love his tradition ; his sayings and doings – and to love the coming of the hereafter ; if so to forsake worldly pleasures and follow that which leads to a good end and paradise. Allah says " say to them Muhammad ; if you love Allah , then follow me , then Allah will love you and forgive your sins , Allah is all – forgiving all – merciful " so Allah has ordered the believers to follow the prophet Muhammad ; only that will leave them to love Allah ; the Almighty .

In other words , there is no confidence between the Islamic world and the west .Two decades ago , Islamic phobia or Islamic terrorism and the hatred of Muslims spread throughout America and Europe .Mass media contributed intentionally in blazing the fear feelings

On the part of the westerns that the greatest danger is Islam and the Muslims . they tried to convince the whole world that there was a striking contradiction their civilization and that of Islam which can not cope with the other religions and the other cultures . the machine of the western Media depicted Islam as a rigid religion and it is the symbol of disgracing the sacred Christian places and it looks like the NAZI which does not accept the others .Besides , it treats the woman cruelly .

.; . A member in the consultative office to president Bush , called Eliot Cohen wrote in Wall street Journal that the Islamic enemy has an ideology which can be obtained by reading a book about Hitler or Stalin or Mao Tsi Tung . the propagation of the theory of Samuel Huntington about the clash or the collision between the western civilization and the Islamic one ; has been renewed again . He admitted that there is hostility between Islam and Christianity . the paintings of the ' caricature in Europe and America' newspapers ; picturing the Muslims as evil ugly people with hooked noses , very fat people only yearning for women . they depicted the pray callers on the mine rates announcing the smash of the stocks instead of calling of prayers . When Prince Charles of Britain talked properly about Islam and the Muslims He was called ironically " Ayat Allah Charles " .

The French TV announced recently that a French girl called Mary , 23 years old and had a baby six month old ; claimed that 6 young men , three were Moroccan and three were Africans raped her in the underground metro after seizing her bag . All the French mass media believed the lie of the girl whose mother confessed that her daughter was psychologically ill and she deserved treatment and she lied before- she had been raped by other people .

Furthermore , the British newspaper " today "on its first paper , after the explosion of ' Oklahoma ' a heartrending photo , for a fireman holding a dead child under the wreckage , ' by the name of Islam ' that what was written under the picture , nevertheless , the executors of the operation were not Muslims . We can't forget the croissant- shaped pies we eat now was invented by the people of the city of Vienna ; the capital of the empire of Austria ; after the elimination of the Ottoman siege ; the fear of defeat and collapse of the city and its people under the thumb of the Turkish – that was on the beginning of the sixteen century . they chose the crescent as a symbol of the Turks ; which was in the middle of their flag . when they were celebrating their victory

Over the Turkish armies , they didn't find a better way than eating the crescent- styled pies ; gloating over the Islamic and the Turkish motto

It was known that Islam was born Arabian , yet the Europeans , the Ottoman conquest , gave it a Turkish face , the second significance was that they named the Turkish after the Turkey , whenever they slay and eat one of these turkeys , they imagined they were slaying and eating Turkey . the gorgeous Cathedral found in the core of Vienna city , there were paintings on the walls depicting the Ottoman Caliph as a dog . they took away from the Muslim emperor his humanity and turned him into a dog . that were the consequences of the panic and horror from Islam and Muslims as a result of wars lasted for more than one thousand years , where the blood was shed heavily and there were tremendous sabotage whether they were from the side of the Islamic and Turkish troops or from the crusade campaigns .

When the Crusaders put hands on Jerusalem in 1099, they burned down the Jews till death ; meanwhile the Muslims showed formidable tolerance with the peoples of other religions .they forgot all when they entered the city victoriously ninety years later . this contrast hurt the feelings of a lot of European thinkers and leaders . Many defaults were busted in the European character ; comparing with the character of the Muslim leader " Salah El Din " who treated his captures ; presided by the leader Richard the ' Heart of Lion ' kindly , away from revenge , but respect to their humanity . this picture contracted with that one which was drawn to them as barbarians , savages without any religion . Besides , the Crusaders found out that the Muslims were more progressive in the natural science ; they were more generous and sublime .

On their way to Levant ( Damascus ) and the region of the east of

Mediterranean during passing the city of Constantinople in 1205 , the Crusaders behaved ruthlessly and brutally with the citizens of the city . they assaulted the city and stole their treasures and fortunes after massacring a lot of people ; only because the Crusaders were Catholic and the people of the city were Orthodox . this left a great rift in the European conscience lasted for a long time . after the victory of the Spanish over the Islamic country in 1492. they didn't respect the agreements and acts they made with the Muslims .

Before their departure. On the contrary , the Spanish waged bloody purification campaigns against the Muslims and the Jews who had no choice to stay in the peninsula but to desert their religion and embrace Christianity ; this what the Muslims didn't do in the territories they opened . Dramatically , instead of the result of this ; to do the correction of the picture of the Muslims , unfortunately the hostile feelings doubled bitterly . as if the European mentality had nothing to do but to go further .

In time , the power of the western world increased politically , economically , and militarily .their need to new markets and raw materials emerged ; the age of colonization appeared .the movement of imperialism was activated and most of the Arab and Muslim countries were occupied . Did this lead to convert the route of hatred and hostile feeling from the Muslims and Islam ? this change could have never been taken place . Still the attitude of the western world sympathetic and surprising from men like Salman Rushdie and woman like Tesslima Nessreen. Rushdie attacked Islam and the prophet Muhammad in his novel . Tesslima did the same thing .

On the other hand , the German orientlist and thinker Ann Mary Sheimel on trying to refer to the novel of Rushdie , which hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims, she was exposed to a fierce campaign of criticism . It is clear that ; it isn't correct that the Muslims hate the western world and America without no reasons . the Muslims in all their countries started to deal with America welcomingly and astonishingly in the same time .they expected great aspirations in co- operation with them to serve both sides .the Arab Muslims provided them with economical , military cultural and political opportunities . they were very generous in granting privileges of oil to the American companies . they accepted to have American military bases built in their countries . they deposed their assets and savings in the American banks .Moreover , they sent their sons to educate in America , they shared their enmity to communism and abhorred the Soviet Union . to their disappointment , the American leaders let them down in the conferences of reconciliation held after the 2nd world war , when they asked their help to get their independence

Soon , they found out that ,all the American goal was to substitute England and France and to submit their countries to the new power . In fact the Muslim countries are able to resist to stand against the new imperialism . the numbers of the cultivated people spread positively in their countries . there are tremendous potentials for the economical co – operation among them , and various materialistic resources ,besides , the great amounts of fortunes , together with the trained manpower technologically. All this can be invested for the good of the Islamic world. The Islamic market extents to 1\3 billion peoples which gives a chance to negotiate powerfully between the commercial partners . the role of oil is essential to defend the interests of the Muslim countries if it is used properly . No doubt that the countries of the middle east , in addition to Indonesia , Nigeria and the Islamic republics which struck out after the collapse of the Soviet ; have fabulous reserves of oil .

No wonder , Islam restored its gorgeous positions in the countries which believe in Islam . During the fierce western assault to get the Muslims out of history and to minimize their role . the Muslims had nothing to do but to stick to religion searching for a solution to their misfortune and to provide them with faith and patience to endure it . the restoration of the genuine position of Islam was not just a reaction to this cruel attack on Islamic countries .

Islam , in a short period of time was able to set up a human civilization which was longer than any civilization in history . Islam carried out progress in all fields . Islam became the religion of the country it opened ; through addressing the mind and its convincing teachings . Islam and the Islamic civilization supplied the world with thoughts and sciences on which the modern civilizations based . Islam with its followers which is about one fifth of the population of the Earth , its economical riches , its strategical position , its culture and civilization ; began to play a promoting role in forming a life and systems which are fundamental part of humanity , there must be different experiences differ from what others provide especially after the collapse of the socialist model and the repeated periodical crisis of capitalism .

As a matter of fact , there must be a way to gap the bridge of confidence between the west and the east . to tell the truth, there are some amendments , reform or reshuffling in the Arab world after the events of 11 – 9 - 2001 . no doubt that this 21st century will pay due attention to this global event which will turn the balances especially after the American conquest to Iraq on the pretext of possessing destructive massive weapons ; representing great danger on the American security and the western one . the importance of the economical , cultural , social , and political reform emerged on the surface in the Arab world particularly and in the Islamic world as a whole ;may be the initiative of the ' greater middle east' was the manifestation of this – exposed by the united states on the summit of the great 8th so as to be approved and supported and to be carried out.

This cultural American language is concerned with the problem of terrorism which dared to attack the symbol of the American power at home for the first time in its history .the American strategic thinkers pose vital question , what are the reasons lurking behind terrorism ? the answer was the extremist thought prevailing in some Arab countries ;particularly in the last decades was the reason of joining thousands of youth to the extremists . this extremism was in its turn the output of the blockage of the channels of democratic expressions and the tight bonds of political participation in taking decisions in both the Arab and the Islamic countries as a result of sovereignty of the dominating ruling systems which based on the political submission to the opposers in addition to the domination of the political ruling bodies on the sources of fortunes and economical resources of the country ,besides , the spread of corruption and poverty .

When the American strategic thought reached this point to the cultural analysis to this phenomenon of extremism . the logical consequence was the necessity of imposing the political reform on these Arab and Islamic dominating countries . this can be done through imposing democracy whenever following various methods , and consolidating the civil societies with its different establishments like ; parties , volunteering Societies , syndicates associations and other things . Not only that , but the plans of the suggesting reform went further to the importance of the social , cultural and economical reform . the obligation of the renewal of the religious speeches to eradicate the extremist Islamic trends have been taken into consideration . confronting these tumultuous reactions took place from the part of Arab governments . they congregationally refused the reform to come from abroad . yet some governments expressed their wish to dialogue with the united states about the reform and their readiness to accept support on condition that to be gradually .However , it is unnecessary for the political Arab government to push the pretext of their private legacy in front of the demands of the American reform . In fact , the outcome of the controversy which took place between the Arab intellectuals all the last decades long , around the case of democracy led to the admission that the measures and values of the western democracy are worthy of being practical in our countries .

The controversies between the consultation and democracy led to a positive result , that western democracy implied the principle of the Islamic consultation . the principle of sovereignty circulation , performing disinterested periodical election on the level of the presidents of the republic , the representative parliaments and municipal councils all these are values of political democracy respect the religions , freedom of speeches, expression, freedom of opinions , the ruling of law and respect the human rights . there is no chance for the Arab governments to maneuver or to delay this political reform .

Anyway , it is an important matter to do due care for graduation of reforming . this pretext can be of great importance only for the Arab countries which didn't witness the foundation of the modern constitution , the separation between authorities and the domination of law , the existence of judicial systems, political parties , laboring syndicates and volunteering societies , perhaps Saudi Arabia is one of those countries which needs graduation in applying political reform . that doesn't mean to delay political reform forever , but it needs a schedule to be applied gradually in public . this pretext of graduation can't be applied on the Arab countries which completed the foundations of the modern states like Egypt , Syria , Tunisia , and Morocco .