THE most important achievement of the extraordinary Islamic Solidarity Summit, convened by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in Makkah on Aug. 14-15 (Ramadan 26-27) was the Muslim leaders' approval to establish a dialogue center for different sects of Islam. It was King Abdullah who made the proposal for the Riyadh-based center at the summit. In the Makkah Charter, endorsed by the summit, the leaders recalled the goals and basic principles up on which the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was founded, and the overall security and safety enjoyed by the Muslim states, in addition to the fact that there is no room for extremism and exceeding proper bounds in Islam. But now the reality is that these purposes were differed, goals varied, and values vanished, besides a rising tide of injustice, and downward trend in the cultural build-up. And this is a painful reality wherein discord flourished and sedition was rampant. Apart from this, the Islamic World was threatened with dispersion and repulsion, and hostility is rampant among Muslims themselves. It is highly regrettable that their ethnic and sectarian diversity — instead of becoming a source to enrich them — has become a source of horror as well as a cause for rivalry and a justification for intervention in their affairs each other. In view of this painful reality, as articulated by leaders at the summit with strong expressions, comes the idea of establishing a dialogue center, which was proposed as a way out of this miserable situation. The center would become an appropriate venue for gathering together of the Islamic scholars, intellectuals and thinkers to discuss all their problems and differences after gathering around a table so as to come to the common point that there is no room for sectarian clashes, historical differences and bigotry from which none other than the enemies of the Islamic Ummah could take advantage of…
The task of bringing together the views of followers of various schools of thought and sects is not easy and simple. Of course, it would have difficulties and odds especially among major sects of Sunnis and Shiites. But those engaged in dialogue should have a meeting point on fundamental principles about which there are no differences among them. Likewise, they should accept differences on marginal issues after taking guidelines from the Holy Qur'an that endorses such differences of opinion as is evident from a number of verses, including the following ones: “And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one Ummah (nation following one religion only) but they will not cease to disagree (Surah Hud), …“To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way”… (Surah Al-Maidah), and “It may be that you (O Muhammad) are going to kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers (in your prophethood and message of monotheism)” (Surah Ashuara). Likewise, they have guidelines from the words of eminent Islamic scholars and wise men in the past. For example: Imam Shafie said: “What I'm saying right may be wrong and what my opponent says wrong is likely to be right.” But unfortunately, in the recent past, we could see a large number of hard-liners and extremists from both sects attack each other in purely non-Islamic, uncivilized and inhuman way. Each party is blaming the other with abominable and ignorant descriptions. The enemies of Islam and Muslims are those who take advantage of the problems between Sunnis and Shiites. Famous American Muslim writer cum journalist Fareed Zakaria said in his book “The Post-American World” that the most important success achieved by the United States in the Middle East was by sowing enmity between Sunnis and Shiites. Until a few years ago, the Sunni-Shiite strife had not attained this dimension. While I had been in Pakistan for five years, I did neither listen to nor witness any dispute between Sunnis and Shiites. I had some neighbors and I came to know that they are Shiites only after three years of acquaintance. We used to have reciprocal visits, performed congregation prayers together and watched films before and after I knew that they were Shiites. In India also, I had colleagues, neighbors and friends from members of the Shiite community. Some Shiites came to Saudi Arabia to take up jobs and they were my neighbors. I came to know that they were Shiites only after several years. We prayed together both at home and at mosques. My knowledge that they were Shiites did not affect my relations with them. I still have friendship and contacts with some of them until this day. How much I was hurt when I read some tweets on twitter posted by anti-Shiite extremists, calling Shiites with some inappropriate descriptions. I was also pained when I heard such descriptions from some preachers of mosques too. Hence, I pin great hope on the dialogue center among various Islamic sects. O, preachers, imams and scholars; please spread the virtue of tolerance, developing a spirit of accepting others and praying to God to improve the lot of Muslims.
— Dr. Al Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in South Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
