KHOBAR – There is now a profound revival of Islamic culture underway around the world which will reverse the stereotypical perceptions that some people have of Islam and the Islamic World, according to Ismail S. Nazer, the foremost Saudi advocate of Islamic cultural revival. “An Islamic cultural renaissance is under way around the world; we are seeing it everywhere,” Nazer said. Nazer, the first television lecturer on Islamic culture in the Arab and Muslim World, began broadcasting in the 1950s at the Dhahran TV station, the only channel existing at that time. In the following decades, his lectures were aired by Saudi television stations and other TV channels in the Arab World. His lectures, which were presented with the use of visual aids, discussed wide-ranging topics on Islamic culture, conflict of civilizations, racism, despotism, ignorance, unjust perception of Muslims, exchange of culture, cultural heritage, and Islamic antiquities. On January 23 this year, for example, the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) in New York City organized an event at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem that showcased the rich cultural legacy and growing artistic renaissance among Muslims in the United States and around the world. The show, which was completely sold-out and the first of its kind in the United States, featured a talented line-up of Muslim artists. The performances included genres of hip hop, Rhythm and Blues, spoken word, opera, theater, and dance. The result was a beautifully complicated and expansive presentation of Muslim art and culture. Organizers said that what was clear from the first to the last performance was that the show was an innovative collaboration among musicians and artists focused on exploring the diversity of Muslim cultural production in the United States and around the world. “As I always said in my lectures, of which there are now over 700 episodes, cultural Islamic revival – renaissance – should be about the exchange of cultures, and the understanding of those cultures, rather than the clashing of culture in the international arena,” Nazer said. “Cultural renaissance should not be political,” he added. He said in whatever way Islamic cultures are presented, they nevertheless express and communicate the true essence and objectives of Islam and the culture it represents and reveals. “When I was studying law at King's College in UK, I had the opportunity to explain Islamic culture to my fellow students and their families. I received very positive responses from them. What I am saying is that Muslims, wherever they are, should not forget interacting with the world to explain and light up the darkened views that some people have of Islamic culture and religious beliefs,” Nazer said. “I am a lawyer, but I consider myself more of a teacher on Islamic culture,” he stressed. Nazer said King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has shown great interest in reviving Islamic culture. “All his projects now, be they in the field of education, social uplift or economic development, have the spirit and aura of Islamic revivalism,” Nazer said. He said the visit of King Abdullah to the Vatican and his subsequent meeting with Pope Benedict in November 2007 clearly manifested King Abdullah's quest to create “the bridge of understanding between Islamic culture and Islam with the rest of the world”. The Vatican issued then an official statement saying that the visit of King Abdullah was “inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue aimed at peaceful and fruitful coexistence”. According to Nazer, the reawakening of Islamic culture, which he claims is now robust, will help in enriching not only Islamic culture but also other cultural dimensions. “If anything, Islamic cultural renaissance will also greatly help the renaissance of Western culture.” “Europeans used to come to the Arab World to learn Islamic culture and heritage; people who know our culture deeply appreciate Islam itself because Islam is itself a culture,” Nazer said. Nazer has a vast collection of antiquities and artifacts that portray and convey the rich Islamic culture and heritage. He plans to establish a museum of Islamic culture in Al-Khobar, which will include the display of his collections. Nazer said that Islamic cultures are purveyed not only by people – the rulers and the ruled – but also by the way they portray themselves, their rich cultural heritage through their arts, and the manner in which people conduct their lives; these are the true manifestations of Islamic culture. “It saddens me to everyday come across the violence perpetrated by some elements from the Islamic World. I am already an octogenarian, but I do care and strongly believe that an Islamic renaissance is now underway with this current generation of ours,” he said.
