A modern society is one that promotes peaceful coexistence and progress in scientific and technological fields, among others. Many of our generation today believe religion to be exactly the opposite of modern, instead finding it backwards, old-fashioned, and often – unfortunately – corrupt. Wednesday night’s lecture in West Hall, entitled ‘Is Religion Outdated?’ discussed these issues from an Islamic viewpoint, beginning with its vast history and accomplishments and ending with the modern- day perspective.
The first half of the lecture was given by Adnan Rashid, notable Islamic historian and philosopher. He began by addressing the four aspects of modernity – political stability, economic prosperity, moral grounds, and the pursuit of science and arts. Rashid went on to say that none of these features would be possible without the presence of security and tranquility, without which civilization would be utterly nonexistent.
Rashid then delved into the various histories of the three Abrahamic religions, with the prime focus of his discussion being Islam. Beginning with Jewish history, Rashid discussed how they were once a great civilization that was oppressed and attacked by tyrants for centuries. He then went on to explain their ties with modernity and progress, for at the time Jews were valued as some of the most brilliant scientific and literary minds of the day. Under Muslim rule Jews found protection and religious tolerance, providing the means for scientific advancements.
Rashid discussed Christianity’s views on modernism in ancient times. With the reformation of the Church, Christianity was at odds with science, leading to the repression and even murders of prominent scientists and philosophers, such as Galileo and Copernicus.
When Islam came to power in the Middle East and Spain, it promoted progress for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Rashid explained that Islam had flourished in less than one century under just rule and provided a safe and stable environment for those who wanted to advance. In fact, Oxford University and the University of Naples were both based on manuscripts taken from Islamic Spain, a tribute to the marked growth of religion and progress.
So why the history lesson you ask? Why not? Islamic Spain and Muslim rule are excellent examples of modernity and religion combined, in that science and faith can push each other to greatness. Unfortunately, lamented Rashid, this is not always the case today. Many people misinterpret religion for their own uses, pushing followers farther and farther away from true religious ideology.
The second main speaker, Sary Farah, continued Rashid’s message, except from a modern standpoint. Farah began by reviewing the ‘need for Deen’ – fulfilling spiritual needs, allowing for moral guidelines, and answering philosophical questions about existence. He argued that without these aspects, humans would be left without a sense of meaning, much less a drive for development.
Farah then likened religion to a Ferrari, saying that the Ferrari, a perfectly dependable (and awesome) car was just like religion; it needs a driver to go anywhere. However, if the Ferrari crashes it is the driver to blame, not the car itself.
Audience members responded enthusiastically in the Q & A sessions, asking philosophical and religious questions to Rashid, Farah, and guest speaker Adam Deen, well past the lecture’s end. One question in particular set straight many female stereotypes in Islam and their relation in today’s world, to the pleasure of the female audience, and a bit surprisingly, much of the male audience as well. Business sophomore Hadi Inja, was one of many who debated women’s rights, but by the end of the discussion felt differently about religion: “I think these lectures really change the way I viewed Islam for the better” he said.
Others were not as appeased, such as ECE sophomore Ayman Jaber, who stated: “Historically, this lecture was very informative, especially for non-Muslims, even though there weren’t many. Nevertheless I believe that many of the notions were flawed and I disagreed with them.”
To those concepts that didn’t apply in Prophet Mohammed’s time, Farah explained Ijtihaad, which is the founding of new Islamic ruling based on principles of Sharai’a. Both Farah and Rashid touched on this concept, discussing its uses in the modern society. Farah emphasized the fact that Ijtihaad is cannot be applied by just everyone, only those with a thorough understanding of the principles of Islam.
Modernity need not be the antithesis of Religion, rather the counterpart. Both Rashid and Farah emphasized that to really return to the golden age of Islam, we need to embrace the true principles of Islam, that of justice, faith, and equality, without misconstruing parts or phrases of religious texts to fit our own views. Guest speaker Adam Deen particularly emphasized this position, pointing out to one of the audience members “Islam is more than just one verse dude!”
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