Islam Hadhari has been offered as an approach to ensure that the ummah are given an education more in line with modern needs. "
" A real threat facing Muslims today is poverty and backwardness. If we want to return to our days of glory, education is the answer," he added.
Fine. But what sort of education are we talking about? More secular...economics, politics, IT, business, corporate strategies and war games..?
One thing we note today is that the Muslim extremists, fundamentalists, fanatics, terrorists, suicide bombers, jihad fighters or whatever we want to call them, are not uneducated or simpletons. Some are very highly educated, including western trained professionals. Even the majority of the ummah today are not illiterate or without any education, especially those who are actively involved in fighting for the rights of the Muslims.
The difference between them and the ordinary or "moderate" Muslims as noted by Sam Harris in "the End of Faith" is that, "..they are extreme in their faith...in their devotion to the the literal word of the Koran and the hadith...in the degree to which they believe that modernity and secular culture are incompatible with moral and spiritual health ( as held by the Muslims)."(p.29).
These people want to die as martyrs and go straight to heaven with 70 people they could pick to join them, including their parents, family members and relatives - hence the support given to them!
What kind of education are we talking about then to get the Muslims out of poverty, backwardness, their internecine bickerings and mutually destructive attitude and predisposition, their constant attempts to get at each other's throats? It seems sometimes that the Muslims are the worst enemies of the Muslims! Hence, some work hand-in-hand with the non-believers to destroy their so-called brothers and sisters!.
" A real threat facing Muslims today is poverty and backwardness. If we want to return to our days of glory, education is the answer," he added.
Fine. But what sort of education are we talking about? More secular...economics, politics, IT, business, corporate strategies and war games..?
One thing we note today is that the Muslim extremists, fundamentalists, fanatics, terrorists, suicide bombers, jihad fighters or whatever we want to call them, are not uneducated or simpletons. Some are very highly educated, including western trained professionals. Even the majority of the ummah today are not illiterate or without any education, especially those who are actively involved in fighting for the rights of the Muslims.
The difference between them and the ordinary or "moderate" Muslims as noted by Sam Harris in "the End of Faith" is that, "..they are extreme in their faith...in their devotion to the the literal word of the Koran and the hadith...in the degree to which they believe that modernity and secular culture are incompatible with moral and spiritual health ( as held by the Muslims)."(p.29).
These people want to die as martyrs and go straight to heaven with 70 people they could pick to join them, including their parents, family members and relatives - hence the support given to them!
What kind of education are we talking about then to get the Muslims out of poverty, backwardness, their internecine bickerings and mutually destructive attitude and predisposition, their constant attempts to get at each other's throats? It seems sometimes that the Muslims are the worst enemies of the Muslims! Hence, some work hand-in-hand with the non-believers to destroy their so-called brothers and sisters!.
What kind of education do we need? The leaders and the ulamas must again get together to discuss this "grave" matter. For my part I feel that Islam Dharuri is the short term answer. All Muslims must realize the danger of religous confrontation and war, the crisis and dilema they are in now, and the need to act immediately. They must invoke all the provisions of "dharuri" as provided in the Quran and Hadith, and do what is necessary (harus) for survival in this world, rather than harp on the promises of the next.
The provions of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat must be invoked and their priorities reset so that facing the world with one voice and one determination becomes the goal as is their obeissance to Allah and no other gods!The fighting between Muslims should stop at once and the strength of the ummah turned to rebuiding the brotherhood of Islam for "progress and development". Yes, I'm resorting to a cliche because there're so many things that need to be done with less talk and more work, less heat and more light.
More education is certainly needed especially in regard to the actual meaning and actualitzation of the "brotherhood" ideology. If the rich and wealthy Muslims can continue to wallow in the comfort their god-given wealth while those under duress and severe aggrevations fight, suffer and die, it's very difficult to think of them as praying to the same God as the ummah. Education must indeed include reeducation of the leaders.
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