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As the twentieth century comes to an end it is time to
reflect on our achievements and failures in responding to
the Qur'anic challenge of creating a good society on earth.
The entire human history has been a history of the struggle
to bring about this ideal society. The ideal that Islam is
seeking is also a universal ideal for the entire humanity.
It has been a mission of all the prophets and all the sages
to see that humanity through its spiritual and moral
perfection brings about the establishment of a just
community. But it has not been an easy task. Many a people
in the world have struggled and strived to make this earth a
better place to live: a place that would reveal a balanced
individual exhibiting a highly spiritual life informed by
absolute moral values through the primary institutions of
socialization like family, community, religious centers, and
so on. In this regard the Qur'an has reminded us more than
once that "A man receives but only that for which he
strives; that his endeavors will be judged, and only then
will he receive his recompense in full." (53:39-41) In other
words, humanity has to continue to strive to earn its final
reward in full. How to maintain that dynamic momentum in
faith by striving to remain a Muslim, that is, a person who
has "submitted" his/her total being to the Divine will?
"Where shall we
begin?"
However, in this endeavor to reflect upon our condition
the question is: "Where shall we begin" in our self
evaluation? In 1971 Dr. `Ali Shari`ati, the activist Muslim
thinker of Iran and, in more than one way, an authentic
voice of the Muslim youth in the 1970s, raised this question
in his lecture to the students of Technical University of
Tehran. The question was posed specifically to the Muslim
youths of Iran. The contents of the lecture communicate
Shari`ati's intent, namely, to inspire the students to think
about their mission in the conditions that prevailed in the
Iran of the Shah. Its relevance, however, was much wider. It
seemed to include the entirety of youth in the Muslim Umma.
For it was the Muslim youth who was the main target of the
modernization that was taking place at an uncontrollable
pace in the Muslim world. It was the Muslim youth who
encountered the most serious challenge to his/her faith
under the impact of godless culture of modernity. The Muslim
youth was being asked to give up certain family and social
values that were part and parcel of his identity, and adopt
in its place a sense of self-alienation, and become a
self-estranged imitator of everything "modern" (whether he
truly understood what "modernity" was all about or not).
In general, then, Muslim youth, belonging to Iran or
elsewhere, was expected to respond to this critical self
assessing question raised by Dr. Shari`ati. Moreover, Dr.
Shari`ati's probing question was relevant in the framework
of the particular situation of social transformations in the
1960s and 1970s that were taking place all over in the Third
World societies. The two decades, that is, the 1960s and the
1970s, were marked by proclamation of independence of the
new nation states in Asia and Africa that created new
national identities in the post-colonial era. The period was
ripe for considering the role of the past heritage,
religious, moral and cultural, in the new age of rationalism
and secularism.
The new age rationalism was characterized by its claim as
the source of all human values that could be derived by each
individual, without any reference to a sacred authority like
God or the revealed message like the Qur'an and the Sunna.
Secularism, on the other hand, confined the role of religion
to the private domain of an individual, creating the
dichotomy between "spiritual" and "mundane," between
"private" and "public." It denied religion and its mediating
institutions like the "church" any public function and
influence in shaping matters of public policy. Under the
domination of rationalism and secularism there were
questions about the significance of religion in the modern
man and woman's life. What was the place of traditional
culture and system of values in determining the future
direction of the educated men and women? Who was going to
direct the new economic and social life of the people in
view of the disestablishment of the traditional religious
authority of the "church" (perhaps, in the context of Islam
we should add the "mosque," keeping in mind that it was
rather the madrasa -seminary- that was the religious
establishment responsible to teach Islam)?
These and many more questions in the context of Dr.
Shari`ati's concern, namely, "Where shall we begin?" are so
universal that seeking ways to encounter the state of
confusion and alienation from one's religious and moral
roots has overwhelmed the entire human society. In the wake
of phenomenal advancement in technology in the last three
decades people have experienced quantitative speed in the
social and cultural change. The change is so sudden that it
has generated psychological and cultural dislocations among
many people. Moreover, technology, more particularly the
interactive communication through the electronic devices and
its aim of building the "super highway of global
communication", has influenced the way we think about life
in general, and interpersonal human relations in particular.
Certainly, religion enters at all stages in our life. It
regulates our relationship to God and fellow human beings.
When religion is made insignificant and is reduced to one
among many other forms of cultural expressions, then
meaningful existence and interpersonal relationships that
are cultivated by its presence are threatened. In its place
personal greed and intensified forms of individuation breed
self-centered and "first me" individualism. While there is
value in "know thyself" dictum, its negative implication, if
not kept in check by concern for the well being of others,
as taught by religion, could lead to a self-serving,
ego-centered individual .
"What is to be
done?"
Earlier in 20th century, `Allama Iqbal, the great Muslim
philosopher, had raised somewhat similar question,
emphasizing the sense of urgency in an essentially different
social-political setting faced by the Umma in the 1930s. It
was the period of foreign domination and blatant Western
imperialism. The future destiny of the Muslim youth growing
up in this turmoil faced a different kind of danger. It was
the danger of being politically and morally indifferent and
not doing enough and in time to resist the European
political and cultural hegemony. It was the danger of
submissiveness in the face of all powerful forces of the
imperialist colonial powers. In Iqbal's view such a feeling
of resignation fostered even a more dangerous attitude than
the actual hegemonic designs of the colonizing government.
In order to defend itself the Muslim community had to search
for ways to overcome the weak culture in which it found
itself. Muslims had to resolve to become both internally and
externally capable of defending themselves. Internally they
had to revive their spiritual heritage to regain the
dynamism of early Muslims. Externally they had to acquire
modern sciences and technological skills to subdue the
feeling of powerlessness. Hence, Iqbal's cry, asking Muslim
community: "What is to be done, o people of the East?" "What
shall we do to remain muslim?"
As I begin to assess the social and religious needs of our
youths in North America, I discern the fact that questions
asked by Dr. Shari`ati and `Allama Iqbal are not only
relevant today but have assumed critical urgency. But it is
a different sense of urgency as we prepare to enter the 21st
century, and, obviously, under different social- political
circumstances. We have come a long way to this state of our
own development. As we have journeyed from continent to
continent in search of new, secure homes for ourselves, and
from culture to culture in search of a new identity, we have
experienced social and religious upheavals of immense
proportion, both as individuals and as a community. Thanks
to the opportunities that were provided under the aegis of
the commemorative religious gatherings to remember the
sacrifices and the heroic deeds of the Prophet and his
Family, and their excellent companions (peace be upon them
all). We have, in these gatherings, pondered about our goals
and articulated them, although imperfectly, as a community.
On certain issues, I believe, we have communicated well.
These include critical assessment of some aspects of our
religious rituals and manifestations of cultural life. On
other matters, like the future of our religious orientation
under the impact of the social challenges that face us
individually and collectively, we have failed to create
proper channels of communication with each other.
I still await to see a well-intended dialogue between groups
and individuals representing different ways of approaching
life in North America. I still long to see an intelligent,
tolerant and civil approach to our pluralistic, both
religious and cultural, reality in North American social
universe. The plurality is so integral to our existence in
North America that ignoring it could lead to neglect in
creating proper strategy to deal with it effectively and to
our advantage as American Muslims. At the end of the
twentieth century, the fact remains that after some thirty
years of our saga - from being uprooted from our native
lands and trying to reroot in North America - we are still
faced with many unresolved questions related to our approach
to living and our identification in the new social
environment. These unresolved questions include our
perception about our integration in the North American
social universe as one among many religious communities and
its impact upon the religious future of the next generation.
As we prepare to enter the 21st century we have no choice
but, once again, to take up the question that was asked by
Dr. Shari`ati, and perhaps rephrase it to underline the
urgency of Dr. Iqbal's question: "Having found ourselves
here and now what shall we do to remain muslim (in the
literal rather than the cultural sense of the word meaning
"one who submits to the will of God)?" Such a question
should lead us to investigate realistically the sources at
our disposal that can increase our capability in remaining
"those who submit to the will of God.
Traditional Institutions of
Socialization
Traditionally, we have depended upon the family, the
school (secular and religious - the madrasa), and the mosque
- in that order - as the principal channels and primary
institutions for the transmission of the necessary
information about the Islamic way of life. The family not
only nurtured with love and commitment those values that
brought out the noble in a person enabling him/her to
establish healthy interpersonal relations; they also
provided with means of standing firm to uphold these values
of socialization in times of fear and anxieties. This caring
role of the family was continued in the schools where the
teachers, through their commitment to inculcate intellectual
curiosity in a child, went a step ahead and demonstrated
those values of nobility in materials and methods they chose
to teach. Through interpersonal relations and exemplary
conduct in its staff the school engendered confidence and a
sense of security in dealing with unknown situations and
circumstances in life. The mosque or now the "Islamic
Center" in North American context, on the other hand,
provided the link between this world and the next in a
subtle way by creating a community of the believers brought
together by a single purpose of serving the spiritual goals
of Islam. By emphasizing the spiritual dimension of
humanity, the mosque became the source of spiritual strength
that is so critical in facing the harsh realities of human
life full of contradictions. Furthermore, it reminded
individuals to seek balance between their mundane pursuits
that sought to distract them from their original goals, and
the demands of spiritual and moral purposes of life.
Consequently, the leader, the Imam, in the mosque functioned
(at least, in theory) as a spiritual- moral guide through
his knowledge and upright conduct. Nurturing the good human
society, in brief, was the role that was assigned to these
three important social institutions. They -the family, the
school, and the mosque - mediated between individual and
collective interests of Muslims. Let me hasten to add that
it was precisely these three institutions that were regarded
as the most cohesive forces in raising the Muslim youth to
become a constructive individual for the betterment of the
society. The central role assigned by Islam to the family in
bringing up the future generation of Muslims underscores the
heavy burden that the family shoulders at all times in
dealing with the question: "What is to be done?" I will come
back to the family below.
The Adverse Impact of Mass Communications Through Television
In North America as well as other places in the "global
village" today a large role played by mass communications,
especially television, as moral and spiritual broker for
individuals, has replaced the traditional institutions like
family, school and mosque as the sole channels through which
values were transferred to the coming generation. These
three institutions were expected to ensure continuity and
stability in times of severe social transformation.
Television in particular has gone beyond its mandate to
assist the family and the school in providing visual aid and
education to the young. It has taken upon itself to appeal
to the destructive and disintegrative instincts, to provoke
greed, unlimited self-gratification, and absence of moral
restraint in its young audience. It is sufficient to recall
the ongoing debate among the legislators and the providers
of the television entertainment to gauge the seriousness of
the negative impact these programming are having on the
youth in the society in which family relations are in
shambles. It has alarmed people in all walks of life who
care for their children. The situation has reached a level
of crisis created by extreme forms of consumerism and the
indifference to all moral values. It is not an exaggeration
to say that the North American society as a consequence of
the mass communication through the television has become
self-indulgent and hedonistic, without a moral imperative to
conduct its affairs. The control of mass communications is
so thorough going that it is hard to imagine other means of
countering its negative impact and once again taking charge
of the process of developing of moral consciousness in our
community. There is no home that can escape the intruding
impact of the television on the moral development of our
youth. The situation has taken a worst turn in the absence
of parental supervision that was at one time available to
the young ones when at home.
The situation has given rise to the global crisis of value
indifference. No one can escape the damaging impact of the
mass communications that has resulted in widespread moral
illiteracy. In his critical study about America's most
pressing problem, namely, failure to pass on the moral
heritage to the young, William Kilpatrick has shown "Why
Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong" (actually the title of
his study). He has convincingly made the case for character
education in American school system through codes of conduct
and responsibility, through its teachers and quality of
their examples. Even when majority of Kilpatrick's
recommendations are for the schools to adopt, it is obvious
that the roots of this moral illiteracy could be traced to
the absence of healthy family life for the young. We,
Muslims, could and should participate in the educational
programs by exerting our influence through the Parent-
Teacher Association (PTA) and demand that the schools
develop curriculum that would enhance character education.
The Family and the Mosque in
North America
At the community level in North America we are actually
left with only two institutions that can provide the
desirable moral imperatives and an operational criterion for
defining what is right or wrong for our youth: the family
and the mosque. Islam regards family as the most important
institution in maintaining the healthy state of an
individual's moral and spiritual life. The commonly heard
motto that "the family that prays together stays together"
reflects a reality founded upon human experience of many
generations of families that have prayed together and stayed
together. The parents can do more than just provide the
means to sustain the family and educate their youth. They
have been made responsible for character development of
their children by setting good examples. Those examples
include not only performing the religious rituals together.
They also entail involving children in helping develop a
moral sense by helping the poor and hungry, in respecting
the rights of others, and so on. The culture of disbelief
that dominates American social universe has trivialized
religious devotion and relativized moral commitment. The
youth today does not have the moral guidance to be able to
pursue the right course when faced with a moral dilemma. The
school, in view of its insistence in developing an
autonomous individual who knows what is good and bad through
his/her own intellectual development, has created a moral
wilderness in which an inexperienced youth without adequate
guidance in dealing with complex human situations is
supposed to find his/her way to moral resolutions.
The parents, consequently, have to assume an active role in
the moral development of their children. This can come about
in two ways in the North American framework: first, by
becoming fully involved at every stage in the child's mental
growth until he/she attains maturity. This involvement
includes learning to communicate with the younger generation
through their books and reading materials, that is, the
sources of their mental and moral education. Second, by
providing constructive entertainment through personal
involvement in the selection of the types of entertainment
(whether at home or outside). Involvement in this aspect of
moral education is very critical and almost inevitable
because there is enormous pressure on the children from
outside their home to participate in these apparently
neutral activities. Moreover, it is precisely at this stage
when the images created by the mass communications through
television and video production will put their permanent
imprint on the child's character to detract it from its
moral development. It behooves the parents to understand
fully the impact of the mass communication technology like
the videos and television on our young ones. Parents who
succeed to communicate with their youth in these two areas
also enable the youth to make moral decisions based on their
personal communication of the situations confronting them
with their parents.
The key is to develop relationship with the youth who is
under constant external pressure to conform to the demands
that smack culture of disbelief and meaningless existence.
In the age when both parents are in the work force, whether
through economic necessities or personal choice, very little
attention is paid to this aspect of family relationship
which goes towards cultivating a personal history full of
valuable experiences that go towards creating a source for
tough moral decisions. The ability to recall this personal
history gives meaning to our lives and actions. The most
shocking aspect of the culture in which we live today is to
discover how badly behaved American children are. This is
attributed to the lack of communication between parents and
children. According to the Wall Street Journal (April 6,
1990), on the average American parents spend less than
fifteen minutes a week in serious discussion with their
children. American fathers spend an average of seventeen
seconds per day of intimate contact with their children. As
a result, children and adolescents are increasingly ignorant
about the ways of communicating with their parents, and
appear to be disrespectful and disobedient to adults. The
bad behavior of the children, in most cases, has caused the
adults to shun the company of children. Mothers are anxious
to get a job simply in order to get away from the
children.
I mention these observations because I think they help us to
understand our problems in rearing our children in the
American environment. It also makes us realize the
difficulty of our task in helping our children acquire
character. It is for this reason that Islam created a
reciprocal responsibility between parents and children: the
parents will love their children as they bring them up with
care and concern, and the children will obey and respect
their parents to deserve that love and care. The parents
have the right to instill their values in their children.
They cannot be bystanders when others in the society (TV,
video, etc.) insist on their values to children. Character
formation is a serious matter and no parent can afford to be
indifferent about it. A Muslim father has to put his family
first and guide the child through difficult stages of moral
growth. For a young son, a father and a mother in a stable
family setting are the source of understanding what it means
to be a moral person with the sense of honor, loyalty and
fidelity. Likewise, for a young daughter, a father and a
mother are the source of love and comfort that can help her
avoid surrendering her virtue in a fruitless search for love
outside her home.
Religious activities in the mosque provide the structural
route for bringing meaning in lives and actions of the
Muslims. Religious establishment (mosque and madrasa) shares
the responsibility of generating strong familial
relationships necessary for the healthy upbringing of the
future generation. It is through marriage and parenthood
that Islam seeks to impart moral education. As an
institution of socialization among Muslims the mosque
therefore assumes a central role in the development of
Muslim character. Is the mosque delivering what it is
supposed to do? As a person intimately aware of the ways in
which the mosque has or has not performed its expected
function in the North American context, I can say that
ultimately it is the community that decides what it wants
from the religious institution. If the membership becomes
satisfied only with the rituals that have been traditionally
performed in the mosque, then the mosque will stop at that.
However, if the community expects the mosque to deliver more
in terms of moral and spiritual growth of the youth then it
has to plan the activities in accord with such expectations.
It is here that I find the Muslim leadership, both religious
and administrative in the community, has failed in
recognizing the importance that should be given to attract
and hold the youth to Islam. Despite the fact that it is the
youth that faces the moral peril in his/her everyday contact
with the world outside the security of home, the Muslim
community has continued to neglect to develop programs that
would specifically benefit the youth.
The young Muslim girls face even greater challenge in
maintaining their moral fabric in tact when out in the
society. There is very little understanding of the ways in
which a Muslim girl's existence and human rights are
regularly violated in the society that looks down upon her
Islamic moral outlook as "old-fashioned" and
"retrogressive." It is not an exaggeration to point out
that, according to Islam, a threat to a woman's personal and
moral security in any society is a threat to the family,
community and even the nation's moral and social fabric. It
is my hope that the present survey undertaken to assess the
intellectual as well as social-religious needs of our youth
in North America will make adequate recommendations to
correct the prevailing negligence in this sensitive area.
More importantly, it is my sincere hope that community
leaders will take necessary steps to implement these
recommendations to strengthen the Muslim youth by
instituting creative programs in the Islamic centers that
would solicit Muslim family participation at all levels of
their planning and implementation. The key is to create an
interactive atmosphere in the community and not wait for
crisis to require reactive and less organized effort to
correct the situation. May God guide us all to the Path of
True Prosperity, "Submission to the Will of God,"
al-islam.
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