30/11 – 2006
Some on the evening of 30 Nov 2006 in Milan 2:
On the basis of my personal experience, I would like to bring some corrections to some of the statements made by those who have intervened with you:
Infibulation and similar practices:
Is this a religious duty? During the UN Conference on Population in Cairo (1994), under pressure from NGOs, the Egyptian powers pronounced themselves as follows:
The mufti (Tantawi) still in office said no. The Azhar sheikh said it was a religious duty. Who is right? What is the dictum of Islam? The government then prohibited it but the practice continued especially in rural circles. (Most of our immigrants come from the countryside).
Islam in Italy:
This is a vague term. Muslims who are here do not attend Islamic centers: why does the government choose some people to be their representatives; in the name of what reasoning? There is no uniform voice from the religious point of view. So let’s apply Italian law without hesitation. Our worst enemies are certain Italians. (Have I told you about the attitude of Minister Livia Turco towards Dachan?)
The Islamic centers are financed by Wahabite sources and therefore reflect their thinking that is only one of the voices of Islam: perhaps the most powerful financially, however not culturally. Islamic laws are applied in quite different ways depending on what country they are based on and also by the government in office. Religious power, the mufti, is a functioning state and depends on the minister. Therefore Islam in Morocco or Tunisia is not similar to the Saudi one: which one to take as an example in Italy? And does it really fall within the competence of an Italian magistrate to decree what is an Islamic religious duty? They should sure they law is applied to everyone without exception.
Quran:
There are two ways to read the Koran:
The first approach is to read and apply the text to the letter without correlating it with the text as a whole: “Cut the hand of the thief” without considering the Koran’s insistence on Forgiveness!
The second approach is to take the Koran in its entirety! The believer does not seek the truth in the single sentence but in the general context, they do not get upset by isolated contradictions.
Despite the existence of contradictory verses, the Modernists assert that the Koran should be read as a single Chapter and not in the reading of a verse taken in isolation as our own do.
Polygamy:
It is not much practiced in Arab cities, especially in environments equivalent to the Italian population. It is even prohibited in some countries. The Koran specifies four wives but it also says “You will not be able to be impartial with your wives even if you want …. And do not neglect some and if you are afraid not to be fair, marry only one.
Veil:
The problem of the veil fits into this picture: For centuries entire Islamic societies have not bothered to “dress” the woman, and they were by no means less religious than they are now. Today some Islamic currents continue to cover the woman’s body as an essential message of Islam. Until a few years ago great thinkers (Taha Hussein, Jamal El Din afghani, Mohamed Abdu… or the spiritual father of Pakistan, Muhammad ikbal) have tried to renew the theological thought of Islam; they were respected by the peoples; today for anyone who follows their footsteps they will be sentenced to death. God has given men the ability to reason… (a diatribe between Ratzinger and the reactions provoked).
Immigrants:
In 2000 they were one million, today three millions. Why has it happened under a Right-wing government?
When asked what they would like to do after graduation a good number of Egyptian university students answer that they wish to go to the West, attracted not only by wealth but by our living standards. Coming here they find themselves mocked if we propose to him the same laws from which they escaped and which caused their poverty. In fact, the Council is an unsuitable body and creates discrimination and a ghetto.
Human rights:
I would put the discussion on a wider and more general level: we are signatories of the 1948 Universal Declaration and are required to apply it without exceptions. It is right to avoid talking about “what Islam prescribes” but it is important to demand our business partners they implement the conventions signed. This is reciprocity in the application of human rights. It is a grave error that many spontaneously ask for reciprocity to build the churches. I told Colli before his speech, but it seemed unfamiliar with these aspects.
I hope that with his passion he can convince some people to ask for respect for human rights in the countries with which we do business: It would slow down the emigration of the few remaining Arab Christians.
I hope that these hot comments will be fruitful. I reiterate that your passion moved me but I did not expect you stating you are “afraid for the future”. And how much fear Christian Arabs who live with unfavorable laws and social pressure have! It’s true that there are forces that aim to destroy, weaken our civilization and Islam is one of them. The enemy is at home, it must be found. Is there any authoritative voice that can undertake this battle? My suggestion is to focus not on Islam as a religion, but on the application of human rights in Italy and in the countries that have relations with us. We must help women and men in Arab countries who are fighting for this. We will then solve our internal issues.
Thank you for your attention and courage and congratulations to those who organized the evening.
Giuseppe Samir Eid
Free web translation from the original in Italian
The published articles intend to provide the tools for a social inclusion of the migratory flow, shed light on human rights and the condition of life of Christians in the Islamic world from which the author come from. Knowledge of the other, of cultural and religious differences are primary ingredients to create peace in the hearts of men everywhere, a prerequisite for a peaceful coexistence and convinced citizenship in the territory.