POPOLI 12-1994
We gladly offer clarifications, proposed by one of our parishioners, Giuseppe Samir Eid (*), a Christian of Arab origin, concerning some very current terms and concepts on the problems with Islam.
Do I know Islam?
Islam: indicates total submission to the will of Allah, Supreme Being (Akbar, without associates) and acceptance of his decrees understood as shariah. Some Islamic schools deny that the God understood by Christians, Trinity, is the same as Allah, adored by Muslims.
Quran: Qura’an is the word of Allah transmitted by the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad.
Sunna: it is the collection of what Muhammad said, done or accepted – his life example.
Shariah: it is the totality of the orders extracted from the Koran and the Sunna and from every other law deduced from these two sources by the jurists between the 7th and the 9th century AD, after which it has crystallized.
Madrassa or mada’ress: they are places of Koranic teaching attached to mosques; often they continue to teach a “traditionalist” religion that conceives the Western way of life (often assimilated as a Christian) as the opposite of Islam and therefore proposes a “West to be Islamized”.
Islamic law today
All Arab states, with the exception of Lebanon, have the shariah as the sole source of their legal system. This Islamic religious law conditions the life of the country, of families, of people, and therefore permeates Islamic countries and Islamic centers (in Italy or elsewhere) where Arab Muslim immigrants gather. According to the Koran, men are divided into three categories: Muslims, people of the book (ie Jews and Christians), all others.
In Arab countries, in some respects, the legal situation of non-Muslims is not the same as that of their Muslim fellow citizens. In fact, the laws concerning personal status (laws that regulate social life among individuals) are different from the laws in force in Europe and in Italy.
In the Arab countries, only the legal issues concerning the family laws – right of the woman, religious freedom and succession are subject to the Sharia law. The exceptions are Saudi Arabia and Sudan, which apply the Sharia fully, in all civil and criminal fields. Afghanistan and Iran are Muslim countries but are not considered Arab countries.
The most striking points of contrast with Western culture, which could make us understand the differences in reaction and attitude of immigrants in Italy, concern: the divine source of Koranic law, religious freedom, equality between citizens and rights of the woman.
The Muslim Brothers
They are very present in the mada’ress,(madrassa) they point to the establishment of a state founded on the Koran and the Shariah, and, in Europe, they try to obtain the recognition of a juridical status, on a confessional basis, to be applied to the Islamic community that is as close as possible to the Shariah.
The anti-Western mentality is widespread among Muslims and continues to be cultivated by blaming the United States (theWest, assimilated in general to the Christian world, in particular) for its economic and technological backwardness and for the support given to the constitution of the state of Israel.
Can Muslims live together in Europe?
To get an answer it is necessary to ask the Imams (those who lead prayer in the mosques), especially those not born in Italy, to clearly show their willingness to integrate and their loyalty to the society in which they live, otherwise they remain in a dangerous ambiguity. On this point it is desirable to engage in a serious and constructive dialogue so as to become aware of the problems that Muslim immigration poses. Dialogue should focus on the integration of Muslims in the fabric of European societies, whose islam is so radically different in mentality, customs and values, so as to increase the possibility of a civil and peaceful coexistence between Italians and Muslims.
Interreligious dialogue:
How is the dialogue proposed by the Pope positioned? In the opinion of a person in charge of Caritas, an Arab Jesuit at the forefront of interreligious dialogue in Islamic countries, one must start with social action and bear witness to the fact that the promotion of human values is the only basis for creating a multiethnic and multi-religious society. To radiate the love of Christ through the witness of life, solidarity and acceptance. In this journey, the woman takes on a leading role, together with human formation, to reflect, Muslims and Christians, on a common ethical charter to change mutual prejudices. The challenge of the future for the Church and Islam will be above all cultural, as Cardinal Martini says in his document “We and Islam” (see excerpt on the next page). “Evil must be rejected with a greater good. Reject evil with a greater good, and whoever was your enemy will become intimate friend” (Koran Sura 41, v.34). “Christians are the most cordial friends of believers, closest to Muslims”. This is also Islam. There is no doubt that Islam is a way to spiritualize man, as each of us can see from attending Muslims prayers .For us Christians, Islam has its own greatness that deserves to be known for itself, without confrontation with Christianity with which – we must admit – there are also critical nodes, to overcome. Beyond the misunderstandings and prejudices, every believer is called to cultivate the essential values of the other and to venture on the path of mutual enrichment, with mutual respect.
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 comes.
Knowledge of others, cultural and religious diversity are primary ingredients for create peace in the hearts of men everywhere, a prerequisite for a peaceful coexistence and convinced citizenship in the territory.