Basic keys to understanding Islam from the West

Is Islam a threat to the West? The experts' answer is clear: no. But lately there are many who reject this religion without even knowing it. "The West does not have to be afraid of Muslims", this was the beginning of the seminar organised by the Ahmadiyah community of Islam in Spain to discuss the erroneous concept of Islam in Western countries.

Qamar Fazal, spokesman and chief representative of the Ahmadi community in Spain, began the meeting by expressing his regret at the terrorist acts suffered in France in recent weeks. "Today is a sad day for many people; the murder that occurred in Nice this morning deeply disappoints us".

According to Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad, the fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyah community, "these acts have exacerbated tensions between Muslims in the West. We must unite to eradicate hatred and promote tolerance," he said in a statement read by Fazal.

In an attempt to explain how the Koran recounts attitudes to blasphemy against Islam and Mohammed, Fazal read article 4.141 of the holy text which says "do not sit down with those who criticise religion until they start another conversation". 

According to the Ahmadi speaker this is what the Koran says "and all those who use violence are mistaken about the text and are breaking the word of the Prophet", he said in reference to those Jihadist terrorists who perpetrate acts of violence in the name of Allah.

The first battles of Islam, as Fazal explains, took place in self-defence thousands of years ago. The speaker explained that religion and the way each state was governed "are two of the many wheels on a wagon, each wheel has its orientation and orbit". Some have more weight than others and, depending on the country we are in, we must respect these beliefs and social attitudes.  

That is why I have reiterated on numerous occasions that "there is no reason to fear Islam". Extremist Muslims have no correlation with the teachings of the Koran, "since Islam does not allow coercion", Fazal reiterated. 
 

During his talk, Qamar Fazal listed the fundamental teachings that the Koran preaches. "A series of precepts that can marry and live together perfectly within any society", he explained.

The first of the precepts speaks of caring for and loving one's parents. The second speaks directly of education as a means of development for a society that acts in community. Furthermore, Fazal wanted to add that education is a way of moving away from crime and organised terrorism. 

Helping those most in need is the third Koranic teaching. Fazal made an international allusion to rich countries, which "should support poorer nations to prevent people from migrating and developing in their own countries".

The fourth precept speaks of "respecting one's neighbours", understanding that all the people around us, whether they are Muslims or not, are neighbours who must be tolerated in order to live together in peace and harmony.

Integration has been a widely repeated and controversial issue since, according to Fazal, "it is not a one-way process but a two-way one". After the attacks in France last week, any opinion or media comment on the fact that "Muslims have no place in France is erratic", stressed the Ahmadiyah speaker.

Qamar Fazal was born in Spain and has suffered all kinds of racist and intolerant comments about his religion. "On some occasions I have been told that I don't integrate because I don't eat pork". Being in Spain does not mean that everyone drinks wine, goes to the bulls, goes out to party and eats ham. "Just as I respect and say nothing, it takes an effort on the part of some people to understand this integration in the other direction". 

Another of the most interesting precepts of the Koran is that Islam is not a violent religion. What is understood as jihad is the effort each believer makes with himself, "it is a personal war to achieve the goals we set for ourselves in life".

"We understand jihad as holy war. But no war can be understood as holy". The spokesman of the Ahmadi community wanted to give several examples of jihad such as taking care of your loved ones and taking care of the family, all of this far away from the assassination. "In fact, whoever kills an innocent is as if he were killing the whole of humanity", Fazal stressed.

The concept of jihad has been misinterpreted in the Koran as it talks about three types of struggle. First, the struggle against oneself and one's life goals. Second, the jihad that is done through the Koranic book, trying to conquer the hearts of those who have not approached the holy scriptures. 

And thirdly, a concept that is absolutely obsolete today, the jihad of the sword. "This addresses a particular historical point of the Prophet, but the jihad by the sword is of no use today. Taking a knife and killing someone who thinks differently from you is far from the concept of the third jihad," Fazal has criticised.   
 

The issue of women's rights in the Muslim world has given rise to thousands of debates, movements and reactions of all kinds. The spokesperson for the Ahmadi community wanted to stress that the Koran says four things very clearly about women and the interpretations of these readings have fallen far short of what is actually practiced.

Islam says that women and men have the same rights (2-229). But the reality in many countries is totally different. Women have been pushed into the space of the home without the opportunity to develop, as the Koran says, all the rights they should have.

"The Koran explains that women have the right to work, to education, to vote, to inherit, to divorce, to private property. No girl or woman should be deprived of her education and men should treat their wives with love and respect," explained Fazal based on the literal writings of the Koran. 

Among other basic precepts of the Muslim religion, the spokesman wanted to stress respect for justice and the abolition of slavery. "In these times the relationship between powerful and weak nations is similar to the master-slave relationship. If you don't think about the millions of dollars in economic loans that leave a legacy of eternal debt in these countries to be developed," Fazal stressed. 

In conclusion, with respect to the cartoons of Mohammed published by Charlie Hebdo's magazine, he repeated that the Koran explains that these comments should be ignored without making a fuss about what others think of religion. "If there are Muslims who usurp the rights of non-Muslims it is because they reject the teachings of Islam or ignore them completely," he explained.
 

During the seminar, the professor and expert in international cooperation in the Islamic world, Manuel Torres, spoke, explaining that Huntington was very much mistaken. 

"The clash of civilisations is an American neoliberal doctrine that does not accept multiculturalism within societies. It is accepted that there is multiculturalism, but not that some cultures are mixed with others," Torres stressed.

This doctrine gave impetus to US policy from 2001 with the fall of the Twin Towers. But in contrast is the Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), which was created in 2004 to "promote dialogue and cooperation between different communities, cultures and civilisations and build bridges that unite people and individuals beyond their cultural or religious differences".

UNAOC has been developing a series of concrete actions aimed at conflict prevention and peace building. Torres wanted to stress that it is impossible for Huntington's theory to become a reality "because globalisation and the media make walls unusable. It is impossible to prohibit people from moving and migrating," he reiterated. 

As a final message, the professor wanted to stress that "we must stop focusing on the things that differentiate us and start promoting the things that unite us. The three religions have a basic element in common: the search for peace".

Fazal wanted to support this message by reiterating that "instead of talking about a clash of civilisations and unnecessarily increasing tensions between different communities, we must refrain from attacking the religious teachings of others".
 

Both called for tolerance and reasoning. "We are part of a global community in which respect must be shown. Instead of fanning the flames of hatred we must recognise the warning signs and change our attitudes before it is too late," explained the Ahmadi community spokesman.

The Ahmadiyya Community of Spain was founded in 1946 and has its national headquarters in the Basharat Mosque of Pedro Abad in Córdoba. This community was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889 in India and its doctrinal elements include controversial statements by its founder, such as that he was the Messiah prophesied by the monotheistic religions, as well as his declaration that Jesus did not die on the cross nor was he resurrected, but survived and continued to preach in search of the lost tribes of Israel until he reached India, where he preached among the Buddhists. 

The Ahmadiyya Muslims form a reform movement within Islam, reflecting on the essence of this religion. This community rejects fundamentalist movements altogether and advocates a peaceful and tolerant interpretation of the Koran.