East and West: Different Futures for Different Pasts

When the West detached itself from the social role of religion, there was a specific historical context that made it impossible for the West to bring religion along on its journey of social evolution.

One aspect of this context is that for centuries during the Dark Ages in the West, when kings and feudal lords ruled, it was an era of tyranny and oppression. The common citizen was forced to live a life worse than that of animals. In this system of oppression, religion, as an institution, was an accomplice to the king and the feudal lords and supported their atrocities. Therefore, when the public revolt against the monarchy and feudal lords succeeded, the religion that supported them was also expelled from social life along with them.

The second aspect is that when the era of scientific evolution began in the West and scientific study and inventions progressed, religion became an adversary. It issued fatwas of apostasy and heresy against scientists and ordered their deaths, leading to the killing of thousands. I have personally seen the place in Oxford where religious courts were held during that era, and those who researched science, technology, and geography were declared heretics and apostates and sentenced to death. Therefore, for science to advance, it became necessary to get rid of religion, which was an obstacle in its path, and that's what happened.

Our question to Western intellectuals is this: when they rejected the social role of religion, it was due to a specific historical context with its own causes and reasons. This makes the West's renunciation of religion understandable. But why does the West want to impose its own historical context on us Muslims? Our history is not the same. In our 1400-year past, it has never been the case that religion became a partner of coercion and power instead of reason, truth, and principles. As a religion, Islam has always been a companion of principles, truth, and reason. It has been a supporter of the oppressed, and it has never, as an institution, supported oppression, tyranny, and power. The history of our scholars is full of imprisonments, martyrdoms, and sacrifices. They gave their lives and accepted the loneliness of prisons, but they never bowed their heads before the oppressor and tyrant. The role of our religious leaders in this regard has always been magnificent.

Similarly, Islam has never stood in the way of science and has never been an obstacle to the evolution of technology. In fact, all the scientific progress of the West is due to the educational institutions of Muslim Spain, which paved the way for the evolution of their society in science and technology. However, our real tragedy is that Muslim Spain, having been defeated on the battlefield, lost the ability to make progress in this field itself. It was based on their research that the West began its journey of scientific evolution.

In this context, our complaint to the West is that it is making an unjust attempt to impose its specific historical context on the whole world, especially on Muslims. It is trying to force us to abandon our bright past by showing us its own dark past.
The second point to discuss with the West is to examine the effects and consequences of its religion-averse philosophy and culture on Western society, which began with the French Revolution. This religion-averse philosophy, despite the support and backing of science and technology, has not played a positive role in the evolution of human society. As a result of this anti-religious sentiment, the Western family system has been destroyed, the sanctity of relationships has been trampled upon, and relationships barely exist anymore. This Western philosophy of "individualism" has shaken the foundations of mutual cooperation and solidarity in human society, has led to the death of spiritual and moral values, and today, even Western intellectuals themselves are worried about the results of this anti-religious philosophy and are searching for a way back.

We should discuss this point with Western intellectuals: seeing the negative consequences of their religion-averse secular philosophy, why do they still demand that we Muslims, like them, abandon the social role of religion, lose our secure family system, bid farewell to mutual relationships and social ties, and turn away from spiritual and moral values to seek mental peace and inner tranquility through drugs and psychiatrists?

Here, I feel it is necessary to clarify one thing: the role that religion played in the West during the Dark Ages, which even today makes Westerners shudder and which they are so afraid of that whenever the social role of religion is discussed anywhere in the world, the West considers itself an adversary, also has a specific historical context and reasons. One of them is that Christianity did not, and still does not, have a preserved and authentic collection of the Torah and the Gospel. As a result, the ultimate authority for the interpretation of religion was given to the Pope and the Church. And instead of reason, an individual or a group of people became the final authority in the interpretation and exegesis of religion. This was the reason for their absolute power.

However, in Islam, reason and argumentation have always been given precedence. The Holy Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) are available in a preserved and authentic form. Therefore, in Islam, after the revered personality of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), no individual or group has the ultimate authority to interpret religion. Everyone has to speak with reason and support their position and opinion with arguments from the Quran and Sunnah. Even the views and opinions of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Jurist Imams have been disagreed upon on hundreds of matters based on reason. Therefore, in Islam, there is absolutely no possibility for an individual or a group to achieve the status of final authority in the interpretation of religion, deviating from reason and argumentation.

When we talk to Western intellectuals, this point will also be discussed: why are they putting Christianity and Islam in the same boat despite such a clear difference in their intellectual and social roles? And why are they busy trying to impose the West's specific historical context on Muslims in this matter as well?

The history of the last 1500 years is a witness that the intellectual role of Islam and Christianity has been different from each other, and their social roles have also been distinct and completely separate from each other. Therefore, if the people of the West did not find their religion suitable due to its specific historical context and role, they cannot be given the right to reject other religions as well and force the whole world to abandon their faith and religion.