Interview with Dr. John Esposito on "Future of Islam"

In the nearly 30 years I’ve been reporting on religion, one name always leads lists of American experts on Islam: Dr. John Esposito of Georgetown University.
    A good friend of mine who is a Muslim writer stopped by Washington D.C. a few years ago for business on Capitol Hill. Even though John Esposito wasn’t in D.C. that week—this writer swung by Georgetown and sat for a while in John’s offices.
    Why? She said, “I just get inspiration being near where Dr. Esposito works.”
    That’s a true story. He inspires that kind of admiration.
    At the moment, in the rough-and-tumble, life-and-death debates over the influence of Islam in global politics, John has taken a few blows. Some activists who prefer to cast Islam as America’s Enemy Du Jour don’t like John’s pragmatic and balanced view of the Muslim world. Some call him an apologist for Islam, although he’s not Muslim himself and a careful reading of his many books shows a realistic understanding of the good as well as the evil potential within this faith.
    After my own decades of reporting on Islam and my own travels not only to the Middle East but to Asian nations where the majority of the world’s Muslims live, I can say: I trust his work and his judgment.
    Whatever your viewpoint on his work, it’s important to know what he’s saying now—because many leading figures follow his conclusions.
    Want a quick summary of his latest conclusions? Immediately  this interview, you’ll find a brief excerpt from the conclusion of his book.
    Click Here to visit Amazon to order a copy of “The Future of Islam” now.
    And, here are …

Highlights of Our Conversation with
John L. Esposito on “The Future of Islam”

New mosque in rural Indonesia    DAVID: When we publish this interview, I will recommend your new book to our readers myself. But I want to start our interview by mentioning that glowing review your new book received from the Financial Times.
    These are sharp-edged skeptics and they called your new book, “the handbook for this new age of engagement. Intolerant of the extremists bent on provoking a clash of civilizations—Western Islamophobes and violent Islamists alike—Esposito’s book is a calculated appeal to the moderate middle ground.”
    Did they get your message?
    JOHN: They did. I was very pleased with what they wrote. I heard from a number of people who regularly read the Financial Times and they said they were surprised the Financial Times would publish this kind of review. Yes, I think they did “get” the book—and it made me feel good, because frankly this was the toughest book I’ve had to write.
    DAVID: Why so tough? You’ve written dozens of books.
    JOHN: This book was supposed to have been finished before 9/11 and then it was put on the back burner after 9/11, because we wanted to do other books first, like “What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam.” Right after 9/11, it seemed that everything we knew about Islam was turned on its head.
    The Financial Times really put its finger on what I wanted this new book to be about. This book is a bit of a capstone experience for me. I felt I had written so much about the issues within Islam—and engagement with Muslims—in other books and articles that I really wanted to pull it all together in one place. When I was finished wit this, I said: This is my last book.
    DAVID: Hmmm. Perhaps not really your last book, but it does feel like a summation of where the Western world stands with Islam, at this moment in this new century.
    JOHN: It is a summation in that sense. I did try to bring many things together. If you want to write a book for a broad audience, including policy makers and educated folks, you can’t assume that everyone already has read your stuff. I felt I had to set the context for people who come to this and have no background—but I also wanted to reset the context, for example, by using new Gallup data concerning American Muslims and Muslims in Europe and so on. There is important new material here.
    I wanted this guidebook to be rooted not just in my own “take” on things, but also in new data like the Gallup data that give us a much more realistic view of these issues.
    DAVID: Give us an example of something you really hope comes through to readers in this new book.
    JOHN: One thing I try to hammer home is: We really have to get to a point where, when we look at Islam and Muslims as Westerners, we operate on a level playing field. If we want to talk about religious ideals, then we need to compare our ideal with someone else’s ideal—not our ideal to the more tragic realities that can turn up in someone else’s religion.
    Number 2, if we realize that it’s a tiny fraction of a percent of Muslims in the world who engage in acts of terrorism, then we need to understand the context. We need to look at acting out in other religions like Christianity and Judaism—like Christian attacks on abortion providers or other violent and criminal acts from Christian groups that break out into the news from time to time. If we fairly compare religious experience, we’ll find that extremism is going to show up in every religious tradition over time.

    DAVID: It’s pretty amazing to be talking about these issues nearly a decade after 9/11. I can’t begin to estimate how many times I’ve written and published passages like the exchange we just had.
    JOHN: It’s very funny, David, or actually it’s not funny because I find this upsetting as someone who has been working in this field for 30 years or more: People always ask me the same questions.
    The problem is—there’s not much learning curve! People always ask me: Is Islam compatible with modernity and with democracy? And I always say: We need to realize that the primary drivers in foreign policy are not religion—but political policies on the ground.
    DAVID: We should make it clear, by the way, that you’re not Muslim yourself. So you’re not in the position of defending your own personal faith in this work.
    JOHN: That’s right. I am Roman Catholic. I was with the Capuchin Franciscans for roughly 10 years, many years ago. My first degree was in Catholic theology, which I taught for some years before I moved on and did my PhD and Islam became the major focus of my work.

Boys studying Quran in Bangladesh    DAVID: Let’s give readers of this interview some examples of misconceptions that need to be cleared up. Obviously, some of these may seem basic to people who know a lot about Islam—but a surprisingly large portion of readers don’t know things as basic as this: Most Muslims aren’t Arab. In fact, most Muslims don’t live in the Middle East.
    When we publish this interview, to underline that point, I think we’ll publish some images from Indonesia and Bangladesh—two very important Muslim nations that don’t show up much on the American radar screen.
    JOHN: When I was starting out studying in this field, I wasn’t aware of this fact, either. If you studied Islam back then, it was assumed that you would focus on Arabs. When I had an opportunity to travel around the world, someone said: “Of course you’ll come to southeast Asia.”
    That hadn’t even been on my map! The academic training I’d received was so Arab-centered.
    In the West, we know that there are various forms of Christianity and Judaism—forms with very different cultures. But most people don’t know this about Islam. African Islam vs. Asian Islam vs. Islam in a country like Saudi Arabia are big differences in many ways.
    But think about the way American media show Islam. If there’s a story about Muslim women, it’s likely you’ll see a Saudi woman who is fully covered. But the truth is, for example, in one country, women can’t drive a car. In another Muslim country, they’re out in the streets driving motorcycles! The implications of this diversity are quite large.

Boys in Bangladesh madrasah    DAVID: Here’s another major misconception that you debunk in your book—the idea that Muslims hate the West in general or that Muslims hate Christianity or democracy. We’ve heard that kind of claim thrown around by TV preachers and political activists.
    You actually dig into Gallup data from a whole range of countries around the world and you make the case that Muslim populations actually are fairly nuanced in their viewpoints. Generally, their attitudes are shaped by political policies, you write.
    Here are a couple of lines from your book: “Majorities of Muslims globally clearly do not see conflict with the West as primarily religious or civilizational. Rather, they distinguish Western powers by their policies.”
    JOHN: I’m glad you asked about this. Yes, this is very interesting—and it’s one reason I’m so glad we have this Gallup data. You don’t have to take my viewpoint on this—or the viewpoint of someone opposed to what I’m saying. We can actually look at the Gallup data on what’s happening in many different countries.
    What you find is that Muslims distinguish very carefully on these government policies. The majorities of Muslims clearly judge countries in the West individually. The data show, for example, that Muslims gave very poor marks to policies of Bush and Blair—in contrast to the marks they gave to other European rulers.
    Or, you can see this in Muslim attitudes toward Canada. In terms of culture, we might call Canada—America without the foreign policy. What attitudes do we find among Muslims about Canada? For example, in one Muslim country only 3 percent of people were critical of Canada, while 60-some percent were critical of the U.S. Why? The cultures are quite similar. The reason is: They were making a distinction based on foreign policy. Muslims do make these distinctions and the data show this.     DAVID: I don’t think we can describe your book as rosy about the future. You describe a sort of global crossroads—and you do outline some nuanced policies that could make a positive difference in the future. But how do you feel yourself at the moment: Hopeful?
    JOHN: That’s hard to answer. Most of us like to see things done, like, yesterday. I can appreciate that because my own personality type is not always: Ready, aim, fire. Sometimes, it’s: Ready, fire—aim. So, I do feel a little down right now because of my sense of immediacy. I want to see things improve. But, if one has the patience to think in terms of historical cycles, then I do think positive changes will unfold.
    It’s going to take several decades. There are all kinds of powerful, entrenched forces—forces of resistance to change, resistance to moderation. But there are people around the world who are doing some creative new thinking.
    In terms of the immediate future of Islam and the West, I think the jury is still out on where our relationships are headed. I think Obama does have a shot at improving these relationships. Brown in Britain hasn’t done well, though. And even with Obama, I think the jury’s still out on how he will be regarded worldwide by Muslims. It’s too early to tell whether Obama will have the grit and take the risks to do some of the stuff he needs to do to strengthen relationships in the Muslim world.
    We’re living in an extraordinarily fluid and difficult time. Overall, things are moving forward, but we live in a world in which the actions of a minority—even the actions of an individual—can become a major setback.
    This is why we need to know so much more about these forces unfolding all around us. Most Americans still are asking the same questions we were asking after 9/11. It’s time to learn more and look deeper.

Either scroll down—or click at the link at the top of this story—to read a brief excerpt of “The Future of Islam” …

(Originally published at www.ReadTheSpirit.com)

Brief excerpt from John Esposito's "Future of Islam"

For the forseeable future, religion will remain a significant political and social force for reform because majorities of Muslims today stress the importance of its role for the progress of their societies. Thus it can be viewed as part of the problem if we focus on the extremist fringe or as part of the solution, sustaining Muslim majorities with their values of human rights, mutual respect, and cooperation between communities of believers intent on the same goals.
    …
    The idea of “family” in the history of religions, as in our ordinary lives, is a source of strength, nurturing, love and security but also of conflict and violence. Despite, or some would even argue because of, close family resemlances, relations between Judaism and Christianity, Christianity and Islam, and Judaism and Islam have often been characterized by tension, conflict and persecution. The beliefs of each that it possesses the one true revelation and special covenant and, in the cases of Christianity and Islam, that it supersedes earlier revelations and has a universal mission have been stumbling blocks to religious pluralism and tolerance. However, there are an impressive number of initiatives by religious leaders and NGOs today that move beyond vying for who is most correct to recognizing, respecting, and cooperating with other faiths to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
    The future of Islam and Muslim-West relations remains a key political and religious issue in the 21st century. Understanding and appreciating shared beliefs and values has become especially critical post 9/11, no longer only in multifatih relations but also in international politics and security. Islam and Christianity are the largest and fastest-growing religions in the world. Moreover, the interaction and connection, religiously, politically, economically and militarily, between the United States and Europe and Muslim countries globally cannot be ignored. In the 21st century, intercivilizational dialogue is no longer simply the preserve of religious leaders and scholars but is now a priority for policymakers and corporate leaders, a subject of domestic and foreign policy, and the agenda for international organizations.
    Jews and Christians have come to affirm that beyond their distinctive beliefs and past conflicts, they have a shared Judeo-Christian heritage. Most have been raised with some appreciation of the interconnectedness of the Old and New Testaments and their faiths’ common belief in God prophets, and revelation, and moral responsibility and accountability. Few until recently have possessed the broader Abrahamic vision that recognizes the integral place of the descendants of Abraham, Hagar, and Ismail, Muslims who are co-equal citizens and believers in the West.
    Our next step is to acknowledge this “missing link,” to recognize that the Children of Abraham are part of a rich Judeo-Christian-Islamic history and tradition. Despite the rhetoric and actions of Muslim extremists and terrorists, and religious and cultural differences, the peoples of America, Europe and the Muslim world have many shared values, dreams and aspirations. The future of Islam and Muslims is inextricably linked to all of humanity. All of our futures will depend on working together for good governance, for freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, and for economic and educational advancement. Together we can contain and eliminate our preachers of hate and terrorists who threaten the safety, security, and prosperity of our families and societies.

    Click Here to visit Amazon to order a copy of “The Future of Islam” now.

A Letter from Hajj: One Pilgrim's Story of a Journey for Millions

Millions of our Muslim neighbors make the pilgrimage to Mecca, coming in late November in 2009. Unfortunately, because of the implosion of American news media and the dwindling numbers of religion writers, there is very little coverage of the Hajj in U.S. news media.
    Our pioneering approach at ReadTheSpirit is to blend traditional journalistic approaches in writing about religion and spiritual media — with an international network of readers and writers who lend their own voices and stories to enrich all of us.
    So, we can’t think of a better way to give you a taste of the Hajj than to share this “Letter from the Hajj,” written by Victor Begg, who is based in Michigan but is known nationally in interfaith networks as a Muslim peace activist.
    This isn’t a text-book entry. It’s one pilgrim’s journey among millions. He originally wrote this account for friends and the letter took on a life of its own. It has been the basis for sermons delivered by clergy who received the letter, including one rabbi. Overall, it’s the kind of personal approach we love to take toward important spiritual milestones like the Hajj.
    One note: Muslims honor the names of prophets by adding a reverent phrase, “Peace be upon him.” Often, this is shortened to (pbuh) after the names in print.
    So, here is …

A LETTER FROM THE HAJJ
By Victor Begg

Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, required to be performed once in a lifetime by able-bodied Muslims who are also financially able. Preparation for Hajj includes asking for forgiveness from friends, relatives and acquaintances for any unresolved offenses we may have caused. Muslims often bid farewell by asking for everyone’s good will and taking care of their obligations before they leave for Hajj.
    One of the important aspects of the pilgrimage is making seven circles around the house of worship (Kaba) rebuilt by Prophet Abraham (pbuh). It is said that Kaba originally was built by Adam — the common ancestor of all. It is also said: Angels worship God by circling His throne. Thus the circling of Kaba, which we call tawaf, represents the “primordial form of worship,” even before we were created — like the electrons revolving in an atom or the planets revolving around the sun.
    Kaba has a black stone encased in a white silver case as one of the corner stones, at the point we initiate circumventing the Kaba. It is said that Angel Gabriel brought this stone from heaven when Prophet Abraham (pbuh) started to build this House of Worship of One God.
    During Hajj, men are mandated to dress in two pieces of un-sewn white cloth, one around their waist and one over their upper body, called “ahram” (similar to what Muslims are buried in upon their passing from this world). Dressed alike, divisions among people disappear as all pilgrims recite the same words in one language. We are praying together in Arabic. In English, it means: “I am here O Lord, the One and Only, Glory to You…”
    Malcolm X’s views on race were transformed upon witnessing the sea of humanity echoing the same words, clothed alike. These are the words on our lips from the time we put on the ahram, as we must do that when we get within 40 miles of Mecca (which could mean that we take on the state of ahram often in the plane before it lands).

Here is a Sufi perspective on circling of the Kaba:

Holy Shrine
Outside of time
Dressed in black
Mortal beings
Heartfelt pleadings
Dressed in white
Gold gilded door
White marble floor
Heaven’s own white/black stone
White shrouds abound
Circling round
Chanting prayers
Heavenly dance
Prayers enhanced
Rising up
Focused glance
Prayerful trance
Singing praise
Cries out loud
From the shrouds
Seeking grace
Beloved Lord
You’ve seen and heard
All that we hide
Accept our plea
Set the guilty free
Saved from the fire
Attachment lost
Illusions crossed
Subhan Allah (All glory to God)
All praises to Him
Without kin
Alone and One
Ya Rahman Ya Rahim
Ya Rahman Ya Rahim
Ih-dinus-sirat-ul-mustaqeem
(O Most Merciful One
O Most Compassionate One
Show us the straight path)

    After the tawaf, we drink from the well of zam zam that was created instantly by the will of God, according to our teachings, by Archangel Gabriel, to quench the thirst of Abraham’s first born, left in the desert by father Abraham with his mother, Hagar. Water provided sustenance for baby Ishmael in answer to Hagar’s prayers. I saw millions of pilgrims drink from the well and wash their faces, hands and feet in ablution. I was amazed how this water flows freely.
    We then pray at the spot where footsteps of Abraham (pbuh) are preserved. Next, we retrace the steps of Hagar running between the two hills called Safa and Marwa, looking for water or some caravan to help her newborn baby, Ishmael.

    In the next few days, there are other rites we must perform. Millions of people move after the morning prayers on the 8th day of the lunar month Zul-Hijjah towards the plains of Arafa and spend the night in the tent city of Mina along the way, just as the Prophet (pbuh) did more than 1,400 years ago. Next day, in Arafa, we gather where the Prophet (pbuh) gave his final sermon from a hill top. Muslims believe that the gathering in Arafa, clothed in white shrouds (no restriction for women but most cover themselves in white or plain color), represents the assembly of the resurrected humanity on the Day of Judgment. We pray more for forgiveness and for God’s blessings.

     I prayed to God to grant me forgiveness and for my family, friends, and our communities and for peace in the world.
    Then the millions move again from the plains of Arafa to an area called Muzdalfa for night prayers where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spent the night. We pick up pebbles from the desert to demolish the Satan who tried to mislead Ishmael (pbuh) and Abraham (pbuh) on three different occasions. So, the next day, armed with those pebbles, we return to Mina to perform the rites (you know all about the throwing of these pebbles, thanks to CNN) and we live in the tent city spending the next 2 nights — praying and meditating and discarding the evil (Satan).

    Next, we return to Mecca to do our farewell tawaf. Men will shave their heads. Yes, including me as we are supposed to be newly born free of all sins upon proper completion of the pilgrimage. At the end of the pilgrimage, we sacrifice a lamb in commemoration of the sacrifice made by our great-grandpa Abraham (pbuh), in quest for submitting unconditionally to God’s will.
    Prophet Abraham (pbuh) also prayed to God to bless this area with a city and the fruits to eat. We witnessed the bustling humanity, abundance of the fruits and goods from all over the world in the city of Mecca. God answered his prayers and continues to bless the desert city to this day. We pray, we meditate, we shop, we taste the international cuisine, we catch a few holy germs (I was still coughing upon arriving back at my home airport) but overall it is a great soul-satisfying experience. My wife absolutely lost herself in it.
    We had a large American contingent plus Canadian, European, Asian and African brothers and sisters who traveled with us. During Hajj, millions of people move from site to site over a period of days, which also makes one a very patient person.

    In spite of occasional mishaps, during this enormous gathering of pilgrims, Hajj is God’s miracle in itself.

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    (Originally published at http://www.ReadTheSpirit.com/)

Andy Elder: "Like a reunion or homecoming of sorts"

Andy Elder compares his approach to Ramadan as similar to training for a marathon. The holy month is a delicate balance, he says, between the richness of homecomings—and the sometimes-agonizing self denial of the fast. Here are Andy’s reflections …

You prep for the long days the closer Ramadan gets. If you’re
running a marathon and you’re early in training, you’re running 6, 8, 10
miles.
    By the time Ramadan begins each year … I’m ready. I’ve done my training.
    Everybody’s got it in the back
of their mind because they’ve done it before.
    I enjoy it because I see people during Ramadan I don’t see throughout
the year. I love that time. It gives you the opportunity to do
something above and beyond, whether it’s hosting a dinner or giving to
charity.
    It’s like a reunion or homecoming of sorts. It brings everyone
together under one location. But it’s not just about the food.
    It’s
about sacrifice. It’s about fighting several times a day with the devil
in your head. It’s fighting temptation, which strengthens your mental
resolve for life.

    Come back each day for more inspiring profiles of our Muslim neighbors in America. Email us to let us know your thoughts—or click on the Comment link (at right), please.

Mary Assel: A lifetime journey sorting out the wisdom of Ramadan

Mary Assel’s spiritual journey into Ramadan began with a little childhood fasting. Growing up surrounded by Christian culture, Mary recalls associations with her friends’ Lenten experiences. Read her story and you’ll find a lifetime journey unfolding in a few words. Now, Mary has her own children. She’s also director of the English Language Institute at Henry Ford Community College.

It started when we were children.
    My recollection of the word “fasting” coincided with Lent. There were children around me (when I began attending a public school) who would fast for Lent.
    As I began fasting, my recollection is that it was half a day and that none of us had to fast more than a half day. So, we could go home and eat at noon. My mother agreed to that because we were young.
    We celebrated the Eid (the festival at the end of Ramadan) by getting dressed and walking around with our little purses.
    As years passed, if it wasn’t convenient to fast—I was young and didn’t know it was one of the pillars of Islam—I didn’t. I thought of fasting as a choice. Nobody really imposed it on me. It wasn’t something that I cared too much to do, especially during my early years and early forties.
    But then, I began to think that this is serious and is one of the five pillars of Islam. I began to fast and mandate indirectly to the children that they needed to consider it.
    (Today, I feel the effects of Ramadan as I work) because I’m talking all day. It’s hard for me to pull through the day, but I do. I find that having a good meal before sunrise helps me not get hungry or thirsty. My speech may be a little slower than normal. I’ll have a lower tone. I’ll try not to exhaust myself. I try not to workout and to avoid situations where I have to talk a lot or read aloud. I’ll have the students do the talking.
    At the end of the month, I feel good about it.
    And I pray that one day I will have the energy to fast for a whole year to make up for the times that I didn’t fast when I should have.

    Come back each day for more inspiring profiles of our Muslim neighbors in America. Email us to let us know your thoughts—or click on the Comment link (at right), please.

(Published in www.ReadTheSpirit.com)