A Muslim message more irresistible than hate (Globe and Mail)

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A Muslim message more irresistible than hate

 

By SHEEMA KHAN

Tuesday, September 7, 2004 - Page A17

 

 

His is one of the most influential voices among Arab Muslims today.

 

Exiled by his own country, Egypt, he spreads his message via

satellite TV, the Internet and MP3 files. His taped speeches sell

out in the markets of Damascus, Amman and Cairo. His call for an

internal jihad has spurred many to tears and to action. Yet he is

virtually unknown to Osama-fixated Westerners.

 

His name is Amr Khaled; in 2002, The Economist described him as " the

most fashionable face of the faith. " An accountant by training, Mr.

Khaled underwent a spiritual reawakening during Ramadan a few years

ago. Before long, his charismatic style attracted the attention of

Cairo's urbane, upper-class youth. In 2000, he hosted Words from the

Heart, an interactive TV show devoted to discussion and testimonials

about God's love and mercy in daily life.

 

He made Islamic teachings simple, compassionate and relevant, in

contrast to other clerics' sometimes harsh rhetoric. Dapper in a

casual suit, with a trim mustache, he presents a face of Islamic

piety rarely seen in the Middle East. Mr. Khaled asserts spiritual

identity in harmony with the modern world. Think of Deepak Chopra

and Billy Graham combined.

 

His message to Muslims is simple: Reconnect to God through

sincerity, humility and awareness of God's all-encompassing mercy in

personal experiences. He gently reminds his audience about the

Koranic message that success lies in purification of the soul -- the

more virtuous jihad alluded to by the Prophet Mohammed.

 

Many have taken his message to heart. Female Egyptian entertainers

who once scoffed at the hijab now appear veiled on his show to give

personal testimonials. Emphasizing less materialism, more

spirituality, less ritual, more sincerity, Mr. Khaled's genius is to

find a middle ground between modernity and Islamic principles.

 

Most important, he reminds his followers that individual

responsibility is paramount, and that each person has the

wherewithal to change things for the better. Mr. Khaled has launched

many successful community projects, much like Oprah's Angel Network.

My friends describe how their previous despair and idleness have

been replaced by an inner dynamism to improve the world through acts

of charity.

 

So why is he regarded as " dangerous " in his native Egypt?

 

One rumour had it that the secular regime was embarrassed when

President Hosni Mubarak's daughter-in-law began wearing the Islamic

head scarf after listening to Mr. Khaled. A more likely explanation

is that the state cannot control or co-opt Mr. Khaled's growing

influence, nor cope with his throwing a wrench into the government's

plan to designate all Islamic activity into two mutually exclusive

camps: the bearded, harsh, anti-Western extremists bent on political

overthrow versus the austere, state-sanctioned scholars of al-Azhar

University. A sizable group is turned off by both, and Mr. Khaled

fills the void.

 

Forced to leave Egypt in 2002, he settled at the University of

Wales, where he is preparing a PhD thesis comparing the Prophet

Mohammed's model for social reform to Western models. He broadcasts

weekly to the Middle East on Arab satellite TV, while travelling on

the Muslim Arab lecture circuit. In January, he drew overflowing

crowds in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

 

A parallel trend, meanwhile, is under way in Pakistan. Its central

figure at first glance seems to be Mr. Khaled's antithesis. Farhat

Hashmi is a mother of four who wears a niqab (face veil) in public.

With her background in classical Islamic theology and a PhD from the

University of Glasgow, she strongly felt the need give Muslim women

the tools to study primary Islamic sources for themselves. What

began as a small study circle grew into an institute, while her

public lectures in Urdu drew throngs of women -- especially from the

Pakistani upper classes. Her taped sermons sell out in Houston,

Toronto and Karachi. Her recent Canadian tour also drew huge crowds.

 

Ms. Hashmi's soothing style articulates a message of personal

reform. She reminds listeners of God's mercy and forgiveness -- in

stark contrast to the dire warnings of hellfire favoured by some

mullahs, who (not surprisingly) see her as a threat. Her followers

are young, educated women disenchanted with the spiritual emptiness

of Western feminism. Ms. Hashmi's words have also spurred many to

don the hijab.

 

The Islamic " revival " amongst the Westernized Muslim upper classes

isn't that puzzling. " Having it all " doesn't mean having " it " --

inner tranquillity and a sense of purpose -- especially in an age of

civilizational tension. In the West, the spiritual is strictly

demarcated from the material. Islamic ethos emphasizes a spiritual

foundation from which all other activities flow. Many Muslims are

harking back to their spiritual roots in search of identity, meaning

and self-fulfilment.

 

While the Muslim world's Osama bin Ladens stoke the fires of

indignation against the West, many others have realized that anger

and blame cannot form a healthy basis for change. The popularity of

reformers such as Mr. Khaled and Ms. Hashmi implies that a message

based on compassion and personal accountability elicits a far

greater response than hate-filled rhetoric. Appealing to the best in

human nature is essential in building bridges among populations of a

divided world.

 

A Muslim message more irresistible than hate

By SHEEMA KHAN, Tuesday, September 7, 2004

 

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