Category Archives: Culture
Respecting Cultural Values – A Criterion for World Peace
Issue # 13
May 25, 2008 / Jamadul Awwal 1429
Culture is the identity of every nation. It is the sum total of the shared values, emotions, and expressions of a people. Our global world today is a rich collection of ancient and modern cultures.
According to the Islamic tradition, the cultural diversity that comprises the world today is a blessing and by Divine Design. Its purpose is to interact and acquaint ourselves with one another. This interaction allows for increased understanding and subsequent enrichment which in turn contributes towards the promotion of peaceful relations between various communities.
It is the mandate of every religion to protect culture and promote cultural norms. Islam stresses co-existence. The Holy Quran clearly exhorts Muslims to protect the Christian church, the Jewish synagogue, and places of worship of all other peoples as much as they defend their own mosques. This is clear evidence of the emphasis that Islam has laid on tolerance and co-existence with other religions and civilizations. Islam also commands its followers to ensure the protection of all educational, charitable and cultural centers of other civilizations. It may be deduced that the non-profit organizations working in the field of education, health and social welfare all fall into this category. One can also refer to the word Sawamiah used in verse 40 of Chapter Al-Hajj of the Holy Quran, which stipulates that all establishments of other civilizations must be protected.
Whenever Christian scholars came to visit with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) for a dialog, he (peace be upon him) arranged their stay in Masjid-e-Nabawi (the blessed mosque of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, in the holy city of Medina). On such occasions, the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) not only held talks there, but also allowed the Christians to perform their religious rituals within the mosque.
However, one of the greatest problems in the world today is that we have stopped respecting cultures. We have adopted an “us versus them†approach. The modern world is facing serious challenges due to this single reason leading to class wars and unrest in the world.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) respected every culture. While he established an Islamic state in the Holy city of Madinah, he (peace be upon him) did not denigrate the cultural identities of any religion. On the contrary, he promoted the various Arab tribes. He protected synagogues and churches and directed his followers to pay respect to them. Whenever the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) went out of the Holy City of Madinah with his noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), he did not trespass on the lands that belonged to the Jews and Christians. He (peace be upon him) did not allow the horses to even step foot on those lands that had agricultural crops on them. But he (peace be upon him) commanded his noble companions to protect these lands. In this way he laid the foundations for international law and peace. It is chilling to see that behaviors today are so antithetical to the teachings of this great final Prophet of God who is a Prophet for all of humanity. Peace Be Upon Him.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) practically proved the motto of the Peace Culture which is to “Live and let others live.â€Â “Peace for all†was not just a slogan but he proved it with his pristine teachings, stellar example and kind and forgiving nature that made everyone around him fall in love with his personality, and even his enemies were in awe of him (peace be upon him).
In the society that he created he adopted many techniques to transfer his knowledge to the people. He sent out delegations of His Companions who reflected the culture of peace and respect they had learnt from him. When the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) met people, he would stand up out of respect for them.
He created an Administration Culture which centered on truth and honesty. Honesty is the best policy for the government, the legislature, and judiciary. The culture of Islam is that of balance of power and it negates any authoritarian school of thought and promotes a culture of tolerance and peace. In this culture, contrary to popular belief, Allah Almighty and the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) have given tremendous amount of respect to women and children in the context of human rights. In this culture the use of force is prohibited. “Might is right†is not a component. The teaching of Islam is that everyone is equal. Modern culture includes language, ideas, beliefs, norms, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies and symbols. Islam has incorporated these into its fold. Islamic principles teach to take what is good and leave out that which is not good. It is a dynamic body with its foundation anchored on a core firm set of values—the crucial recipe for any religion, culture, institution or individual to survive— the ability to adapt and include.
Today’s IECRC Conference is a bridge between the West and the East, a bridge among nations. The valuable research articles and presentations being made here will be a source of learning and eliminating many stereotypes. Conferences such as this are instrumental in the transformation of international cultural norms.
It is time we let go of the wars of the battlefield and psycho warfare and make working for humanity the aim of our lives. For social and world change it is imperative that the differences between the major world cultures and religions are put on the backburner and the similarities are highlighted. The world is our home and we are all brothers and sisters. All Prophets of God (peace be upon them all) have brought the same message of forgiveness, purification, tolerance, peace, and love. It behooves us to increase our intercultural communication and understanding so that we can make the world a better place for our children.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri
Dr. Qadri is the Founding Director of the IECRC. He is the recipient of many international awards such as the prestigious “Ambassador for Peace†Award presented by the Universal Peace Foundation and Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace in Canada. Please see the section on Speaker Biographies for more details. He can be reached at ahmedq19@yahoo.com.
Balancing Personal Religious Practice With the Intercultural Awareness Of Others
Issue # 13
May 25, 2008 / Jamadul Awwal 1429
As a trainer and facilitator in the intercultural field, a common way that I engage the interest of audience members is by asking for their own examples and stories that are relevant to the topic at hand. At a recent group facilitation session I was leading, a female supervisor had shared a situation where she had found another female from a culture different from hers, praying in the stairwell of her company’s back hallway. Concerned for her employee’s safety since she was in a darkly lit back exit area, and unaware at the time of the implications of her suggestion at the time, the supervisor kindly asked her to move into another room, offering her own office space, as an accommodation. The employee agreed, but the next day – was found in the same place, performing her prayers. Why did this happen?
For people who may be aware of this particular culture’s customs – seeing someone pray in a public, open space would be perfectly acceptable. But, for this supervisor – and for many individuals in leadership roles – exposure to such traditions different from their own, causes a misunderstanding of the situation. Unfortunately, these misunderstandings can add up, possibly causing a strained relationship, and perhaps even graver consequences. So, what can we do in these situations?Â
Recently, there was an unfortunate and serious case in my community of a lawsuit that occurred from a company leader who did not understand the indirect communication style of his Asian employees. My initial reaction to this scenario was sadness – knowing that this outcome could have been prevented by having cultural awareness through a basic understanding of the cultures and approaches of those in your daily life.
As a person who has been brought up with understandings of faith, I am in the humble yet critical position of being able to explain the concepts of religious practice from my own personal experience to my workshop attendees. The benefit of my role as facilitator is that I am able to safely introduce ideas and understandings that may possibly conflict with others, and yet – I am still seen in an expert role. Despite all of this, a challenge I face that is common with many others who follow a spiritual path is to be able to express, explain – and even justify, in some cases – to others, my choice of behaviors and beliefs on an everyday basis. Many a time, the less difficult approach to take would be to avoid the topic all together. But then – how much understanding can come from a lack of dialogue and attention?
Discussing matters of faith is no easy feat – public school systems in many countries ensure that teachers avoid the topic of religion in order not to offend the parents and children within their institutions. The disadvantage of this approach is that rather than having an equal, even forum for research and discussion in a classroom – children are exposed to biased and incomplete versions of commentary on faith-based behavior and practice. Growing up, these misguided opinions may turn into anxiety, prejudices, and avoidance of the “otherâ€. All in all, the potential of the person and anyone whom she or he comes in contact with, would be at a loss.
To address the issues and questions above, here are some recommendations for increasing intercultural awareness about your own religious practice:
Recognize the intention of the person asking questions. Many times – what may be perceived as offensive or ignorant questions are actually earnest attempts to understand you and your practice of faith. Of course, be aware that the approaches of others can be negative, but – be a detective and discern these individuals from those who have good intent.
Be open to expressing your understanding of faith through analogy. Faith-based experiences can sometimes best be explained through analogy to others’ experiences, commonly-known stories, and the other person’s vocabulary and expressions. Rather than trying to find difference, establish similarities amongst the approaches and how each is effective.
Choose the appropriate time to explain. Sometimes, reacting within a highly emotional situation may only cause more difficulty. However, not facing a said misconception of your faith by another person may make it difficult for you to prevent misunderstanding later. Rather than either of these options, it would be wise to choose an appropriate time and be purposeful in discussing your point of view, to clarify the misconception and have a “teachable moment.â€
Share. Many a time, our colleagues and friends are curious and would like to learn more, but are polite and may not want to feel they are intruding by asking. Instead, begin the conversation yourself about a community event, family gathering, or experiences that you had, and you will then be able to share more ideas develop understanding of your faith, with them.
Realize the cost or benefit within a situation. In some instances – it is simply better not to engage in a discussion about matters of faith, especially if you know it may harm you, your family, or your working relationship. Seek guidance from others as to how to approach the issue, and decide if you want to remain in that situation or take yourself out from it. Know that this is a reasonable course of action and that there will be other opportunities for others’ learning later on.
It is my hope that by bringing forth this discussion about personal religious practice and practical methods of how to help create awareness, that community members will be able to safely, confidently, and peacefully achieve the understanding of faith by others in their lives.
Farzana Nayani
Ms. Farzana Nayani is Education and Training Consultant for the University of British Columbia Center for Intercultural Communication. She is reachable at farzana.nayani@gmail.com.
PRESS REPORT – Interfaith Communication: A Bridge Among Nations
The Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center (IECRC) and the Canadian Women Counseling Center (CWCC) jointly organized a grand gathering of an Interfaith Celebration of the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) titled “Interfaith Communication: A Bridge Among Nations†on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at York Conference Center in Surrey, British Columbia. The beautiful gathering was attended by over 450 men, women, and children of many diverse organizations, groups, faiths, and cultures from all walks of life.
Group Conference Speakers and Organizers
This was the 5th year in a row that the CWCC and IECRC have conducted this annual spiritual gathering commemorating the life and birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final Prophet to humanity according to the Islamic tradition. The conference was attended by interfaith representatives from several different religious groups including Pandit Acharya, Dr. Raminder Pal Singh, Mr. Allen Welding, along with representatives from the B.C. legislative assembly and the World Peace Federation, and heads of various social and political organizations. The speeches delivered represented a wide variety of backgrounds and topics.
Audience
Mr. Allen Welding, President of the World Peace Federation and Christian Leader said that our heart is not bound by geography, and that “We are one family under God.†He added, “Cooperation is a way towards peace, and humanity is one body. Humanity is not connected to God hence we harm one another. â€
Dr. Allen Welding
Dr. Raminder Pal Singh Kang, the well-known radio host of Sher-e-Punjab gave a direct message to the audience in which he mentioned the relationships between Muslims and Sikhs in history. Dr. Kang mentioned that the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest place in Sikhism, had its first stone layed by a Muslim, and that Hazrat Baba Farid’s (may God have mercy on him) writings are a part of the Guru Granth Sahib. Dr. Kang reminded the audience that people have less time to read and study, and thus misinformation is spreading. He shared his experience describing how he had became a student of Islamic Philosophy after he had hosted several shows with Dr. Qadri about Islam on Sher-e-Punjab where “you can always talk about other mazhabs (faiths). ”
Dr. Raminder Pal Singh
Pandit Acharya Shrinath Prasad Dwivedi, a Hindu scholar, said that peace on Earth starts with the individual, not with an organization. With the modern world, distances are reduced, but barriers within the heart need to be broken. Pandit Acharya recited a self-composed piece of poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that delighted the audience.
Pandit Acharya Shrinath Prasad Dwivedi
Senior government representatives were also present during the occasion. Bruce Ralston, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Surrey-Whalley, briefly wished all conference attendees well and congratulated the organizers on the conference. He also mentioned that what impressed most about Islam was its prohibition of Usury and the establishment of Zakat (the poor due).
Sukh Dhaliwal, MP of Surrey, mentioned that all religions emphasize social justice, that the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was about social justice, human rights, and equality, and similarly that of Guru Nanak. Mr. Dhaliwal said that we can believe in different values, come from different cultures, and be different, yet at the same time love each other, respect each other, and thus “we have taken ourselves beyond tolerance, we have accepted each other.” He said that religious organizations are instrumental in providing social services, and congratulated Dr. Qadri and the attendees for promoting justice, accepting all communities, and conveyed greetings on behalf of the assembly.
Vice Consul General Tipu Usman of the Pakistan Consulate in Vancouver emphasized the need for dialogue as a way and basis to promote trust, and not as a platform for argumentation.
MLA Bruce Ralston
MP Sukh Dhaliwal
Vice Consul General Tipu Usman
Shakyh Ismael Khaleeq, Imam of the Kautharriyah Hussayniyyah Islamic Center, said that different cultures are like different colors in a garden; a garden is more beautiful with a variety of colors. He exhorted the audience to understand that ends do not justify the means, and to live a compassionate and loving life with each other.
Sheikh Ismael Khaleeq
Maulana Tayyib Qasmi, Principal of the Chilliwack Islamic College gave a brief but effective speech on the importance of remembering and honoring the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), especially in the spirit of coming together as one community. He humbly prayed that his presence in this blessed gathering would become a means for his forgiveness on t he Day of Judgment.
Maulana Tayyib Qasmi
Mr. Tanveer Choudhary of the Pakistani Cultural Association spoke about the impact Allamah Iqbal, Pakistan’s famous national poet also known as the Poet of the East, had in a unified view of man and his place in the world. Maulana Abdul Lateef Nomani, Imam of the Fiji Islamic Center, highlighted the compassionate and self-sacrificing nature of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Syeda Zille Humma and Fatima Sharaaz, both IECRC representatives from the United States, spoke about the meaning of love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and how the Prophet (peace be upon him) elevated the status and esteem of women by introducing essential women’s rights that have now been taken for granted, respectively. Dr. Syeda Saiqa Zubeda, Founding Director of the CWCC, spoke about the importance of love in Islam, saying that Sufism, the spiritual dimension of Islam, was Islam with love, and the real representation of Islam.
Youth from both the surrounding Surrey area, as well as those who had traveled from the USA to attend this event waved flags and recited the Naat poetry that describes the attributes of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Among the youth and children were Abdullah Ayyaz Qadri, Abdurrahman Ayyaz Qadri (both studying to commit the entire Holy Quran to memory), Zaynab Ayyaz Qadri, Roha Imran, and Khizr Abbasi.
Both adult and youth groups from Surrey and the United States recited beautiful and heartfelt poems honoring the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on this sublime occasion including Adeeba Iqbal, Amber Imran, Sohail Rana Qadri, Imran Qadri, Shaanawaz Khan Qadri, and Ismael Rajput.
Zaynab Ayyaz Qadri
Roha Imran
Khizr Abbasi
Amber Imran
IECRC Naat Group from Surrey
Recitation of Burdah Shareef
Ismael Rajput
Mr. Charan Gill, Executive Directory of PICs, a progressive social welfare organization in Surrey, presented IECRC with an award for outstanding community service. Various other awards were rewarded to groups and individuals working to promote peace and social justice.
Mr. Charan Gill
To conclude the conference, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Qadri, a world renowned scholar from the family of the Bani Hashim (the family of the Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him), and Founding Director of the Islamic Educational and Cultural Center delivered the concluding remarks about the universal message of brotherhood that Islam conveys with references from the Holy Quran and the Life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Dr. Qadri said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) conveyed the message of Islam to make our ethics the ethics of God. He said that if we pay respect to others, we and our community will be respected by others. Dr. Qadri stated, if you love humanity, God will love you. He reminded the audience to follow the Prophetic example and to be forgiving and merciful.
Dr. Qadri reminded the audience of a very important communal requirement that is aimed at supporting those in need under the most trying circumstances. He called to pass a resolution in favor of an endowment fund for funeral costs, which was passed by the community with no opposition.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri
Sharaaz Qadri, Director of IECRC in the USA, was emcee for the evening. Throughout the evening, Mr. Sharaaz Qadri gave references from the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that reminded the audience of the tradition of compassion, mercy, respect, tolerance, in Islam. As is tradition in Milad Shareef gatherings, the program began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, the Muslim holy book, and poetry in Praise of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Sharaaz Khan Qadri
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Ayyaz Yousaf Qadri, Managing Director of IECRC-USA. He thanked all the guests for their participation, and thanked all the volunteers of IECRC and CWCC for their immense dedication and hard work for making this spiritual, educational, cultural, and social event a great success.
Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri finally led everyone in a standing salutation (Salam) to send greetings and blessings to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Salaam and Dua
Salaam and Dua
For feedback on this conference you may write to info@iecrcna.org or cwcc04@yahoo.ca.
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