October 17, 2006
A Matter of Conscience

By Farzana Hasssan

Accepting the ultimate responsibility of an organization undoubtedly poses many challenges for those of us who aspire to be agents of change in our respective communities. When I was first presented with the proposition to assume the leadership of the Muslim Canadian Congress, my overwhelming impulse was to say "no", as this would entail unfaltering effort towards breaking religious and cultural taboos---the Muslim Canadian Congress being a progressive Muslim group that has taken some controversial positions on human rights issues. Undoubtedly the proposition presented itself as a frightening task, given the animosity it could potentially generate. Needles to say, certain religious attitudes are firmly entrenched among immigrant communities and cultural mores are hard to shake.

Yet, this was soon to become a matter of conscience for me. It was important for example to emphasize that gender equality must be regarded as an absolute human ideal, that Muslims need to acknowledge universal human rights as a natural progression of their faith in the twenty-first century, that religious dissent, sectarian tolerance and interfaith harmony are crucial to survival in the twenty-first century. Not only is it important to stress these messages repeatedly, it is essential to do so with clarity and force, as the messages often become diluted in the quagmire of anger, recrimination and mistrust.

In this regard, I consider it important to denounce terrorism unequivocally. The recent spate in terrorist activity by those who claim adherence to Islam is frightening. It continues to implicate Islam as a baneful ideology promoting hate. I therefore feel there needs to be a grassroots movement among Muslims to condemn violent acts of terror both against Muslims and non-Muslims, so as to send the powerful message to extremists that they indeed do not enjoy the support of the Muslim masses. The near absence of such movements is hurting Muslims more. Their silence in not denouncing acts of terrors as forcefully as they should is consequently exacerbating Islamophobia.

Gender equality must be acknowledged as the ultimate goal of any civil society. There is a trend among conservative Muslims to justify continuing inequities based on a rationale that can only be relevant to the mores of seventh century Arabia. Conservative Islam still operates within the cultural framework of long ago. It is therefore imperative to recognize that the conditions justifying disparity in gender rights no longer exist and must be revisited as religious precepts.

Sectarian violence has reached a peak in countries like Iraq and Pakistan. Minute differences in dogma spark acrimony leading to riots and massacres of opposing camps. Regrettably, Muslims in many parts of the world have long abandoned their own tradition of "Kalaam" which acknowledged difference of opinion on religious issues as a positive and healthy element in a decision-making process. When Islam was at the peak of its civilization, not only was there sectarian tolerance, but harmony and goodwill also prevailed among the diverse religious communities coexisting with Muslims.

With my new role as President of the MCC, I hope to impress upon my co-coreligionists that tolerance, open-mindedness and sincerity of purpose are needed in areas where conservative Islam has fallen short of modern standards. I also urge Muslims to acknowledge the principle of progress demonstrated behind each injunction of the Quran. The changes Islam introduced incorporated the advancement of civilization as an underlying principle, whether it was giving inheritance rights to women or improving the conditions of slaves. It is this principle of progress that must be upheld at all times as an agent of change, not its specific seventh century applications, for it is only this recognition that will result in the betterment of Muslims as a religious community and humankind as a whole.

Farzana Hasssan-Shahid is President of the Musim Canadian Congress, author and host of the radio program Islam: Faith and Culture.