Articles

2019-11-01

Renewing religious discourse and the goal of Mr. President

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has long appealed to the Grand Imam of al-Azhar and the Grand Mufti of Egypt on the importance of developing religious discourse, which is considered a must to confront many social and societal scourges and risks committed under the name and the misunderstanding of religion, the most prominent of which is the "terrorism phenomena". At this point, the reader may wonder whether the intention is to address the tolerance of Islam, centrist Islam, the rejection of violence and extremism, or it is much far beyond than that. Does the President's intention relate to a broader vision of achieving the goals of sustainable development, the foremost of which is the goal of combating and limiting poverty? In order to answer this question, several sub-questions must be addressed as a prelude to the reader's mind: -Is the scourge of Muslims only exemplified in overemphasizing extremism and adherence to religion’s external shell not core? -Are some of the daily problems that may exacerbate to societal crimes related to religious discourse such as yesterday's train accident? - Does failure to work and giving preference to performing prayers or religious duties during work-times relate to religious discourse? - Does the worker's low productivity closely relate to religious discourse? -Is coexistence, tolerance, love of neighbors, kindness to children and charity to elders related to religious discourse? -Is religious discourse only confined to these preceding issues or is it related to national security? Here, I would stop wondering about the answer to these questions to monitor the relationship of national security to religious discourse, especially in the context of a global orientation that advocates the importance of tolerance among religions, the rejection of violence between the followers of the same religion and the importance of love, equality, understanding, fraternity and the achievement of world religious peace, which in its turn helps to achieve social inclusion and sustainable development goals. Some may wonder about this proposition. How these matters relate to national security, religious discourse and the knowledge a clergyman is supposed to learn about during the performance of his work? In fact, these matters are very interconnected and I can monitor some convergence points as follows: -There are many international programs aimed at training clergy on the concept of spiritual and interreligious convergence and resolving conflicts with religious roots across clergymen, the so-called spiritual leaders. -The seriousness of Abrahamic spiritual and mutual affinity lies in several points that clergymen must learn about to raise self-awareness and societal awareness on the new tide: o Re-read the religious texts in light of the common matters between the three religions that each of them denies the other, to become only one religion, namely the first divine religion. o There is a tide to re-read the religious text from a political perspective as well as to re-read the political action from a religious perspective. This tide has become one of the orientations within the United States Administration in the framework of a full administration called "The Religious and Foreign Policy Action Team" composed of 100 people, half of whom are clergymen from the three religions and are concerned with issues of civil society, interfaith dialogue and spiritual convergence. o The use of spiritual affinity and Abrahamic commonalities to justify some new things, civilly, such as talking about surrogacy and marriage between the followers of different Abrahamic religions regardless of the Abrahamic religion of the husband and wife, but the touchstone is the Abrahamic commonalities. o Merging clergymen with some of the world's Sufi leaders to talk about addressing some environmental and moral issues within the open path of one's belief, disregarding the one's religion or lack of belonging to a particular religion as a step to empty the sacred from its essence and talk about belonging to humanity and not to holy religious cities. o The most dangerous matter is the restoration of the right to indigenous peoples on the political map from the standpoint of the common religious text to be the source of governance in the world. Who decides this will be the clergymen with politicians and negotiators in halls of informal diplomacy to reach an agreement that rises to a formal consensus. o To this end, young people must be recruited to learn new prayers that bring the three religions together and urge them to spread their learning within their country's houses of worship, as well as to begin writing a book of an Abrahamic religion that brings together the three religions and puts aside the differences as a step towards desacralizing what is sacred. Here we will find that religion has become a political mean to change reality, society and social relations, which requires a pause to wonder again what Mr. President meant by renewing religious discourse? what are the methods of renewal? And are al-Azhar al-Sharif, Dar al-Ifta and the Ministry of Awkaf the only competent stakeholders or is there any others? In fact, talking about the renewal of religious discourse must include several main dimensions: First: understanding and realizing the comprehensive concept of national security as to encompass all threats to the security and integrity of the State, which is no longer limited to military risks in their traditional sense. Such understanding and realization must be reflected in the content of the discourse, which requires the knowledge of new threats and risks from plans described by foreign and international think tanks as the issue of Abrahamic convergence and the gravity it represents to the security of States and the region. Second: Building a critical mindset that is reflected in the way of thinking and accepting the new but with its refutation and re-reading so that no Western concepts are accepted under the guise of religion, provided that it would be reflected in religious renewal by scholars of Jurisprudence and Sharia, which requires the training of esteemed scholars on how to build a critical mindset and thinking outside the box. Third: Defend the homeland and its religious value to refute the claim of belonging to and following a religion not homeland. Defending homeland is a legitimate duty, and respecting the homeland’s sons and partners is a legitimate duty as a key component of the requirements for defending the land, to be reflected in the content of the discourse. Fourth: The dimension and goal of sustainable development. Clergymen are no longer immune from the system of development and reconstruction. The claim that the concepts of sustainable development belong to the people of the economy and planning and that they descend originally from a Western system that is far away from religion must be refuted. Such an allegation is false, improper and is unfounded and needs to be revised. Religious speeches must urge the importance of the 17 dimensions of sustainable development, such as the importance of education, combating poverty through the value of work, respecting women's rights as a legitimate duty, achieving community peace, and preserving and protecting the environment as stipulated in tolerant Islam. Fifth: The image of Centrist Islam, its tolerant truth and the tolerant Egyptian model: The reader may be surprised that this dimension ranks five, although it is more important or closer to mind. I dare say that if clergymen abide by the previous dimensions, this one will be achieved from the beginning. The image of Centrist Islam is not just about heaven, love and distance from disobedience. Where Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand people are safe, it is indeed what is required to build a Muslim who is familiar with the dimensions of development, protects the nation, loves art and beauty, and believes in the value of respecting the other, and is a positive figure with a helpful and productive engagement, and this is how Muslim is to be presented to the world. Sixth: Refute extremist allegations and fatwas coming from some terrorist organizations and reflecting a political agenda that takes into account violence, murder and bloodshed to achieve political gains. In return, these fatwas are used as a platform for political gain at the expense of religion, which requires refuting and addressing them. If I turn to the authorities concerned with correcting and renewing religious discourse, my response will be oriented as a national task that needs the synergy of all parties, and to be more practical and to identify the following proposals and policies for complementarity with the above vision: • The role of think tanks: o Provide training to clergymen on the concept, dimensions and risks of national security, ways to build a critical mindset and risks of religion politicization, including the risks of talking about the Abrahamic Commonalities. o Provide training on how to read Islam for SDGs and its reflection on the content of popular discourse. o Provide policy papers and brochures on new challenges and ways of confronting them by clergymen. o Organize joint conferences between clergymen, scientists and intellectuals to become more familiar with the various science and modern developments of the State and the world. • Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: o Egyptian embassies abroad: Providing clergymen and leading scholars with the opportunity to give lectures on the true religion and the Egyptian centrist and tolerant model that reflects the correct understanding of the Islamic religion, in order to correct the stereotype form of Muslims in African, European and Asian countries, which was distorted by terrorist organizations raising the banner of religion. o Diplomatic Institute: Training of clergymen, especially those delegated abroad, on cross-culture studies, the art of etiquette, negotiation science and diplomatic skills, which they must have in their capacity as Egypt's most important ambassadors abroad, because they do reflects Egypt’s external image, specially they are representatives and ambassadors of al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Egyptian Centrist Islam hub. • Nasser Academy and Egyptian Security Institutes: Providing educational seminars on the concept of national security and the role of clergymen in this field. • Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, in cooperation with some specialized research centers: Providing a hotline for clergymen consultations, to give them answers on the surrounding problems and new challenges, expressing and advising on what clergymen are required to perform, and the desired role from them. • Al-Azhar Al-Sharif University: Presentation of courses on the concept of national security, national education, the building of critical mindset, concepts of sustainable development and future studies, for these issues to become main components in the dimensions of Islamic clergymen personality. • Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Al-Ifta'a House: Achieving integration to conceptualize mosque speeches and lectures to reflect the above dimensions. In conclusion, I believe that if we look at the renewal of religious discourse in the framework of multidimensional thinking, and in the context of the intersection of societal issues and through exiting from only promoting virtue and preventing vice to a more comprehensive view of life; the religious discourse will become more inclusive and open to the world, reflecting critical mindset and collective thinking, emphasizing the pillars of collective identity, patriotism and homeland protection; all coming from being aware of national security goals and taking into consideration being productive and involved according to the sustainable development goals, in order for the Muslim individual to become productive and involved. Upon achievement of the foregoing; religious discourse will be able to refute terrorism and dark thoughts and build the true Muslim needed by the State to build, promote and protect its territory. Prof. Dr. Heba Gamal EL-Din Professor of Political Science at the National Planning Institute Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs