THE WORD OF GOD

The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey. YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Can Muslims and followers of other religions live peacefully in the long term, considering the fact that wherever Islam exists there is always a potential for conflict? There is conflict even between two members of a family. This is because conflict is inherent in human nature; it has got nothing to do with the religion one follows. If people have the right thinking and are able to tolerate, then peace will prevail. What we see in the media regarding Islam is an outcome of selective reporting which is meant to capture only sensational news, so that viewers can get interested. There are many societies and cultures around the world where interfaith harmony exists, and a free secular atmosphere has been established. How do you see Western cultural influences in contrast to Muslims’ way of life? Cultural influence exists everywhere. African Muslims are very different from Russian Muslims in their culture. The cultural difference should never be the yardstick for evaluating Islam. Islam should be judged on the basis of character. How can trust be built between Muslims and other communities? Trust does not happen simply by saying ‘trust each other’. We have to remove the obstruction in this matter. This obstruction can be named ‘negativity’. The wisdom behind this is that every person is free in this world to use his or her freedom. You too can use your freedom. If we want no unwanted discussions to take place in the world and that only trust should remain, then we need to remove negativity for others from our hearts. Once these negative emotions are removed, feelings of trust will blossom.