Liberalism between Western Values and Sharia Principles

President Barack Obama expressed his disapproval of the film insulting the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) in his recent speech at the opening of the seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. He emphasized that this film is offensive to the U.S., which respects all religions and protects religious freedom, and that it is not only insulting to Muslims but to all religions and all peoples.

This frank speech was made through a major global and political platform in order to express the rejection of this insult to Islam and the noble Prophet (Peace be upon him). Most Western nations followed suit, issuing statements indicating that the insult to Islam and the Muslim people contradicts the democratic values and principles of their countries. The Western nations recognize that Muslims will not accept the hostile attitude expressed in the film; the reaction of the Muslim people was influential in its rejection.

I am not here to quote the positions that caused the film to be rejected by the Westerners, as if the rejection were a brilliant victory for the true religion and our Holy Prophet and witness to the testimony of the people of Islam. I address the sons of our country — the birthplace of Islam and the land of the Two Holies — who were so fascinated by Western civilization, who sang of Western freedoms and customs and advocated for liberalism and freedom of opinion, until a voice from the West insulted our principles. What is this freedom? What liberalism are they talking about? How can they claim it as a positive force when it includes the abuse of our values and principles?

Arab liberals’ self-regard and conceit on an intellectual and philosophical level is so great that, despite the unfairness of their judgments, confusion carries many of them forward. How marvelous what we read about them, which displays the arrogance and gullible isolation in which they live. They fancy themselves above the rest of the people. They believe that, without themselves, our nation would continue living in a state of ignorance and backwardness. How impressed they are with their own vision!

The observer of the liberal vision, which is applied to social and political issues and which strives to circulate in the socio-cultural milieu, finds that there is a serious slippage in the portrayal of these issues in the media. The methods used to address these social and political concerns, as well as the methods used to draw conclusions in order to sway the public, have misled society and kept out the truth, and have prevented the public from gaining a clear picture of the reality of the issues at hand.

The liberal trend does not differentiate clearly between extremism and true religious expression; it does not differentiate between extremist thought and adherence to religious duties and the Sunnah. Here the true issues of Sharia are entered into the realm of extremism (though these things remain unrelated, in truth). The liberals have begun to criticize extremists and fanatics in matters of Sharia; yet the Sharia does not cause extremism. This is a deliberate misrepresentation, and there is no truth in it.

Neither does liberalism distinguish between the evolution of civilization and the intellectual byproducts of that evolution. Thus, anyone who criticizes such a byproduct or has reservations about it is anti-modern — for example, the issue of women’s role in society is portrayed as a step backward — and because the liberal is a crusader for justice and equality, he has a crisis of mind and heart. All this is untrue; it is a fabricated intellectual deception.

When we undertake the process of inductive liberal thought in order to understand the prevailing concerns about it, we find that it focuses on very limited issues. A notable example is the issue of mixing with the opposite sex, the work of women and women’s role in cinema. As with most other issues on the liberal agenda, this relates to religious principles, yet only portrays limited parts of the social and cultural landscape. Liberal thought does not include all of the real problems that affect society or the many pressing issues beyond the liberal proposal.

It is important to realize what liberalism expresses and what it leads to — enthrallment and entrapment. We are a Muslim nation, and it is clear why we appeal to Sharia: it is the cornerstone on which intellectual and social advancements are built. It is possible for us to accept the social and intellectual differences that advancement creates, given that the acceptance of those differences does not require us to compromise our religious principles and the higher interests of the homeland. Our differences should not be on either end of extremism, nor make us rivals. Rivalry insults our religious values and violates the principles of Sharia; those who disbelieve are deprived of religion, citizenship and belonging.

What we need is purposeful dialogue that relies on the Constitution of this country — dialogue based on the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, free from the influence of liberal ideas that have been imported from materialistic cultures. This will result in mediation and moderation, and will take into account the public interest, the Islamic outlook and the values of this country. This is the land of the Two Holies and the destination for Muslims from all over the world; balanced thought and discussion are needed if we are to meet them and walk on the path of goodness and lasting reconciliation.

The reality (with which we keep up) is that the liberal voice and its advocates have started acquiring more airtime in some forms of media, at the expense of moderate religious discourse. Hopefully — as I’ve mentioned — the creation of a meaningful dialogue will convince the general viewers to accept convincing arguments and reject anything else.

In conclusion, Allah, the Almighty, may resolve these matters, as it is written in His book and on the lips of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him). There is no room for difference of opinion or pluralism, for he commanded us in faith to comply with his book, as the Almighty says: “Then do not be ashamed, for I have kept them in ignorance.”