“Anti-Islamic stereotypes in Europe now again becoming virulent under a new constellation of world politics are the reflection of this early antagonistic history of Islamic-Christian interaction in the course of the expansion of Islamic rule in Europe since the 8th century and of the resulting Christian reconquista and crusades”
- Professor Hans Koechler -
It is not uncommon and not something bizarre for us in acknowledging that the clash of civilization between the Muslims and Western World that we are facing today already taken its roots before the modern era. The legacy for this bitter relation between these two major characters in the world affairs today as matter of fact could be traced since the early period of the Middle Ages. As been portrayed by Professor Hans Koechler, “the early clash of civilization since the middle Ages has created a legacy of confrontation, distrust and misunderstanding up to this day’ (IKIM Journal, vol. 7, no.2, pp. 99-100). In spite of various means and diplomatic ways has been adopted to fix, or at least to bridge the relationship between these two, this lengthy and arduous efforts seems as something as an unending inquiries.
This brief article has a purpose to bring out some sort of historical explanation on how the early contact between the Muslims and the Western civilization has taken it shape. Perhaps, by viewing this issue historically, it will provide us at least a cornerstone for any of our subsequent undertakings to find any appropriate solutions.
John Victor Tolan in his introduction of Medieval Christian Perception of Islam has stated, “The first generations of Christians to face Muslim invasions see Muslims as a formidable political and military force, but know and care little about their religious beliefs. It is only in the following generations, as the Christian majority assimilate to Arabic culture and convert in large numbers to Islam, that Islam becomes the religious threat; then and only then do Christians feel a need to confront the religious challenge of Islam”.
This ‘religious challenge of Islam’ as been mentioned by John Victor Tolan, leads to the polemic which has been presented in various forms and means; depends on the individual specialization and preoccupation. Series of ‘masterpieces’ of the early Christian theologians that enthusiastically played a role in championing the superiority of Christianity over Islam perhaps the perfect example to show their early perception on Islam. Richard Fletcher in his controversial work entitles The Cross and the Cresent: The dramatic story of the earliest encounters between Christians and Muslims uncovers some of the contents of Ystoria de Mahomet that compiled during eight or early ninth century in Southern Spain. In that writing, Prophet Muhammad was nicknamed as “son of darkness”, came with a new false teaching, claimed to have a divine inspiration that brought by the vulture professed as the angel of Gabriel. Also as example in the writing of famous Christian figure in ninth century, Alvarez of Recoba, who identified Prophet Muhammad as the beast from Apocalypse that brought the destruction towards Christian sanctuaries.
The contacts that happened later between the West and the Eastern world generally had generated the prosperity to the West; frankly speaking, it promoted and upgraded the quality of the socio economics life of the Western World. Despite all of these changes, it offered almost nothing for the Western Christian world in perceiving the Muslim World with positive kind of spirit or more to the ‘friendly’ attitude. As addressed by Svetlana Luchitkaja, ‘…the increase in direct contact with Islams seems to have done little to modify either the traditional stereotypes or newer exotica’.(Journal of Medieval History, vol. 26, no. 2, 115-126). The question of why, in spite of this kind of contacts of Christian with Muslims World since the Middle Ages didn’t exactly brought to the more clear understanding about Islam actually has been mingled in the mind of historians until this moment. Circle of academia also facing a great dispute whether the outcome of the contact between the West and Muslims just merely lead to more distorted images about the latter.
Luchitskaja further understands this situation by approaching this issue by analyzing the traits and attitudes of human beings in history. Starting her view by expressing provocative question, “What was more tenacious, ecclesiastical stereotypes and prejudices or real contacts and experiences of life, increased the knowledge of Islam?”. In her opinion, human beings have tendency towards the nature for stereotypes and prejudices, together with the combination of spiritual values (i.e. Christian doctrines), both factors then prevailed the role of knowledge and experience. Above all, this reason compelled the person to perceive others with negative perception, same as what had been exemplified by some of the medieval Christian chronicler in their literary expression that overflowed with full of hatredness against Islam and Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.
After all, it is us who live in this world today. And this world that we live in really needs a real panacea; to fix up this Western-Christians-Muslims dilemma. In part of Muslims’ history, some early generations had portrayed how the possibility for harmonious relationship among Muslims and Non-Muslims could be established, as what has done by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W in establishing the Republic of Madinah. Same goes to Saydina ‘Umar al-Khattab and Salah al-din al-Ayyubi in prospering the third Holy place of Muslims without alienated the peoples other than Muslims. On the other hand, Western world really need to understand and respecting others includes Muslims. Although history that written about the brutality and barbarity during the massacre in Jerusalem 1099 A.D. hurt Muslims as a whole, Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi never revenge and react the same way after he re captured Jerusalem in 1187 A.D., and the latter choosing and calling for peace (salm/silm). A calling for peace is a universal demand that really need to understand not only by the West, but by Muslims too. Peace cannot be achieved with inhumane and irrational actions as well as by impulsive reactions; moreover as proven in history of humankind, peace too is never result of war and confrontation.
This brief article has a purpose to bring out some sort of historical explanation on how the early contact between the Muslims and the Western civilization has taken it shape. Perhaps, by viewing this issue historically, it will provide us at least a cornerstone for any of our subsequent undertakings to find any appropriate solutions.
John Victor Tolan in his introduction of Medieval Christian Perception of Islam has stated, “The first generations of Christians to face Muslim invasions see Muslims as a formidable political and military force, but know and care little about their religious beliefs. It is only in the following generations, as the Christian majority assimilate to Arabic culture and convert in large numbers to Islam, that Islam becomes the religious threat; then and only then do Christians feel a need to confront the religious challenge of Islam”.
This ‘religious challenge of Islam’ as been mentioned by John Victor Tolan, leads to the polemic which has been presented in various forms and means; depends on the individual specialization and preoccupation. Series of ‘masterpieces’ of the early Christian theologians that enthusiastically played a role in championing the superiority of Christianity over Islam perhaps the perfect example to show their early perception on Islam. Richard Fletcher in his controversial work entitles The Cross and the Cresent: The dramatic story of the earliest encounters between Christians and Muslims uncovers some of the contents of Ystoria de Mahomet that compiled during eight or early ninth century in Southern Spain. In that writing, Prophet Muhammad was nicknamed as “son of darkness”, came with a new false teaching, claimed to have a divine inspiration that brought by the vulture professed as the angel of Gabriel. Also as example in the writing of famous Christian figure in ninth century, Alvarez of Recoba, who identified Prophet Muhammad as the beast from Apocalypse that brought the destruction towards Christian sanctuaries.
The contacts that happened later between the West and the Eastern world generally had generated the prosperity to the West; frankly speaking, it promoted and upgraded the quality of the socio economics life of the Western World. Despite all of these changes, it offered almost nothing for the Western Christian world in perceiving the Muslim World with positive kind of spirit or more to the ‘friendly’ attitude. As addressed by Svetlana Luchitkaja, ‘…the increase in direct contact with Islams seems to have done little to modify either the traditional stereotypes or newer exotica’.(Journal of Medieval History, vol. 26, no. 2, 115-126). The question of why, in spite of this kind of contacts of Christian with Muslims World since the Middle Ages didn’t exactly brought to the more clear understanding about Islam actually has been mingled in the mind of historians until this moment. Circle of academia also facing a great dispute whether the outcome of the contact between the West and Muslims just merely lead to more distorted images about the latter.
Luchitskaja further understands this situation by approaching this issue by analyzing the traits and attitudes of human beings in history. Starting her view by expressing provocative question, “What was more tenacious, ecclesiastical stereotypes and prejudices or real contacts and experiences of life, increased the knowledge of Islam?”. In her opinion, human beings have tendency towards the nature for stereotypes and prejudices, together with the combination of spiritual values (i.e. Christian doctrines), both factors then prevailed the role of knowledge and experience. Above all, this reason compelled the person to perceive others with negative perception, same as what had been exemplified by some of the medieval Christian chronicler in their literary expression that overflowed with full of hatredness against Islam and Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.
After all, it is us who live in this world today. And this world that we live in really needs a real panacea; to fix up this Western-Christians-Muslims dilemma. In part of Muslims’ history, some early generations had portrayed how the possibility for harmonious relationship among Muslims and Non-Muslims could be established, as what has done by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W in establishing the Republic of Madinah. Same goes to Saydina ‘Umar al-Khattab and Salah al-din al-Ayyubi in prospering the third Holy place of Muslims without alienated the peoples other than Muslims. On the other hand, Western world really need to understand and respecting others includes Muslims. Although history that written about the brutality and barbarity during the massacre in Jerusalem 1099 A.D. hurt Muslims as a whole, Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi never revenge and react the same way after he re captured Jerusalem in 1187 A.D., and the latter choosing and calling for peace (salm/silm). A calling for peace is a universal demand that really need to understand not only by the West, but by Muslims too. Peace cannot be achieved with inhumane and irrational actions as well as by impulsive reactions; moreover as proven in history of humankind, peace too is never result of war and confrontation.
SOURCE: Zulkifli Ishak 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment