Role of Muslim Communities and Islamic Institutions
in Highlighting the Image of Islam
Relation between Muslim Communities and the Institutions of Joint Islamic Action
The cultural relations within the framework of international and regional organizations stand as the most effective instruments of cooperation geared to achieving the common interests of peoples. Therefore, the cultural, educational and social institutions of Muslim minorities far and wide should contribute to the works of these international organizations and institutions and avail of the opportunities they give to build up a network of productive cultural relations geared to serve their interests.
A great onus is on the organizations and the institutions of the Islamic world that are concerned with the vital field of general cultural work. Muslim minorities urgently need these organizations to stand up by them, support them, provide them with educational, scientific and cultural services and give them assistance and help at any rate. The reason is that the success of these minorities in preserving their identity and defending their rights and interests eventually serves the great interests of the Islamic world.
I will, in this connection, present an outstanding example of joint Islamic work destined to serve the Muslim communities and minorities, within the framework of the Islamic organizations and institutions. This example consists of the achievements accomplished by the Islamic, educational, scientific and cultural Organization in the field of planned and deliberate concern about the Islamic presence in the West.
Since its establishment in 1982, the Islamic, educational, scientific and cultural Organization has been attaching focal importance to the causes of Muslim communities and minorities in the West.
This accomplishment finds its expression in “The Strategy for Islamic Cultural Action in the West”, which was approved by the Ninth Islamic Summit held in Doha in November 2000.
The Islamic Organization was intent on the elaboration of this Strategy of the joint Islamic action for the benefit of Muslim communities in the West, with the purpose of achieving the main following objectives :
a) Stressing the role of culture in preserving the civilizational identity of Muslim communities and minorities.
b) Converging viewpoints, standardizing methods of work and cementing bridges of cooperation among people operating in the field of joint Islamic action.
c) Redressing concepts and defining terminology.
d) Elaborating an Islamic, ad valorem and guiding standard to orient works and protect them from both alienation and seclusion.
This strategy draws its fundamentals and guidelines from the following bases :
The fiducial basis : The strategy draws, in its conception, upon the Islamic ad valorem standard which holds the cultural work as an act of worship and not simply competencies and techniques, which puts the emphasis on the spiritual and ad valorem dimension of comprehensive development to the avail of Muslims.
The equilibrium basis : This second basis is founded on the fusion between the two principles of authenticity and contemporaneousness. On the one hand, it aims at consolidating the values of religious and civilizational belonging. On the other hand, it calls for receptiveness to recent developments of the present era. The purpose is to preserve the past for the present generations and, at the same time, to encourage them to keep abreast of their times.
The comprehensive basis : It finds its origin in the idea that the right civilizational edification of any society must be founded upon importance attached to the various cultural, social and educational aspects, stressing the multidimensionality of the exact civilizational model.(4)
It is clear that this strategy constitutes a breakthrough in the way the Islamic world treats its sons and daughters regardless of their categories and positions. The Islamic, educational, scientific and cultural organization has been bent on activating the strategy of joint Islamic work in the West. Therefore, it created the Educational and Cultural Supreme Council in the West which set, upon its foundation, about convening a number of meetings in some European capitals. The organization also assigned a culturally competent person working in the West to ensure coordination and follow-up under the supervision of the General Directorate. The Islamic organization also performs a number of educational and cultural activities to the benefit of Muslim communities and minorities in cooperation with the Islamic centres and associations in the West.
The action of the Islamic organization in this respect expanded to such an extent that it reached out to Latin America where it held two sessions of the cultural centres and Islamic associations operating in the countries of the region, namely in Buenos Aires the capital of Argentina. The Islamic organization is keen on pursuing its work in this field, as part of its belief in the mission of Muslim communities and minorities in serving the causes of the Ummah by organizing their action, coordinating their efforts, mustering and stepping them up.
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