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On October 20, Prof Nazir Mohamed Aiad, the secretary-general of the Islamic Research Academy, gave a public lecture in Nairobi entitled “The moderation of Islam in the face of extremism”.
In the lecture at the KICC that brought together religious scholars of different faiths, Prof Nazir, in his portrayal of the place of Islam in human affairs, brought out the nature and “goodness” of God as the ultimate giver of laws that govern human beings.
He adopted a critical approach to Islam and its place in both social and religious lives.
His presentation was a perfect example of how we ought to approach matters of religion, as he correctly observed that the problems in the world are caused by religious extremism.
“All religions have doctrines that lead to a happy life and are in opposition to evil,” said Prof Nazir.
“They all protect the sanctity and dignity of human life. Moderation is, therefore, necessary... moderation as opposed to legalism is key in regulating human behaviour. Egalitarianism must be upheld in all human relations.”
There are corollaries that can be drawn from the Bible regarding human conduct that bring out the value of moderation.
Prof Nazir gives the example of a Bedouin farmer who wanted to defile the mosque. The people condemned him but Prophet Mohamed said he be allowed to relieve himself at the side of the mosque.
Jesus Christ also answered the Pharisees about working on the Sabbath, the day set aside for worshipping God: “If a donkey fell in a ditch, would you refuse to save it and let it die because it is Sabbath day?”
There are numerous examples in the Bible where Jesus encouraged tolerance. He was also accused of mingling with ‘unclean’ people, such as tax collectors and prostitutes, yet it was against the law to do so.
Prof Nazir stated: “The Prophet Mohamed asked those who confessed to doing evil, including murders, to repent and God would forgive and cleanse them. The Bible teaches that if one repents and avoids doing evil, God will forgive their sins.
This shows to do evil is a choice; one can decide not to. Moderation is therefore necessary by using your mind to reason logically. Islam rejects that which is meaningless and promotes tolerance, which leads to peace and justice."
The Bible teaches that “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” and discourages conformity to ‘worldly’ thoughts and actions. “Renewal” implies “changing your mind”, achievable only through moderation.
Such a rich, fresh and novel approach to religion needs to find its way to madrasas and schools that teach religious education to children, so tolerance, as a value, can be imbibed early to stem terrorism.
Events such as the KICC one can promote interfaith and interreligious dialogue for peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Religion teaches that, if God is inherently good, so is His creation. There is therefore no place for evil in a world created by a “good God”.
Let’s seek the “good” in all things and, therein, we shall ultimately feel God.
Race colour, creed, ethnicity, gender or physical appearance matter not. If we cut a piece of our flesh, we would clearly see that everyone’s blood is red and no one’s is blue!
Ms Otolo is a professional philosopher and founder of The Critical and Creative Thinking Academy.
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