Muslims and Islam in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

The Muslim world remains embroiled in a whole host of religious, social, political, economic, and cultural disputes. Without any real international influence, despite the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, great wealth, and large numbers, Muslims are mere spectators in world politics; Islam is synonymous with extremism; and Muslims are often labeled as terrorists. Such issues, as well as questions of media bias, the validity of the “clash of civilizations” thesis, Islamophobia, and realistic Muslim responses led to the above conference, initiated by the Department of Psychology, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur. Held at the Putra World Trade Center and hosted by IIUM on August 4-6, 2004, this conference attempted to highlight and devise solutions to some of these burning issues. Distinguished scholars presented 120 selected papers, in addition to several panel discussions and keynote speeches. About 400 delegates from over 30 countries participated, and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave the inaugural speech. After an “Introduction to the Conference” by Amber Haque, chairman of the Organizing Committee, the morning session started with keynote speeches from Ibrahim Abu Rabi` (“Globalization and Social Change”), Lawrence Pintak (“The Communication Gap between America and the World’s Muslims”), and Jamal Badawi (“Muslim–Non-Muslim Relations: An Integrated Approach”). These papers were followed by a panel discussion on “Internal Conflicts in Muslim Societies.” M. Nejatullah Siddiqui, Jamal Badawi, Syed Shahabuddin, Anis Ahmad, Ismail Nawwab, Ziauddin Sardar, and Zafar Ishaq Ansari were the participants, while Chandra Muzaffar was the moderator. These scholars seemed to agree that while Muslims must examine and resolve the ummah’s internal problems, they should not ignore the problems’ external sources. This panel session was ...