Al-Mujtama Interviews Dr. Issa Abdo (3 / 3)

Summary of the Third Part

In the third part, Dr. Eissa Abdo connects the continuous technological progress of the West to the fear of challenges from Japan and Communism, rather than to a philanthropic impulse. He clarified the complete alignment between the Christian West and Zionism, and that "faithin the power of the dollar" is a contemporary worship of the GoldenCalf.

He called for financial support for the sincere few and suggested the establishment of specialized regional central offices (in Kuwait, Tripoli, Chicago, and Switzerland) to organize the Da'wah (Call to Islam), emphasizing the necessity of regional specialization and repeated contact.

He also warned of the need to involve the righteous female element in the Da'wah to confront the danger of missionaries and protect Muslim girls, especially since some Japanese girls face the problem of finding a Muslim husband after their conversion to Islam.

The Secret of Technological Progress in the West

• We hear that the youth in Europe and America waste their time between lust and pleasure, yet we see progress in industry and creativity in technology. How does this happen?

• Technological progress in the West began from the second quarter of the nineteenth century, and its most important manifestations are inventions and their applications. This progress continued in a continuous accumulation for about one hundred and fifty years, and by sheer momentum, it has not stopped. However, some elements emerged that made the West keen on further progress, the most important of these elements being the awakening of Japan in the early twentieth century and its challenge to the Western powers, and the emergence of Communism after the First World War.
• It is these challenges that compelled the West to continue its course and encourage scientists and technicians. This progress, therefore, is not the result of a philanthropic impulse or superiority, but rather from the fear of losing their privileged position in the world. Among the evidence that comes to mind is that at a heavy industries conference held in London in 1950, the chairman of the conference, one of the leading industrialists, made a statement of historical significance, the summary of which is:
• The era of forcibly opening markets and maintaining them with political methods began to decline rapidly, and the British manufacturer must resort to superiority to retain the markets. Among the contemporary manifestations is that Japan has surpassed the United States in many industries, including the shipbuilding industry. Japan has broken records in the speed of implementation and the magnitude of the work it undertakes. From all this, it is clear that material superiority continues to rise in competence in order to maintain their daily living.

The Alignment of Crusaderism and Zionism and the Worship of the Dollar

• It is observed that global Zionism has a strong influence in the United States and Europe. Please give us a clear idea about this.

• Before studying these conditions closely, even for a period, I thought that the Jews in the world did not exceed sixteen million, and that Zionism was merely a colonial movement embraced by a group of Jews.
• I used to wonder how it made sense that tens of millions of Christians steadfastly supported Zionism throughout the twentieth century in action, until I touched upon the complete alignment between the Western countries that claim to follow the Christian religion and Zionism.
• On many occasions, I have said that we as Muslims are not facing two, three, or four million Jews, but we are facing tens of millions of Western inhabitants who are called Christians. One of the prominent signs in this regard is a phrase that appears on the American dollar, literally translated as "In God We Trust." I noticed that the faith in the power of the dollar to the point of sanctity is a contemporary image of the Jews' worship of the calf they made of gold. The image is the same.
•  I would like to alert the Islamic countries to these important points that they support. The animosity is not between Islam and the Jews, nor between Islam and Zionism, but rather between Islam and the rest of the masses of people who worship matter. And if one thing brings another to mind, I heard a phrase in some European countries that indicates the enslavement of matter to these peoples, such as their saying: "God exists where I arrive."
• By this, they mean that man, with his ability to subjugate the forces of nature, is the doer. If he reaches the moon, he will then say: "God is here," because he arrived.
• This is branched out into some contemporary expressions such as their saying: "By my will," or "By the will of man," and so on: "I did so and so," and "I will do so and so." Some ignorant and deceived members of our Nation have imitated them in this.

The Effectiveness of Islamic Da'wah in the West

• What is the extent of the effectiveness of the Islamic Da'wah in the Western countries in particular?

• The amount I saw of the affairs of the Islamic Da'wah is small, but the general idea I formed during my last trip, in addition to my previous limited knowledge, leads me to warn against the assumption that this Da'wah receives any serious attention in our time.
• I have previously pointed out in this investigation that many mosques and Islamic centers resemble governmental agencies, political and consular representations, and are not free from disputes between factions for the sake of one school of thought's superiority over another, nor are they free from disputes over small material gains that some individuals are keen on. I cannot overlook the small number of sincere people who live for the Da'wah, but the prevailing cultural influence and the environment surrounding them make their efforts of little effect. Furthermore, the attention of Islamic countries that support such individuals is absolutely insufficient.
• I remember, for example, that I saw in Osaka some volunteer preachers, such as Sheikh Al-Samni and Professors Al-Siba’i and Kashfi Khair al-Din. These individuals do not play any official role in the Da'wah and do not receive any assistance, but their impact in Osaka University and the environment in which they live is more apparent than that of the officials who live at its expense.
•  In the United States, I saw a number of the Muslim Students Union, such as Dr. Ahmed Hussein Saqr, Dr. Othman Ahmed, Dr. Ahmed Al-Toutounji, and others. And in Europe, there are elements no less dedicated than those we mentioned.
• I read some reports about Copenhagen and the efforts of the Muslim youth there who study and dedicate part of their time to establishing a mosque and performing rituals, and likewise in Zurich. These are good efforts, but they are insufficient.

Suggestions for Serving the Da'wah and Unifying Efforts

• So, what do you suggest for serving the Islamic Da'wah?

• It is incumbent upon the Islamic states to take the initiative to support the centers of this sincere minority and to set a long-term plan to achieve what I mentioned before, which is raising the level of Islamic studies in Dar al-Islam, redoubling the care for manuscripts, and redoubling the adequate preparation of Du'at (preachers) in terms of scientific competence and sincerity of intention, so that the Da'iyah lives for the Da'wah.
• Among the urgent solutions is providing financial support to them so that they can establish a nucleus for the Muslim community in the countries where they live. One of the suggestions that I think is worthy of study is the establishment of at least one central or main office for each continent. For example, a center in Kuwait would serve Asian countries, and from it, offices would branch out in Karachi, Tokyo, and elsewhere.
• In Tripoli, Libya, a center would be established to serve the Da'wah in Africa, and from it, an office would branch out in Khartoum, for example. In the United States, a center would be established in Chicago, and from it, multiple offices would branch out, and in Canada, the office would be in Montreal.
• In Europe, it would be established in its center, in Switzerland, for example, and from it, branches would spread in some European countries, and so on. These central offices would be concerned with following up on the conditions of the Da'wah and the Du'at, setting plans, and directing financial support to where it would be productive and fruitful.
• One of the reasons that led me to this thinking is that a Da'iyah like Sheikh Muhammad Jamil (Muhammad Jamil the Pakistani) finds it difficult to respond to the invitations he receives from the Far East alone—I mean Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan. This is what I saw myself, to the extent that a whole year may pass before he can repeat the visit to those who wish to know something about Islam.
• Thus, I was led to the opinion I present for consideration, which is regional specialization, taking into account the long distances and the necessity of repeated contact between the Da'iyah and the community he serves.

The Role of Women in Da'wah and the Problem of Muslim Women's Marriage

• Every person who visits new places has thoughts and impressions that remain etched in their mind. Can you share them with the readers of Al-Mujtama?

• The most persistent images in my mind are the small number of students and professors in universities who wished to continue studying and communicating with guests involved in the Da'wah.
• I saw this in the universities of Osaka and Tokyo in Japan, and I saw it in the small number of American universities that I had the opportunity to visit and give talks in. These young people act in their behavior as if they are drowning and want us to rescue them. Indeed, this is the state of the rare individuals among the professors who try to keep the visitor talking about Islam for the longest possible time, pursue him wherever he stays or resides, and try to get another appointment, hoping he will return to them.
• This image, which indicates the existence of souls thirsty for understanding and perhaps believing in the call of truth, imposes upon the Islamic states the obligation to make a sincere effort to extend their hands to these drowning people.
• Finally, I noticed that among the girls and women, there are those to whom this saying applies exactly like men. Therefore, in more than one place, I emphasized the selection of the righteous female element to engage in the Da'wah. This is an issue that missionaries noticed from the beginning of the twentieth century, so they used women in proselytization, and some of them had effects that reports praised.
• I urge the reader not to pass over this statement quickly, but to ponder it deeply, because the deviation of the Muslim mother from the path of religion has lost a large group of the generations we lived through, and the missionaries boast about this. Some writers, including Dr. Omar Farroukh in some of his works, have noticed the seriousness of this situation, yet we remain oblivious to the importance of the righteous female element entering the field of Da'wah. Speaking of the female element and its problems in the Da'wah, I say that some girls in Japan embraced Islam, and years have passed since then, and this group faces the problem of finding a Muslim husband. If they are unable to succeed in solving the problem, they will face reality, and thus lose their Islam. This reality does not only threaten the female converts to Islam but also threatens the daughters of Muslim expatriates.

-------------

Read also:  

Al-MujtamaInterviews Dr. Issa Abdo (1 / 3)

Al-MujtamaInterviews Dr. Issa Abdo (2 / 3)