Multiculturalism is a central theme in the West's promotion of globalization in contemporary discussions, claiming that managing relationships between different communities should transcend religion, especially in light of the challenges facing the world today from ethnic and sectarian conflicts. This appears to be a shiny proposition for those unaware of the true nature of Islam.
If the true religion with Allah is Islam, it is, at its core, a civilizational faith aimed at guiding people—all people—out of darkness into light and establishing a society based on coexistence among different races and cultures. This is theoretically embodied in the light of revelation and practically demonstrated through the experience of the best of creation, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thus, overlooking the dangers of the globalization model in submission to the Western propaganda machine is a sheer dereliction of duty toward the religion of Allah and the history of His Prophet and companions.
The Islamic experience transitioned from the theoretical recognition of pluralism in the Quran and Sunnah to a reality manifested in the history of the Ummah over the centuries. Islam provided a framework for pluralism based on the principles of justice, tolerance, and respect for others.
Multiculturalism, in its simplest definitions, means accepting the existence of more than one culture within the same society, respecting those cultures, and allowing them the opportunity to live and interact freely. The society of Medina during the prophetic era is the most progressive example of this definition in its time. It not only accepted diversity but engaged with multiple cultures in a civilizational awareness that guaranteed the rights of all, with a humane compassion that contributed to enhancing unity and social solidarity.
Had it not been for the theoretical foundations of Islam, such a society would not have been able to understand these values, let alone commit to applying them, despite being composed of Muslims, Jews, and the emigrants from Mecca as well as the tribes of Aws and Khazraj.
All Muslims were fused into the crucible of Quranic guidance: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (Al-Hujurat: 13). The Jews lived in religious freedom that they had not experienced in any diaspora after Moses (peace be upon him). The divine instruction in the verse does not treat cultural diversity merely as a natural phenomenon but as part of the wisdom of creation.
Thus, the Prophetic Sunnah includes teachings that encourage tolerance and compassion towards others, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds, especially the People of the Book. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended kindness toward them, as noted in Sunan al-Tirmidhi: “Whoever harms a dhimmi, I will be his opponent.”
A Realistic Translation
However, the Islamic experience in multiculturalism has not merely been a theoretical framework from its inception; the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions translated it into a real life that Islamic communities lived under for many subsequent centuries. Medina witnessed the establishment of the first culturally and religiously diverse community under a framework that regulated the relationships among its different factions through the “Constitution of Medina,” one of the first legal documents that organized coexistence among followers of different religions and ensured each party's rights and obligations on the basis that Islam guarantees these rights.
Despite the repeated violations by the Jews of the document, the core values of multiculturalism in societies ruled by Muslims compelled them to respect this diversity wherever Muslims opened lands.
In the following eras after the Prophetic period, this principle continued to be applied in various Islamic states, especially in the model of Al-Andalus, where Muslims coexisted with Christians and Jews in an environment of cultural and intellectual openness, with all contributing to enriching cultural and scientific life there.
Al-Andalus was similar to the diversity of the society of Medina, with some differences. The diversity there was not merely passive coexistence but positive interaction that led to the enrichment and development of Islamic civilization, giving rise to the concept of “global culture” for the first time in human history and representing one of the significant achievements of Islamic civilization.
Multiculturalism in Islam was not merely superficial tolerance but extended to include practical religious tolerance. Islam ensured freedom of belief for all who lived under its rule and granted non-Muslims the right to practice their rituals freely, as evidenced by His saying: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.” (Al-Baqarah: 256).
The historical concept of "Ahl al-Dhimmah" exemplified this freedom, as the People of the Book were not obligated to military defense, while Muslims were obligated to defend them in any land they opened.
Islamic jurisprudence is rich with rulings on the rights of non-Muslims and the obligation to protect them, a legacy that the modern world could benefit from if there were genuine intentions to follow the truth instead of rejecting it through hollow claims that all religions are equal and asserting that any religious framework leads to division and injustice among people.
The difference between the Western model of “globalization” and the Islamic experience of “globalism” is fundamentally clear. While globalization is based purely on economic interests aimed at expanding markets and increasing profits, Islamic globalism emerges from a comprehensive civilizational vision aimed at spreading values of justice and equality.
While Islamic globalism seeks to build bridges of cultural communication within a model of “unity in diversity,” which was a distinctive feature of the Islamic experience, contemporary Western globalization tends to impose a single cultural model on the world, namely the Western model.
It is time to move beyond a defensive discourse in the face of the Western propaganda machine and its global model. Our religion has offered the greatest guidance to humanity and deserves to be presented as a model for all through the dismantling of the false claims of the West, rather than merely defending against its attacks
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