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S.S. Nyang: Problems Stemming from Iblisinism
Written by Professor Sulayman S. Nyang, Professor of African and Islamic Studies, Muslims in the American Public Square, United States
Monday, January 2, 2006
Four major revolutions have taken place in the world, and they affect the discussion of human rights. The American Revolution was based on the idea that human beings will no longer be ruled by a king or a queen. It was a revolution that over time gained acceptance globally.
The second was the French Revolution, against monarchy and the Church. In France, the Catholic nun is accepted, whereas the hijabi (veiled woman) from the Muslim world is not accepted. The Catholic nun is the trophy of a defeated church, whereas the identically dressed hijabi is the ugly psychological reminder to the French that they were defeated in Algeria.
The third was the Russian Revolution, which overthrew the czar, abolished the Church, and raised the fundamental issue of property. Muslims could never be communist, be cause no human authority should have control over property in the name of the state.
The fourth was the Chinese Revolution, which overthrew a dynasty. Instead of leaving the revolution in the hands of the proletariat, it was left in the hands of the peasants.
The revolution in Iran brought to the surface the festering within Muslim societies over who governs and whether they have the right to seize property of other people.
The scientific and technological transformation of the world that took place over the last two centuries contributed four major changes in the human condition: (1) the conquest of distance; (2) in an electronic age, events in one country are broadcast instantaneously by the global media network. In ancient times, a prophet was born in one part of the world, and his message was not known to another part of the world for almost a thousand years; (3) greater physical mobility; (4) the emergence of global, cultural, and religious pluralism. Britain, with 25 million people, controlled once upon a time a quarter of humanity, and the diversity that you see in London today is a reflection of that historic past.
The Western concept of human rights is grounded on post-Enlightenment secularism, and that’s one reason why you have two concepts: human rights and civil rights. Human rights are abstract; civil rights are what the states give you, and they can be taken away whenever they see you as a threat to the state.
For Muslims, the moral, psychological, political, and spiritual origins of human rights are rooted in the Qur’an and the manner in which the Prophet Muhammad articulated the relationship between one man and another. Most of the human race problems we have in the world grew out of Iblisinism. According to Surah Baqarah, when Allah decided to create man, he asked the angels and Iblis. What did Iblis say to Allah? That he would not prostrate before Adam. He refused. That’s the mother of all prejudices.
You can also engage your fellow Americans, fellow British, and fellow Frenchmen because you are bringing to the table not only justice but the preparation of humans in this life for the next life.
[Source: Islamic Perspectives on Peace. Tarrytown, NY: Universal Peace Federation, 2006.]