Egypt protests remain strong

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته Demonstrations enter sixteenth day, following the largest gathering so far in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Protests in Egypt have entered their sixteenth day, following probably the biggest number of pro-democracy demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir [Liberation] Square yet. The square resembled a tented city on Wednesday, with protesters refusing to budge until their demands for Hosni Mubarak's resignation were met. The president's message has thus far been that he will not leave until his term expires in September. Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the Egyptian capital, said the crowd at Tahrir Square grew rapidly on Tuesday afternoon, with many first-timers joining the demonstrations. Many feel this showed that the movement, now in its third week, still has momentum. Protesters are "more emboldened by the day and more determined by the day", Ahmad Salah, an Egyptian activist, told Al Jazeera from Cairo on Wednesday. "This is a growing movement, it's not shrinking." "People feel very strongly here," Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reported from Cairo. She said people in Tahrir Square were angered by a visit from Tamer Hosni, a famous Arab pop star, on Wednesday morning. Hosni previously made statements telling the demonstrators to leave the square, saying that Mubarak had offered them concessions. "His comments really did not go down very well," our correspondent said. The crowd reacted angrily and the military had to intervene to keep them away from him. Another Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from Cairo, said there was also renewed international element to the demonstrations, with Egyptians from abroad returning to join the pro-democracy camp. Tens of thousands of protesters also come out on the streets in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city. Expatriates returning There is even an internet campaign aimed at mobilising thousands of expatriates to return and support the uprising, our sorrespondent said. Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon, the UN chief, said on Tuesday that genuine dialogue was needed to end the current crisis, and that a peaceful transition was crucial. "The Egyptian people are clearly frustrated, and are calling for bold reforms. It is incumbent on the Egyptian leadership - and that of any other country in the world - to listen attentively to the legitimate concerns and aspirations of their people," he said. In Cairo, protesters marched to the parliament buildings, camping out and demanding the assembly's immediate dissolution. The newcomers who joined Cairo's protesters said they had been inspired in part by the release of Wael Ghonim, the Google executive, previously held by state security authorities. Ghonim was the person behind a page called "We are all Khaled Said" on the social networking site Facebook, which is being credited for helping spark the uprising in Egypt. "I came here for the first time today because this cabinet is a failure, Mubarak is still meeting the same ugly faces ... he can't believe it is over. He is a very stubborn man," Afaf Naged, a former member of the board of directors of the state-owned National Bank of Egypt, said. "I am also here because of Wael Ghonim. He was right when he said the NDP [ruling National Democratic Party] is finished. There is no party left, but they don't want to admit it." Amr Fatouh, a surgeon, said he had joined the protests for the first time as well. "I hope people will continue and more people will come. At first, people did not believe the regime would fall but that is changing," he said. Protesters' resolve at Tahrir Square was high on Tuesday, and some had reportedly composed a "revolution anthem" to boost morale. Suleiman's warning Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian vice-president, warned on Tuesday that his government "can't put up with continued protests" for a long time. In a sharply worded statement reflecting the regime's impatience and frustration with the mass demonstrations, he said the crisis must be ended as soon as possible. Suleiman said there will be "no ending of the regime" and no immediate departure for Mubarak, the state news agency MENA reported from a meeting between the vice-president and independent newspapers. Suleiman reportedly told the editors of the newspapers that the regime wants dialogue and doesn't "want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools." At one point in the roundtable meeting, Suleiman warned that the alternative to dialogue "is that a coup happens, which would mean uncalculated and hasty steps, including lots of irrationalities. We don't want to reach that point, to protect Egypt." Pressed by the editors to explain the comment, he said he did not mean a military coup but that "a force that is unprepared for rule" could overturn state institutions, said Amr Khafagi, editor-in-chief of the privately-owned Shorouk daily, who attended the briefing. Suleiman warned that calls by some protesters for a campaign of civil disobedience are "very dangerous for society and we can't put up with this at all." This comes after Suleiman announced a slew of constitutional and legislativereforms, to be undertaken by yet to be formed committees. Earlier on Tuesday, Suleiman said a plan was in place for the peaceful transfer of power. He said demonstrators will not be prosecuted and an independent fact-finding committee would be established to probe the violence on February 2. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Islam’s religious pluralism in context

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته The question of whether Islam accepts religious pluralism depends on an understanding of the term and hinges on the Quranic verses, writes MOHAMAD HASHIM KAMALI THE current debate as to whether Islam accepts religious pluralism as opposed to mere religious plurality calls for further reflection. Much would depend, it seems, on how one understands religious pluralism and then the three Quranic verses that characterise Islam. One of these proclaims that “surely the religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His will) (3:19)”; that “whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him (3:85)”; and “this day I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour to you, and chose Islam to be your faith (5:3)”. These are often cited as evidence that Islam is the only true religion and only those who follow Islam shall be saved. Mainstream Quran commentaries consider Islam in these verses to be the exclusive name for the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. But Islam is also the primal religion of submission preached by Adam to all his posterity who accepted God as their Lord, as in the divine invocation: “Am I not your Lord? They said: yes we do testify (7:172).” All humankind then, before time began, professed Islam in its widest sense of submission. Understood in this way, the verses recognise the validity of every religion that requires submission to God’s will. This understanding of Islam also tallies with the essence of universality that Islam manifests in its own messages, values and objectives. Toshiko Izutsu has convincingly demonstrated that in several Quranic verses Islam can be taken to present every previous revelation as a way of submitting, and that such verses present Islam as a universal religion. The first to declare himself a Muslim in the Quran is the Prophet Noah: “I was commanded to be among the submitters (muslimin) (10:72).” Concerning Abraham: “His Lord said to Abraham: submit. He said I submit to the Lord of the worlds” (2:31). The succeeding verse recounts that both Abraham and Jacob advised their sons: “Allah has chosen the religion for you. So do not die except in a state of submission (muslimun).” Every prophet of the Judaeo-Christian tradition has thus taught a different mode of submission to God. If Islam is taken to mean submission in the Quran rather than an institutionalised creed, it would pave the way for “a very eloquent understanding of religious pluralism, one wherein all revelations throughout history are seen as different ways of giving to God that which is most difficult to give — our very selves”. Furthermore, imaan (faith) which rests at the heart of Islam occupies a much larger space in the Quran, occurring hundreds of times, whereas Islam occurs on only eight occasions. Imaan consists of a state of mind, manifested in the testimonial of the faith (kalimah shahadah), whereas Islam consists mainly of conduct — as in the Five Pillars of the faith. Submission is sometimes said to be the very first step, but perhaps a shallow one if it is not espoused by imaan — as indicated in the following verse: “The Bedouin say: we believe (aamanna); say to them ‘you do not believe’. Rather say ‘we have surrendered (aslamna), for imaan has not permeated your hearts… (49:14).” Unlike plurality, which may lack interaction and engagement, pluralism is interactive in that it entails recognition and acceptance of the different other for what he is, not necessarily embracing all that he may believe or disbelieve. In the context of theology, religious pluralism is treated under the three headings of exclusivist, inclusivist and pluralist. The exclusivists believe that only their faith is true and all others are false; the inclusivists hold that their faith is true and others are included in it in some sense. The pluralists maintain that all faiths are true and show different paths to the same reality. Religious pluralism of this last variety is difficult to maintain under most religions, including lslam. Yet the Quran is clearly expressive of the inclusivist impulse of Islam: Say, we believe in God and that which has been sent down to us and to Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob… to Moses, Jesus and the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction whatsoever between them, surrendering as we do unto Him (lahu muslimun) (3:84). Islam recognises all monotheistic religions and entitles the followers of other religions to practise their own beliefs, personal laws and custom. If the essence of religious pluralism is recognition, coexistence and cooperation with people of different religious persuasions within the same society, then Islam is pluralist. Lexicological accuracies apart, no civilisation in history has in fact demonstrated a more resolute commitment to pluralism than Islam. For not only the Quran but also the renowned constitution of Madinah are affirmative on religious pluralism. Article 25 of this document proclaimed the “Migrants, the Helpers-Muhajirun, Ansar and the Jews as one ummah”, and left open the possibility for others to join them in the spirit of unity and goodwill. This is categorical evidence of Islam’s inclusivity and openness — also illustrating the Prophet’s judicious pragmatism at the expense almost of semantic accuracy. For ummah by definition signifies unity in faith, yet the Prophet went beyond that in the interest evidently of social harmony and cohesion. In a paper Yusuf al-Qaradawi presented on “Pluralism from the perspective of Islam”, he discussed religious pluralism using the phrase al-ta’addidiyyah al-diniyyah in preference to parallel expressions such as ta’addudiyyat al-adyan, kathrat al-adyan (religious plurality). Qaradawi maintained that religious pluralism was a normative Islamic position. He also reviewed the three above-mentioned verses but did not think that they could be used as evidence to say that Islam decried other religions. For “this would be fanaticism… Some Muslims have erred in concluding from these verses that no religion other than Islam is valid”. For in numerous other passages the Quran recognises other religions, even that of the idolators as in the Surah al-Kafirun (109:6): “to you is your religion and to me, my religion”. The three verses undoubtedly entitled Muslims to say that Islam is a true religion, but they stop short of denying others to hold the same about their religions. Salvation, too, in the Quran is granted, not only to Muslims, but to all those who believe in God and do good deeds (2:62; 5:69). Professor Mohamad Hashim Kamali is founding chairman and CEO of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia Thanks: NST