Pakistani scholar for intellectual response to caricatures
: 2/20/2006 2
Source ::: The Peninsula/ by L N MALLICK

DOHA: Professor Akbar S Ahmed, former high commissioner of Pakistan to UK and currently Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic studies at the American University (AU), Washington DC, has said that the West and Muslim world were reaching a point of no return and there was a need of initiating a serious intellectual dialogue between both sides to remove misunderstandings.

Ahmed, who is in Doha to attend the US Islamic World Forum, noted that it was important for both sides to pull back and have some mutual respect and start a meaningful dialogue on various misunderstandings and build bridges of understanding between each other.

Ahmed is principal investigator for the project entitled "Islam in the age of globalisation," supported by The Brookings Institution, AU, and The Pew Research Center. He has a distinguished career marked by service as an anthropologist, civil servant, diplomat, film-maker and regular participant in the interfaith dialogue.

Replying to a question as to how did he view the on-going controversy over the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), he said: "These cartoons have been made by a Danish newspaper deliberately to insult Muslims and provoke them." He said: “Unfortunately the provocation has claimed lives and properties to the tune of the millions of dollars. Western embassies have been attacked, which is also very unfortunate as such acts have only tarnished the image of Muslims internationally. So it has been a very unhappy episode in the relationship between the West and Islam."

Asked if he was happy the way the Muslim world had reacted to the controversy, Ahmed, who has been described by the BBC as "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" said: "I would be more satisfied if there was a more intellectual response rather than violent demonstrations." He said Muslims were naturally angry on this deliberate insult because the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is the most beloved figure for them."

Commenting on the reaction of non-Muslims towards the issue, he said: "Some of them have been very sensitive and have expressed their unhappiness but on the whole they are completely with the Danish paper because they support freedom of press on all topics. The situation can only be corrected if there is a serious intellectual engagement of the West and Islam.".

He noted that it was high time when Muslims intellectuals, scholars and writers came forward and began the process of explaining things to the world rationally rather than emotionally. "This should not be done emotionally because emotions do not impress anyone. If you burn someone's embassy you don't impress any one. That's not the way of expressing you difference of opinion. So it has to be done on a long term sustained basis by exchanging ideas. That must come from the Muslim world," he said.