ISLAM FOR BEGINNERS BRS 107.pdf - CUEA

2. Islam, known and unknownWhat is Islam? The religion founded or renewed by Muhammad is far and near to us. Forsome people, Islam is a religion of the Arabs or of the people of North Africa in view of itsorigin; or maybe it is a religion of some particular tribes of some countries in Asia andAfrica. Thus, Islam is taking as a distant reality whose knowledge is not necessary to non-Muslims; its study has no importance. With this reasoning, Islam that was born in 7 thcentury remains a strange reality. The concept “strange”, here, refers to suspicion,mistrust and skepticism.Conversely, some consider the religion whose book is the Qur’an as a movement veryclose to us through its believers and structures. In fact, we do not need to travel farbeyond our boundaries to experience Islam, to meet Muslims, to listen to the call of theMuezzin from the minaret, to see mosques in many places, both public and private. Thecommon saying “Islam is present at our doors” finds its real meaning here. At least manyhave heard about its characteristics, its self-government and perhaps its doctrines. But wediscovered that, mistakenly, what we call Islam is maybe just a group or groups of Muslimswe have met or we have heard.Many people if not the majority of us have met Muslims but not Islam, have encounteredMuslims but not Islam, have spoken to Muslims but not to Islam, have listened to Muslimsbut not to Islam, have judged Muslims but not Islam. Islam is a religion while Muslims arethe believers of this religion. Though there is no Muslim without Islam and vice versa, forthey are inseparable, both concepts are distinct therefore they must be studied andunderstood as two concepts and not as one. All Muslims in the world do not make Islamfor Islam supersedes Muslims altogether.Hence, Islam suddenly appears like a known as well as an unknown world, present andabsent and sometimes frightening; Islam becomes a strange reality. In his book titled“Islam…Etrange? Au-delas des apparences, au coeur de l’acte d’Islam, acte de foi”, (Islam…Strange reality. Beyond appearances, at the center of Islam, act of faith) professorEmilio Platti shows how Islam has become a strange world to many and how such imagehas led to fantasist assertions. Again, he explains how some affirmations have increasedtensions between non-Muslims and Muslims. Emilio Platti calls for a demystification ofFrederic N. Mvumbi,OP Page 3 of 85