On November 21, the website of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic “president.kg” published a speech by President Sooronbai Zheenbekov at the international conference, which was held in Bishkek, “Orthodox Christianity and Islam – the religions of the peace”. In particular, the President said: “… we all observe the mass involvement of youth in religion in all countries of the region. Religion has a very powerful mobilization potential, therefore our states are obliged to prevent its use for destructive purposes. Religion should serve to educate a spiritual citizen, moral society. We need new research and recommendations for working with believing youth in the new conditions. We have little research and development in this direction…
… Today’s conference is called upon to make recommendations on the development of interaction between Islam and Orthodoxy, taking into account new challenges in the world. Today, Islam and Orthodoxy need not just dialogue, but close strategic spiritual interaction to preserve and strengthen spiritual and moral values in our societies… ”.
Comment:
President Sooronbai Zheenbekov’s statement, speaking of the fact that we have little research and development to educate a spiritual and moral society, to put it mildly, is ignorant. As for Islam and Muslims, everything is clear and obvious with us. With the establishment of the Islamic State by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the radiant Medina, Muslims were brought up with highly spiritual and moral qualities. The implementation of the laws suitable for the nature of a man and satisfying his mind, emanating from the very Creator of the worlds of Almighty Allah, had a positive effect not only on Muslims, but also on all citizens of the state, as a result of which many converted to Islam and became part of the Islamic Ummah. This is confirmed by the brilliant success of the rule of Islamic laws for over 13 centuries in vast territories from Andalusia to Indonesia. This is not a false truth, and is known to every educated person who has studied the history of Muslims, the Khilafah (Caliphate) and Islamic rule in the world.
As for the interaction of Islam with Orthodoxy, here, Muslims also have a centuries-old history of relations, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. From the very beginning of the revelations to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he ﷺ called people to Islam. Allah Almighty said: ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best”. [16:125]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his message to the emperor of Rome Heraclius said: فإني أدعوك بدعاية الإسلام أسلم تسلم، وأسلم يؤتك الله أجرك مرتين، وإن توليت فإن عليك إثم الأريسيين» «
“… For I call you, to call on Islam, accept Islam and be prosperous, Allah will reward you twice, for you have become the ruler and the sin of people who you rule is on you…”.
Our interaction with the disbelievers in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a call for the adoption of Islam and the abandonment of disbelief. So it was, and will be until Judgment Day! In addition, both Christians and people of other beliefs, being citizens of an Islamic state, had the same rights as Muslims, lived in peace and justice, and were not persecuted because of their beliefs.
The idea presented by President Sooronbai Zheenbekov – “Dialogue between religions” is a false and vicious Western thought. Its owners are disbelievers of the West. They call for the formation of common foundations between religions and even call for the creation of a new fictitious religion that Muslims must adopt instead of Islam.
Why are they doing this? Every illiterate person knows that those states that position themselves as Christian, initially separated religion from life. Christianity and any other religion today has no laws regarding the state, politics, economics, etc. Religion remains with them only in the church and on holidays; God does not interfere in the affairs of the state and human life. Politics and governance, the making of laws, remain in the hands of those in power; a person or a group of people decide what is good and what is bad.
President Sooronbai Zheenbekov’s call for secularism and building relationships on lies does not surprise, because he himself is part of this vicious system, invented by Western thinkers and those in power, where social life is remote from religion, and power and government remain in the hands of the vicious rulers, robbing and oppressing their people.
Those who turn their eyes to society will see that society consists of people, their feelings, thoughts and laws by which they live. The presence of people in one place and regulating their relationships with laws forms a society. If these laws are invented by a man, and God remains in a church or mosque without affecting their lives, then this is a secular society, as is the case in Kyrgyzstan today.
And if we look at Islam, we will see that the Islamic society was originally built by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the radiant Medina, and until the destruction of the Khilafah (Caliphate) in 1924, Islamic laws regarding the state, politics, economy, social sphere etc… were implemented among the people in the state. And there is no place for man-made laws! And the spread of Islam to the whole world is a duty for Muslims up to Judgment Day!
Muslims! The idea of a “Dialogue of Religions” has no place in Islam. Those who call to it mix truth with falsehood, and they will not succeed in both worlds! To build a dialogue between Islam and Christianity, you need to turn to Islam, and not to the secularists and their vicious ideas. Allah Almighty says in His Noble Book:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِينًا
“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” [Al-Maaida, 5:3]
Eldar Khamzin
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir