"Mardin, the Abode of Peace" rejects the concept of a divided world

Analysis by Camille Tawil
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-04-09

[FILE] Participants in the Mardin conference in Turkey.

Following the "waves of revisions" in recent years by Islamic groups condoning violence as a means for achieving their aims, and their acknowledgement of the fact that they were wrong, a number of Islamic scholars and thinkers gathered to discuss one of the new concepts used by al-Qaeda and other organisations with similar ideological leanings in order to justify acts of violence that target Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The concept sees the world as divided into "Dar Salam" (Abode of Peace) and "Dar Harb" (Abode of War).

The scholars and thinkers gathered at a conference in Mardin in southeastern Turkey on March 27th-28th to discuss the fatwa, or legal verdict, of Ibn Taymiyyah (who died in 1328 A.D.) regarding that city in particular, which he described as a "Mixed Abode" since it has the characteristics of both the "Abode of Peace" and the "Abode of War". They reached the fundamental conclusion that this traditional Islamic categorisation of the world should be reviewed because today's world cannot be divided along those lines.

The participants at the Mardin conference came from different Arab and Islamic countries (including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bosnia, Iran, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Kuwait and Senegal). They pointed out that the fatwa of Ibn Taymiyyah took into account a new political situation which surfaced at that time --the Tatar's invasion of the Islamic world-- which prompted him to categorise Mardin as a "Mixed Abode", a categorisation that was previously nonexistent among scholars before him.

In their declaration, the scholars added that "the point taken into account by Ibn Taymiyyah in his fatwa" requires that contemporary jurists review the division of the world into the two abodes of war and peace", because of the different situation today where Muslims are part of international treaties that guarantee peace and security for all, so that they feel secure regarding their possessions, their persons and their countries.

"Based on this situation, Muslims have mixed together with non-Muslims in an unprecedented manner, in the political, social and economic aspects. Also, reviewing this categorisation is necessary because Muslims are in need of a sound Islamic view that does not contradict Islamic texts, is compatible with the general principles of Islam and is suited to the contemporary situation."

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to summarize the main points that came out of the Mardin conference:

- Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwa regarding Mardin "cannot, under any circumstances, be used as a justification and proof for excommunicating Muslims and taking up arms against their rulers, and shedding their blood and taking their property, and terrorizing peaceful people, and betraying those living among Muslims and those whom Muslims live in their midst by virtue of citizenship and security. Whoever takes this fatwa as an excuse to fight Muslims and non-Muslims has erred in their interpretation and are wrong according to the scriptural texts."

- "The categorisation of territories in Islamic jurisprudence is an interpretation that was formulated because of circumstances in the Islamic community and the nature of international relations at the time. However, the fact that circumstances are different today, and because of the existence of recognised international treaties and the illegal nature of wars that are not waged in response to repelling an aggressor or resisting an occupation, and the emergence of the nation-state which guarantees freedom of religion and protects minorities and secures the rights of its citizens, all of this has turned the whole world into a place for tolerance and peaceful co-existence among all religions and sectarian groups in order to achieve the mutual interests of people and establish justice."

- "Among the top priorities of the scholars of the Islamic community and its academic institutions is to analyze the ideological justifications for extremism, excommunication and violence in the name of Islam, and correct those ideas."

- "The scholars of Islam have constantly affirmed throughout the centuries that Jihad, which is considered the pinnacle of Islam, is not only of one kind. Instead, there are different kinds of Jihad, among which is the fight in the way of God. The Islamic religion has restricted the exercise of this kind of Jihad and its planning and execution to those vested with authority (the state), as it is a political decision which has great implications. It is thus not permissible for a Muslim individual or group to declare war or engage in physical Jihad on their own."

- "The question of issuing a fatwa in Islam is a serious matter, which is why scholars have put strict conditions for a Mufti, among which is that he should be academically well-qualified."

According to the announcement for the Mardin conference, many scholars and thinkers from a number of countries participated in the conference, including the Mufti of Bosnia, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, the Mauritanian scholar Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayah (Global Centre for Renewal and Guidance), Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef (Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Centre), Sheikh Habib Ali Al-Jifri from Yemen (Founder and Director of Taba Institute, UAE), Ahmad Abidi Arani (Iranian professor of Philosophy and Hadith), Dr. Abdul Wahhab Al-Nasir Al-Turayri (assistant supervisor of the Islam Today organization, KSA) and judge Sheikh Abdullah Ould Ali Salem (president of the Supreme Constitutional Council of Mauritania).

The recommendations of the scholars and thinkers show that they were attempting to "open a breach" in a historical wall which Islamic scholars in the past until today have used, which is the division of the world into "Dar Salam" (where Muslims live in peace and practise their religion) and "Dar Harb" (where the "non-believers" live).

They said that this division was an interpretation by past scholars and is incompatible with the circumstances of the world today, as Muslims live in relatively large minorities in many European and Western countries, which could be designated as "Dar Harb" according to the old classification.

Moreover, as pointed out by Libyan professor Aref Ali Nayed (Director of the Kalam Research and Media Centre, Dubai), many Muslims have taken refuge in the West –which is supposed to be a "Dar Harb", according to some Jihadis today-- where they are able to practise their religion more freely than in their home countries, which are assumed to be within the "Dar Salam" category, since they are Islamic countries.

Undoubtedly, addressing this issue specifically is of paramount importance because of anti-West campaigns launched in some Islamic countries, particularly claiming that Muslims are being persecuted by "non-believers". Proponents of these campaigns refer to some of the measures taken against Islamist activists in the context of the war on terror in addition to measures being taken by some countries to ban the veil or promote writings and caricatures that are anti-Islamic. However, they completely ignore the fact that Muslims enjoy the same rights that people of all other religions enjoy under the laws of their respective countries.

Perhaps the need to clear up this matter was the main reason that prompted the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to invite a number of Afghan religious clerics to visit the United Kingdom and to appraise the situation of Muslims there. Members of the visiting delegation said that the visit has proven the false claims of the campaigns launched by hardliners in Afghanistan about the persecution of Muslims in the UK. The British authorities organised a tour of various mosques and Islamic centres for the delegation, especially in the city of Birmingham, the second-largest city in the UK which is home to a large Muslim community.

The declaration of "Mardin, the Abode of Peace" also tackled another important issue: determining who is qualified to issue fatwas legitimising physical jihad. Participants said that this matter should be the exclusive right of the state and not a group or an individual, which is a direct reference to al-Qaeda and its various branches in the Islamic countries, where acts of violence are committed and described as "jihad" by those engaging in such acts, while the governments and many others consider them as "terrorism".

The Mardin declaration follows a series of initiatives by Islamic entities attempting to counter the ideologies promoted by al-Qaeda in particular. The Pakistani scholar, Sheikh Tahir ul-Qadri, issued a 600-page fatwa last month in London in which he condemned the "terrorism practised by al-Qaeda", and said individuals engaging in suicide bombings are not real Jihadists, and they will be punished for their acts in the hereafter.

Similarly, leaders of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) issued major revisions last summer, condemning many practices that perpetrators call "jihad" – including their own activities against the Libyan government in the 1990s. The Libyan authorities released dozens of members of the LIFG from jail last month.

Other scholars and activists adopted the same stance, such as that taken by the imprisoned Moroccan sheikh, Mohammed Al-Fizazi, condemning the threats by al-Qaeda to carry out bombings in Europe. Others have issued direct condemnations, such as the revisions by Jihadi theoretician Dr. Fadl, of the acts of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda and his deputy, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri and considered their activities to be blatantly opposed to the Islamic religion.

Undoubtedly, the new stance of scholars and thinkers in Mardin will not cause al-Qaeda and its supporters to abandon their activities and their ideologies that consider the governments in the Arab world as apostate regimes, which then legitimises bombings and acts of violence in order to change these regimes. However, the declaration of "Mardin, the Abode of Peace" could be a new starting point in an ocean of "revisions" targeting the new generations of youths who are eager to engage in Jihad, before they are pulled away by al-Qaeda and its sister organisations.

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