Islam, Dialogue and Civil Society
Observations on the Information World
Much has been said in our era about the central role of information in
shaping human destiny, making it possible even to claim that information
has surpassed military and political might as the main source of power
in today's world. All peoples who seek pride, power and progress must
learn to manage this vital resource, staying abreast of constantly
evolving communication technologies.
Timely access to information and effective means of disseminating it
are central to the development process in every country. We cannot
afford to fall farther behind in this rapidly advancing' field and must
cooperate to produce, store and disseminate information effectively.
This is no easy feat.
Most inquiry into the information world focuses exclusively on its
technical underpinnings at the expense of exploring its human, political
dimension. This task is crucial to our destiny.
In its contemporary, complex forms, information technology represents
one of the highest achievements of modern culture, which uses its
control over information to solidify its domination of the world. Thus,
inquiry into the nature of the information world is inseparable from
uncovering the nature of modern civilization itself. Until we address
this important question, we will not be able to muster the confidence
and wisdom to understand our relationship to modern civilization.
Otherwise, we will live in a world whose rules have been set by others,
at the mercy of circumstance, not as masters of our fate.
We confront the Western-dominated information world on two mystical
yearnings of humans.
Of course, our concerns with the limitations of science do not imply
that we must return to the Middle Ages. Nor can we regress to the
limited and backward views of religion and spirituality prevalent in
those times. Modern humans need new interpretations of spirituality and
supernatural phenomena to imbue their lives with meaning. Because of the
central place of science and technology in Western civilization,
uncertainty about their meaning has led to a general crisis in the
West.
This crisis is more acutely felt in the human sciences than in the
physical or natural sciences. Modern civilization is more deeply tied to
political, cultural, and economic ideas than to the natural sciences. In
the human sciences, the subject and object of study are the same, as
humans study themselves, their societies, and their political systems.
Inquiry is based on the motives and assumptions of the agent or the
scientist, not on objective reality. The identity crisis of the
scientific community naturally will permeate the cultural and political
sphere.
The flood of information in our age saturates the senses of all
humanity so extensively that the ability to assess and choose is
impaired even among Westerners who are producers of information, let
alone us who have played a peripheral role in the information world.
Electronic information is the brainchild of modern civilization. Thus
the power of today's information-based mass culture is tied to the
legitimacy of the values of Western civilization for which the
information revolution counts as the most prominent achievement.
For those of us outside the West, the information world poses manifold
challenges. Today, advanced industrial countries use information as the
main tool to safeguard their own economic and political interests, even
if they are irreconcilable with the interests of the majority of the
world's peoples who live outside the sphere of modern civilization.
Thus, however optimistic some might feel about the benefits of the
information revolution for all humanity, we cannot doubt that
politically and culturally loaded information is manufactured to protect
the interests of industrialized powers while appropriating the rights of
deprived and subjugated peoples.
As consumers of such information we cannot ignore that the political will behind information production and dissemination is based on maintaining Western supremacy. Non-Westerners are taught to respect Western supremacy as legitimate, even desirable. Western civilization has used and continues to use all its resources to dominate the minds and lives of all peoples through controlling the sources of information and the means of communication.
This does not mean that we must isolate ourselves from the
Western-dominated information world. Such a thing is undesirable and
practically impossible as the global reach of information constantly
expands. Awareness of today's world events is an imperative for
understanding our place in the world and planning our future in it.
Being isolated from the world's information networks can only turn us
into pawns of others because it is they who control the flow of this
vital and strategic resource.
We must reach a level of historical evolution and social maturity to be
able to judge accurately the thoughts and efforts of others so that we
know our place in the world and can put our own house in order. This way
we can choose what benefits us' in the new world and reject all that
does not. We must become active on three fronts.
First, we must understand the peculiarities of our era and treat
Western civilization as our era's ultimate manifestation and symbol.
This means understanding the values and tenets of Western civilization
and freeing ourselves from the equally, harmful extremes of either
hating it or being completely taken in and entranced by it.
Second, we must try to come to grips with our own historical identity
that has brought many valuable gifts to humanity but has also
encountered many difficulties and inadequacies. And third, while we must
pay attention to problems that threaten our society from the outside-the
hegemonic nature of Western politics, economics, and culture-we must
also focus on our own internal problems and frictions.
Many of our traditions are human constructs that, however great they
might have been in their own time, belong to a different historical
epoch and place but have nonetheless maintained the veneer of sanctity
and infallibility. Today, dogmatic attachment to archaic ideas poses a
serious obstacle to our society, preventing it from utilizing the human
achievements and thoughts of our era. Let us not forget that not just
the natural world, but religion also must be scrutinized by reflection,
for our interpretation of religion is constantly being modified as
well.
Our attachment to the past should not mean negating all the
achievements of modern, Western civilization. We will not return to the
past to stay there, but merely to understand and regain our identity
that has been rendered fragile by the onslaught of Western culture. With
knowledge and will, we can shape the future, which beckons the
cooperation and coordination of all devotees and thinkers of the Muslim
world. We Muslims have a grand historical legacy that we must revive in
today's world.
Despite disagreements among sects within the Islamic world, the unity
and coordination of Islamic thought across various parts of the Islamic
world has been phenomenal. Over centuries of Islamic history, Andalusia
theologians preached in Damascus and Baghdad, just as Persian
philosophers and mathematicians felt at home in Africa and Mesopotamia.
We Muslims possess the foundations for a solid unity that can create a
powerful cultural movement in the future.
First, we possess a common historical bond and system of values that
Islam, as the source of a great civilization, has provided us. Although
this civilization is no longer globally dominant as it once was, it
represents the greatest source of shared. Experience among all Muslims.
Our attachment to the theism of Islam, based on a belief in the unity of
God, is the linchpin of the bond that ties all Muslims together.
Second, the increasing awareness of all peoples, especially in this
century, has instilled a sense of unity of purpose among Muslims as we
all perceive ourselves as the victims of colonialism in its various
forms. There is no one among us who has not seen his dignity, freedom,
and independence violated by colonial powers. We all wish independence
and freedom from the shackles of this domination. If we combine our
common pain and unify our visions and beliefs, we will sow the seeds of
betterment and prosperity in our societies. Sharing and coordinating our
information resources represents the hallmark of this cooperation.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, despite its many differences with the
globally dominant political order, has always championed deep cultural
and scientific ties. among Muslims of all countries. And today also, we
believe that despite political differences, the conditions must be
created for the scientists and thinkers of the whole Muslim world to
work together. All Muslims must firmly join hands to further the cause
of development in their societies.