FEAR AND FASCINATION: THE OTHER IN RELIGION

The University of Western Sydney, Bankstown

July 16-19, 2004

Conference Summary Report

By Jo-Anne Young

Introduction and Opening Night

July 16^th – 18^th 2004 bought a diverse group of academics, religious leaders and sociologists from around the world to contribute to ‘Fear and Fascination: The Other In Religion’.

Organised by the Affinity Intercultural Foundation, the Australian Association for the Study of Religions and the University of Western Sydney Critical Social Sciences Group, over 60 papers were presented at the Conference.  A wide spectrum of topics were covered including spirituality, multiculturalism, religion, social movements, popular culture, mythology, feminism, healing, politics, the media and fear.

The theme of the opening night, “Islam and Its Relations With Other”, proved to be a popular topic with more than 250 people attending the evening.  The guest speakers included two of Australia’s most distinguished experts on the subject of religion:-

Professor Terry Lovat - Professor of Education, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Arts & Pro Vice-Chancellor Central Coast Campus, University of Newcastle, “Islam: Old and New Interpretations of the Relationship with Judaism and Christianity”.  Prof. Lovat was responsible for the introduction of Studies in Religion in subject in Australian high schools.

Professor Gary Bouma - Head of the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University, “Religion, cultural diversity and social cohesion”.  Prof. Bouma regularly advises the Federal Government of social policy.

Mehmet Ozalp - President, Affinity Intercultural Foundation, “Impact of Muslim Presence in the Western World to the Relationship of Islam and the Judeo-Christian Tradition”

Prof Lovat suggested to the audience that religion is really spiritual and ethical rather than political.  He used Tunisian Muslim spiritual leader Mohammad Talbi’s definition of ‘dialogue’ being a spirit of openness that doesn’t challenge the presupposition of the respective partners.  Emphasising that today’s Talbi’s are left without support and are not being heard Prof. Lovat gave examples of how holy texts which was previously used to justify tolerance, are now being used by some to justify the opposite and it is this voice, unfortunately, that often prevails in the media and general public opinion.

Prof. Bouma focused on religion in society and the importance of tolerance.  He pointed out that in the 1970’s it was said that religion will be history but events have disproved this theory.  Given this situation, the Professor stressed the need for a proper social theory that incorporates multi-culture and multi-faith.  He discussed the need for and the lack of religious anti-vilification legislation, emphasizing that government must recognize the need for all religions to be tolerant of each other and to use legislation as a tool through which to influence social change.  The conclusion of his speech highlighted the importance of celebrating diversity and thinking of ways to make it prosper.

The final speaker for the night, Mehmet Ozalp, used real life examples of people in Australia and around the world to illustrate how there is a real fear and mistrust of Muslims, and yet Muslims are not aware of this issue.  This point was later illustrated during question time when a member of the audience asked “Do Muslims want world hegemony?”.  According to Mehmet Ozalp, the solution lies in managing and developing relationships between Muslims, Christians and Jews to overcome this fear.  Mehmet Ozalp also mentioned that Muslims in the west will play a key role in forming a positive relationship between the Muslim world and the western world.  To further develop this point, Ozalp first talked about the different phases Muslims have gone through and will go through after migrating to the West.  From the first Muslim migrants arriving, to building a community and interacting in that new society, to grooming over time leaders and scholars and subsequently influencing and shaping the ‘traditional’ Muslim countries from which migrants originated.  He then drew attention to the benefits that have come and will come about due to Muslims living in the West

The speakers provoked thought about the relationship that Islam has with Judaism and Christianity in the contemporary world.  Has Islam’s relationship with Judeo-Christianity changed since the time of the Prophet?  Do Muslims, Jews and Christians no longer share the acceptance, the tolerance they one gave each other?  And if this is the case, why has it changed and what can be done about it?  All speakers emphasized the need for inter-faith dialogue, to restore the trust and respect between religions that has been damaged over time.

The response from the evening was very encouraging with people looking forward to more inter faith conferences and praise for recognising different points of view and beliefs.  The night was summed up well by one attendee “We are living in a world where religion is being portrayed poorly…Yes, the issue needs to become a priority, especially in education where not only children are correctly educated but also educators and parents”.

The evening set a good framework from which the conference was able to build upon in the coming days.

Saturday Keynote Addresses – Toni Tidswell and Adam Possamai

In her keynote address “The Qur’an and Contemporary Muslim Understanding of Modesty: The Case of the Aziz’s Wife” Toni Tidswell explored sura 12 in relation to Islamic guidelines for modesty and placed this in the context of today’s modern world as it relates to both female and male notions of modesty, with particular reference to clothing.

We know that Yusuf is considered an exceptionally beautiful man.  We understand that Zulaika is strongly attracted to him, and him to her, but Yusuf refrains from temptation with the help of Allah.  Putting this narration into a modern context Toni Tidswell told the audience about a visit she had to Wollongong beach.  At the beach she saw Muslim women wearing hijab and modest clothing, contrasted against Muslim men, wearing brief, tight-fitting board shorts.  The men had beautifully sculptured bodies that were obviously attracting female attention on the beach.

How does this modern day scenario relate to the tale of Zulaika and Yusuf?

We understand from the sura that women find men beautiful and this can arouse sexual desire in women, just as it does in men.  At the beach the Muslim women were dressed modestly, so as to discourage sexual looks, however the Muslim men were not dressed modestly and were clearly attracting admiring looks from women at the beach.

Toni Tidswell raised the idea in the audience about modesty in the modern world.  Is modesty in dress equally important for Muslim men as it is for women, or is there a greater emphasis on Muslim women to dress conservatively?  The Qur’an recognized so many years ago that women can be sexually drawn to an attractive man as Zulaika was to Yusuf.  In today’s world do Muslims still recognize this and if so why do we have examples such as the beach scene, that seems to emphasis the need for Muslim women to dress modestly but not Muslim men?

A second idea was created by Toni Tidswell’s address, as to whether there is a difference between Islamic and western countries when it comes to modesty in dress for men and women.  From her experience in Egypt, it was important for both men and women to dress conservatively, wearing long, loose-fitting garments.

A possible explanation raised in her address is that perhaps Muslims in western countries have been influenced by the western debate on notions of male and female sexuality.  Where female desire is often deemed dangerous or unhealthy but men’s desire deemed normal.  Is it possible this is influencing Muslims in western countries and it is being outwardly expressed in different standards of modesty in dress that we sometimes see between men and women.

The second keynote address on Saturday was Adam Possamai’s Presidential Address on “Intellectuals of the Other in Religion”.  In the modern age of media and the internet, knowledge is spreading and ideologies competing.  Intellectuals are not necessarily media-friendly, where the need to ‘sell’ is often the primary goal.  Intellectuals are often stereotyped as hermitish or on the outside, but they are also relied on to tell the truth.

Adam Possamai suggests a good way for intellectuals to be heard by the wider community is through interfaith forums.  Interestingly, he questioned whether a person can be an intellectual of his or her own religion, or is the bias too great or the distance from one’s belief too small to be free of influence or compromise?

Adam Possamai also explored the role legislators play, often influenced by and in turn, influencing the media.  The example used was that of cults.  The word ‘cult’ is used to scare, to worry, to frighten, regardless of the great diversity, such as secular or evangelical, for example.  The result in France has been the implementation of anti-cult legislation introducing a new crime of ‘mental manipulation’ .

The address concluded that the role of the intellectual is vital.  As a group, intellectuals interact with and recognize ‘the other’, be it in religion or other spheres.  They provide a source of knowledge which in turn can help other people to understand.  The greater the movement of groups in the world, the greater the plurality of values and the need to interact, understand and tolerate.

Saturday Sessions: An Overview

Saturday’s sessions revolved around 5 main themes – Spirituality, Religious Education and Society, Fear of Islam and Muslim Relations With The Other, Multiculturalism and Dialogue (friendship, reason, faith).

Perhaps one of the paramount challenges to tolerance today is the very real fear that exists towards Muslims and Islam.  Margaret Pickles explained this in terms that others are angry and fearful because they don’t understand the trauma some Muslims have been through and sometimes Muslims are displaying aggressive acts due to the traumas they have experienced.  This sets a destructive foundation on which it is much harder to build good relations.

Mehmet Ozalp provided a much needed explanation of jihad, warfare and peace in the Qur’an.  He informed the audience that there is no word equating to holy war to be found in the Qur’an.  There are other terms mentioned for the term war, but Jihad does not mean holy war and its definition is ‘a struggle against adverse circumstances’- this can mean several things, such as striving to do righteous deeds, defending ones land, or religion.  The definition of Islam is ‘peace’ so it is not a religion of war, it gives value to human life and it never sought to advance its teachings through forced conversions.

War in Islam is seen as the last resort, and it is to either to defend or to prevent further danger.  There has been wars during the time of the Prophet for war is a reality of human existence, however through this he has set basic standards, such as prohibition of torture, not to attack civilians, not to be merciless towards the enemy, act under legitimate authority, and not to burn crop or trees.

Gary Dargan discussed the ‘Train the Trainers’ course, a project designed to teach Muslims how to initiate effective dialogue with both Muslims and others.  This course initially started in Nigeria but is now being implemented in Australia and New Zealand.

Mehmet Saral presented “Fethullah Gulen: A contemporary Muslim scholar’s struggle with fear of Islam” and introduced the audience to the work he started in the 1960’s after coming to the realization that Muslim’s situation today is due to spiritual and intellectual decline.  Mehmet Saral’s works are influenced by another contemporary scholar Said Nursi and his series of the Risale-I Nurs, which marry the heart and the mind.  His vision is to develop a golden generation of Muslims in today’s world.

Sunday Sessions – An Overview

Sunday’s sessions also centred on 5 main themes, Popular Culture and Mythology, Psychology and Religion, Feminism and Women, Healing, Birthing and spirituality, and Sacred Texts.

One very interesting and contemporary subject on Sunday was ‘Media Misrepresentation’.  Maree Grupettra conducts seminars and teaching lessons for mainly high school teachers focusing on media and it’s reporting.  Maree’s emphasis was mainly on the written media using some newspaper clippings as examples.  She discussed the connotations that many of the headline captions carry especially post-9/11 instilling fear and suspense into the public minds, such as “Religion has become handicapped”.  

Unfortunately, because the sensational media sells in un-researched, shallow and in a poorly referenced and out-of-context manner many stories can be biased, judgmental and unbalanced adding to the misunderstanding and hysteria.  Media is also time –bound and thus lacks depth. It is highly powerful and can mobilise opinions since more than 35% of Australians read newspapers (the Daily Telegraph alone has a readership of approximately 1.6 million).

Whilst there are channels to complain about inaccurate media reporting, to a large degree the media lacks responsibility and often gets away with reporting semi-factual and ill-informed events and news. 

A very unique presentation on Sunday was PhD student, Caroline James’ address on ‘Contemporary Witches’.  Caroline spoke about the depiction of the witch on T.V and movies and the fascination surrounding them. She gave three case studies of the ‘Harry Potter’ phenomenon; ‘Charmed’ series and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’.

Caroline James gave a statistical account of the growth of this neo-pagan religion of witches as well as some historical account of their origins through Christianity. Recent surveys show that around 25% of Australian witches are actually male, contrary to the misconception of them all being females.

She also noted “some witches are Christians and active church members”.   Unlike the stereotype not all witches practice black magic and they are not all females flying around on broomsticks. The neo-pagan religion is drawn towards nature and earth and consequently the environment.

Religion and spirituality were then explored through a psychological lens.  The first address on the subject, presented by Hanan Dover, looked at human nature in Islam and how it contributes to modern day psychology.  Hanan Dover explored the Islamic notion of ‘fit rah’, the concept of human nature comparing it to the modern day psychology which she concluded had a more limited view.  The modern psychology is limited because it has neglected the spiritual aspect of a human hence the reason for its lack of development and stagnation.

Glewyn Parker then discussed religion in the public phase and its psychology.  She spoke of different levels or forms of psychology- focusing on the notion of ‘me vs. I’ or “mirroring” sense of self.  Similarly, Glewyn Parker agreed with Hanan Dover that spirituality maybe beneficial for the psychological well-being and development growth of the ‘self ‘. She then outlined four themes of the self vs. the social self - focusing on the notion of ‘responsible self, essential for growth.

Glewyn Parker emphasised that spirituality can be a key purpose in life where living in the present is encouraged and brings about innate satisfaction, where social, mental and emotional, and physical potentials should be maximised.

The forum was probably the most interesting one to the public.  Hanan Dover posed the question “Would you say God’s revelation negates psychological theory?”  She put the Islamic perspective forward as the answer confirming there is no real contradiction between psychology, science and Islam.  The “modern psychology was reductionist in nature” reducing psychology only to the human processes on the brain whereas Islam acknowledges the fitra, human nature which includes the spiritual dimension as well giving a more realistic perspective.

In response to the question “Why is the self so empty” Glewyn Parker suggested the loss of community, loss of tradition in the world and the domination of the consumerist culture has created a self void of many facets of life like culture, tradition and ethics.

The overall theme was the need to balance the mental, physical and spiritual realms to sustain a healthy ‘self’ and psyche.

Conclusion

The feedback from attendees and those who addressed the Conference was positive, hopeful and eager to build on the relationships formed during the weekend.  The great diversity of views presented, beliefs, backgrounds and interests was welcoming to prove that differences do not necessarily have to lead to conflict.  The Conference clearly demonstrated the way ahead for peace, tolerance and understanding is inter-faith dialogue between intellectuals, sociologists, religious leaders and all people who care about a harmonious society.

The spirit of the Conference is perhaps best be summed up by Adam Possamai, quoted as saying “While these religions have always been outside the mainstream, and as such have been seen as mysterious and exotic, their growing popularity in Australia, as well as world events such as acts of terrorism and the ongoing war on terror, has led society to react to the ‘other with increased suspicion, mistrust and fear’.  “No longer can we leave religion and spirituality in the private realm and view them as an exotic aspect of our contemporary society.  They are part of our everyday life, and they need to be understood for what they are, and for what they represent”.

Conference Photos