Statement of the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) In Response to Recent Shia Sunni Conflicts 9th September 2013 On the 1st of September 2013, a group of eminent scholars and activists from various parts of the world including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States of America met in Bangkok, Thailand to discuss the increasing violence between Sunni and Shia groups across the world. We, the participants of that Intra‐Faith Consultation hosted by the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) agree that: 1. There are as many paths to reach Allah as there are human beings. Shia and Sunni are Muslims, believing in Allah, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as his messenger, the one and only Quran, the Day of Judgment and one Qiblah. We as Muslims are not to judge each other’s Islamic practices. Shia and Sunni schools of jurisprudence are equally valid ways of practicing Islam. 2. We abhor the exploitation of the differences in Shia and Sunni practices for political purposes and strongly demand such exploitation to cease. In particular its politicization in Muslim societies like Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and more recently Malaysia. This politicization of differences has led to the killing, expulsion, discrimination, and violation of the human rights of thousands of women, men and children. 3. We also recognize the divisive role played by outside powers in their pursuit of their own self‐interest. 4. We condemn in the strongest terms the alliance formed by some Muslim rulers and such outside powers in pursuit of their divisive plans and stand against any foreign intervention in any Muslim land by outside powers. We strongly call upon all Muslims to: 1. Be non‐judgmental regarding different ways of practicing Islam. Judgment is reserved for Allah alone and the Day of Judgment belongs to Him alone. 2. Embark upon a journey of learning the principles of faith and the diversity of practice, “And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited. And remember the favour of Allah on you…” Quran 3:103 3. Act on our God‐given responsibility as “His Khalifas” in this world by focusing our energies on issues that can benefit human kind. 4. We call on Muslim ulama, intellectuals and other concerned people to actively engage in intra‐faith dialogue in a mutually respectful way. 5. We encourage civil societies to strengthen solidarity among Muslims by facilitating dialogues and help resolve the crises with humanitarian aid. 6. We encourage communal and sectarian conflicts among Muslims be resolved through grass‐root efforts and with civil societies tied to those communities rather than involving non‐relevant, outside parties. We further call upon the politicians and Muslim governments to: 1. Put the welfare of the Muslim Ummah ahead of their personal gains and political gamesmanship and ahead of the interests of foreign powers. 2. Hasten educational and economic development in conflict‐prone areas as part of the solution. We, as members of the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) shall expand our efforts in intra and inter faiths dialogues to strengthen relations among Muslims and between Muslims and non‐Muslims. AMAN Council: Prof. Azyumardi Azra (Chairman), Mr. M. Abdus Sabur (Secretary General), Dr. Amelia Fauzia, Prof. Chaiwat Satha-Anand, Mr. Emranul Huq Chowdhury, Mr. Emran Mohamad, Mr. Hoosein Kader, Mr. Irfan Engineer, Mr. Lal Gul, Mr. Nihmath Musthafa, Mr. Rafiz Hapipi, Dr. Reem Nasser, Prof. Seyyed Hassan Hosseini, Ms, Uzma Mehboob, Dr. Yunus Yasin.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 14:03:06 +0000
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