by FIRAS AHMAD

Islamica Magazine was first published out of the London School of Economics in the 1990s. It was an initiative of a group of Muslim students who sought to raise the discourse that surrounded Islam and its delicate and often complex relationship with Europe, America and the rest of the world. As a student publication, the magazine was unable to sustain itself after the graduation of many of its writers, editors and supporters. As a result it ceased publication in 1999.

When the tragic events of September 11th claimed thousands of American lives, the already complex nature of this relationship between the Islam, the Muslim world and America became infinitely more complicated. In addition to the senseless killing of innocent human beings, the terrorists who wreaked havoc on New York City and Washington DC also irrevocably maligned the identity of Muslims around the world.

It was within this context that one of the original founders of Islamica, the current editor in chief Sohail Nakhooda, was approached by several prominent thought leaders within the Muslim community who urged him to restart the publication. There was a dire need to communicate across cultures, communities and civilizations. A new team was assembled and we restarted publication in 2003 hoping to address the myriad of concerns that issued forth from the events in 2001.

In the five years since the attacks that befell the United States, tensions continue to mount. President Bush, in his most recent address on the fifth year anniversary of 9/11, stated that it is the goal of the terrorists to establish a “radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations.”

While one can disagree with the conclusion, and I would disagree with it, the reality of the President’s rhetoric underlies the urgent need for improving understanding and discourse between Muslim communities and their neighbors, both in a local and global sense. This conversation must focus on the tendency amongst all embroiled in the current conflict to demonize the other in a manner that lays the groundwork for a tragic cycle of violence. The “West” is neither monolithic, nor is it united in a global conspiracy to destroy the Muslim world. At the same time, the roots of extremism and violence hardly find their sustenance in the teachings of Islam or the broader Muslim community. They are firmly entrenched in, and a product of, the Machiavellian politics of this current age. The policy implications of this reality must be addressed, lest we allow the cycle of violence to continue.

However, we would be foolish to leave our fate entirely in the hands of politicians. The discussion we hope to encourage through the magazine recognizes that Islam is not a political ideology. Those who limit its scope to the politics of resistance, oppression or revenge have utterly failed to imbibe its capacity to guide and benefit those who believe in it. Islam is system of beliefs that has spawned brilliant traditions of mysticism, law, art, architecture, literature, poetry, music and much more. The Muslim world spans many vibrant and colorful cultures that vary in custom, language and ethnicity from one part of the globe to another. The Muslim experience is better represented by this reality, rather than yesterday’s headlines.

There is no easy solution to the problems the world faces today. Many different communities will have to undertake different approaches from different perspective in order to make progress towards a safer and more peaceful future. We hope that our role in creating a forum for the exchange of ideas is an important part of the overall process. In doing so we honor the memories of all innocent people in America and abroad whose lives have been taken in this conflict, as well as the religion from which this magazine draws its inspiration.

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FIRAS AHMAD is senior editor of Islamica Magazine