While the Muslims always denounce western civilization, it is necessary to be aware of its realities and principles. To achieve this goal, Najma and Afzal Husain Trust organised a symposium on “Positive and Negative aspects of Western Civilization” at Milli Model School, New Delhi on 19 October.
Mr. Muzaffar Ali, Secretary General Muslim Education Trust, pinpointed the positive and negative aspects. He said that after visiting many western countries he noticed various positive aspects in their daily life like discipline, behaviour, punctuality, civic sense, hygiene and sensitivity towards security and crave for quality higher education and persistent efforts towards research and development. Apart from these positives aspects, there are some negative aspects which include unnecessary freedom, sexual anarchy, alcoholism, disbelief, suicide and corporate monopoly.
Mr. Mahruddeen, a resource person of NCERT, elucidated the principles and ideologies on which the western civilization has been built upon. He said that the doctrine of Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein played crucial roles in evolving the western civilization. He also threw light on the fault line that exists in the western civilization. “It’s simply because of absence of human values,” he asserted while stressing the need to preserve and promote human values and suggesting Islamic guidelines to find out its best solution.
Sohail Farooque, an Islamic scholar, said that positive and negative aspects are not confined to geographical boundaries. Be it West or East, everywhere positive and negative aspects can be found. Both aspects are inside human beings. He also said that we should differentiate between American government and American people. The government of America is under control of a lobby rather than people. The Islamic institutions in western countries are of high standard and Islam is spreading at a great scale after 9/11 incident. The need of hour is to contain our own faults and weaknesses.
Addressing the presidential note, Ejaz Ahmed Aslam appreciated the views of the speakers. Citing a hadith, he said that a pious man always focuses on positive qualities of others and adopts them. And wherever he gets good thing, he acquires it. He also described something more about both aspects of western civilization. He said that education, equality, rationality, liberty, fraternity, democracy, human rights and women rights are positive aspects of western civilization that Islam also promotes everywhere. Western civilization acquired a lot of things from Islamic civilization in the 15th and 16th centuries. He called upon the Muslims to wake up.