Leaders of Muslim world today are suffering from an "acute inferiority complex", which stems from the "legacy of the colonial era", Justice Muhammed Al-Ghazali of Supreme Court of Pakistan said.
Addressing an International Conference at the Aligarh Muslim Uiversity on 'Intellectual Crisis of the Muslim Ummah' today, Justice Ghazali said Muslim leadership in the world is suffering from the consequences of "moral and intellectual failure".
This failure is a result of "exaggerated awe of the colonial powers and cowardly acceptance of its rule", he said, adding that Muslim world has failed miserably "to invite humanity to the abode of peace, that is Islam".
Strongly advocating that "Muslims should cooperate with non-Muslims in pursuing shared goals of making this common habitat an abode of peace, mutual understanding, fair play, justice and harmony," he said instead of doing so, the Muslim leadership has allowed itself to be tied to the dynamics of the Western power games, which regards constant conflict and competition as the natural state of human existence.
According to Prof Israr Ahmad Khan of the International Islamic University of Malaysia, the Muslim community the world over is in "critical urgency of intellectual growth in which educational institutions can play a role by making both teachers and students revisit and redesign religious studies, including Tafsir studies".
Delivering the presidential address, Vice Chancellor of AMU, Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah said the 21st century American declaration of war on terror was primarily a "camouflage to control the energy reservoirs in the Muslim world".
The result of this has been the entire Middle East and North Africa is "up in flames and if this madness is not immediately stopped, it will only result in unending chain of death and destruction".
Shah said AMU is ready to play its due role in providing an "open forum for all shades of people to come together and deliberate the most pressing and sensitive issues of our time".
More than 200 scholars from different parts of India and abroad including Sheikh Dr Kamal el-Helbawy, former International Spokesperson of the Muslim Brotherhood, London, Dr Mike Ghouse, World Muslim Congress, USA, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, noted Shia scholar, Swami Lakshmishankaracharya, Founder Chairman, Hindu Muslim Jan Ekta Manch, Prof Israr Ahmad, International Islamic University of Malaysia and M Ashraf Haidari, Deputy Chief de Mission, Embassy of Afghanistan are participating in the two-day conference.
