ISLAM HAD CONTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS ASPECTS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION - PM NAJIB

PUTRAJAYA, May 18 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
said Islam and the civilization of Islam had contributed to the positive development of various aspects of Western civilization.

Najib said it was evident through tolerance and social justice practiced in
the United States, including churches.

"The status of women (in Islam) also portrays a lead role in a number of
aspects of western civilization.

"Allah created human beings of various ethnics and countries to understand
and know each other. The difference is only ones loyalty to Allah," he told
reporters after attending a premier level lecture organised by Perdana
Putrajaya Lecture, titled "A Muslim Century - Myth or Reality".

The lecture, an idea mooted by Najib, was presented by world-renowned Muslim
intellect Professor Dr Ali Al'Amin Mazrui, Professor in the Humanities Albert
Schweitzer's and Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies of the
State University of New York at Binghamton, New York.


Najib said he was attracted by the contents and discussions of the lecture
and deemed it a useful civilized and intellectual discourse.

"When we wanted to organise Perdana Putrajaya Lecture, we felt that
intellectual development was not only equally important but more important than
material and physical development," he said.

He added that the lecture presented by Dr Ali which contained principles of
Islam, was in line with the principles of the 1Malaysia concept of "People
First, Performance Now."

Meanwhile, in his lecture, Dr Ali said that while it was clear Islam has
contributed much to the positive development of various aspects of Western
civilization, its influence had through the years diminished due to the
hegemonization of western culture.

He pointed out, however, that with Islam's increasingly significant presence
in the Western world today, Muslims might perhaps begin to see a reversal of
fortunes as values mixed, tastes competed and perspectives intermingled, calling
this the evolution of a new moral calculus around the world.


He also said that given Malaysia's multi-ethnic population, the colossal
challenge that lies ahead is for all Malaysians to take the lead in
democratization, inter-ethnic accord and creative cultural synthesis.

In moving forward, Dr Ali stressed that Muslims must be aware that the path
of the West did not provide all the answers and Islamic values deserved serious
consideration as they defined the future of globalization.

The Perdana Putrajaya Lecture is expected to be slated as an annual event.

-- BERNAMA