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Translator's forword
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By Muhtar Holland
WHEN I FIRST EMBARKED on this translation of
Imam Abdessalam Yassine's The Muslim Mind on Trial,
I was already convinced that the work would be
of considerable interest and value to many English-speaking
readers, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. That was
before the catastrophic events of September 11th,
2001. Since that date, we have witnessed an astronomical
increase in what amounts to hunger and thirst
for knowledge and understanding of Islam. In the
courtroom where the trial of the Muslim mind is
being conducted, the public gallery is now jam-packed
each day, and the session lasts around the clock.
The proceedings are constantly broadcast by the
media, so it is hard to turn on the radio or television
without finding oneself involved in some aspect
of the trial. Muslims from all walks of life are
interviewed by reporters, in many countries and
in various situations, in mosques and marketplaces,
in homes and offices…. Panels of Muslim and
non-Muslim scholars engage in discussions about
Islamic beliefs and practices, the history of
Islam and its relations with the West. Members
of the public send in their questions and comments,
by telephone, fax and e-mail. For authors of books
on Islamic subjects, the advertising opportunities
are unprecedented.
For obvious reasons, one question arises again
and again and again, in private conversations
and in public debates: "What is the truly
Islamic view of terrorism?"
The reader is sure to wonder how Imam Yassine
might answer that burning question. Let me therefore
consult the work of a fellow translator, who clearly
has close affinity with the Imam. Martin Jenni
translated Imam Yassine's Islamiser la modernité
from French into English, under the title Winning
the Modern World for Islam.1 In his Translator's
Foreword, he describes the Imam as "the inspired
Qur'anic scholar and beloved teacher." In
a note to his Foreword, he explains what the author
means by the term "Islamist:"
"Islamist"…names
an observant Muslim, someone whose life source
is islam in the sense of submission to God.
Such persons may well strive for the creation
of a society guided by this principle, but it
is a grievous (and often intentionally vicious)
misuse of the term to represent a religious
fanatic or, worse still, terrorist.
In the media programs constantly aired these
days, there is at least some recognition of the
terrorism inflicted on Muslim peoples, in the
form of ethnic cleansing, for instance. Imam Yassine
is extremely forthright in his condemnation of
such atrocities. In The Muslim Mind on Trial,
the reader will find numerous passages to that
effect, notably the following:
The modern age is in crisis.
Let us not be deluded by what others have built,
such as scientific skyscrapers strewn all around….
For them, the human being has no meaning except
the egoism of the strong, the wasteful consumption
of the wealthy, the pleasure of the rich and
the death of the poor in the Somalia of starvation
and civil war, or in the Bosnia of annihilation,
savage slaughter and ethnic cleansing.
Does this mean that Muslims should respond by
launching suicidal attacks against the skyscrapers
of New York? Not according to Imam Yassine, for
he goes on to say:
The Muslims are closely linked
to the world as human beings…. We are the
envoys of mercy, truth and justice for the world….
The choice of the free Muslim mind is that we
should strive with all our efforts, so that,
some day in the future if God will, we may lead
the human caravan, while being fully aware of
the content of our Message and duties toward
human beings and all other creatures.
Let us now consider the book's subtitle: Divine
Revelation versus Secular Rationalism. Many readers
are likely to be startled by his scathing disparagement
of secular rationalism, while many will no doubt
be mystified, at the outset, by the sovereignty
assigned to Revelation (whatever that may be!).
Where the latter is concerned, the chapter entitled
What is Revelation? will surely prove invaluable.
As for the sources and nuances of secular rationalism
and its historical development, a splendidly succinct
account of the "isms" is provided in
the chapter headed Dumps . . . and Dumps. However
scathing he may be in his description of those
"dumps" heaped upon the Muslims, Imam
Yassine cannot be accused of exempting them from
responsibility for their sick and impoverished
condition. In the chapter Comparison . . . and
a Comparison, he lays that responsibility fairly
and squarely on its fundamental cause:
Our illness is perpetuated and
the servitude of our minds is reinforced, because
we refuse to acknowledge our own faults. We
take pleasure in criticizing others; we shy
away from the duty of stern self-confrontation…
[The human being] will not hear from us unless
we remedy our faults, cure ourselves of our
diseases and, through self-discipline first
of all, gain virtues and strength.
At this point, I feel obliged to acknowledge
my faults in rendering the author's Arabic text
into English. If those faults are fewer and less
serious than they would otherwise have been, the
credit is due to my Muslim brother in Morocco,
Farouk Bouasse, whose editorial feedback has been
invaluable, as well as to my dear wife Nuraisjah,
who listened with amazing patience while I read
and re-read my work-in-progress. I must also express
my gratitude to my Muslim brother in Iowa, Imad
Benjelloun, who has served as my international
courier at every stage, and to my dear daughter
Aisah, whose electronic skills have kept me in
touch with Imad.
May God bless the author, Imam Abdessalam Yassine,
and may He enable the Muslim mind to emerge from
its trial with flying colors.
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