Cairo University

Future of Political Islam, New kind of Translation in Cairo University's Project for Translation

Date :2013-03-07 21:57:06

Cairo University's project for translation has been issued through Center for Foreign Languages and Professional Translation, Cairo University, and sponsored by Dr.\Hossam Kamel, President of Cairo University, aiming at stimulating translation and publishing and presenting production of books and thinkers at East and West through translating them to Arabic.

In this context, Dr.\ Mohamed Othman El-Khosht, Head of Center for Foreign Languages and Professional Translation, Cairo University, has declared that that the center has translated an important new book recently published in America, entitled "Future of Political Islam", by Graham Fuller who is considered one of few Western writers who have profound experience in affairs of the Muslim world. He served as vice president of the National Intelligence Council in the CIA, and he has considerable expertise in the region stretching from North Africa and even Indonesia.   

The book reveals the relationship between Islam and the state's affair through an extensive review of the movements of political Islam. The author exceeded the traditional perception in Western writings, and considered Islam from a more objective perspective that is not connected to Western illusions about the relationship of Islam with terrorism. Rather, the writer seems more objective in many chapters of the book when he draws attention to Islam as a religion that renounces violence and resorting to it as a mean to resolve problems, and what is attributed to it through the idea of jihad, an idea that is inherent in Islam, is only associated with self-defense and using this term in broader military campaigns by armed warriors in the past.

However, some extremist groups used the idea of jihad as a justification to its terroristic actions against the West or even against their Muslim brothers. The book refers to Islamic experiences in modern age when Islamists reached rule in some countries without taking true Islam as a real reference; rather, these governments were resulted in response to authoritarian past of those countries. The writer has not forget to express his admiration for the Turkish model that represents a success of the idea of Islamism, although the experience needs more time to be judged as a successful Islamist trend.

The book answers many questions that seem vague to the audience of intellectuals; such as what political Islam is, how its influence is practiced in the world, what its influence on the international society is, what the challenges that face it are, what the cause of permanent hostility which Islamists hold towards the West and the Islamists to the West, and how rigid ruling systems at many Islamic countries, especially countries of Middle East, which lead to inflaming hostility.

Dr.\ Mohamed El-Khosht, one of few experts in Islamic affairs, said in the introduction of the book that the Islamic stream can present a contemporary model that makes Islam close to the world and make the world close to Islam, and represents a beginning to achieve a new case of Islam and contemporary age.

He also pointed out that Islam believes in development and change and that the challenge that faces the future of Political Islam is how Islamic values can be associated with and applicable to complicated social and economic issues nowadays, as well as contributing in maintaining social cohesion.