INTRODUCTION
The Age of Rapid Change
This is the age of the conquest of time and space. Faster
means of communication have brought changes to the
movement of men and materials far beyond the
imagination of former generations. Such ease of communication
has brought revolutionary changes in ideology and mode of
living and a new economic interdependence of nations. No
nation in the world can remain in isolation if it hopes to advance
in its economic and social life. Problems have ceased to be local,
and the problems of one nation very soon have an impact upon
the international community.
Such rapid change has affected not only the economic
structure of the world; it has brought a more vital change in the
exchange of thought and religious ideology. Economic and
cultural forces always go hand in hand. However, while
exchange in goods is a two-way traffic, in the cultural sphere
this may not be the case. The conveyance of men and materials is
visible, but the exchange in ideology is latent, visible only in
its effects. In this respect, there is no give and take. The groups
with the greater political and economic power are bound to wield
a stronger' and a more compelling influence upon the weaker and
poorer groups, leading to a revolution in the latter's
intellectual
and social life which is irresistible and which defies all reason.
The West, with its economic superiority and its political
position, has gained sway over most of the Eastern countries.
Muslim communities have been constantly and strongly
influenced by materialist thought and lifestyle, to the extent
that some have become not only irreligious, but anti-religious. A
knowledge of the English language, which is seen to be necessary
for the welfare and improvement of economic and political life,
has led many Muslims to neglect to learn their own mother
tongue and the languages of the Holy Qur'an, Arabic and Persian.
Such Muslims whose education comes through the medium of
English can read and understand material presented in the
English language better than in their mother tongue, and even
books on the Holy Qur'an and on their faith have an appeal for
them only if they are In English. Such people care more for the
beauty of the language than for the correctness of the material
expressed.
Many Western translators of the Holy Qur'an and most of
those who produce literature on Islam In the English language
are, in fact, the anti-Muslim elements whose aim is to distort the
facts about the faith and cause confusion about Islamic belief
These hostile elements continue to blacken the name of the Holy
Prophet and of Islam through their intentional mistranslations,
misinterpretations, misrepresentations and distortions of the
facts. Such distortions are framed in English of such linguistic
excellence and delusive argument that the blind admirers of the
English language, being ignorant of the truths of their faith, are
easily conditioned to accept what they read, and thus serve the
purpose of the hostile producers of these publications. in so
doing, they become agents of the enemy. Had it not been for
these writers against Islam and its Holy Founder, God alone
knows how many people throughout the world might have
embraced the truth. in this way western writers have not only
misrepresented Muslim ideology, but have obstructed sincere
seekers of the truth from discovering the real Islam.
While these hostile elements continue to distort our religious
belief and social traditions, it is our duty to God and His Word,
and to the faith of Islam, to present the truth and make it clear
to every true seeker and to dispel any doubts created by hostile
forces.
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