Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #16 Uniformity
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the importance of unity in achieving their goal of achieving diversity within the community. They explain that diversity is not about uniformity, but rather about finding a stable way to achieve it. The speaker emphasizes the need to celebrate diversity and not simultaneously pursue uniformity.
AI: Summary ©
There is one notion
that we keep on repeating because it's an
ideal that we want to reach, and we
know how important
it is. And it's the notion of unity.
What we need and what we need to
achieve within the community
has to do with unity. The problem is
that we are confusing
unity and
uniformity. This is the problem, and this is,
where some people who, in the name of
unity,
uniformity. Uniformity. We have to understand that the
the cosmology, the Islamic cosmology,
it's not about,
uniformity. It's about diversity.
It's the very essence of everything. When you
have, for example, yes, the unity of humanity
is.
Oh, you people, we have,
created you,
from a male and a female.
So the origin is the same. This is
the unity of, humanity.
But
we made you nations and tribes.
So meaning that there is a diversity
here. And this diversity, it's everywhere in the
universe. Nothing in the universe is about uniformity.
And even
saying from by,
from everything,
we created a couple, meaning that there is
diversity. It's that this unity unity is about
trying to find a stable way,
completing
one another and trying to get this unity
out of diversity.
To the point that when it comes to
religions and when it comes to tribes and
nations,
what we have in the Quran is
If we have, we would not have put
people and a set of people resisting
a set of other people, the other the
the the world would have been corrupt. And
we have the same verse starting exactly the
same and and ending by
If that you you would have,
synagogues and places where the people are praying
and temples and mosque would have been destroyed.
So meaning that the diversity
of,
religion is going to be protected by the
diversity
within humanity
among religions, among cultures, and among tribes.
So we need to celebrate
diversity,
and we need to get it right.
Unity is about accepting this diversity,
celebrating this diversity,
and not imposing uniformity.
No uniformity
in the way we think. No uniformity
in our nations. No uniformity
even within the Muslim tradition.
And this is why, for example, it's a
pity to see, for for example, today, Sunni
and Shia,
struggling and and and not being able even
to accept and to acknowledge that both are
Muslims. This is one Islam and with the
diversity. And even among the the the the
the schools of thought or the trends, when
you are rationalist, when you are traditionalist, or
when you are,
madhhabie, or,
following a very specific school of law, or
when you are reformist.
This is a diversity that you have to
deal with. You cannot just in the name
of uniformity
and unity, for example, destroy
all these trends. They are part of our
community.
No way.
No way to get unity if we are
not able
to deal with diversity, to respect one another,
and to try to work together. This is
the starting
point, and it,
it takes effort, understanding,
and openness
to get it right.
Remember to tell the people you love that
you love them, and never forget.
Never forget. Life is fragile.