The word “jihad” can cause uneasy feelings in America, but Muslim student groups on campus are aiming to reclaim the word’s meaning of “struggle” in a speaker series called “Jihad to Reform.” UCLA Law Prof. Abou El Fadl kicked off the talks last night in Cubberley Auditorium with a discussion about the history of intolerance of and from Muslims and the present-day imperatives for change.

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John Shen

UCLA Law Prof. Abou El Fadl examined the meaning of intolerance last night in a talk about the Islamic faith put on by MSAN and ISSU.

“Jihad to Reform” is a dual effort of the Muslim Student Awareness Network (MSAN) and the Islamic Society of Stanford University (ISSU). Through speakers focusing on four separate contentious issues, student organizers hope to bring about dialogue concerning numerous problems confronting contemporary Islam, including instances and misperceptions about intolerance, terrorism, Shari’ah law and patriarchy.

In last night’s talk entitled “Towards Coexistence: Wrestling Islam from Intolerance,” Fadl emphasized the complexities of the problems faced in the faith.

“The argument for peaceful coexistence is all well and good, but it’s not sufficient,” Fadl said. “Ideas don’t exist in an abstract plane, and ideas don’t simply assert their dominance by virtue of the fact that they exist. Ideas can be wonderful, but, if they fail to engage in the right way, they could produce something that is far from wonderful.”

“We have to stand back and unpack the very notion of tolerance,” he said.

Fadl said a problem with claims that Muslims — or non-Muslims — are “intolerant” is the complexity inherent in the term.

“Every time we speak about reconstruction, one must tread carefully, especially with a concept such as tolerance,” said Fadl. “What is it exactly that they are reforming, and why?”

Fadl focused much of his address on the hypocrisy of non-Muslim critics regarding the Muslim world, explaining that he had talked a lot in the past about the problems of intolerance from Muslim Puritans.

“If we look at the literature of Islamophobes, it is remarkable how often they talk about tolerance and insistently harp upon the notion that Muslims are an intolerant people,” Fadl said. “But one can quite easily argue that if anyone epitomizes the notion of intolerance it is the Islamophobes. Their refusal to accept the legitimacy of, or to treat equally, or to love, or to in any way endorse any level of Islamic authenticity is intolerant.”

Fadl’s address was followed by a wide-ranging question-and-answer session, covering everything from Christian missionaries to the effects of colonialism on racist attitudes. In response to one question, Fadl emphasized the imperative for Muslim students to take pride in their heritage.

“It’s important for young Muslims, as they’re going to have to lead this struggle to reform, vis-a-vis the rest of the world, that you do not have a defeatist attitude,” he said. “You do not have to feel like you are carrying a huge guilt trip on your shoulders. If that happens, you will not do either Muslims or non-Muslims a favor.”

Event organizers were optimistic about the possibilities of the series and were pleased with the first talk.

“Often, when you want to confront issues within your own community, there’s a fear of coming off as un-politically correct, or even hateful,” said Zaid Adhami ‘10, vice president of MSAN. “We want to push people to think critically about these issues and to rethink a lot of their assumptions.”

But Adhami said that the series should not be seen as a response to outside pressure.

“We think it’s important that this be an internal effort,” Adhami said. “This isn’t an attempt to appease Western critics; it’s more about addressing issues critically on our own terms.”