Muslims around the world ought to react rationally to the attacks on Islamic sanctities, says Dr Latimah-Parvin Peerwani*, an American scholar and academic.

In an interview with IQNA, Dr Peervani answered our questions about current issues regarding Islam and Muslims in today's world.

Here are her responses to those questions:

IQNA: As you know, Geert Wilders, a right-wing Dutch politician has recently caused uproar in his country and in the Muslim world by making an anti-Quran film, which he says will be released this week. Wilders and his supporters cite freedom of expression as a pretext for producing and releasing the film, which will certainly hurt the feelings of over a billion Muslims.This is the same pretext some Danish newspapers cited for reprinting a blasphemous cartoon of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.). Are they justified?

Dr. Peerwani: They are not justified since there is the freedom of expression in the West but with responsibility. If Geert Wilders goes ahead with the film against Islam then he has abused the freedom of expression with responsibility because he has hurt the religious sensitivity of the Muslims.

IQNA: How do you think the Muslim world should respond to such blasphemous attacks and anti-Islam campaigns? There are some who argue that Muslims ought to stay calm as the very goal of Wilders and other anti-Islam activists is to provoke Muslims to resort to violence so that they can further their case that Islam is a violent religion.On the other hand, some Islamic scholars and leaders are of the belief that remaining silent will embolden anti-Islamists.

Dr. Peerwani: I don't agree that Muslims should stay calm and do not do anything about it. Rather, Muslims should act rationally on this issue instead of burning the Western embassies, destroying the properties of the innocent people of Netherlands and creating havoc in our own Islamic countries. This is the kind of behavior which is not accepted by many thinking Muslims in the West and in the East. But should the Muslims keep quiet about it? Absolutely not. The strategy which is discussed in the circles of many Muslims is:

1. The Muslim 'ulema (scholars) should ask the film director to see the film prior to its release and offer their help to correct the errors in the film regarding our Prophet and the Quran. If he doesn't agree then,
2. Offer to put the caption or correction under every scene where the errors of misinterpretation about Islam and the Quran have appeared. If he doesn't agree, then
3. The Muslim governments should come together and put the trade embargo on Netherlands after warning the government of Netherlands about their intending action against the film. But on no account the masses should take the law unto their own hands and disrupt the society for that film, that means the masses should be educated to behave in the civil manner and only the Ulema should take the rational action.
4. Peaceful demonstrations by the Muslims all over the world, without damaging anyone's life or property, against this film.

IQNA: What is the reaction of Muslims in your country to these cartoons and the anti-Quran film?

Dr. Peerwani: In my country, that is, USA, our media was smart enough not to publish any Danish cartoons of our Prophet and it will not show the anti-Quran film. Muslims in US had done the peaceful demonstration against the cartoons about which they read in the European newspapers. If the film anti-Quran is shown elsewhere, then they will do the peaceful demonstrations against the film. Also, the Imams, or the preachers in many mosques in US have informed the Muslims not to take the law into their own hands and do anything which is civil disobedience for any anti-Islamic cartoons, or film.

IQNA: There are some concepts in the holy Quran, like Jihad and Qisas, which seem to be controversial in today's world. As Muslims, of course, we believe that the Quran, in its entirety, is the word of God and should be taken as such. But there are some who believe that Muslims should focus on those Quranic ideas that can be more easily defended before non-Muslims. Should we avoid these controversial ideas or should we try to rationally defend them? What are your thoughts on this?

Dr. Peerwani: As far as the Jihad is concerned, it has many meanings. Its literal meaning is struggle. This could be struggle against poverty through working hard for earning money rightfully, it could be struggle against ignorance through educations, it could be struggle against one's lower soul (nafs ammara) which incites to evil things, and it could be struggle against defending one’s country and religion if they are under attack. So one should apply the jihad appropriately according to the circumstances. If the concept of Jihad is made to understand that it has multiple meanings, then non-Muslims would admire this concept, and our ignorant brothers and sisters will also know that Jihad does not have one straight jacket meaning of fighting for defense. This I am saying with personal experience.

As for the qisas, it is not allowed in USA according to our constitution. Since Iran is an Islamic country, so it has Islamic constitution, hence if the ulema of Shari'a agree and the people agree then it could be allowed provided the due process in law has taken place. This will be based on the Islamic constitution in an Islamic country.

So, according to me, nothing from the Quran should be shelved, because it is an eternal message of Allah, but what is required is the ta'wil of the verses according to the time, and many great Shia ulema of the Quran are deeply-rooted in the knowledge of the Quran to do the ta'wil according to our time.

* Dr Latimah-Parvin Peerwani is a professor of Islamic Philosophy and Quran commentaries. She has published several titles in the above area, including one tafsir work of Mulla Sadra Shirazi (died 1640) on Ayat al-Noor which she translated into English. Her major work, which is to be published in a few months, is the two volumes of Asfar of Mulla Sadra in English with an introduction and notes. These two volumes deal with the ilm al-Nafs (Islamic Psychology).