The Ilham Winter 2010

6 THE ILHAM A Journal of Contemporary Digital Policy Assabiyyah with all its kinds and forms has weakened the Muslim communities in the past as well as today; the enlightenment of combating this belief in our history sparked a unified, merciful, and cohesive Muslim ummah transformed from differing, conflicting, and warring entities. For this reason, it is a must for us to know what assabiyyah is and to once again know how we can rid ourselves from it. Assabiyyah comes to us from the word asabah, the relatives of the family patriarch. Originally, the term was used to mean tribalism or clanism, but as tribes evolved into nations, assabiyyah has come to con- note blind, unquestioning support for one’s family, tribe or nation. Assabiyyah demands that tribal members support their own, whether a member believes that the tribe’s activities are right or wrong, the oppressed or the oppressor. Regardless, assabiyyah is still a deeply held cultural belief within the many Muslim communities.The association with others within the clan, under the dictates of assabiyyah, is based on family relationships, ethnicity, place of birth, religion and even personal beliefs. ASSABIYYAHVS. ENGAGEMENT THE BATTLEAHEAD Engagement of the other hand is associated with the human need for conversation and debate,to be a part of something larger than the self.With engagement comes the belief that those outside the tribe (or in contemporary society,the nation) can,in fact, increase knowledge and development simply by sharing views with those who make up other tribes,clans,religious sects or citizens of a town,region or nation.In fact,engagement encourages discovery,requires it of members of the group,regardless of the reason for the group’s existence. In contrast,with assabiyyah,this tribe feels superior to the one on the other side of the river.The citizens of this nation feel superior to the citizens of other nations. The members of this clan are certain of their superiority over their neighbors who belong to another tribe or clan and therefore shut out knowledge and discovery. It is this bias that Ibn Khaldun considered a corrupting influence on social development and ultimately the pursuit of knowledge. Leonardo DaVinci recognized the importance of unbiased research and, just as importantly, the engagement of others in the exchange of ideas. AN IDEA CAN STILL CHANGE THEWORLD Knowledge expands when it is scrutinized from a variety of perspectives.The principle of assabiyyah limits access to different perspectives,something that Khaldun would vigorously oppose.Through engagement with other tribes around the world,Muslims learn and teach in an unbiased manner,without the self-limiting adherence to assabiyyah.While we still live in a world of tribes and clans. As Muslims,we must engage those who hold different beliefs to both teach them and learn from them. Khaldun encourages open minds while eschewing bias of any kind and from any source. Not only would this great thinker engage others in debate and the exchange of information, he would have taught that the “mistaken belief in the truth,” regardless of how that truth is derived, will invariably lead to erroneous conclusions based on the biases brought to the discussion. SO,WOULD IBN KHALDUN HAVE A PROFILE PAGE ON FACEBOOK? Facebook is a website that encourages engagement between peoples who hold different opinions, different beliefs, values, religions and cultural mores.Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, is a noble experiment in bringing together the knowledge of all cultures, tribes, clans, religions, ethnic groups and races. The terms of service (TOS) of all social media sites are simple: be nice. If you encounter a post that presents a view different from your own, embrace the views, learn from them and decide, without bias, if these views have validity in the furtherance of human knowledge. Indeed,not only would Ibn Khaldun have a Facebook page,being a man curious about science,academics and the philosophy that drives human behavior,he would be an active poster to a number of social media sites. ASSABIYYAH IS A DISEASETHAT WEAKENSTHE MUSLIM UMMAH