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Wall Street Journal
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
‘Shifting Sands' Review: Roads Into the Sahara
In the Western imagination, the Sahara is an empty space, a state of nature. Some locals shared this view before Europeans discovered the savannah south of the sands. Ibn Khaldun, the polymath born in Tunis in 1332, witnessed the fragility of political power as he moved between the capitals of the Maghreb in North Africa. His 'Muqaddimah' (1377) interprets the history of the world as a cyclical struggle between the badu, whose lives are shaped by their struggle against the wilderness, and the hadar, the settled urbanites who achieve political development and other amenities of the easy life. In Ibn Khaldun's view, the badu are not the anarchist prelude to polite society that Rousseau imagined. They are its structural counterpart, who, toughened by their environment, keep the cycle going through conquest, only to be softened by urban comforts. Ibn Khaldun knew what he was talking about. A veteran courtier, he started the 'Muqaddimah' after retreating to the badu fortress of Beni Salama, now in Algeria, in the 1370s. In 'Shifting Sands,' Judith Scheele calls Ibn Khaldun the only major thinker to develop 'a political theory rooted in Saharan history.' Ms. Scheele contrasts his view with the Enlightenment-era notion of the Sahara as a wasteland to be managed and improved. This perception was as much economic as geological. It assumed, she writes, that desertification was a punishment for poor resource management. Ms. Scheele, an anthropologist who has worked in Algeria, Mali and Chad, pursues a synthesis. By 'taking our cue from Saharans themselves,' she writes, we can 'find new ways of thinking about the Sahara.' Her book presents a detailed, often gritty, picture of a fragile world. Her travels trace the web of exchanges, linguistic and material, that crisscross a harsh, vast and sometimes impassable terrain. The Sahara's ramshackle nodes are densely populated and littered with plastic goods, and its camel trails have been replaced by roads for trucks, but the deep structures of the desert and Islam continue to shape badu life.
Malay Mail
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Zu Xi, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Battuta, and Liu Zhi: Forgotten front-runners of the confucian-Islamic dialogue — Osman Bakar and Phar Kim Beng
MAY 18 — As Malaysia prepares to host the ASEAN GCC and China Summit on May 27 2025, it is equally vital to recover the legacy of four historical figures who embody the spirit of such a convergence: Zu Xi, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Battuta, and Liu Zhi. Why ? Though separated by geography and doctrinal traditions, these three polymaths provide a roadmap for today's scholars, policymakers, and religious leaders striving to bridge the Islamic and Confucian worlds in an increasingly fractured global order. Thus, their lives offer compelling evidence that Islam and Confucianism are not civilizational strangers. Rather, they are complementary ethical systems rooted in reason, virtue, and harmony—each committed to shaping a just and knowledgeable society. To examine these thinkers together is not to force equivalences, but to explore synergies. Zu Xi: Order Through Self-Cultivation Zu Xi (1130–1200), the Neo-Confucian sage of the Southern Song dynasty, redefined Confucianism with his concept of li (principle) and qi (vital force), emphasizing that moral self-cultivation is the foundation of social order. Education, to Zu Xi, was not mere knowledge acquisition but the shaping of character and the deepening of ethical discernment. This resonates strongly with Islamic conceptions of adab—the integration of manners, learning, and piety. In Zu Xi's view, social harmony emanates from personal discipline rooted in metaphysical clarity. His insistence on gewu (the investigation of things) and reflective practice finds parallels in Islamic traditions of ijtihad (independent reasoning) and tazkiyah al-nafs (purification of the soul). Both worldviews reject chaos as natural. They insist on an ordered cosmos governed by divine or moral law. Ibn Khaldun: History as a Mirror of Civilizational Ethics Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), the North African polymath, offered a groundbreaking vision of history as the science of society. In his Muqaddimah, Ibn Khaldun theorized that dynasties rise and fall in cycles tied to asabiyyah (social cohesion) and moral decay. Like Zu Xi, he was preoccupied with the ethical foundations of governance and the limits of human power. Where Zu Xi saw order through metaphysical introspection, Ibn Khaldun saw it through empirical observation. Yet both reached similar conclusions: a just society depends on virtuous individuals and rulers. Ibn Khaldun's skepticism of urban decadence echoes Zu Xi's caution against luxury corrupting virtue. Today, in an age of declining trust in leadership across much of the world, these insights are painfully relevant. Malaysia will be chairing ASEAN in 2025 and taking the helm of both the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit and the Confucian-Islamic Dialogue. — Bernama pic Their shared emphasis on the moral dimensions of power aligns with the agenda of the upcoming ASEAN-GCC-China Summit in Malaysia. ASEAN's model of consensus governance, the Gulf's efforts at modernization without losing moral footing, and China's invocation of 'shared future for mankind' all echo fragments of this legacy. Ibn Battuta: Witness to Civilizational Crossroads Ibn Battuta (1304–1369), the legendary Moroccan traveler, was less a philosopher than a witness. His journeys across North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, and China reveal a world where Confucian and Islamic cultures did not merely coexist—they intersected. His vivid accounts of Tang and Yuan China, and the respect he paid to Chinese administrative sophistication, offer a unique early template of civilizational admiration without domination. While the modern international system is structured around rigid sovereignties and zero-sum logics, Ibn Battuta's world was one of porous boundaries and dynamic interactions. He exemplified what we now call 'Track II diplomacy': observing, recording, and transmitting knowledge through lived experience. In our time of travel restrictions, digital walls, and civilizational anxieties, his life reminds us that movement and dialogue are not luxuries—they are necessities for global understanding. Liu Zhi (1670-1724): Knowing the Other Key to Inter-Civilisational Understanding Living in the Qing dynasty Liu Zhi was an exemplar of dialogue scholar-activist with a deep knowledge of China's religions and philosophies. A Muslim by birth he immersed himself throughout his life in the study of Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist, and Christian scriptures apart from the Quran. His mind is an accomplished synthesis of Confucian and Islamic thought conveying a precious message for the contemporary world. Toward a New Civilizational Consensus Bringing Zu Xi, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Battuta, and Liu Zhi into dialogue may seem anachronistic. But as philosopher Daniel Bell reminds us, traditions must be reimagined, not fossilized. These thinkers represent a counter-narrative to the 'clash of civilizations.' They offer a civilizational confluence, grounded in ethical mutuality and intellectual humility. Indeed, their philosophies are now being revived not merely by academics but by governments looking for alternative models to Western universalism. The Confucian-Islamic Dialogue to be hosted by the International Islamic University Malaysia and the International Confucian Association (ICA) on June 16 2025 will not be a mere academic ritual. It is an opportunity to reestablish forgotten lines of empathy between East and West Asia—lines once navigated by ships, camels, and scholars. Why This Dialogue Matters Now With Malaysia chairing ASEAN in 2025 and taking the helm of both the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit and the Confucian-Islamic Dialogue, the moral weight of regional leadership falls on Putrajaya. The challenge is not just geopolitical—it is philosophical. ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must collectively affirm that economic growth and technology transfer alone cannot foster durable peace or resilience. Zu Xi's emphasis on moral education, Ibn Khaldun's concern with ethical leadership, Ibn Battuta's respect for cultural pluralism, and Liu Zhi's commitment to knowing the civilisational other together form a civilizational grammar sorely needed in the 21st century. As the global order fractures under nationalist rhetoric and hegemonic struggles, it is time to listen to the echoes of those who lived before borders were walls and faith was reduced to faction. In remembering these thinkers, we are not just paying homage—we are recovering tools for navigating the uncertain world ahead. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
The National
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Million's Poet: The Abu Dhabi competition with Dh15 million at stake
Registrations are now open for the 12th season of Million's Poet, the long-running Arabic competition and television show to promote nabati or Emirati vernacular poetry. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the competition has nurtured hundreds of talents since its beginning in 2006, many of whom have become leading figures in the region's poetry scene. The competition's success, with about 17 million TV viewership on Abu Dhabi TV, has even spurred the creation of a dedicated magazine and TV channel for re-runs. It even led the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation to establish the UAE's first nabati poetry academy to embrace the revival of the historic art. Besides overnight fame, Million's Poet offers substantial cash prizes to its finalists totalling Dh15 million, with the main winner of the Poetry Banner or Bayraq Al-Shi'r walking home with Dh5 million. The word "nabati" is used to denote the poetry circulating among the population of the Arabian peninsula in general, unlike the poetry written according to the rules of literary Arabic, for which the Quran is the supreme example. Nabati is a vital component of Emirati literary heritage, and dates back to at least the 14th century. It originated among the Bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula and was first referenced by Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun in his 1377 work Al Muqaddimah. The competition is open all male and female poets aged between 18 and 45 years. To be eligible, all poets must submit a classical nabati poem with metered verse and rhyme, consisting of no fewer than 10 lines and no more than 18 lines. Submissions must be typed and no handwritten poems will be accepted. Once the registration period concludes, a jury will review and evaluate the submissions, following which shortlisted poets will be invited for in-person interviews. From there, a total of 48 poets will then be selected for the televised round, which will be filmed at Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi. The deadline for submissions is May 15 and can be done through the official website,
Voice of Belady
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Voice of Belady
History from the Bottom… The Narrative of the Forgotten in the Arab World
In a world where history is written from above—where the victories of sultans and the whims of rulers are recorded in gilded archives—the voices of the oppressed whisper from below, always present yet often ignored. Official history is shaped by hollow speeches, justificatory narratives, and orchestrated celebrations of triumphs that never occurred, while the truth is buried with its witnesses or left as a lonely cry in the dark alleys of forgotten towns and villages. "Between Power and the Word… A Battle for Existence" In the Arab world, history has always belonged to the ruling authority. It is reshaped as needed, and those who challenge it or write what should not be written are crushed. This is an age-old battle between the pen and the sword, between official discourse and counter-narratives, between power and storytelling. The latter is the voice of the poor and marginalized—those who never had a place in the records of the palace, yet whose stories live on in the streets and whispered tales of the neighborhood. Ibn Khaldun was among the first to challenge this paradigm, shifting history from the halls of power to the markets and streets, observing the lives of common people and presenting a vision distinct from the rulers' proclamations. Today, this idea is being revived in various intellectual and literary movements, such as "History from Below" in Britain, "Microhistory" in Italy, and "Subaltern Studies" in India, all of which reposition the periphery as the true center of life and history. "Syria… Where History is Written in Blood" Since the onset of the Syrian tragedy, the regime sought to commit its crimes in silence, without witnesses. However, it faced a generation armed with words and technology, documenting events in real-time. Ordinary citizens—who never studied history or journalism—became the true historians of this era. Amid the machinery of media distortion, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube emerged as an alternative archive, ensuring that the truth could not be buried forever. Yet, despite this documentation, there will always be those who attempt to rewrite the story according to the victors' desires. Executioners will be portrayed as heroes, and the names of grieving mothers and slain children will be erased. This underscores the importance of people writing their own history—free from the grip of power and its fabricated narratives. "The Unspoken Truth in the Arab World" While official history is written in palaces, true history is told in villages—among shepherds and farmers, in dark prison cells, in refugee camp alleys, and on the tongues of those who have no voice. Yet, this history remains hidden, banned from circulation, constantly threatened with erasure. In Egypt, the history of the downtrodden is found in the stories of farmers expelled from their lands and in the silence of slums that surround Cairo like a sorrowful belt no one wants to see. In Iraq, it is the history of the disappeared in prisons and mass graves. In Palestine, it is the history of mothers awaiting their sons—either returning from detention or lost forever. In Lebanon, it is the history of those who survived wars, only to swallow their pain in silence. Meanwhile, salon intellectuals theorize about modernity and democracy, while the people at the bottom die unnoticed, their names unrecorded in any book. "Power Fears the Truth" Mohamed Saad Abdel Latif, an Egyptian writer and researcher specializing in geopolitics.
Barnama
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
- ON THE VALUE OF AN ISLAM-CONFUCIAN DIALOGUE
Opinions on topical issues from thought leaders, columnists and editors. Hence, President Xi Jinping, shortly before his recent visit to Malaysia, said that China stands ready to promote 'Confucian-Islamic Civilisational Dialogue'. China's economic future lies in more trade and exchange with the Global South. But such ties must be underpinned by deeper cultural understandings to be sustainable. Such approaches are no longer viable in a multi-polar world with no one civilisation that serves as the beacon for less-than-civilised others. Here's what we said. Prior to the twenty-first century, inter-civilisational 'dialogue' often took the form of religious or political missionaries from the West engaging with the rest of the world for the purpose of converting them to Western ways. On 15 April 2025, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hosted an international symposium on Confucian-Islamic dialogue in Kuala Lumpur where both of us discussed ways to deepen this dialogue. Hence, inter-civilisational dialogues need to take more respectful forms. They should aim to promote mutual understanding so as to deepen knowledge of similarities and differences and allow for respect of the other. They should also aim for mutual improvement, so that interlocutors learn from each other and generate new insights from the encounter. If the interlocutors draw on thinkers from different times and places, the exchanges can be more productive if they were trying to answer similar questions and if those answers are still relevant today. Hence, we chose to compare the ancient Confucian thinker Xunzi (c. 3rd century BCE), who was writing in the Warring States period before China was unified under the self-proclaimed First Emperor, and the ancient Islamic thinker Ibn Khaldun (c. 14th century CE), who was writing in North Africa in what can be termed the 'Warring Tribes' period. Both thinkers were writing in times of global disorder and chaos and both were preoccupied with the question of how to promote communal solidarity in such times. Today, we also live in times of global disorder and we face a similar question, and we can learn from the answers of both thinkers. Political Realists Xunzi argued for a society built on Confucian foundations and Ibn Khaldun for a society built on Islamic foundations. But both thinkers were political realists in the sense that they recognised the difficulty of realising their ideals in times of chaos and they proposed realistic mechanisms for improvement in less-than-ideal times. Xunzi, perhaps China's greatest political theorist, argued that humans have a tendency to selfishness. But we can improve – in the sense of caring for other people and become committed to social harmony – if we are committed to learning from the ancients with the aid of teachers who can model good behaviour. Most important, the society should aim to establish rituals accompanied by beautiful music that can create bonds of kinship and communal solidarity beyond kinship times. Such bonds can be helpful for victory in war and for motivating the powerful to care for the needy in terms. But Xunzi neglected the importance of an external threat for binding people: think of the case of Canada, where the citizens have become unusually patriotic because they are united against the threat by Donald Trump to turn the country into the 51st state. So, we can turn to the insights of Ibn Khaldun to complement Xunzi's thought. Ibn Khaldun provided what is arguably the first sociological theory of civilisation in his seminal work, the Muqaddimah. Like Xunzi, Ibn Khaldun had a fundamentally sceptical view of human nature. People are driven by material needs, pride and self-interest. Without external constraints, those impulses lead to competition, conflict and, eventually, civilisational decline. To counteract this, Ibn Khaldun introduced the idea of asabiyyah – a form of group solidarity and social cohesion. In tribal societies, asabiyyah is strong because survival depends on collective loyalty and courage. This unity enables the tribe to conquer and establish political authority. Temptations of City Life However, over time, nomadic conquerors succumb to the temptations of city life and that is the beginning of the end. The once brave nomads become soft, fond of luxury, and docile to outsiders, and the dynasty eventually falls to new tribes bound by strong asabiyyah. Today, in times of social disintegration and global chaos, we can agree Ibn Khaldun's strong asabiyyah is necessary to establish communal solidarity and successful political communities. Khaldun's theory may be valid in certain contemporary contexts – if Western invaders of Afghanistan had been familiar with Khaldun's theory, they would have known they were doomed to fail fighting against Taliban warriors bound by strong asabiyyah. Communal Solidarity But we need to recognise that desert hardship and bravery in battle are not the only means to generate a strong sense of communal solidarity. In peaceful times and relatively modern societies, Xunzi's suggestions for generating communal solidarity and social harmony are key: people can be made to feel as one by means of inclusive rituals accompanied by beautiful music, as well as a commitment to learning with great teachers. But Xunzi's suggestions are not sufficient. They need to be accompanied by Ibn Khaldun's idea that social ties can be strengthened by means of struggle against decadent, hedonist and crassly materialistic societies. So, Samuel Huntington's prediction that Islamic and Confucian societies will unite in a 'clash of civilisations' with the West may not be entirely off the mark. Confucians and Muslims who strongly value communitarian ways of life can agree on the need to promote rituals and music that bind people as well as the need to struggle against a hyper-individualist society promoted by US-style capitalism. -- BERNAMA Phar Kim Beng, PhD, is Professor of ASEAN Studies at International Islamic University Malaysia.
