Tareq Al-Suwaidan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tareq Mohammad Al-Suwaidan (born November 23, 1953 in Kuwait) is an eminent and influential Kuwaiti intellectual, entrepreneur, Islamic scholar and reformer. He is the CEO and owner of Gulf Innovation Group in Kuwait and the general manager of Al-Resalah Satellite TV channel owned by Saudi billionaire prince HRH Alwaleed bin Talal. He is also the chairman of the AWARE (Advocates for Western-Arab Relations & Exchange) center in Kuwait. Al-Suwaidan was trained in the classical Islamic sciences in his youth and spent many years of his life living and studying in the United States, having received a B.S. in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa. He is well known in the Middle East and in Muslim communities throughout the world for his management/strategic planning training, motivational speaking and television shows and appearances.

Tareq Al-Suwaidan

1 Media & Management
2 Ideologies
3 Educational Initiatives
4 Books and Audio Productions
5 Women's Rights
6 Criticism
7 References
8 External links
9 See also

[edit] Media & Management

Al-Suwaidan is perhaps best-known as a popular and charismatic TV personality, with TV shows ranking among the highest in ratings on Middle East satellite TV channels such as MBC, Abu Dhabi TV, Orbit, Dream, Iqra and his own Al-Resalah TV. An estimated 10 million viewers tune in daily to his show on MBC annually in Ramadan. He has also been featured and interviewed on major networks like CNN, BBC, CBS and others. He is an outspoken critic of Islamic extremism and is considered a major voice of moderate Islam. He is unique in that along with his training in the classical Islamic sciences, he is well-versed in Western affairs and culture. This unique standpoint along with his progressive views on the the practice of Islam in modern times has created a wide following and acceptance of his positions in Muslim societies across the world.

Al-Suwaidan speaking to over 14,000 attendees at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference, Toronto 2006.

Al-Suwaidan is also considered a notable management, leadership and strategic planning guru in the Middle East and is frequently consulted by regional governmental and prominent private sector organizations through his firm Gulf Innovation Consultancy and Training, one of his group of companies in the Gulf Innovation Group.

[edit] Ideologies

Al-Suwaidan is also known as one of the leaders and ideologues of the Islamic Reform Society in Kuwait, particularly one who stands out for his liberal views. His thought is closest to that of Islamic modernists Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida. He holds pro-ijtihad, pro-women in Islam and pro-democratic viewpoints.

Al-Suwaidan's thought and ideology can best be described as a post-Muslim Brotherhood approach to dialogue and reform, as he affirms the founder's (Hassan al-Banna) vision and the original spirit of the movement, but is fiercely opposed to what he sees as later negative developments in the thought of the movement. He has repeatedly voiced strong opposition to Qutbism (in reference to Sayyid Qutb) "clash mentality" in which the world is divided into Muslim and Infidel, East and West, darkness and light that will inevitably clash. Recognizing the potential for such a mentality to inspire youth towards terrorism, he has actively sought to purge the movement of such clash paradigms and outmoded ideological outlooks. He seeks instead to focus on dialogue(s) of thought and civilization. His methods have included shifting the attention away from martyrdom and dying for a cause to leadership and living for a cause. These shifts are quite clear in his talks and lectures and the following examples are cited:

"They (terrorists/extremists) teach the youth how to die for the sake of Allah.. go to heaven..But they do not teach them how to live for the sake of Allah. The terrorists teach them how to die. Islam never sought that. Islam first teaches you how to live. This is where true peace is found."^[1]

Speaking about his oppositional views on the mentality of suicide bombers and terrorists:

"I dont want to die now. He (God) did not create me to die. He created me to live and live and live.. to build and share and change myself, my family, change humans, serve my community, build civilization and so give my life to Allah..."^[2]

His thought is clearly manifest in the curriculum used at the Al-Ruwad leadership training center, a pioneering NGO in Kuwait where a group of his own handpicked students (based on academic performance, IQ/personality tests and leadership abilities) are trained to lead Islamic reform in their respective fields, ranging from economics/finance and politics/media to Islamic studies and philosophy.

His worldview and methods are also disseminated through his popular lectures and frequent TV programs and appearances. In a special report on Al-Suwaidan's al-ResalahTV, he is quoted by the Christian Science Monitor as defining the goals of the new, modern yet Islamic channel as being "in clash with terrorist ideas… We are going head to head" and "In our understanding, Islamic media is any clean media... So any program that is clean and has a message to improve a human being - improve them religiously, ethically, socially; push them towards being productive and effective, having ambitions." ^[3] This holistic approach to Islam in the postmodern world, in which contributing to "Islam" is best exemplified in one's unique contribution to civilizations (East and West), has had a profound effect through transforming the Islamic outlook of Al-Suwaidan's young Muslim audiences.

Al-Suwaidan signing autographs at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference, Toronto 2005.

[edit] Educational Initiatives

Among educational circles, Al-Suwaidan is known for founding an American school (the American Creativity Academy) in Kuwait, a private institution which upholds Islamic values and a creative approach to learning, the first of its kind among elite private institutions in the Middle East. By its second year, many of the children of the Arab elite in the country were enrolled and private schools in other Arab countries began emulating the model.

[edit] Books and Audio Productions

Dr. Al-Suwaidan is the author of several best-selling books and spoken word audio tape albums. His album, ‘Qasas al Anbiyaa’ (Lives of the Prophets) is the highest selling Islamic album in the world with well over 2 million copies sold. Additionally, over 1.2 million listeners have downloaded his lectures on the popular Islamic broadcast website "Islamway".

[edit] Women's Rights

Section to be updated, See link to full transcript of Doha Debates below.

Al-Suwaidan is popular among Arab and Muslim feminists and women's rights activists for his affirmation on the right of women, with regards to Sharia (Islamic Divine Law), to vote and to hold the highest of political positions.

Al-Suwaidan arguing pro-women's rights in the Middle East on Tim Sebastian's Doha Debates.

[edit] Criticism

Due to Al-Suwaidan's rejection of Islamic extremist and fundamentalist ideologies, as well as his clear adoption and propagation of modernist Islamist agendas, he tends to draw criticism from both ultra-conservative Muslim and anti-Islamist Western pundits, while the mass majority of moderate Muslims and Western audiences tend to agree with or adopt his views as a "middle way" and deterrent to a clash of civilizations paradigm.

Western critics of Al-Suwaidan often cite statements he made at a student-run Islamic Conference in Toronto in 2003, that they consider highly critical of the United States and the West:

"It (the West) will continue to grow until an outside force hits it and you will be surprised at how quickly it falls... It is the duty of local Muslims to help cure America's inner decay... We do not want them to collapse. Wish they would wake up, fix their mistakes, fix their structure, fix their justice system - so justice is not just for the white, rich male...."

Also, he explained that corruption, defined as "no ethics, no family structure, injustice, materialistic world", was one of the two causes of civilizational collapse and that "If this was true, then America should collapse," he said. "The second thing that must happen for a civilization to collapse is an attack from the outside." ^[4]

This quote, which has been taken out of context by Western critics of Islamic extremism, in fact demonstrates Al-Suwaidan's Islamic Modernist view of history. This view was first proposed at the fall of the Islamic caliphate, when Muslim thinkers such as Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad 'Abduh, Rashid Rida and Hassan al-Banna first asked the question: "What went wrong?" or "Why did Islamic civilization fall?" The common answer, inherited by generations of Muslim reformers was "because we have failed morally" or in other words, "because of our 'inner decay.'" Al-Suwaidan's views on the philosophy of history are a natural outgrowth of this tradition. He therefore uses the same critique of his own civilization to analyze the direction of other civilizations. Hence, he not only explains the fall of a civilization (effect) by its moral decay (cause) but also sees moral decay (the cause) as leading to an unfortunate downfall (the necessary effect.) In simple terms: any civilization that begins to decay internally (morally) will very likely fall externally (civilizationally.)

Al-Suwaidan's supporters make the following argument in his defense:

Does explaining one's views on history mean actually wishing that history go in such a direction? Does saying that moral decay will lead to the fall of a civilization mean one is promoting moral decay and hence, a downfall? Absolutely not, and certainly not from a Muslim reformer who is well-known for advocating a moral society. Therefore, they argue, it is counterintuitive to claim Al-Suwaidan's comments were meant to "destroy the West" (referring to the horrendous 9/11 attacks), as this would imply the irrational notion that Al-Suwaidan similarly enjoyed the moral decay and downfall of his own civilization. Al-Suwaidan, in fact made such a statement in order to prevent the West from the fate that has befallen his own civilization, as evidenced by his stating "...We do not want them (the West) to collapse.."^[5]. He wants morality for the West, they claim, because of his admiration of it and his respect for its freedoms and just civil systems as shown obviously in other statements of his such as:

"...Take two countries, one a Muslim (country) and the other a Western country. If the rule of the Muslim country is unjust, that country shall not survive. If a non-Muslim country is just, even if it is unbelieving in Islam, it shall continue. Countries continue not because they are Muslims but because they are just."^[6]

and,

"Congratulations to (the) Muslims of Canada for this great gathering. Such a gathering that you have here and the kind of speeches and freedom that you have is not found almost anywhere in the Muslim world."^[7]

Al-Suwaidan's supporters also substantiate their positive view of Al-Suwaidan's comments by listing his very pro-American attitude that has led Islamic extremists (the ones Western critics try to associate him with) to be harshly critical of him. Examples of his pro-American attitude quoted by them include: founding the American Creativity Academy, using and teaching American management styles in his popular management seminars, making use of American media approaches in the production of his own satellite channel al-ResalahTV, and constantly referencing the West as "the perfect example of what we should be" and "an Islam without Muslims."

Examples of Islamic extremists' criticisms have included: a book written by an ultra-conservative radical Saudi cleric entitled "al-Idah wa-l-Bayan fi Akhta' Tariq al-Suwaydan" (Clarifications of the Mistakes of Tariq al-Suwaydan), a book in which he is criticized for his pro-reason, pro-free thought and anti-Wahabism approach.

[edit] References

^ December 24, 2005, National Trade Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference 4: 'Islamic Civilization'
^ December 24, 2005, National Trade Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference 4: 'Islamic Civilization'
^ The Christian Science Monitor, May 2, 2006: The new Muslim TV: media-savvy, modern, and moderate: Ursula Lindsey
^ Toronto Star January 6, 2003 Monday Ontario Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A08 HEADLINE: Help cure West's ills, Muslims told BYLINE: Catherine Porter, Toronto Star
^ Toronto Star January 6, 2003 Monday Ontario Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A08 HEADLINE: Help cure West's ills, Muslims told BYLINE: Catherine Porter, Toronto Star
^ December 25, 2004, Skydome, Toronto, Ontario: Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference 3: 'Exile and Conquest: Interpreting the Hijra of the Blessed Messenger'
^ December 25, 2005, National Trade Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference 4: 'Islamic Civilization: Freedom and Democracy'