U.S. Muslim scholar offers a way to move beyond current conflicts

Sherman Jackson, professor of Near Eastern studies at the University of Michigan, delivers the baccalaureate address May 30 in Barton Hall. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

By Linda Myers

The gulf between Muslims and non-Muslims has widened considerably since the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001, and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed. In his baccalaureate address May 30 in Barton Hall, Sherman Jackson, a professor of Near Eastern studies at the University of Michigan, offered a way to bridge the chasm.

A black American of the Muslim faith, the speaker was introduced by President Jeffrey Lehman, who knew Jackson at Michigan and cited his book-in-progress, Islam and the Black America: The Third Resurrection, as well as his 2002 book, On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam (Oxford).

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson warned, "'We are confronted by the fierce urgency of now.'" He then rejected what he called a "false universal -- that only those who share our specific vision of truth and democracy have any right to lay claim to these principles." But he also spoke of the threat of those who "are gripped by a feeling of powerless" and are "angry and self-righteous enough to destroy the world."

The solution? All parties will need to listen as well as speak, Jackson said. "If the Muslim world is too self-absorbed" to hear news that doesn't serve its interests or assuage its fears, "they can't expect the rest of the world to take an interest in what they have to say." But at the same time, "if America is unwilling to listen [even] to the voice of its own citizens -- if we're not true to pluralism and other democratic values -- the rest of the world won't have any reason to listen to us. This is the impasse we've come to in our world today," he said.

But while we are "hopelessly mired in our different histories, different social and political realities, no group has a monopoly on the truth," Jackson stated. However, he asserted that he was not calling for relativism. In the current climate, all parties have a right to state that, "'absolute truth exists, and I know what it is. But I also know that I may not be able to convince you of what it is,'" he said. That knowledge "enables us to co-exist in a single space with our different understandings of the truth."

Calling such knowledge "hopeful," Jackson asserted: "Ultimately all of us want very similar things out of this life. We are, in truth, involved in a common experience that will enable us to see the humanity in each other. We must recognize that human beings are evolutionary -- not revolutionary -- by nature. None of us are the persons we were 10 years ago." Our task as human beings is to "mutually enjoin one another in truth and patience."

Quoting a Muslim philosopher, Jackson said, "We must resist thinking we are right, and others wrong." He then added his own warning: "If we are not patient enough, steadfast enough, we will try to impose our understanding of the truth on one another. Our challenge is to corral and control those emotions that would push us to extremism."

Noting that he expected to be peppered with questions about U.S. Middle East policy when he traveled to Cairo, Egypt, this week, he summarized the view that he hoped would move all groups in conflict -- Muslims and non-Muslims as well as U.S. and Middle East Muslims -- beyond the impasse: "I believe that I am right, with the possibility that I am wrong; and I believe my opponents are wrong, with the possibility that they are right." Under such a philosophy, he said, "the one choice is to continue to dialog and discourse."

Also as part of the baccalaureate service in Barton were a reading from the Qur'an by Shawkat Toorawa, Cornell assistant professor of Near Eastern studies, and prayers by the Rev. Kenneth Clarke, director of Cornell United Religious Work, which administers the service; the Rev. Donna Fannon, chaplain, Cornell Catholic Community; and Rabbi Edward Rosenthal, executive director, Yudowitz Center for Jewish Campus Life. Musical performances were by the Cornell Chimes, Cornell Wind Ensemble and members of the Cornell Chorus and Glee Club. The traditional Commencement weekend service honors graduating students selected by their schools and colleges for their commitment to service, citizenship and excellence in scholarship.