Islam & Europe - Peace, Identity & Integration — Page 68
68 ISLAM & EUROPE: PEACE, IDENTITY & INTEGRATION to this contention, it is important to define what exactly is meant by civilisation ? In this regard, I present the definition given by the Second Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which I fully concur with. 1 According to the definition, civilisation is the material progress and development of a society. Factors that indicate the strength of a civilisation include its economic progress, the level of technological innovation, the advancement of the means of travel, communication and the intellectual progress of the society. For example, modern forms of communication and transportation are one marker of the level of civilisation, as are its financial system, its economy, its law and order, its trade and industry, the standards of its scientific and academic research and its overall educational standards. Furthermore, the efforts of a nation to foster peace and stability, whether by virtue of its law enforcement and military proficiency or by other means is also a measure of its civilisation. Separate and distinct from civilisation is a nation’s culture. Culture is a manifestation of the views of a people, their attitudes towards social issues and their practices and instead of being based on material progress, culture is rooted in morality and the religious values and traditions of a nation. Thus, civilisation is the material, technological and intellectual development of a society, whereas its culture is based on the religious, moral and philosophical make-up of that society. The difference between civilisation and culture can be easily understood if we look back to the early period of Christianity. At that time, the Roman Empire was at the peak of its powers