‘It is high time to visualize a future world in which no one single group is let free to dominate the center-stage but all are united as one single family in worship of one God. For such a broad, all embracing vision of Islam to move forward effectively Muslims must come out of their traditional mind-set. Unless we realize that we too, like our ancestors, have been endowed with heads on our shoulders and that the sole function of our head is not just to place a cap or a tarbush on it, we cannot put aside the intellectual garbage that we have so willingly accumulated in the course of our centuries long intellectual journey.’

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‘For centuries we Muslims have been living in a psychological ghetto of our own making. As the Ummah Muslimah we were entrusted with world leadership but we preferred to recast ourselves as Ummah Muhammadiyah, the cult of Mohammed. We were supposed to be a source of mercy and blessings for entire humanity. But the emergence of a cultic thinking amongst us has made it very difficult for us to look beyond our noses. The Qur’anic basis of a global agenda, the kalimatun siwaen demands from us that we shed the isolationist mind-set. Each and every effort to create a better world deserve our attention. They are very much part of our agenda and deserve our pro-active participation.’

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‘Today the emergence of Islam has become synonymous with the cultural and political invasion of the Muslim people. This picture of Islam must be replaced by the true message of God that nullifies all sorts of invasion, be it cultural, religious, political or otherwise. Creating a situation where all sorts of people, despite their diversity of colour, race or language can sing together in unison the glory of one Lord, is the summum bonum that Islam stands for. The stage is set for such a universal Islam to emerge on the scene.’

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‘Never before in human history mankind has been so willing to give the planet a new direction and so restless to topple the world system, and for that matter to move in unison, hand in hands with other fellow human beings, irrespective of his/ her colour and creed. There are millions of attentive ears desperately waiting for a word of solace and for an invitation to a concerted, joint, global action – the كلمة سواء, as the Qur’an puts it. But where are those who claim to uphold the common plan for global action, the upholders of the Last Revelation?’

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Some quotes from Rashid Shaz’ reformative writings in Islam: Negotiating the Future