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Da’wah
The Oxford English Dictionary gives no definition of Da’wah.
Da’awah (Arabic: call or invitation) in the religious context means to invite non-Muslims to Islam, or to invite lax Muslims to become more observant. It can refer to a formal outreach effort, or to informal methods.
Term Variants: da'awah, dawa, dawah
How this term should be used
The concept of da’wah should be treated as an ordinary religious activity that is part of many faiths who call people to their belief system. The concept of da’wah must not be taken from those with a clear anti-Muslim agenda many of whom claim that da’wah is being used to “take over”. This is a far right conspiracy theory and bears no relation to the true meaning of da’wah.
Example
Article: Dawa: the Islamist mind poison that turns lost souls into ‘lone wolves’
Publication: The Sunday Times
Date: 26 March 2017
The most infamous example of the presentation of da’wah or dawa in the British media is the column by neo-conservative thinker Niall Ferguson who described it as “Islamist mind poison.” The jist of Ferguson’s argument taken predominantly from anti-Muslim think tanks and his wife’s (Ayaan Hirsi Ali) research which claims that Da’wah is part of a “civilizational Jihad” which seeks to ultimately destroy the West. Hirsi Ali’s research was based on discredited conspiracy theories as documented by academics from Georgetown University who found that anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists in the U.S. had been active in spreading the theory about a stealth jihad to take over America. [1]
According to the Quranic view, the Prophets of Islam are the original conveyors of Allah’s da’wah and were tasked with guiding their people “on the monotheistic path to salvation.” [2] In more recent times, the concept of da’wah, “has become the foundation for social, economic, political, and cultural activities as well as domestic and foreign policy strategies” [3] with some states such as Saudi Arabia and Libya considering it a “state responsibility.” [4]
Different Muslims will take different approaches to how to encourage others to join their faith or become more observant: from the more formal or evangelical individuals, to those who believe that the best way to invite others to the faith, is through their behaviour and actions.
