36

STRAIGHT TALK

Through the eyes of

By Hussein Jiva
Visram amongst others, to the shores of Eastern Africa.
I began exploring the idea of producing a fully-fledged
documentary to capture the narrative, thus, producing
a film on that.

He is an accomplished educator, historian,

author, leader and scientist in the field of nutrition. The highly educated gentleman who
is a humble, relatable and character friendly
was recently in the country to launch his
documentary, The Khojas: The Journey of
Faith. After his visit, we caught up with the
erudite individual, an author of 26 books, on
matters pertaining to the documentary, his
collection of medicinal books as well as faith
agenda. And not shying away from controversy, Dr Walji takes matters by the scruffs as
he addresses several issues with authority.
Over to the revered scholar:

You were born in Tanzania - how was life growing up?

The most inspiring thing back then was waking up each
morning and gazing at the splendor that is the snowcapped Mt Kilimanjaro. Growing up in Moshi, life was
simple, unrushed and above all, felt so reassuring. Today, almost 60 years on, those friendships stay on. However, some people have also migrated across the world.
A preview of your CV reveals in 1976, you were appointed the Secretary General of the World Federation, being
viewed as the protg to the late Mulla Asgharali Jaffer. What qualities do you feel you inherited from him or
share with him?
As a renowned leader, the late Mulla Asghar had two exceptional qualities; passion to serve humanity and never
being afraid to think out of the box. The second quality
of not always accepting the status quo did not endear
him with many, as he moved them out of their comfort
zones. This is what made him so interesting to work with
and made me realise one must always strive to be
innovative in addressing challenges of the day.
Dr Walji, notable impressions you have left thus far
among many others are the Mulla Asghar Memorial
Library and Resource Centre and the Institute of Islamic
MAR / 13 - 19 / 2015

On that note, tell us more about the documentary, The

Khojas: The Journey of Faith.
It is a two-hour documentary that I was able to direct
and produce, as I attempted to highlight the evolution
of the Khoja community over the past 650 years that,
along with the emergence of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri
community during the last 150 years. In common with
the many Indian migrants, this documentary portrays
how a small community of such migrants to Africa with
meager means scattered in different locations all over
eastern Africa were able to organise themselves as
structured communities. By the pooling of energies and
resources, they have been able to prosper to the place
they are today.
We have had premieres in USA, Canada, India, Pakistan
and East Africa. I must acknowledge that the screening in
Nairobi was extremely inspiring and humbling. Amongst
the mixed audience were civic, religious and business
leaders representing a cross-section of the Nairobi society. I heard many a comment praising its inclusivity as
well as mirroring the path of other communities too.

Learning in the Metropolix in Toronto and Dallas respectively. How important is it to preserve history, faith and
culture?
History, culture and faith values make us what we are as
individuals as much as the societies we belong to. It gives
us a sense of belonging. It is all the more important, as
the world has become a global village, to retain our cultural identities. I would rather see the world as a salad
bowl than a melting pot. Each culture has something
different to offer, just as a salad bowl presents a variety
of nutritious foods, each with a unique taste, colour and
quality. A great example is the East African Asian community. We are a unique blend of ethnicities and faiths,
and have lived together peacefully for over a centuryand-a-half, yet retained our individual identities.
Getting straight into it; having various scholarly certifications, how did you make the switch from a nutritionist to
a producer?
Actually, my track began as a writer and a journalist; this
brought me to the field of complementary medicine and
nutrition. As an educator in the field of nutrition, I realised the power of a visual medium, thus began producing short videos. I was always fascinated by the accounts
of the migration of our elders form India, such as Alidina

Those are heart-warming comments, music to every producers ears

They were very encouraging. It provides me with the
optimism to embark on the second documentary that
chronicles the journey and development of the Asian
community of East Africa in close collaboration with the
Asian African Heritage Trust (AAHT).
And we wish you well on that. Dr Walji, what was
amongst the most memorable moments you experienced as you filmed this production?
Having shot the film in to diverse locations across four
continents, I must acknowledge the incredible warmth
I received. Elders were so forthcoming and excited that
their story was being told. At the same time, the impact
on the young ones who watched this narrative has been
phenomenal. To answer your question, I recall a touching comment where a young man said, As I watched you
saunter towards me barefoot on the beach while speaking to me in your signature relaxed, yet thoughtful tone,
the profound nature of your film began to sink in. As I
watched the damp sand erupt out of the gap between
your first and second toes, I began to understand who
we were and truly appreciate how we got to where we
are. More importantly I began to understand who I am.
I felt a profound connection with my forefathers and
the need to continue their legacy going forward. I feel
blessed to have been able to bridge that gap between
generations.
Dr Walji, your work goes beyond just the documentary.
You have authored 26 books on naturopathic medicine

STRAIGHT TALK

which have been translated into various languages. How

has the evolving landscape of science affected this field?
The science of naturopathic medicine has evolved in a
manner that has taken us back to the basics. More and
more, research seems to reaffirm classical remedies
used by our ancestors had much wisdom and greater efficacy. The evolving landscape today suggests that healing needs to be systemic and not just related to repairing
specific and malfunctioning parts of the body. As we acknowledge the role of modern technology-based medicine for emergencies, there is a need for all aspects to
unite under the integrative medicine where allopathic
and naturopathic physicians can come together to create
protocols for wellbeing as opposed to treating diseases.
We need to learn from ancient China where the village
doctors where payment would only result if patients
were successfully treated and not necessarily when they
are still ill!
That would be revolutionary! One of your passions is to
increase interfaith understanding. Is religious tolerance
the root to many conflicts?
Indeed the conflicts are largely result of each faith group
or sect trying to prove that my truth is better than
yours. While we continue to believe in our own theologies, we should all come together through the common
values of compassion, the joys of giving and an aspiration to mercy. The ideology being preached is to move
beyond religious tolerance to a greater understanding
and ultimately celebrate the common humanity we
have. That is what truly excites me in interfaith work. My
inspiration comes from the great mystic, Rumi, who said,
Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there
is a field. Ill meet you there. When the soul lies down in
that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesnt make sense
anymore.
And then comes the sad reality, anti-religious demonstrations. What do you make of the anti-Islamisation
protests in some countries across Europe?
The public reaction to inhuman acts, done in the name of
Islam, is understandable. And violence in any shape and
form must be condemned without ifs and buts. What
is however concerning is the double standards adopted
by the Western media when it selectively picks incidents
of atrocities in the West, ignoring the loss of lives in places like Nigeria or Pakistan. What needs to pervade is that
this not about Islam per se but terrorism using the name
of Islam. While Muslim leaders in the West do their best
to enhance this understanding, Western media thwarts
our efforts by framing it in provocative language such as
Islamic terrorism or Muslim terrorist. In my opinion,
these terms are oxymorons.
As you mentioned, terrorism is assuming the facade of
Islam. What is your take on this relationship?
The so called ISIS or Al Qaeda love to portray that ugly
face and that false relationship - but that is certainly
not the face of overwhelming majority of 1.57billion
Muslims on this planet. This fact seems to escape many
non-Muslims and the notion is deliberately camouflaged
by the world media. One way to solve this matter is to
actively engage in serving and engaging with humanity
at large and demonstrating about what a civilising force
Islam truly is.
But that is but one complexity of the faith. What seems
to be amongst the biggest of difficulties we face in the
Muslim world?
I will go out on a limb for stating this, but the greatest
challenge is the lack of critical thinking on the part of
Muslims. This is a result of a systemic culture of dependency that prevails in Muslim societies where we seem
to have largely outsourced our thinking faculties to those
who mount the pulpits claiming to be Islamic scholars.

What is
however
concerning is the
double standards
adopted by
the Western
media when
it selectively
picks incidents
of atrocities
in the West,
ignoring the loss
of lives in places
like Nigeria or
Pakistan.

37

duct our rituals, but then we all pray to the same God. If
we learn to respect each other and allow the judgment
be left to God, we can truly coexist. The Poet-Philosopher of the East, Muhammad Iqbal, beautifully sums up
what millions and millions of pious Muslims have felt
over the centuries and still feel about the Prophet: Love
of the Prophet runs like blood in the veins of his community. That love has the potential of uniting the Muslim
Community. Let this love be the uniting factor.
Finally, February 23 was World Peace and Understanding
Day. Are we doing enough as a society to be worthy of
observing it?
Yes, this year marked the 110th anniversary. Although
every day should be a day of peace, marking this event is
a wonderful reminder of our duties towards each other.
Ironically, globalisation and the information revolution is
thought to be bringing the world closer together, with
compassion, tolerance and
peace sadly remaining elusive. Mother
Teresa
once
said it so succinctly,
If we have
no peace, it is because we
have forgotten
that we
belong to each
other.
So, peace does
not rest
in
observing the
peace
day
but
should manifest
itself in the
hearts
and
minds
of
all
of us who
share this
planet.

We are dragged into the practice of those

who preach the gospel of my truth is better
than yours. This is the core issue that has
befallen our societies, where anyone who
thinks differently to what I have been led
to believe is Islam, is on a wrong path to
be consigned to hell. In some cases, it could
even culminate to death, totally forgetting
how merciful and just Allah (SWT) is.
While on that topic and eager to further pick
your brain; what do you make of the fiasco
with French magazine, Charlie Hebdos satirical cartoons on Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Being a journalist, what do you think of freedom
of speech versus Islamic rights being violated?
The killing of another human being is unequivocally
condemned and nothing can justify the act of violence
perpetrated on the staff of Charlie Hebdo. Having
said that, freedom of speech also has its limitations,
just as walking through the street in the nude does.
There are societal norms and sensitivities for maintaining harmony in civil society. More so when we
deal with revered figures like the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or Jesus. As Muslims, we have an absolute right to protest and show our displeasure without reverting to violence. At the same time, we
too must not have double standards either when
other revered religious figures are being similarly
portrayed, we must not remain silent as we tend
to do.
Well said. Looking inwards, there are many an internal conflict between various sects of Islam. How can
this be resolved?
Yes, there are sectarian differences as to how we conMAR / 13 - 19 / 2015