THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994                    TAG: 9406270119 
SECTION: LOCAL                     PAGE: B11    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940626                                 LENGTH: NORFOLK 

SPEAKER DRAWS LINK BETWEEN ISLAMIC TRADITION, U.S. LIFESTYLES

Congress gets blamed for its snail's-pace legislative process, where lawmakers bicker, compromise and add their own special requests to bills.

{REST} But those staples of American democracy epitomize a guiding principle of the Koran, the holy book of Islam, according to Azizah Y. Al-Hibri, a University of Richmond law professor. That principle is ``shura,'' which means ``very thorough consultation.''

``The U.S. system is full of shura, even though it was not guided by the Koran,'' Al-Hibri said. ``No one in this country makes a unilateral decision without asking others. It is very American. It is very Islam.''

The Islamic tradition values consultation, in part because it puts leaders in touch with the people they serve. Authoritarian leadership contradicts the teaching of the Koran, she said.

``Some people would like a president who makes decisions faster. I don't know if that is advisable,'' Al-Hibri said in an interview. ``If Clinton feels he needs the advice of others, there is no reason he should not get it.''

Al-Hibri spoke Saturday to an audience of about 250 as part of a three-day Islamic conference at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Muslims - who greet one another as ``brother'' and ``sister'' - have come from all across the nation to join the gathering.

Islam is one of the fastest growing faiths in the world. About 40 percent of the estimated 6 million Muslims in the United States are African-American, according to the Washington-based American Muslim Council.

Al-Hibri, associate professor at the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law, said American culture provides an opportunity to practice Islam in its ``pristine form,'' and return to core principles.

For instance, giving women a leadership role in the Muslim community is an important, but often ignored, part of a vigorous Islamic tradition, she said.

The Koran, which Muslims believe is the word of God revealed through the prophet Muhammad, allows women to lead, she said. In fact, Muhammad's first wife, Khadijah, was a successful trader, and he once worked in her business, Al-Hibri said. Muhammad's second wife was a political leader. But their stories are often ignored or misinterpreted, Al-Hibri said.

Modern Islamic culture strongly favors men. Al-Hibri says that the Koran, which is written in Arabic, has been translated to fit into a patriarchal tradition. In many Muslim countries, women are not educated, and they are not allowed to be the ``imam,'' or spiritual leader, of the community, she said.

But in American society, women are educated and encouraged to become leaders in professional life. Al-Hibri says Muslim women in America must direct their curiosity toward their spiritual lives: They should study the Koran and women's history in Islam. That will prepare them to become religious leaders, she said. ``We need to discover what strong women they were,'' she said. ``They are excellent role models for today, but we know very little about them.'' by CNB