A trend to reinterpret Islam
By Mubarak Ali
SCHOLARS have coined different terms to interpret Islam in view of the present political, social and economic condition of the Islamic world. Some of these terms are used to explain the existing situation. Here I shall try to explain these terms in their historical context.
One of the terms which is widely used is political Islam. Generally it refers to religion used for political motives. This is not a modern phenomenon. Religions were used by political authorities to legitimise their power in the past in most of the great civilisations.
Muslim rulers exploited it to further their own interests since ulema or religious scholars were also office-holders of the state and in this capacity they were ready to legalise all orders and commands of the ruler on the basis of religious teachings. There are a number of examples to show that whenever rulers needed a religious injunction (fatwa), it was immediately issued by the mufti and qazi according to their wishes.
When Akbar wanted to legalise his more than four authorised marriages, it was done by the Maliki qazi on the basis of Maliki jurisprudence. Interestingly, Akbar immediately dismissed the qazi after obtaining sanction for his marriages lest others took advantage of it. Thus there are a number of religious injunctions which approved usurpation, royal expenditure, killing of rebels and opponents, and declaration of war either against Muslims or non-Muslims. It is evident that throughout history whenever politics and religion were integrated those who wielded political authority used it in their favour.
In the modern period, we have witnessed the late President Ziaul Haq making use of the religious authorities to strengthen his dictatorship in Pakistan by violating democratic norms and justifying his brutal actions against his opponents.
The same pattern was followed by generals H.M. Ershad of Bangladesh and Jaafar Numeiri of Sudan to implement Sharia to get the support and sympathy of the people. In Saudi Arabia and Iran, Islam is used by the monarchy and religious oligarchy by interpreting it from their particular political points of view. Under such circumstances the people are helpless and do not react for fear of flouting religious injunctions.
In a democratic process religious parties also use religious slogans to exploit the sentiments of the people in order to win elections. Their assumption is that society can be reformed only after capturing state power. Therefore they interpret Islam as a complete political system which has no contradictions with democratic institutions and values.
Although there are some Islamic groups which reject this point of view and attempt to revive or reconstruct a political system based on orthodox Islamic teachings, which in their view is the only solution to the ills of the Muslim world, in order to pull themselves out of the state of decline and backwardness they find themselves in.
As far as the term militant Islam is concerned, it is a product of colonialism. When in the 19th and 20th centuries European powers defeated the Muslim ruling classes and occupied their countries, the defeated rulers were not in a position to fight or to struggle against the occupation forces. Either they submitted to the colonial powers or just vanished from the political scene. Under these circumstances religious groups emerged to challenge the foreign powers and resist them.
These religious movements assumed the messianic form in a bid to bring Muslims into their fold and inspired them to fight for freedom and for the glory of Islam. In Algeria, Abdul Qadir claimed to be Imam and fought against the French to liberate his country. Mahdi in Sudan proclaimed himself the Guided One and announced war against the Christians. He defeated General Gordon in the battle of Khartoum (1881) and shocked the British imperialists who considered defeat unthinkable.
In Libya Mohammad Ali Sannusi (1787-1859) fought against the colonialists and laid the foundation of resistance. In India Sayyid Ahmad declared holy war against the Sikhs and established an Islamic state in the NWFP.
However, these militant and messianic movements did not succeed in their goals. Although they had the spirit to fight and die for a cause they lacked modern knowledge to confront their enemies. As they were the early fighters of holy war they became models for the modern religious movements to follow. They became a great source of inspiration for them. Their heroism and martyrdom are greatly admired by religiously motivated young people.
The modern militant Islam is in one sense the continuation of the past. It is also a response to foreign occupation. Religion provides a tool to fight against the occupation forces. But they have the same problem their predecessors had: they lack modern knowledge to confront their adversaries. They rely on the West for technological know-how and are not in a position to create knowledge themselves and to use it for their own benefit. As consumers and customers, it is difficult for them to overpower their opponents either in the battlefield or in a conflict of ideas.
To counter political and militant Islam an attempt is made to preach and promote liberal Islam which includes most modern values and traditions. Some Muslim states support this version of Islam to counter a militant and political Islam which is a threat to their authority. Sometimes western countries encourage ulema to propagate and preach liberal Islam in order to eliminate the threat of religious fundamentalism.
In both cases the attempt has failed because liberal Islam cannot develop and be popular in isolation. It requires political stability, economic prosperity and social justice. As nearly all Muslim countries are under the grip of dictators along with social inequality and economic exploitation, liberal Islam cannot have any appeal for common people.
In the West and the US some scholars are reinterpreting Islam from a liberal point of view. As they write in European languages their readers are either intellectuals or western-educated Muslims. Their point of view remains confined to a limited circle. On the other hand the traditional ulema who write in Arabic, Persian or Urdu have a wider circle of readership which is influenced by their ideas. Their version is more appealing to the public.
DAWN - Editorial; March 19, 2008