The Dichotomy Throughout Islamic history, upstart empires had based their right to rule on Islam itself. Even in empires whose actions can probably be judged to be against Islamic law, the primacy of Islam itself as a unifying force was always a given. In the twentieth century, however, newly-independent Muslim states generally did not look back at a glorious Islamic past and try to recreate it. Instead they almost always had a secular and nationalist outlook. These concepts were entirely foreign to the Muslim world for its first 1,200 years. But with European imperialism, these ideas were implanted into the minds of the upper classes of Muslim societies, which ended up leading post-independence governments. The European formula of Enlightenment and subsequent neglect of traditional religion and government was thus adopted on some level in almost every Muslim country. The Muslim world has yet to fully reconcile its Islamic-oriented past with its secular-dominated present. There exits today traditionalists who demand that the Muslim world return to those lost days when Islam and politics were intertwined. The extreme among them forcefully advocate a return to Islamic rule. Others take a more moderate approach, believing that education, action within existing political frameworks, and community service can precipitate to the return of political Islam. On the other end of the spectrum are those who argue that the days of Islam playing a role in political life are over. They advocate a break from tradition in favour of new ideas, mostly originating in the West, about government, society and politics. Muslim society remains split over the role of Islam today. This dichotomy exists through the Muslim world. How it is solved will dictate its direction in the coming decades and centuries. Whether Islam once again plays a major role, whether nationalism and secularism will be the new driving ideologies, or whether a balance between the two sides will be found that appeals to all, remains to be determined. Those who answer these pertinent questions will dictate a new era for the Muslim world; one that surely cannot be detached from the 1,400 years of Islamic history that came before it. Compiled From: Lost Islamic History – Firas Alkhateeb, pp. 212-214
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 17:48:20 +0000
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