An Enchanted Modern is an ethnographic research conducted by Lara Deed in the Southern suburbs of Beirut. Deeb demonstrates that Islam and modernity are not in opposition but complimentary. She examines the ways that individual and collective expressions along with the understanding of piety have been debated, contested and reformulated. By emphasizing the ways modernity and piety are lived, debated and shared by ‘everyday Islamist’, this book shows that Islamism is not static or monolithic.
In the introductory part of this book Deeb notes that asking questions of whether or not people are modern are not productive. Instead Deebs (2006:16) states that:
I will focus on how people understand the terms of debate, how they approach the question of modern, what they desire for themselves and their community—without assuming the universality of desires or that progress has a single trajectory.
This is a strength in Deeb’s book because the reader can seek to understand the different discourse and assessment about modern-ness that the Islamist debate in various ways. It is also helpfu...
Laura Deeb’s An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi’i Lebanon seeks to rectify post-9/11 notions of political Islam as anti-modern and incongruous with Western formulations of secular modernity. Specifically, Deeb is writing in opposition to a Weberian characterization of modern secular Western societies as the development of bureaucracies through social rationalization and disenchantment. Within this Weberian framework Deeb asserts that Shia communities are in-part modern because of the development of beuorocratic institutions to govern and regulate religious practice. However, Deeb makes a stronger argument oriented towards dislodging the assumptions "that Islamism is static and monolithic, and that
Violent Jihad as a struggle against one’s enemies has its root in [these] situations. When the Islamic religion spread over the region, Jihad became a religious tenet and assumed the form of a peaceful, internal struggle to strive for the good and reject the evil in one’s action. Violent, external conflict was never r...
For this course, we are using two different books to guide our learning throughout the semester. One of the books is Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary. The other book used in this course is The Modern Middle East: A History by James Gelvin. Both of these books tell the history of the Middle East. Although these books discuss the similar subjects, they are written and tell the history in different ways. This paper will create a comparison between these two books by showing the differences between them.
Something is typically considered modern according to dicitonary.com, an online repository of word definitions as ‘characteristic of present and recent; contemporary; not antiquated or obsolete’. This viewpoint of the contemporary manifests itself in the onward march of technological progress and the innate human desire to advance and improve on those that came before us. To be modern is to accept that the past is of a lesser state of development than how we are living in modern times, and that the current paradigm of contemporary society is a clear and present progressivist as stated by the article Redefining the Modern World 2013 ‘We define "not modern” as what existed in Europe before 1800’.
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Democracy and Islam, an article written by Irfan Ahmad1 strives to show that there is a possibility that Islam can move towards democracy. On the other hand, Islam and Liberal Democracy: A Historical Overview, an article written by Bernard Lewis2 discusses how a democracy is unable to work in Islamic States. In this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting the two articles. Both Bernard and Irfan carry weight in their arguments and have certain strong points, as well as weaknesses. The major difference between the two articles is the variation of the core definition of democracy that the writers have, and their distinct perspectives of the workings of a democracy. In addition, the articles also differ in their chosen format and the authors’ thoughts on the Catholic and Western influence. The fundamental dispute of democracy and Islam are strong in both articles, and they are resolved in a respective manner. Irfan was successful in formulating a more compelling case and was able to maintain better structure; however, I am a firm believer that Islam is a theocratic system and it is not compatible with democracy as a system of governance.
Let’s start at the very beginning, which is a very good place to start, which for Eliot is his end and for Ashbery is his fading, for Jameson the end began when he wouldn’t stop pontificating on being, for Harvey the beginning and the end circulate around his architectural trends and socio-economic theories that keep him grounded but far from living.
Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.
His talk allows his listeners to broaden their view regarding extremism and Islam as a religion. Using his personal story, Ebrahim emerges as the alternative voice of the Islam community that has continuously being on the receiving end for its perceived intolerance. He manages to convey this message with precise clarity with rhetorical strategies. The ethos were essential in injecting credibility in his exchange with the Ted Talks audience. He surfaces as an astute speaker in touch with the realities of extremism and religious discrimination. The talk incorporates logos extensively to highlight the rationality of the speaker’s assertions. His logical sentiments help him in achieving this. Through his brave personal confessions, Ebrahim rouses emotions, imaginations, and divergent views. He effectively executes pathos through his choice of words and expression of life
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
Modernism can be defined through the literary works of early independent 20th century writers. Modernism is exp...
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
In both given articles, “The Roots of Muslim Rage” by Bernard Lewis, and “The Roots of Muslim Rage Revisited” by Nicolaas J.E. van der Zee, argue about the enhancement of the Muslim fundamentalism with different perspectives; however, I believe that Lewis’ view may be quiet misleading to the actual perception. Lewis indicates that Muslim fundamentalism is conceived through the Muslim community’s oppression and dissatisfaction with the West’s political involvement, as well as “Islam is a source of aggression” . In defiance of Lewis’ opinion, the word ‘Islam’ comes from the word peace as well as the will of submission to God. The notion of aggression and violence that Lewis conceptualizes to be the headline of Islam does not have any supporting
Najjar, M. “Islamic Fundamentalism and the Intellectuals: The Case of Naguib Mahfouz.”British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 25.1 (1998): 139-168. JSTOR. Web. 24 May 2014.
Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.