Spring 2014
POS 353
Islamic Ideology
Presented to
Dr. Elie El Hindy
By
Jimmy Matar 2012-1972
Introduction
Throughout the 20th century, the rise of political Islam has been one of the major events. The Islamic religion is followed by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide; however, it has become an ideological project for some.
Because of the important role that political Islam plays in the world today, a careful examination into the roots of these ideologies, how they evolved into the current form, how they are similar or different from each other, in addition to their perspectives for today and the future will shed light on their actions and way of thinking.
Historical Background
In the 16th century, there were three Islamic powers: Ottoman Empire, Central Asian Empire, and Mughal Empire. All three vanished from the face of the earth leaving behind multitude of Muslim aspirations longing for the glories of the past. The Ottoman Empire disintegrated in 1922, the Central Asian Empire was taken over by the Russian Empire, and the Mughal Empire’s last gasp was in 1857 when their rebellion was defeated by the British.
This has caused an absence of a core state for the Islamic world. There have been individual revolutions in several countries such as Omar Al Mukhtar in Libya, the Million Martyrs Revolution in Algeria…against Western colonization but the strategic centre of gravity had already shifted.
The continuous military defeats of the Arab countries against Israel (1948, 1967, and 1973) have caused a heavy burden in the psychology of the Arab Muslims. These defeats confirmed the loss of Muslim power. This led to abandoning the idea of secularism and going back towards the commitment to Islam to regain the former ...
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...led by the US as legitimate targets for jihad.
Salafists believe that “Muslims should emulate the first three generations of Islam referred to as the pious forefathers (al salaf al salih) as much as possible in all areas of life” (Evans, 2011, 820).
Although the Salafists differ on the issue of jihad, apostasy, and activism priorities, they strictly believe in the oneness of God, and in following the rules of the Qur’an in a strict manner so that the bias of human subjectivity and self interest will be eliminated.
There are three major groups: the purists who believe that they should use nonviolent methods to spread education and purification, the politicos who believe that the Salafi beliefs have to be implemented politically because God is the only source of legislation, and the jihadis who believe that change can only come from revolution and violence.
Sufism
The culture of Islam has its positive aspects, as well as its negative aspects. Islam bestowed many unfortunate people the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their surroundings, and the adversities that they may face on a daily basis. Islam also created alliances, and trade contracts with other surrounding countries, allowing them to receive resources that other religions and groups could not envisage. However, to gain these privileges, Islam had to first fester the lives of many civilians that dared step in its path. Islam not only ruined the lives of people, but it ruined whole kingdoms. Many people felt an...
The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror is a book written by Bernard Lewis that ‘in particular charts the key events of the twentieth century leading up to the violent confrontations of today.’(Lewis) Lewis clearly and entirely pointed out key events explaining the choices to be made by the people of the Islamic faith. They must determine whether their religion takes its place alongside other religions in a global community, or whether it will revert back into conflict with non-Muslim nations.
Thomas W. Lippman gives an introduction to the Muslim world in the book Understanding Islam. He has traveled throughout the Islamic world as Washington Post bureau chief for the Middle East, and as a correspondent in Indochina. This gave him, in his own words, "sharp insight into the complexities of that turbulent region." However, the purpose of the book is not to produce a critical or controversial interpretation of Islamic scripture. It is instead to give the American layman an broad understanding of a religion that is highly misunderstood by many Americans. In this way he dispels many myths about "Muslim militants," and the otherwise untrue perception of Islamic violence. In this way the American reader will become more knowledgeable about an otherwise unfamiliar topic. However, the most significant element of Lippman’s book is that it presents Islam in a simple way that makes the reader feels his awareness rise after each chapter. This encourages him to continue learning about the world’s youngest major religion. Understanding Islam dispels many misconceptions about the Muslim world, and presents the subject in a way that urges his reader to further his understanding of Islam through continued study.
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Ayoob, M. (2007) The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim
Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.
The failure of defensive development in Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia had a large and long-lasting effect on the Muslim world. The original goal of the reforms was to end European intervention, revive the weakening empires, and to be on equal standing with Europe. Yet, all three empires over-utilized the wealth and knowledge of Europe, leading to their ultimate demise. The empires wished to impose reforms in the military, economics, education, and law which the region had not experienced previously. This resulted in backlash, violence, and division within the empires eventually leading to bankruptcy, ironically, to those which they wished to separate themselves.
Islamic teachings that are followed by Muslims around the globe do not have same context and applicability like other religions of the world. Islam not only tells about the way of worshiping the Lord and behaving like a good human being but it also give a complete code of life. It includes political, military, social, financial, legal and governance systems. Non-Muslims normally con...
There is a strong belief that Islam and politics are directly tied. They are tied in the sense that the building blocks of the religion dictate how they ought to behave in the political environment. Through this mandatory follow up behavior that the religion delineates, many have come to believe that its teachings are a form of terrorism. Mandaville argues that what has challenged the Islamic link between politics and religion was the emergence of secularism, which went against the belief that politics and religion could go together. Islam has been a religion that has been accused of supporting terrorist activities in the world. Different assumptions have been brought up to understand better the linkages between what really lies behind the Islam religion and politics. Peter Mandaville argues that Islam is dynamic and that it has changed over time; situated within time and politics.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
Shafi’i school of thought is stated to be the most conservative out of the four schools of Islamic Jurisprudence due to its focus on studying fiqh or religious laws and tradition in Sunni Islam that revolutionized religious perspective in society (Khatak and Shahab). The revolution first began by Imam Shafi’i introducing the idea to society, then writing the Kitᾱb Al-Umm and Al-Risᾱla that served as authoritative guides to society, followed by helping create a specific school of thought (El Shamsy and Zysow). This revolution is still present in society today and is helping guide several Muslims follow the laws and regulations of Sunni Islam (El Shamsey, 1). Abu’ Abdillah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’I has truly created and revolutionized Sunni Islam perspective.
Many authoritarian leaders, whether civilian or military are Muslim Pragmatists who manipulate Islamic rhetoric and symbols to stay in power. (Husain, 1995, p172)
Bouhdiba, Abdelwahab. "The Message of Islam." Diogenes (International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies). Humanities Full Text. 2005. Web.
Muslims have to renew their Islamic tradition so that it is practicable and suitable for the modern age. However, the modernization made should not break down and deviate from the ‘ideal type’ of Islamic norms and standards. There are some failures that can be clearly seen in the aspects of politics, economy, social and also education and culture.
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.