Islamic fundamentalism

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Islamic fundamentalism is a religious ideology which advocates literalistic interpretations of the texts of Islam, Sharia law which are considered sacred by devotee muslims and sometimes an Islamic State.[1] It is often regarded as the older, less preferred term for Islamism, [1] [2] sometimes used interchangably with that term, [2] and sometimes attacked as fundamentally inaccurate.[3]

Contents

[edit] Definitions

The definition offered by American historian Ira Lapidus, distinguishes between mainstream Islamists and Fundamentalists. Although a fundamentalist may also be an Islamist, a Fundamentalist is "a political individual" in search of a "more original Islam," while the Islamist is pursuing a political agenda. He notes that Islamic fundamentalism "is at best only an umbrella designation for a very wide variety of movements, some intolerant and exclusivist, some pluralistic; some favourable to science, some anti-scientific; some primarily devotional and some primarily political; some democratic, some authoritarian; some pacific, some violent."[4]

Author Olivier Roy distinguishes between Fundamentalists (or neo-fundamentalists) and Islamists in describing Fundamentalists as more passionate in their opposition to the perceived "corrupting influence of Western culture," avoiding Western dress, "neckties, laughter, the use of Western forms of salutation, handshakes, applause." While Islamists like

"Maududi didn't hesitate to attend Hindu ceremonies. Khomeini never proposed the status of dhimmi (protected) for Iranian Christians or Jews, as provided for in the sharia: the Armenians in Iran have remained Iranian citizens, are required to perform military service and to pay the same taxes as Muslims, and have the right to vote (with separate electoral colleges). Similarly, the Afghan Jamaat, in its statutes, has declared it legal in the eyes of Islam to employ non-Muslims as experts,

Other distinctions are in

  • Politics and economics. Islamists often talk of "revolution" and believe "that the society will be Islamized only through social and political action: it is necessary to leave the mosque ..." Fundamentalists are uninterested in revolution, less interested in "modernity or by Western models in politics or economics," and less willing to associate with non-Muslims. [5]
  • Sharia. While both Islamists and Fundamentalists are committed to implementing Sharia law, Islamists "tend to consider it more a project than a corpus."[6]
  • Issue of women. "Islamist generally tend to favor the education of women and their participation in social and political life: the Islamist woman militates, studies, and has the right to work, but in a chador. Islamist groups include women's associations." While the Fundamentalist preaches for women to return to the home, Islamism believes it is sufficient that "the sexes be separated in public." [7]

[edit] Interpretation of texts

Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the unadulterated word of God as revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibril (Archangel Gabriel).

Islamic fundamentalists, or at least "reformist" fundamentalists, believe Islam is based on the Qur'an, Hadith and Sunnah and "criticizes the tradition, the commentaries, popular religious practices (maraboutism, the cult of saints), deviations, and superstitions. It aims to return to the founding texts." Examples of this tendency are the 18th-century Shah Waliullah in India and Abd al-Wahhab in the Arabian Peninsula. [8] This view is commonly associated with Salafism today.

[edit] Social and political goals

As with adherents of other fundamentalist movements[citation needed], Islamic fundamentalists hold that the problems of the world stem from secular influences. Further, the path to peace and justice lies in a return to the original message of Islam, combined with a scrupulous rejection of all Bid'ah ("religious innovation") and perceived anti-Islamic traditions.[citation needed]

Some scholars of Islam, such as Bassam Tibi, believe that, contrary to their own message, Islamic fundamentalists are not actually traditionalists. He points to fatwahs issued by fundamentalists such as “every Muslim who pleads for the suspension of the shari‘a is an apostate and can be killed. The killing of those apostates cannot be prosecuted under Islamic law because this killing is justified” as going beyond, and unsupported by, the Qur’an. Tibi asserts; “The command to slay reasoning Muslims is un-Islamic, an invention of Islamic fundamentalists”.[9][10]

[edit] Conflicts with the secular state

Islamic fundamentalism's push for Sharia and an Islamic State has come into conflict with conceptions of the secular, democratic state, such as the internationally supported Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Among human rights disputed by fundamentalist Muslims are:

  • the equality of men and women (for example, under Sharia law a "man gets double the share of a woman in inheritance" because "he has much more responsibilities." (sic) The Prophet is said to have told early Muslims 'The best woman is she who, ... when you direct her she obeys." .... [11]
  • the separation of church and state;
  • Freedom of religion. Muslims who leave Islam, or worse still criticise it, "should be executed"[citation needed], while the right of non-Muslims to convert to Islam is celebrated.

As a result of this sharp conflict, some say that fundamentalist Islam is incompatible with modern liberal democratic states.

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Opposing views

[edit] External links

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ Bruce Gourley: Islamic Fundamentalism: A Brief Survey
  2. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, Macmillan Reference, 2004, p.261-2
  3. ^ Bernard, Lewis, Islam and the West, New York : Oxford University Press, c1993.
  4. ^ Lapidus, 823
  5. ^ Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, Harvard University Press, 1994. p.82-3, 215
  6. ^ Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, Harvard University Press, 1994. p.59
  7. ^ Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, Harvard University Press, 1994. p.p.38, 59
  8. ^ Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, Harvard University Press, 1994. p.31
  9. ^ Bassam Tibi, The Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the New World Disorder. Updated Edition. Los Angeles, University of California Press: 2002. Excerpt available online as The Islamic Fundamentalist Ideology: Context and the Textual Sources at Middle East Information Center.
  10. ^ Douglas Pratt, Terrorism and Religious Fundamentalism: Prospects for a Predictive Paradigm, Marburg Journal of Religion, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Volume 11, No. 1 (June 2006)
  11. ^ EQUALITY AND STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAAM
  • Sikand, Yoginder Origins and Development of the Tablighi-Jama'at (1920-2000): A Cross-Country Comparative Study, ISBN 81-250-2298-8
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