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Religion & State
Secularism In The Muslim World by Saad Anis It is undeniable that the liberalist experiment in the Islamic world has been unsuccessful thus far. Though many might argue that the brand of liberalism implemented in Muslim countries has been a contorted form of the originally espoused ideal, it must nonetheless be conceded that implementation is part and parcel of the whole scheme. The Muslim world has had to go through a traumatic experience in the last three centuries. It witnessed the downfall of the mighty Islamic empire, vanquished by a superior west. With this conquest, the fusion of western ideals into Islamic polity began. There were two general responses to such an infringement of the west upon the Islamic world. One set of Muslims, embittered by their loss of global dominance, feared the end of Islam itself with the demise of Muslim political might. As a result, they closed their hearts and minds to all western innovation, looking back wistfully at past Islamic grandeur. They contended that the key to Muslim salvation and return to glory lay in an adherence to Quranic ideals, rejecting the cultural and even educational benefits offered by the western world. These ulema conveniently overlooked the fact that the precedent Islamic splendor that they idealised had been based upon an acquisition of worldly knowledge and cultural pluralism. Theirs was a reactionary stance, and marked the commencement of defensive thought in Islam. The second Muslim response to the western invasion was one of enchanted infatuation with western ideals. Numerous Muslim scholars found the western ideals of democracy, secularism and freedom as completely harmonious with the classless spirit of the Quran. They exhorted the hastened application of these ideals to Islam, so that Muslims too could reap the benefits of modernity. They had to suffer considerable distress, first having to struggle for the imposition of secularist ideals and then going through the humiliation of watching those values fail miserably. To their surprise, the very polity that had propelled the west to greatness, left Muslims in the lurch, lower than ever. Naturally, they took this failure of the system personally, subconsciously linking the collapse of the secularist model in the east to the inadequacy of the Muslims. The real reason behind this failed endeavour is more relevant to the scope and time of this system. The initial Muslim proponents of this model had tried to limit the secular approach solely to the political arena, dismissing its involvement in the overall dynamics of the social system. Secularism is not merely a political system of thought, but encompasses all aspects of societal existence. Therefore, the establishment of a truly democratic system would require an upheaval of the educational structure, a revaluation of social norms and a revisit of archaic theological dogmas. Nationwide discussions would have to be initiated on issues such as separation of the state from religion and reconstruction of theological beliefs in light of modernity. Needless to say, the Muslim world was not ready then, and may not even be so now, to make such a drastic transition. Even the conception of such a digression from the generally conceived norm would require much larger public awareness than prevalent at present. Consequently, Islamdom has to have a significant middle class, educated and pragmatic enough to realise the indispensability of the proposed system. The implementation of such a system would require mass public approval. Hegemonic enforcement of secularist values is akin to forcing food down an infant's throat. Sooner or later, the infant throws the food up. Present day Pakistan is an apt example of this, where the military regime is bent upon the imposition of secularist principles, viewed with hostility by the public as authoritarian anti-Islamism. Egypt, Lebanon and Algeria have had a similar problem, where such values have been forced upon the people by dictators anxious to please western powers. So distorted and forced has been the implementation of secularist ideology in the Islamic world, that an overwhelming majority of Muslims today regards it as some form of imperialist communism forbidding all religious affiliation utterly. Once again, their view is not without reason. Secularism as experienced by the west is the freedom of all to practice their religion. No particular ideology would be favoured by the State, and conversely, no religion would be persecuted. The underlying concept of secularism is the severance of religion from the State, so that religion cannot be exploited by governments with an axe to grind. It encourages pluralism and tolerance, rejecting discrimination on any basis. Moreover, the transition from the rule of the Church to a secular system in the west took a long time. It was established there only once the people had subscribed to the secularist ideal, assimilating the system into their belief system rather than the other way round. The institution of the secular ideal was therefore consensual. On the contrary, the Islamic world has always witnessed enforcement of modern systems on them by despots. Moreover, these systems have been rash reactions to the failure of preceding religion-based setups rather than a rational approach to the problem of the Muslim world. Accordingly, such notions of secularism have always been anti-theology rather than pro-religious freedom. In post World War I Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Pasha closed down all religious madrassahs, slaughtered the ulema and forbade the religious garb for women, all in the name of secularism. Reza Shah I (1921-41) of Iran banned Ashura processions in the memory of Imam Hussain, forcibly removed the Islamic dress and banned Iranians from traveling for hajj. Similar measures were taken in other Muslim countries. Naturally, the Muslims began to regard secularism as a Satanist anathema rather than a reformative progressive system. Moreover, Islam has not been given due time to cope with these modern notions. Where the western Renaissance lasted for about three hundred years, Muslims are being pressured to accept imminently, the very concepts which took the Europeans centuries to swallow. If a Muslim reformation to a secularist system is to transpire, it has to be on their own terms, with the consent of the people. The proverbial gates of Ijtihad have to be reopened to accommodate the passage of the stream of time. However, the system has to be evolved in accordance with the egalitarian spirit of Islam. Forcing a western-style system on the Muslims would not do any good. It is a transition which will take time. Nevertheless, it is a prospect that, if realised, offers a lot in terms of Islamic revival. About the Author(s): See under Our Contributors to find out about the Author(s) of this article. |
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