Does Islam Have a
Place in the Modern World?
An old school
friend – a pious and a devout Muslim-of mine’s inquisitiveness and the
attendant remark about the nature of the west was revealing. He remarked that
‘Muslims in the quest for knowledge must even listen to non Muslims’ and
‘intellectual freedom in/of the west explained the west’s success and vigor. On
the face of it, the former remark, to a western ear might convey the
implication of paternalism and suggest that Muslim pride and glory in Islam’s
erstwhile achievements and its current torpor is inherent in the remark. However,
things are not as clear cut as this.
The remark along
with the appreciation of intellectual freedom reflects an opening up of the
Muslim mind. Admittedly, this remark cannot be generalized. There are scores of
Muslims for whom the west and any trapping or hint of modernity is anathema. However,
this extremist and obscurantist fringe is just that: an obscurantist fringe. This
small minority of Muslims unfortunately gets disproportionate media attention
in the west. It is to this intelligent, inquisitive and somewhat ambivalent
opinion that the west must address and explain itself to. By explaining, the
reference is not to the defensive explanation but an endeavor to reveal itself
and its real nature to the Muslim mind. The images of the west spewed out by
Hollywood-rampant hedonism and violence- and the unexplained premises of the
foreign policies of the United
States
To the western ear
and eye, the world of Islam, presented and shaped by the media and its quest for ratings and crude sensationalism gets reduced to religion
inspired violence, medievalism and
irrationality, intolerance, misogyny, gender biases and imbalance and religious
chauvinism. This again is a grotesque parody of reality. The world of Islam is
too complex and variegated to be reduced to such crude caricatures. The
inevitable conclusion that is then drawn by both sober and lay opinion in the
west is that Islam stands in stark contrast to the values and principles of the
west. In short, the conclusion is drawn that Islam is antithetical to modernity.
The question is: Is
this true? It would be foolish to reflexively say no to this question. At the
same time, it would be equally foolish and naïve to respond affirmatively. The
answer to this very important question lies in the mists of a grey zone. And it
is here that an opportunity to reconcile the west and the world of Islam lie. The
west’s modernity is premised on the philosophical premises and rationales of
the Enlightenment and the Renaissance. In sum, the gravamen of these
philosophies questioned convention, received wisdom and tradition and thus
challenged the established relationship between man and God. The voice of people, to iterate the cliché, was
held to be voice of God and law and principles governing society were derived
from reason. Sovereignty rested in man and the individual was central in this
schema.
In contrast, divinely
revealed religion like Islam was/is predicated and premised upon the centrality
of God and His Prophet (SAW) in the scheme of things. All law flowed from God
and His vicegerent, the Prophet (SAW). Absolute sovereignty rested in God and
man or mankind was merely one reflection of His attributes and His creation. Temporal
life was held to be a way station- a place of trial, tribulation and a test for
the real life after death.
These two divergent
and contrasting worldviews, beliefs and approaches, on the face of it, seem
irreconcilable and doomed to clash. However,
the reality is more complex. If reason and rationality is the yard stick and
benchmark for modernity, then Islam has a rich history and legacy of reason and
rationality. Its best scholars and philosophers explained, read and understood
the Quran and the Ahadith-the corpus of Islamic sayings attributed to the
Prophet (SAW)- in the light of reason and rationality. Unfortunately, these
scholars and philosophers were usually marginalized and even harassed by those
who held power in the realm of Islam. An unholy and incestuous relationship
developed between the rulers and those scholars who helped legitimized their
rule. This, in turn, led to the popularity of a vision of Islam that the rulers
were comfortable with and dulled and dimmed the Muslim mind in the process. Political
decay and the attendant torpor that defines much of the Muslim world then
became a natural concomitant and in due course of time got crystallized and set
in stone. The rest is mere corollary and detail.
It then is critical
that the vision of version of Islam imbued and informed with reason and
rationality be revived. The impetus for
this must come from within the Muslim world. However ,it is to this revival
that the west can aid and help the Muslim world. This rather counter intuitive
assertion might sound like blasphemy and scandalous to both Muslim and western
ears. However, it falls in the domain of the possible. The academy and a more
open world becomes central and pivotal in this schema. The open nature of the western academy and
the critical method that undergirds that is welcoming to young Muslim scholars
can potentially open up the vistas of the Muslim mind that have been corrupted
by centuries of warped thinking. Similarly, cross cultural contacts and
immersion into each other’s societies can allay and get rid of the mutual
stereotypes that defines the attitudes of the two camps. Western aid hitherto
premised on political grounds and narrow, parochial interests should be
disavowed and funneled into the educational sectors of Muslim countries. A
concerted effort along these lines can allow the light of reason to shine upon
the Muslim world and allow the west and Islam to re engage in an idiom that is
salubrious and mutually beneficial. In the process, that gift of modernity, democracy,
may also take root in the world of Islam and give short shrift to darkness, regression
and decrepitude. The Muslim may then as an individual become empowered and refuse
to accept his/her station. This then means the morphing of the Arab Spring into
a Muslim dawn. The world of Islam may come out of darkness and regression and
play its part in forging a progressive
and peaceful world. Time is of essence here. Let us all make haste
slowly
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