Globalized Islam's Schizophrenia: The Case of Abu Hamza al Masry

Abu Hamza Al Masry , the ex Imam of the Finnsbury Mosque, London, has appealed against his extradition  to the United States. He has made the appeal to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber after the ECHR decided that the former bouncer turned Imam could be extradited to the United States on terror charges. Apparently, Al Masry is pleading against the extraditation on the basis of alleged violation of human rights – a liberal, western concept and notion. It is this notion accruing from western inspired liberalism that Al Masry has been railing against. The man has openly called for the establishment of the Caliphate and the destruction of democracy. Arrested by British authorities over many charges that include supporting terror and inciting racial hatred, Al Masry has been in and out of prison.

His bizarre case raises the question and issue of globalized Islam and it’s disconnect from host societies of the West. Globalized Islam is deterritorialized Islam shorn of its cultural and territorial moorings floating in many societies of the west. Be it the Fatal Shores of Australia or the cold climes of Western Europe and Scandinavia, globalized Islam is a reality and enjoys an ever growing presence in these places. Some have exaggerated its presence and even termed it as reverse colonization of the West. The phrase ‘Eurabia’ coined by these alarmists perhaps best captures this phenomenon. Whether there is merit to these exaggerations is besides the point and not an issue here.

What is an issue is globalized Islam’s schizophrenia. That is to say, the latching onto extreme interpretations of Islam whilst co habiting in liberal, western milieus.  This dualism and dichotomous attitude and approach my Muslims comprising globalized Islam redounds negatively to Muslims and the host societies. It breeds ghettoization, mutual alienation and a reaction against both multiculturalism and immigration into the west. These feelings then get amplified and results in peoples living parallel lives- at odds with each other. This does not discount or play down the still extant racism in western societies especially Western Europe and Scandinavia. Racism and Islamophobia , obiter dictum, makes the globalized Islam cohort retreat into itself, adopt reactionary attitudes and take recourse to extreme interpretations of Islam as  coping up mechanisms. This is not to lay the onus of blame entirely on western societies.

This condition raises a set of questions that need to be answered: Is Islam fundamentally opposed and at odds with the liberal tenor of western societies? If so, how can Islam be accommodated in the western firmament? Should it be excluded? Is a ban on Muslim immigration into West the solution? Is , in the final analysis, multiculturalism with its emphasis on group rights and maintaining group cohesion the culprit? Or should efforts be made to integrate Islam with liberalism? How is this unseemly synthesis possible?

On the face of it, it does appear that Islam and Renaissance inspired liberal ideas are at odds with each other and irreconcilable. The former, to belabor the point, is premised on the absolute sovereignty of God and the latter vests sovereignty in man. This profound philosophic difference apparently makes the two value systems antagonistic to each other. However, as always, the reality is more complex. Islam is not intrinsically opposed to rights, duties and other liberal ideals. It may even be accommodative of what may be called procedural democracy. The trick is to find the ground where Islam can meet western inspired liberalism. This may be arrived at by a marriage and synthesis of reason with faith—a synthesis that has been tried , albeit with limited success in the history of Islam. This tradition needs to be revived. The salubrious aspect is that this synthesis may be forged in the crucible of globalized Islam. Why?

The reasons are prosaic: globalized Islam essentially entails Islam’s encounter with the West unmediated and unencumbered by imperialism or colonialism. It is a direct encounter. The accretions and stereotypes that accrued from colonialism and imperialism colored the views and attitudes of generations Muslims towards the West. Globalized Islam, au contraire, presents the opportunity of seeing the understanding west clearly. Second, it allows Muslims to articulate their problems, grievances and aspirations in the idiom of liberalism or more accurately rights , the attendant duties and act perhaps either as an interest group or a political party to make their voices heard and aggregate their interests. This then introduces and socializes them into the idiom, mechanisms and practices of democracy and liberalism. In the final analysis, this can but be salubrious given that it would potentially and possibly make Muslims in the west think, introspect and then   hopefully integrate reason, its handmaiden modernity and faith. So globalized Islam may then turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Countenancing extreme solutions like a ban on Muslim immigration and excluding Muslims from partaking in western societies are a non starter. These ‘solutions’ can potentially be counterproductive and deepen the divide and schism between Islam and the West. What then is to be done?

Truncated multiculturalism may be the answer here. That is, while the principle of multiculturalism-respecting difference and not imposing a cultural straitjacket-should not be discarded, its extreme formulation, of according group rights to different peoples comprising western societies should be abandoned. This would besides allowing different peoples to maintain a modicum of fidelity to their original cultures, allow the host societies to maintain their cohesion and coherence. Globalized Islam could fit seamlessly in this new paradigm or formulation. Muslims would be allowed to practice their faith in the liberal, secular polities and societies of the west and at the same time respect the laws and mores of their host societies. This could be followed by reach out programs to Muslims that demonstrate to them that the west is not hostile to Islam and by and large , religious freedom is respected and enshrined in the constitutions of western polities and societies.

 A concerted focus on elements identified here may lead to the successful integration and accommodation of globalized Islam with its host societies. By and large, most Muslims are peace loving and reasonable and will adjust. Yes, there will be deviants but they will be in the minority and this easily marginalized. Globalized Islam instead of being viewed as a threat presents an opportunity-that of integrating reason and faith. It would be a travesty if this opportunity is wasted and given short shrift by the politics of short termism and myopia. The stakes are too high.  Let not the Masri guy be seen as a metaphor for the alleged ills of globalized Islam. Globalized Islam is a historical trend and force. Let it be viewed in its correct perspective and policies that help realize its historic potential be instituted.