Of Islamophobia-Kalpita Das

Demonising a religion and its followers will only worsen the situation at the global level
Kalpita Das

Srinagar, Publish Date: Aug 30 2017 11:06PM | Updated Date: Aug 30 2017 11:06PM

File Photo Kalpita Das

Post 9/11 Islamophobia brought fear and insecurity among the Muslims the worldover as they were negatively perceived, suspiciously watched and unfairly targeted in the name of national security. This was more pronounced in western countries especially in the United States of America. In America there has been escalation of civil rights violations targeting Muslims in the workplace, at religious institutions and at the schools in addition to hate crimes post 9/11. Islam as a religion was vilified deeply hurting and alienating Muslims in a multicultural society like the US. India the largest democracy where Islam is the second largest religion and home to 172 million Muslims is no exception as anti-Muslim prejudices have risen that had a very demeaning effect on the moral of Muslims. From amongst many prejudices that the world holds against Islam, the prejudice that Islam is against modernity has been used as a propaganda tool to depict Islam in a poor light. This article probes into the relationship between Islam and modernity from historical perspective.

Modernism, the cultural form of modernity arose from far-reaching transformations in multiple theatres such as, state, society, culture, science etc. in the western world during late 19th and 20th centuries. It championed rationality, positivism, progress, free thinking and forcefully rejected metaphysical ideas. It also paved the way for technological developments. Interestingly Islam’s tryst with modernity and its philosophical position is much older, it goes back  to the period between 8th century to 13th century, considered as the golden years of Islam in which science, economy, democracy and culture flourished. During this era Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad had set up ‘Bait-ul-Hikmah’ (House of Wisdom) laying the foundation of rationality and sciences, which welcomed scholars of all creeds, religions and beliefs. Most of the scholars in this phase of Islamic history belonged to Mu’tazalite school of thought based on free thinking and rationalism. ‘Ijtihad’ or independent reasoning was the prerogative of the lay believer during the era rather than conformism. It was through Arab philosophers and scientists that the rich patrimony of the Greeks reached the leading lights of modern rationalism. The father of modern scientific research Roger Bacon was a disciple of the Arabs and George Sarton the father of the modern history of science strongly felt that Arabs not only transmitted ancient knowledge but they created new ones. It is even interesting to know that when Europe was stuck in dark-ages, science and philosophy flourished in the Islamic world. All through this golden period, Muslims flaunted the names of Al-Khawarizmi, Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, Al-Razi and Omar Khayyam. These early scholars not only enriched Islamic civilization but also inspired the west towards science and modernity. As a matter of fact it’s not just the scholars who contributed towards proliferation of rational ideas in the wider society but even democratic Muslim rulers during the era helped nurturing a political environment conducive to growth of modern rationalism.

Moreover Islam’s relation with modernity goes even prior to the golden years (much prior to 8th century). Beginning with the holy Quran itself where it is evident that Islam has profound support for democracy, which is an inseparable aspect of modernity. The Quran lays emphasis on Shura meaning consultation. Even the messenger of Allah is required to consult people. Liberal scholars argue that the Quran does not support authoritarianism in any form and support their argument with the fact that the institutions of monarchy did not exist during the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Similarly, integration of state and religion widely believed to be an essential aspect of Islam actually didn’t have any doctrinal position in Quran. Further like freedom of speech and freedom of conscience the Quran never denied individual rights, which are essential for functioning of liberal democracy. The Quran promotes pluralism by recognizing other faiths, differences of opinion and equality of sexes.
Then there are pertinent questions, which arise viz. if the holy Quran is not against modernity and Islam’s interface with modern rationalism dates back to 8th century then why radicalism and fundamentalism are the norms in the Islamic world or why most of the Islamic countries follow authoritarianism and not democracy? Amongst various other factors the dominant ullema culture that arose between the 11th Century and 12th Century could be responsible to a considerable extent for ‘decay’ in Muslim countries. It spearheaded the decline of modernity in Islam as the ullemas closed the doors on all kinds of free and rational thinking (Ijtihad) that had been flourishing in Islamic societies since 8th century. Ullemas vigorously advocated and enforced blind obedience (Taqlid) to ideas that appeared against science, democracy and modern rationalism through such interpretation of Quran, which suited their vested interests. It’s a well-established fact that there could be no single interpretation of religion and there should be multiple ways to know it. Religion Islam, which is based on text, provides more scope for such exploitations. Ulema, however collaborated with the authoritarian ruling class and gave legitimacy to all their actions in lieu of patronage. Unfortunately this ideological and political hegemony continued for centuries (from medieval to modern day)  resulting in near stagnation in the sphere of social, political and intellectual fields in Islamic countries. In 19th and 20th centuries Islamic scholars and modernizers like Syed Ahmed Khan, Jamaluddin-al-Afghani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad etc spent their lifetimes engaging Islam with science and modernity while negating various myths and misconceptions that surrounded Islam. Unfortunately their impact on the community remained marginal in comparison to the orthodox ullemas who ruled the roost.

Even today the orthodox ideologues supportive of erstwhile Ullema tradition, relentlessly try to establish the idea through writings and discourses that Islam and modernity are antithetical to each other, and that modernity is imposition of western values; propagation of such ideas are not only befooling the Muslims but also contributing towards  radicalization of Muslim societies.

External factor like hegemony of western countries in general and American interference in particular have undeniably played an important role in shaping the socio-religious and political outlook of Muslim countries of the Middle East, however, ‘politicization of Islam’ that took place within the community is to large extent responsible for present situation. It has been responsible for purging all the humanitarian and pluralistic values of Islam and giving an interpretation to the world, which is ambiguous and misleading. The past glory can be restored by promoting ‘Ijtihad’ and modern thinking, which will eventually set up a liberal democratic culture. A democratic culture in return supports spread of liberal education, reform in cultural and traditional norms, which would comprehensively enhance rights and freedom bring transformations in overall quality of life. It has to be realized that democratization of Islamic countries is a gradual process that requires persistent efforts from within the community. The Arab Spring that spread across the Arab world in 2011 could be seen as a remarkable effort towards that process. The West could also contribute in that process by creating a global consensus on contentious geo-political issues concerning Muslims treatments to which hitherto appears discriminatory and prejudiced. People holding prejudices against Islam must understand that elements of radicalism are present in all religions and much depends on how those elements are engaged with by political dispensation. History stands witness to the fact that Christianity suffered from orthodoxy till 18th century and was opposed to democracy and modernity transformed itself by 19th century and supported Christian West in embracing modernity.

Demonising a particular religious community is dangerous to the extent that could intensify clashes between communities, societies and nations.

(Kalpita Das is Research Scholar JNU, New Delhi)