Pak Tea House » Uncategorized » Difference between Islam and Political Islam
Difference between Islam and Political Islam
(This is a rare post about religion on PTH, because we do not encourage religious discussions on our page. The aim of this post is to understand differences between Islam and “Political Islam”, a notion having its origins in the last one and a half century,)
Following are excerpts from Tarek Fatah’s book, “Chasing the Mirage: The Tragic lllusion of an Islamic State”
The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of PTH.
What Islamists seek and what Muslims desire are two separate objectives, sometimes overlapping, but clearly distinct. While the former seek an “Islamic State,” the latter merely desires a “state of Islam.” One state requires a theocracy, the other a state of spirituality.
The phrase “state of Islam” defines the condition of a Muslim in how he or she imbibes the values of Islam to govern personal life and uses faith as a moral compass. In contrast, the “Islamic State” is a political entity: a state, caliphate, sultanate, kingdom, or country that uses Islam as a tool to govern society and control its citizenry. At times, these two objectives overlap each other, but most often, they clash. Islamists obsessed with the establishment of the Islamic State have ridden roughshod over Quranic principles and the Prophet’s message of equality.
However, Muslims who have striven to achieve a state of Islam have invariably stepped away from using Islam to chase political power, opting instead for intellectual and pious pursuits.
Since the first caliphate in Medina in the 7th century, clerics have continually reminded Muslims that their mission on Earth—to spread Islam—is impossible without the establishment of an Islamic State. Such edicts by caliphs and imams have gathered near-universal acceptance despite the fact that neither the Quran nor the Prophet asked Muslims to establish such a state. In fact, the five pillars of Islam, which form a Muslim’s covenant with the Creator, do not even hint at the creation of an Islamic State.
It is not that early Muslims did not get a chance to establish an Islamic State. Through the centuries, from the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs to the Umayyads and the Abbasids, hundreds of Muslim dynasties have tried their hand at creating this illusive Islamic State, and all have failed in laying the foundations of such an entity. Some rulers demonstrated impeccable personal character and integrity, but as soon as they died, murder and mayhem followed. If the creation of an Islamic State was not possible when Muslims were at their peak of power and intellect, it would be reasonable to conclude that this ambition is not realizable when Muslims are at their weakest and most divorced from education and the sciences.
Maudoodi, one of the main proponents of an Islamic State in the past century, in his book Islamic Law and Constitution, poses the question: “What are the fundamental objects for which Islam advocates the establishment of an Islamic State?” Answering himself, Maudoodi quotes two verses of the Quran, suggesting that they require the establishment of the Islamic State:
“Certainly We sent our Messengers with clear arguments, and sent down with them the Book and Balance, so that people may conduct themselves with equity” (57:25), and “These Muslims (who are being permitted to fight) are a people who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil.” (22:41).
Nowhere in these verses of the Quran does God ask or authorize the creation of an Islamic State. Yet, from the same verses, Maudoodi concludes that God commands the creation of such an entity. In the same book, Maudoodi writes that such an Islamic State will “eradicate and crush with full force all those evils from which Islam aims to purge mankind.” In this one sentence Maudoodi reveals the true objective of the Islamists.
The urge to “eradicate,” “crush,” and “purge” lies at the heart of their obsession with an Islamic State
In his seminal work published in 1925, Al-Islam wa usul el-hukum (Islam and the Fundamentals of Authority), Razik argued against the Islamic State and advocated the separation of religion and civil society, drawing the wrath of the influential Al-Azhar University. His books were burned and he was declared an apostate for merely suggesting that the state of Islam did not require an Islamic State. His book was published in the aftermath of the collapse of the six-hundred-year-old Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the caliphate system by Turkey’s founding president, secular modernist Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. For the first time since 632 CE, the Muslim world had no central political authority. The caliph’s authority had been on the wane since the rise of European imperial power in the 16th century, but the 1925 abolition came as a shock to much of the Muslim world, which was largely living under French, British, and Dutch occupation.
It was in this vacuum of political authority that intellectuals like Egypt’s Ali Abdel al-Razik raised difficult issues. Razik questioned the need for the revival of the caliphate and proposed the idea of a nation state where religion would not interfere with the political process. Razik’s opposition to the creation of the Islamic State in the form of a revived caliphate stirred anger among Egypt’s orthodox Islamic establishment.
Paradoxically, a group of Islamic scholars chaired by Sheikh Muhammad Abul Fadl al-Jizawi, the rector of Al-Azhar, had already issued a statement reluctantly coming to terms with the abolition of the caliphate. They had even criticized Muslims who felt bound by an oath of allegiance to the deposed Ottoman caliph and regarded obedience to him as a religious duty, already welcoming the weakening of the Turkish-based caliphate and had intensifi ed their campaign to have the caliphate returned to the Arabs.)
Razik’s critique, however, went beyond the simple acceptance of a fait accompli. He launched a vociferous attack on the centuries-old school of Islamic political thought. In this, he took on not only the orthodox Ulema (Islamic scholars) and Al-Azhar, but also self-styled modernist Egyptians like Rashid Rida, who oscillated between Arab nationalism and Islamic universalism, but never gave up on the Islamic State.
Razik, based his opposition on an Islamic perspective, considering his background as an Islamic scholar and as a former judge of a religious court. He argued that the caliphate or the Islamic State had no basis in either the Quran or the traditions of the Prophet. He rightly argued that the Quran makes no mention of a caliphate and invoked the verse that said, “We have neglected nothing in the Book” (6:38).
As long as Razik restricted his criticism to the caliphate, the orthodoxy was willing to tolerate his views. However, when he challenged the long established belief that Islam as a religion necessitated the creation of an Islamic government, he crossed a line, leading to years of harassment and ostracization with accusations that he was a communist. Undeterred by the witch hunt, Razik concluded that (1) Government or political authority, as necessary as it might be seen to realize Islamic ideals and obligations, was not the essence of Islam and had nothing to do with the primary principles of the faith; and (2) Islam left Muslims free to choose whatever form of government they felt could solve their day-to-day problems, with civil society minus an offi cial state religion being best able to offer such a solution. Razik clamoured for the de-politicization of Islam, claiming that the only benefi ciaries of the Islamic State were the tyrants who ruled Muslim populations and who were able to silence opposition by getting the Ulema to declare that opposition to their government was opposition to Islam.
Iqbal wrote dismissively of the clerics: “The religious doctors of Islam in Egypt and India, as far as I know, have not yet expressed themselves on this point. Personally, I fi nd the Turkish view is perfectly sound.” He went on to defend the separation of religion and state, writing, “The republican form of government is not only thoroughly consistent with the spirit of Islam, but has also become a necessity in view of the new forces that were set free in the world of Islam.”
Iqbal further cited two examples of how in early Islam the caliphate had adapted to political realities. First was the abolition of a condition that the caliph had to descend from the Meccan Arab tribe of Quraysh. Iqbal cited the ruling of an 11th-century jurist that, since the Quraysh tribe had experienced a political debacle, ruling the world of Islam no longer required belonging to the Quraysh tribe. The second example involved the historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun, who in the 15th century declared that since the power of the Quraysh had vanished, the only alternative was to accept the country’s most powerful man as the country’s imam or caliph. Iqbal concluded from all this that there was no difference between the position of Khaldun, who had realized the hard logic of facts, and the attitude of modern Turks, who were also inspired by the realities of their time rather than by medieval laws written under different conditions of life.
In his seminal work The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Iqbal wrote:
“Such is the attitude of the modern Turk, inspired as he is by the realities of experience, and not by the scholastic reasoning of jurists who lived and thought under different conditions of life. To my mind these arguments, if rightly appreciated, indicate the birth of an International ideal, which forming the very essence of Islam, has been hitherto overshadowed or rather displaced by Arabian Imperialism of the earlier centuries in Islam.”
The cause of the violence that has engulfed the Muslim world is centred on the premise of an Islamic State or a caliphate as the prerequisite for the flourishing of Islam. Among the contemporary opponents of the Islamic State is the brilliant Sudanese-American academic, Professor Abdullahi An-Na’im, who teaches law at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In his classic book, Toward an Islamic Reformation, An-Na’im writes about the unrealistic utopian dream of an Islamic State: “The authority of the caliph was supposed to be derived from popular support without any principle and mechanism by which that popular support could have been freely given, restricted, or withdrawn. This is, I maintain, one of the fundamental sources of constitutional problems with the sharia model of an Islamic state.”
It is no wonder Muslims like An-Na’im are the prime targets of the Islamic religious right. Islamists consider secular, liberal, progressive, or cultural Muslims and even orthodox Sufi s a greater threat than the West.
The reason is that Muslims opposed to the Islamist agenda cannot be fooled or charmed in a way naive liberal-left politicians can. In fact, radical jihadis and their Islamist apologists have been targeting fellow Muslims for decades.
Their conflict with the West is only recent. Long before Islamists donned anti-imperialist paraphernalia, they were the loyal storm troopers for the United States, targeting left-wing and secular Muslims or anyone who was able to unmask their fascist agenda and links to Saudi-funded Wahhabis.
Even today, the primary enemy of the Islamist is the fellow Muslim who is unwilling to surrender to the harsh literalist and supremacist use of Islam as a political tool. The Muslims who stand in the way of the Islamist agenda pay a heavy price for their courage.
The call for an Islamic State gives false hopes to Muslim masses. The followers of Maudoodi and Syed Qutb are dangling carrots and the promise of heavenly pleasures to mislead the Muslim peoples.
Had the Islamic State been possible, Allah would have brought it about it by now. There were enough men of impeccable character and integrity that had the chance to turn their domains into a genuine Islamic State, but everyone who tried, experienced failure. Perhaps there is a reason why Allah did not mention the creation of such a state in the Quran. Perhaps this is why the Prophet Muhammad talked about the message of Islam reaching the four corners of the earth, but gave no instructions on the creation of the Islamic State. Perhaps he was giving us Muslims a message that we have failed to heed. Perhaps it is time to do just that and walk away from the pursuit of an Islamic State and instead work to create a state of Islam within each one of us.
Filed under: Uncategorized · Tags: Islam, Political Islam, PTH, religious
128 Responses to "Difference between Islam and Political Islam"
Leave a Reply
Recent Comments
- testu mohmadu
said accha taqia hai - Jamal
said @Sunny
That is impossible, the British defeated an... - Jamal said Lol Quisling, do you know the meaning of the word?...
- Jamal said @Sunny
Your answer to 1 strongly implies you belie...
- PMA
said The Tiwanas, like thousands of other ‘soldiers of... - PMA said Part II
Sir Malik Mohammed Umar Hayat Khan Tiwana...
- PMA said This may help.
Sir Malik Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana...
- vhp
said sunny tumne ramdeo kee zhantee dekhi hai.uski zhat... - amjad said NDelhi says:
June 19, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Amjad , i...
- lahori said sunny says:
June 19, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Nawaz Sha...
tajender Paki wrote:
You mean like jizya! :green:
RajToo
Inbreeding’s effect on brain have made the person incapable of introspection. Having indian name but licking Arabic feet,with no strength to keep indian bloodline yet want to have say in indic civilzational matters. All it proves that Dhobi Ka Gaddha was a real figure and real example of entertainment.
PTH may thus end up becoming “Perfidious Tajender Hooliganism”.
Islam has produced millions of such hooligans all over with whom islam wants to dictate over mankind.
Rex represents the “softer publicity image” of the same fascist phenomenon.
Every islamic state starts with false-sweet (or sweet-false) promises coupled with ruthless violnce and ends up in fascism, civil war and bloodbaths.
This has happened a hundred times in the past and will happen a thousand times more.
The Orwellian threat looms over mankind again – now through islam and its agents, defenders, quislings and aggressors.
Perfidious Tajender Hooliganism”.
i pity u people even ur godess of knowledge saraswati
is illetrate.u have no capacty to debate.a closed mind with abusive language.that is all.
“Had the Islamic State been possible, Allah would have brought it about it by now…..Perhaps it is time to do just that and walk away from the pursuit of an Islamic State and instead work to create a state of Islam within each one of us.”
.
Islamic state is the symptom, not the cause of the malaise. The real desease is the high level of religiosity in society. Working “to create a state of Islam within each one of us” is not going to cure that problem. If each and every person in society is a pious Muslim, mere statistics would tell you that square root of that number, which is another large number, will be fanatics looking to “crush” and “purge” mankind of evils. A moderate society requires a healthy dose of skepticism. And a drastic climbing down of the “state of Islam”. The Islamists and the craving for Islamic state will go down on its own.
.
On another unrelated note, it’s puzzling to see almost every argument made in Muslim societies on the basis of Allah, Muhammad, or Koran. There are golden exceptions of course but see above, “Had the Islamic State been possible, Allah would have brought about it by now”. Countless times on these pages decent Ahmedis argue against the cruelties meted out to them. But rarely are they appeals to the humanity and reason rather than this or that prophecy or warnings of divine intervention. The problem with prophecies or divinity is the old one (my prophecy is better than yours). Kindness, humanity, or goodness of heart do not suffer from such moral relativism.
NC,
I am not sure if you read my debate with our wise Ahmedi brothers about slavery in Islam. It was quite an eye opener. I would rather prefer the original version. At least, they have the honesty to admit that yes, these things are a part of Islam; it may be bad but it was what it was. In that case, we know where to start.
Muslims are unwilling to accept that their god (or mohammadan god-concept) is either useless or a nuisance or a source/cause of fascism.
The first generation of converts to islam may have some tolerance in them (left over from their non-islamic days and ways), but after two or three generations of islam in the family islamic fascism and closed-minded-ness takes over their minds and souls completely. there may be some exceptions – but they don’t count to anything decisive.
God-fixation is a terrible mental disease. This disease is especially ill in its effects when the god is called allah and coupled with shrieks, jerks and contortions of la ilah il allah.
If god had warned mankind not be fixated on him then he would have done a good service to mankind. The islamic god however wants that humans should be his mental slaves. The worshippers of the islamic god want to please him by keeping human beings under this slavery by all means.
BM,
.
I read parts of your debate on slavery. I had to concentrate on something else at that time, so couldn’t read the whole thing. But needless to say I agreed with you.
.
It’s always honest to admit that slavery etc were not abolished by Muhammad because he was trying to organize the Arabic society of the 7th century . With time as the value system and the meaning of personal freedom have changed (expanded) slavery needed to be completely removed, with no ifs and buts. Koran therefore is a contextual document and not everything in it is valid universally at all times.
.
It’s actually obvious that (humane) rules for wife beating etc. contained in Koran are contextual, and must be seen in the light of Muhammad’s reformist inclination. But by claiming that Koran is nothing but God’s words valid at all times and all places, even intelligent Muslims give wife-beating, polygamy, etc. divine sanction which help them perpetuate. I am frankly appalled by the complete lack of constructive criticism and a much too widespread tendency, even in intelligent folks, to sugar-coat vices which used to be norms in a much earlier era.
Why talk abut slavery in Islam, or in the USA and African history We are all slaves of one sort or other, though we are treated by our masters well and we can even negotiate better salaries and our trade unions can negotiate equitable working conditions and yearly salary increases and othe social benefits. Now I did not mean to forget the poor slaves of India, entire village populations who work for the contractor master for food and clothing only. The contractor has supposedly bought them with a sum of money for a number of years. The Indian labour minister denies that they are slaves and names them as a bonded labour. However, he indicated that the central Govt. is making an effort to stop this inhumane practice, but he also states that the responsibility for this is with the responsible Provincial Govt. I thought that the educated and intelligent Indians should pay attention to this reality rather than using investigative journalism in seventh century practices in Arabia, or nineteenth century India under the Brits.
rex minor
“I thought that the educated and intelligent Indians should pay attention to this reality rather than using investigative journalism in seventh century practices in Arabia, or nineteenth century India under the Brits….”
“Indonesian MPs have called for a ban on workers being sent to the Middle East, after Saudi Arabia executed a maid without informing Jakarta.
Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Riyadh to express its anger.
A crowd of protesters gathered outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta displaying banners and T-shirts in support of the executed worker.
The maid, Ruyati binti Sapubi, was beheaded with a sword on Saturday after confessing to murdering her boss.
Indonesian media reports said she attacked her boss with a meat cleaver after being denied permission to return home.
About 1.5 million Indonesians work in Saudi Arabia – many of them as domestic maids.
Anger has been growing in recent years over the treatment of migrant workers – particularly maids, who often complain of mistreatment…..”
(From BBC News 2011)
One must clean the front of ones own house, before criticising other Govts conduct in human rights! This is not a myth to bust but a common sense which most have! In our local paper we have more horrible stories everyday than in many other parts of the world. Besides, we are in 2012 and no loger read 2011 news.
Rex Minor
@Tajender,
Remember my earlier post about the wise man, ” if you keep your head when all about you are loosing theirs………..More fellow travellers have joined in since PTH is allowing a free entry.
Rex Minor
Rex Minor,
India after Independence and even earlier, is one story of constant reform, in all social fields. You just need to pick a social topic from India and look at the reforms taking place in that field. So we are cleaning our house. BTW, many of our problems are due to the poverty which the Islamics and British have bequeathed upon India.
.
What we notice however is that there have been hardly any reforms in Muslim countries. If at all, these countries have only become ever more conservative.
.
Earlier in Afghanistan and Egypt, in the 70s and 80s, women could boast of a more liberal atmosphere. Now all are walking around in those shuttlecock burqas.
.
The example from Saudi Arabia is very relevant. They do not have the same problems as India of poverty and paucity of resources. What is the reason that the Saudis are so barbaric towards their domestic help from other countries like Indonesia? So much wealth and still so little morality! It is all due to Islamic Erziehung!
@Raj too
India is not responsible for muslim countries, and need not concern itself about the social problems of women in their countries, other than to demand from their Govts. for better treatment of the migrant workers. The spring revolution spearheaded by their youth was to reform these societies who equaly have had a very long period of colonisation. It has slowed down because of external interventions.
The status of women in all societies needs improvements, more so in India than the countries you mentioned. Not only poverty but lack of education, the misuse of the resorces and wrong priorities of the leadership are the contributing factors for social problems of a country. Tajender has mentioned some which to which you guys were not very kind or receptive. I did not notice any malice in Tajendrs complaints but a cry of the person who has not only eperienced but the suffering of a person. Though I must say you guys are extremely emotional and very touchy.
There is nothing Islamic Erziehung which brings people to barbarity, your Denk fehler if you think that women and children slavery in India is due to the hindu faith. No it is lack of education and nothing but lack of education and the non-acceptance of the reality that men and women are born free with equal rights, though women are even today denied equal rights in many advanced societies of the world. The American administrations as well as the UNO organisations hire praktikants/students called INTERNS without wages and even subject hem to sextual assaults. Do you reckon it has ever drawn your attention? Have we forgotten bill Clinton sex affair with Monica Lewinsky? Yes, she was an intern!
Rex Minor
“The status of women in all societies needs improvements, more so in India than the countries you mentioned……”
.
Rex,
I guess we are talking about Afghanistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Do you have any objective data to back the above statement or is it your personal opinion? How did you arrive at the above conclusion?
Rex,
You are one funny fella and amuse me no end. At 12.55 am you wrote:
.
“One must clean the front of ones own house, before criticising other Govts conduct in human rights! This is not a myth to bust but a common sense which most have! In our local paper we have more horrible stories everyday than in many other parts of the world. Besides, we are in 2012 and no loger read 2011 news….”
And at 6.26 am come the following pearls of wisdom:
.
“The American administrations as well as the UNO organisations hire praktikants/students called INTERNS without wages and even subject hem to sextual assaults. Do you reckon it has ever drawn your attention? Have we forgotten bill Clinton sex affair with Monica Lewinsky? Yes, she was an intern!..”
.
In other words Saudi Arabia 2011 is non of any ones business but US 1998 is fair game for you…..;-)
.
How do the say cut the crap in German?
Spar dir deine Heucheleinen?
Rex Minor wrote:
Rex Minor,
for more than 800 years Islam has been a cause for instability in India in India’s sanskriti (culture) and natural order, so much so that large parts of India were separated from it on the basis of Islam’s demands. It was not Indians who invaded Islamic countries, but the other way round.
.
More than any other people, Indians have a right to observe, analyze and criticize Islam. Islam made itself Indians’ business, so nobody can really tell us to ‘go mind our own business’.
.
How Islam, and Saudi Arabia, treats human beings is obviously of concern to us.
rex and tajender have constantly changing positions – their main interest is only to beat India, hindus, brahmins, jews etc. from whatever standpoint or vantagepoint or viewpoint.
If rex is living in Germany then why does he not clean up in Germany first before talking about India?
India has been a victim of islamic lies, violence, aggressions, thefts and manipulations since 1200 years. Not all of India’s problems are due to islam – but many really bad ones indeed are. With 170 million followers of this arab-imperialist finalist-fascist ideology living in the Republic of India we are having a major growing and worsening problem in India. The negative and destructive contribution by these 170 million quislings of islam is far worse than their positive contribution.
Even many muslims in India have now expressed that islam itself is the problem for them and hence for others too. Many muslims are sick of islam but they have to express themselves covertly.
@Raj too
How humans are treated should be the concern of all other humans. This does not mean that you appoint yourself as a referee or a judge to decide to criticise peoples religions and their cultures which are foreign, or their respective others political systems and their Govts. which are foreign for some. Therefore the limits have been defined by the world body and they are embodied in human rights. Any critic on violation of human rights is regarded legitimate, whereas religion has been allocated the personal and private arena and is no longer the public property for critic or confrontation. Xenofobia and racism has no legitamacy in Europe and is likely to disturb the social peace in any society.
Islam is one of the most powerful spirtual force in the world and it has withstood several unjustified crusades in its history and there is none today a force strong enough to oppose it today.
Human salvation is only possible through the good deeds of the humans and this is where competition is heading for; let the American leader support the marriage among the same sexes and let Indian subcontinent prioratise the improvement of the peoples standard and quality of life and let Europe balance its Budgets with the incomes and adjust the incomes of rich and poor.
One can only solve social issues with patience and intelligence not with allowing muslims the practice of polygamy or with confrontations by the formation of orange robed vigilanties. Reforms and reforms alone in institutions and education system are needed in all parts of the world.
Indian history with its old culture and traditions are very rich and colourful and must be fully unfolded to come up to the modern age,a forward looking and not based on accusing the religion of Islam, which is difficult even for learned muslims to decode with their presen 18 % average utilization of the brain potential.
I do not know if India was ever so great a country as it is today in terms of its territory, its overlapping and multicoloured and multiethnic cultures and traditions with fully integrated languages, faiths and the untiring capacity, which without the sweat and blood of its people over thousands of years could have been possible. It is time that the blame game comes to end and India takes a well deserving place among the independent Nations and no longer kowtow others and run around for its image in the world. For heavens sake it is upto its citizens to unfold and unfurl its stregnths, without inviting the demons of the past.
Rex Minor
to rex
India’s demon past and present is this religion from Makkah. Even many born-muslims are saying this.
Religions need to be criticized – there is no reason why they should escape criticism. A religion that forbids/suppresses criticism of its articles of faith, history writing and doctrines will end up as fascism – and that is what has happened to islam.
If humans use more of their brain (than your beloved 18%) then they will realize all the more how this arab religion has fooled them in the past 1400 years.
—
You are quick to criticize orange-robed vigilantes, but you don’t seem to notice that there are far more islam-based-instigated street-gangs and terror groups and they are far more violent and world-wide spread.
In Germany, where you live, there are no orange-robed (hindu) vigilantes but again and again some muslim terror gang is busted or exposed. That is so all over Europe, USA, Russia, Africa etc.
Mythbuster,
You are just becoming myth. Read latest times Magazine, Not yet on Säle, about the Situation of interns which is illegal.
You Must Keeper pace with Time.
Hinduismus in my Observation is repräsentier by. Hindus in all its Manifestationen. Nö Muslim, however, has the authority to Repräsentant Islam. Muslims all over the World simply Agreement to Fellow the definier tenets of Islam and promise to Fellow the prescribed Way of Life. This does Not however Jeans that they have completed this Mission.
Rex minor
Please Pardon my spellings!
to rex
We can only hope for the best that the muslims don’t complete the mission.
Rex
haha you definitely need a knew laptop!:)
to fin
you mean:
Rocks kneads a knew lab-pot
or
Xer deans a wen bal-drops
Pakistani muslims like their forefathers must now wait the Arab spring revolution to end, students of under twenty are now going to lead the revolution to restore freedom and dignity in their land.
Rex minor