Is a reformation within Islam finally under way?
A few weeks ago, Fareed Zakaria wrote a thought-provoking Op-Ed piece in Newsweek titled, “The Road to Reformation” (Feb 5 ‘07)
In that he wrote,
“For those in the west asking when Islam will have its Reformation, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the process appears to have begun. The bad news is it’s been marked by calumny, hatred and bloody violence. In this way it mirrors the Reformation itself, which we now remember in a highly sanitized way.
During that era, Christians of differing sects massacred each other as they fought to own the true interpretation of their religion. No analogy is exact, but something similar seems to be happening within Islam.
Here the divide is between the Sunnis, who make up 85 percent of the Muslim world, and the Shiites, who represent most of the other 15 percent.…Islam’s quiet cleavage has come out into the open. At a recent demonstration in the Palestinian territories, opponents of Hamas taunted the Sunni Islamists as “Shiites” because of their links to Iranian-backed Hizbullah.
…think, for a moment, about what the trend means for Al Qaeda.
Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, both Sunnis, created Al Qaeda to be a Pan-Islamic organization, uniting all Muslims as it battled the West, Israel and Western-allied regimes like Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Neither Zawahiri nor bin Laden was animated by hatred of Shiites. In its original fatwas and other statements, Al Qaeda makes no mention of them, condemning only the “Crusaders” and “Jews.” But all ideologies change as they encounter reality. When bin Laden moved to Peshawar in the 1980s to fight the Russians in Afghanistan, he allied with radical Sunnis who had a long history of oppressing Afghanistan’s Shiite minority, the Hazaras. (The novel “The Kite Runner” is about a young Hazara boy.) Even then, bin Laden didn’t sanction anti-Shiite violence, nor did he add anti-Shiite accusations to his messages. But after the Sunni Taliban took power, Arab fighters under his command did support his hosts’ anti-Shiite pogroms.
Iraq was the real turning point. The self-appointed leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, had a poisonous attitude toward Shiites. In a letter to bin Laden, written in February 2004, he described Iraq’s Shiite majority as “the insurmountable obstacle, the lurking snake, the crafty and malicious scorpion, the spying enemy … The danger from the Shia … is greater … than the Americans … I come back and again say that the only solution is for us to strike the religious, military, and other cadres among the Shia with blow after blow until they bend to the Sunnis.” Zarqawi was drawing on Wahhabi Islam-and its offshoot Deobandism* in South Asia-in which there is a deep and oppressive strain of anti-Shiite ideology.”
* The Deobandi school of thought promotes a particularly violent and narrow interpretation of Islamic ideology on which I had commented in a past essay, see “Random Musings on 7/7”
Fareed Zakaria further writes
“Bin Laden and Zawahiri were clearly uncomfortable with this new line…but by the end of 2004, both had decided that Al Qaeda in Iraq was too strong to rebuke. And, rousing anti-Shiite feelings seemed the only way to mobilize Iraq’s Sunni minority. It also, crucially, made them see Al Qaeda as an ally. The trouble for Al Qaeda is that as a practical matter, loathing Shiites works in only a few places: principally Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and some parts of the gulf. Most of the rest of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are turned off by attacks on their co-religionists.
…These emerging divisions weaken Al Qaeda, but they will help most Muslims only if this story ends as the Reformation did. What is currently a war of sects must become a war of ideas.
First, Islam must make space for differing views about what makes a good Muslim. Then it will be able to take the next step and accept the diversity among religions, each true in its own way.
…We should encourage the diversity within Islam, which has the potential to divide our enemies. But more important, we should encourage the emerging debate within it. In the end it was not murder but Martin Luther that made the Reformation matter”
***
Just a week later, eminent British historian Paul Johnson made a similar point in his essay for Forbes titled, “The Middle East Situation Is Not Hopeless“, (12th Feb ‘07)
He wrote,
“Next to courage, patience is the most valuable of political virtues, and, like courage, it’s often in short supply….
…The Western occupation of Iraq has had two consequences–one intentional, the other less so. It transferred the location of Muslim extremist violence from Western cities such as New York and London to the Muslim heartland of the Arab world. But the violence in Iraq has had the unforeseen consequence of resurrecting, in acute form, the smoldering violence between the two chief branches of Islam, the Sunni and the Shia.
The civil- religious war between these two sects is now the dominant factor in the insurgency in Iraq…Few people outside Islam–and not all that many within–understand why Sunnis and Shiites hate one another so much. The quarrel goes back an entire millennium, originally arising from a dispute over the right of the Prophet Muhammed’s descendants to rule. Over time the two branches acquired distinctive, all-pervading and radically different views of their religion.”
Paul then provides a brief explanation of “How Sunnis and Shia Differ”…Interestingly his views on which of the two is a more radical strain is different from what I had understood in the past - and also at odds with Fareed Zakaria’s thoughts above (Fareed and I both believe that Sunnis are the more radical between the two sects - but maybe both of us are wrong and such a simplistic explanation does not exist)
“The Sunnis–who traditionally have constituted the majority of Muslims, especially in the Arab world–place great emphasis on the value of consensus: the need for general agreement over questions regarding their faith; the rule of the majority. The Shia, in contrast, are the dissenters.”
….Shiite(s)…are more active in proselytizing than are the Sunnis–and their numbers are said to be growing.
By nature of their faith, Shiites are more militant, more inclined to violence. They are, therefore, more easily recruited to extremist sects and tend to take them over. They dominate Hezbollah, for instance. Shiite extremism also colors the aggressive international politics of Iran–its threats to “wipe out” Israel, as well as its determination to manufacture and use nuclear weapons.
…Nearly all the killing in Iraq is now carried out by rival Arab sectarian gangs for purposes that make sense only in terms of Islamic dogmas.
Some Western commentators, recognizing that the crisis in the Middle East is now assuming the nature of an internal religious war (like the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries), are sounding dolorous notes of alarm and prophesying endless slaughter and woe, with fighting spreading throughout the region and the West inevitably being dragged in.
This reaction is needlessly pessimistic, even in the short term. In the long term I see a Muslim revulsion for religious and sectarian violence of all kinds, especially if the Shia leadership in Iran begins to threaten its Sunni enemies with its soon-to-be-acquired nuclear weapons.
…Moderate Muslims have long bewailed the fact that Islam has largely missed the opportunities to grow rich and powerful that were so eagerly seized upon by the West. The chance for the long-delayed Muslim revolution of reason and tolerance, which will finally bring the billion followers of Muhammed into the modern world, is at hand.
The situation in the Middle East may at present look confused and threatening, but forces are at work that promise hope and long-term stability. What we need now is patience.”
Then I came across the recent TIME magazine cover story: “Behind the Sunni-Shi’ite Divide” (5th Mar ‘07)…unfortunately it is largely silent on the broader ramifications of the current conflict and avoids the question of whether there might truly be an Islamic reformation under way.
Finally, have a look at this blog. It talks about a recent “Secular Islam Summit”.
From the post:
“…the Secular Islam Summit offers a ray of hope. Just a handful of reformers gathered in Florida made CAIR squirm. Imagine if hundreds of moderate Muslim voices rose up and challenged the Saudi-backed Wahhabi lobby.”
Cannot agree more…
nice post shantanu
Comment by Apollo | March 10, 2007
Forget about islamic reforms, where are our Hindu reforms?
Arya samaj is too slow, o it has lost its shine.
VHP and RSS companies are too narrow minded.
Others are scatered everywhere or are not there.
Tell me, who will reform Hindus?
Comment by Mahesh Prasad Neerkaje | August 6, 2007
Shiite extremism also colors the aggressive international politics of Iran–its threats to “wipe out” Israel, as well as its determination to manufacture and use nuclear weapons.
Iran’s threat was to wipe out the “Zionist Regime” of Israel (similar to wiping out the Saddam Regime) and not the people of Israel. It was a reference to wipe out the administrative system which is consistent in perpetrating Human Rights violations against Palestine, Lebanon with US help by violating UN regulations (if that means anything anymore).
Read this for instance
http://news.independent.co.uk/appeals/indy_appeal/article2097790.ece
http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/2006/07/insane-brutality-of-state-of-israel.html
The comment was made in Persian and CNN conveniently distorted it and reported it as they always do. George Bush amplified the translation. And that “eminent british historian” wasn’t eminent enough to differ.
clap!clap!clap!
Anyway,
Interesting post, Shantanu
Comment by Mohammed Ali | August 8, 2007
Mahesh and Mohammed: Thank you for your comments.
I will respond to them on my return.
Mahesh: I hope you have read this post:
http://satyameva-jayate.org/2007/07/02/is-this-too-much-to-ask/
Comment by B Shantanu | August 8, 2007
Dear Shri Mahesh,
Let me assure there is too much of reform that is taking place in the Hindu Religion but no reform can take place in Sanatana Dharma.
Let me explain further. if you are look at the narrow western thought of “HINDUISM” then I think reformation is taking place. Have a look at the great Gurujis like “Sri Sri Ravishankar”, Swami Sathya Sai Baba” Swami Chinmayananda” Swami Suddhananda”. I almost forgot, “MATA AMIRTANANADA MAYEE” a poor fisherwoman!They are making a change. “A very Great change”
They are making the real truths of “Sanatana Dharma” apparent and that has made youth resurgent. Pranayama, Yoga, Sanskrit, Ayurveda all these very “Bharataya Items” are now making great strides in the world.
Let me make it apparent here that both the RSS and VHP are required as otherwise the “Secularists”, hope you are not one of them, will have destroyed what was left of apparent “Western Hinduism” and we would not have anything to discuss on this blog today.
As a conclusion please note that today there are schools in Kerala which are training Tribals and so called BC’s in priesthood to serve in temples!
Let us us continue to strengthen true Sanatana Dharma and get rid of this “Western Cliche- Hinduism”.
Regards,
V.C.Krishnan
Comment by V.C.Krishan | August 8, 2007
@ Mohammed: You write that “Iran’s threat was to wipe out the “Zionist Regime” of Israel (similar to wiping out the Saddam Regime) and not the people of Israel.”
Pl. note that unlike the Saddam regime, Israel’s government is democratically elected - so to ask for it to be dismantled is, in effect, de-legitimising the right of Israelis to govern themeselves and exist as a sovereign state.
Also can you please provide a reference (or translation) which suggests that the remark was directed at “the administrative system” rather than the State of Israel?
Thanks.
Comment by B Shantanu | August 12, 2007
Mahesh says forget Islamic reforms but asks who will reform Hinduism. What is the problem with Hindus? Are they waging a war to make the whole world Hindus? Are they disregarding other countries’ laws and imposing Hindu Laws? Are they infiltrating neighboring countries and causing terror? Have they gone out to attack churches and mosques all over the world? Have they declared a single country Hindu? In fact even Nepal has ceased to be Hindu. Now you know why Islam’s reformation is needed. Of course, that is not to say that practice of Hinduism should not be brought on the lines of teachings of Swamis Vivekananda, Chinmayananda and Dayanand Saraswati (the list can go on).
Comment by Mahendra Mathur | October 14, 2007
It is time, Muslims of India/Pakistan/Bangladesh and Sri Lanka come together to undertake this historic task.
These nations have the largest number of Muslims who can provide leadership to Islam. Arabs have only brought ignominy to both faith and faithfuls. Muslims from sub continent should wake up.
Comment by Jitendra Desai | October 14, 2007
Mahendra Mathur is absolutely right in his point that we cannot keep harping on Hindu reform every time the topic of Islamic reform is raised.
Hinduism may need some reform in some social practices, many of which have been outlawed by the Indian government. These include the caste system, dowry system, and the practice of female foeticide etc. These are social evils and the abolishing of such practices don’t really affect Hindu beliefs or theology.
However, to reform Islam, major shift in the theology will have to be undertaken. How can you reform a religion which claims to be the only true one in the world and that all other non-believers should either be converted or put to death? To change this religion to a more tolerant one that is accepting and respectful of other religions, it will take major reworking of their primary scripture, the Koran.
Comment by Subadra Venkatesh | October 18, 2007
Interview with Wafa Sultan on Al Jazeera (2006):
http://www.spike.com/video/wafa-sultan-clashes/2703896
Also at http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=
Comment by Suresh | September 15, 2008
Excerpts from Professor Hired for Outreach to Muslims Delivers a Jolt
…Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a Muslim convert and Germany’s first professor of Islamic theology, fasts during the Muslim holy month, doesn’t like to shake hands with Muslim women and has spent years studying Islamic scripture. Islam, he says, guides his life.
So it came as something of a surprise when Prof. Kalisch announced the fruit of his theological research. His conclusion: The Prophet Muhammad probably never existed.
…Muslims, not surprisingly, are outraged. Even Danish cartoonists who triggered global protests a couple of years ago didn’t portray the Prophet as fictional. German police, worried about a violent backlash, told the professor to move his religious-studies center to more-secure premises.
“We had no idea he would have ideas like this,” says Thomas Bauer, a fellow academic at MĂĽnster University who sat on a committee that appointed Prof. Kalisch. “I’m a more orthodox Muslim than he is, and I’m not a Muslim.”
When Prof. Kalisch took up his theology chair four years ago, he was seen as proof that modern Western scholarship and Islamic ways can mingle — and counter the influence of radical preachers in Germany. He was put in charge of a new program at MĂĽnster, one of Germany’s oldest and most respected universities, to train teachers in state schools to teach Muslim pupils about their faith.
Muslim leaders cheered and joined an advisory board at his Center for Religious Studies. Politicians hailed the appointment as a sign of Germany’s readiness to absorb some three million Muslims into mainstream society. But, says Andreas Pinkwart, a minister responsible for higher education in this north German region, “the results are disappointing.”
Prof. Kalisch, who insists he’s still a Muslim, says he knew he would get in trouble but wanted to subject Islam to the same scrutiny as Christianity and Judaism. German scholars of the 19th century, he notes, were among the first to raise questions about the historical accuracy of the Bible.
Many scholars of Islam question the accuracy of ancient sources on Muhammad’s life…But only a few scholars have doubted Muhammad’s existence. Most say his life is better documented than that of Jesus.
…A convert to Islam at age 15, Prof. Kalisch says he was drawn to the faith because it seemed more rational than others. He embraced a branch of Shiite Islam noted for its skeptical bent. After working briefly as a lawyer, he began work in 2001 on a postdoctoral thesis in Islamic law in Hamburg, to go through the elaborate process required to become a professor in Germany.
…He had no doubts at first, but slowly they emerged. He was struck, he says, by the fact that the first coins bearing Muhammad’s name did not appear until the late 7th century — six decades after the religion did.
He traded ideas with some scholars in SaarbrĂĽcken who in recent years have been pushing the idea of Muhammad’s nonexistence. They claim that “Muhammad” wasn’t the name of a person but a title, and that Islam began as a Christian heresy.
…Prof. Kalisch says he “never told students ‘just believe what Kalisch thinks’ ” but seeks to teach them to think independently. Religions, he says, are “crutches” that help believers get to “the spiritual truth behind them.” To him, what matters isn’t whether Muhammad actually lived but the philosophy presented in his name.
…The professor says he’s more determined than ever to keep probing his faith. He is finishing a book to explain his thoughts. It’s in English instead of German because he wants to make a bigger impact. “I’m convinced that what I’m doing is necessary. There must be a free discussion of Islam,” he says.
—Almut Schoenfeld in Berlin contributed to this article.
Comment by B Shantanu | November 18, 2008
Dear Shantanu,
Nothing is nearer to your objective. The ideas of Christianity and that of what as Prof: Kalisch has said go together to form one significant truth.
“They are all talking of nothing but “Sanatana Dharma”!
Religions he says are “crutches” that help believers get to the “Spiritual truth behind them.” To him, what matters isn’t whether Muhammed “ACTUALLY LIVED” but the “PHILOOPHY PRESENTED IN HIS NAME”.
This is the closest one has got thru to being “Sanatana Dharma.”
A few more years it will be “Satyameva-Jayate”.
Regards,
vck
Comment by v.c.krishnan | November 20, 2008
vck and shantanu , u must remember that muhammed made sure that he was worshipped in no form or shape ,as his teachings claimed that only allah was worthy of worship and not any human being .after muhammed died a few attempts were made to sketch muhammed’s pictures but the idea was shut down by omar who made a historical speech to the people ”those of u who worshipped muhammed ,let me remind u he was just a human being . he is dead and gone .only allah is worthy of worship and it should remain so for all of us .”there is a lot of misunderstanding among non muslims and even a section of muslims about the wahhabi sect .i m not a follower of it , but i must say i find nothing wrong in it .the koran is the holy book of the muslims and the hadeeth is a book which documents the lives and laws practiced by muhammed and his companions .the koran is a dialogue between man and his creator ,between good and evil ,with the almighty showing how good deeds triump over all evil deeds . the hadeeth is the documented life of muhammed and his companions and the steps they tooks in various stages of their life in a given situation .the hadeeth was never made into a ‘law’ by any of the 4 caliphs of islam to be practiced worlwide by muslims , because its influence was mostly confined to the behavioural aspects of desert tribes . the koran was more universal in its theme of a dialogue between a man and his creator over the matter of good and evil .the wahhabis of saudi arabia follow both ,the quran and the hadeeth,and quite fairly so ,because the hadeeth appeals to their regional sentiments .so why r these wahhabis so misunderstood in other parts of the world ?? i will explain the reason why ?? for example,a muslim from india has migrated to saudi arabia and worked there for say 30 years .he becomes used to the saudi religious way of life through the hadeeth acceptance . when he returns back to india ,he wants to impose the hadeeth on other muslim followers ,without understanding the impact of its limited appeal .his lack of knowledge fails to see that a desert practice will not hold water in an agricultural country . that is the reason why the ahle hadeeth sect inspired from saudi wahhabism has failed to make inroads among common indian muslims and even in indonesia or malaysia .in india , far less than 2 percent are ahle hadeeth or wahhabis and they are disliked for their rigid stance on religion . that , however does not mean that wahabbism is evil or promotes hatred or killings . it is nothing like that .saudi has strict laws and human life is safe in saudi arabia ,with clamping down on elements who try to sow the seeds of hatred in saudi arabia .
Comment by tarique | November 20, 2008
islam did not begin as a christian heresey ,infact islam is more close to jew religious preachings and practices .even prophet mohammed belonged to a sect that practiced a religion on judaism lines .
Comment by tarique | November 20, 2008
Dear Tarique,
That is precisely the point. True Vedic religion does not have a picture of the Gods and Godesses. The Vedas were revealed to the sages. The sages had no picture of themselves. It was spread by word of mouth and NOT EVEN WRITTEN!
The codification of thoughts came through later thru Manusmriti and others. The WAY OF LIFE as SANATANA DHARMA is known is simple.
It appears to be closer to your thoughts.
I think we are moving closer and closer to bridge the Gap and arrive at the TRUTH. The WAY OF LIFE;
Call it what you want. All thoughts are revealed. One calls it ALLAH, the other THE BRAHMAN and another the SUPREME RULER.
A rose by any other name smells as sweet.
Regards,
vck
Comment by v.c.krishnan | November 20, 2008
Radical Islam’s war with India
The time has arrived for the unspoken to be spoken: Radical Islam is at war with India.
The objectives of the war are to destroy India as a nation with a composite culture and multi-ethnic society, and replace it with a phenomenon which began as an enclave in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century and has already enveloped a good part of the globe.
read here.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14801161
Comment by Bharat | November 20, 2008
bharat , why r u making india look so weak by saying that it will replaced by a saudi arabian culture .believe in urself and if u cannot do that ,atleast talk something good and things which are positive and make sense .what will u achieve by comparing a country with a total population of 17 million with a large agricultural country like india with a population of 1200 million .u get my point ,u r making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Comment by tarique | November 21, 2008