| Is Islamism, Islam ? | | | | he goes on to assert: |
| I define Islamism as the twentieth century political | | | | "What Qutb fails to inform his vanguard, however, is |
| movement to instill "Islamic" governments in Muslim | | | | that the code of conduct he subsequently elaborated |
| countries. The intellectual architects of this movement | | | | in his 'commentary' on the Koran matches that of |
| were Sayyid Qutb, Maududi, Ayatollah Khomeini and | | | | Carrel much more than Muhammad's own Traditions.' |
| Hassan al-Turabi, amongst others. They have formed | | | | The result is not an indigenous form of governance, |
| the political and governance template for movements | | | | but 'a Third World version of Fascism." (Courtesy of |
| in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Somali, | | | | Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad) |
| Sudan and Pakistan. The Islamist movements begin | | | | This is not to say that Islamism is synonymous with |
| with a small, religiously purified elite of the wider | | | | fascism, which clearly it is not. Nor is it to say that all |
| group of believers that are welded into a group that | | | | Islamic thinkers are identical, they are not. Maududi's |
| form the nucleus for political and community action. It | | | | Jaamat e Islami was enthusiastically democratic and |
| is interesting to observe that this type of Qutb | | | | non violent. The critique of it is different to that of |
| Islamism is now employed as a modus operandi for | | | | Sayyid Qutb. Qutb's later writings, especially from |
| Christian groups who wish to transform their | | | | prison have an authoritarian and revolutionary flavor |
| community support into political power. The RNC's | | | | that is not authentically Islamic.The purported |
| flirtation with the evangelicals has parallels with | | | | template for radical Islamists such as Qutb, and the |
| Ikhwan's links to the Nasserites, right down to the | | | | source of his Islamic authenticity is their alleged |
| betrayal, (but not the executions). | | | | fidelity to the method of the Prophet Muhammad |
| Islam is of course what we all understand it to be, | | | | (PBUH). This assertion is false and they must be |
| the religious belief and codified ritual practice | | | | challenged on it. |
| contained in the Quran and Prophetic (PBUH) Sunnah. | | | | In pre-Islamic Arabia, there was no government, no |
| It is the basis of what a Muslim does. | | | | government structures and only the most |
| Although there is wide religious diversity amongst the | | | | rudimentary tribal understandings. Even during this |
| proponents of Islamism there is surprising unity in | | | | period, and with the profound difference in |
| political method and public governance. Khomeni for | | | | understanding, the Prophet (PBUH) did not impose his |
| example is a "twelver shia", Maududi founded the | | | | will upon Medina, although the citizens had invited him |
| Jammat e Islami and Qutb was the spiritual source | | | | to do so. Rather his community power, grew |
| for movements as including the Muslim Brotherhood | | | | gradually with increasing community support. Political |
| at one end and Al Qaida at the other. There are | | | | support lagged behind widespread community support |
| fundamental theological differences between these | | | | in Medina: Abi Salul was allowed to sit in the presence |
| movements, but the chronology of their rise, the | | | | of the Prophet (PBUH) and mock him without fear, |
| method of their political action and the similarities of | | | | although the Prophet enjoyed widespread community |
| their governance suggest that they are surprising | | | | support and was de-facto ruler of Medina. He did not |
| similarities. | | | | impose Islamic rules on other faith communities, but |
| Islamist governments are one party structures with | | | | rather treated them generously often at the |
| weak or non-existent alternative voices. Although | | | | expense of strict justice to Muslims. As Islam spread |
| they reach power via the ballot box they are | | | | the Muslim rulers were known for their minimalist |
| disdainful of the transformative power of public | | | | intervention in local government, economics and |
| participation in community governance. They also | | | | trade. |
| shun transparency, media freedom and gradualism. | | | | The Islamic law was a welcome relief from the |
| The governments have strong social justice | | | | arbitrary negotiated justice of tribal law and allowed |
| commitments and high standards of personal public | | | | guarantee of property rights and was administered |
| official accountability, although over time these are | | | | by an independent impartial judiciary, which is they |
| eroded by the corruption of unchecked political | | | | very opposite of the current situation. The Islamist |
| power. There is always a concentration of power | | | | doctrine is disturbingly messianic, something that is |
| amongst the spiritual elite, such as the Iranian the | | | | un-Islamic. If one wishes to preach, it is better to |
| revolutionary guardian council. | | | | actually preach the worship of God, rather than |
| Islamist governments concentrate disproportionately | | | | preach a totalitarianism that you may believe will in |
| on the outward manifestations of Islamic observance, | | | | the future be congenial to the worship of God, i.e. |
| women's dress, alcohol consumption, prostitution, etc. | | | | the worship of God rather than the worship of |
| They seem less willing to understand or rectify other | | | | Islamism. |
| more important systems of government. There is no | | | | Groups such as Hizb ut Tahrir take this absurdity to |
| standard Islamist economic policy, but there are | | | | its logical limit when they claim that their vision of |
| strong trends to a determinist economic model, | | | | Islamist government is actually a secular system of |
| although this is widely recognized as a failed model, | | | | rules that will produce a Utopian society. They |
| and is ironically profoundly "un-Islamic". | | | | therefore are not interested in preaching this worship |
| Although Islamist governments are authoritarian and | | | | of God, but rather the adherence to a set of political |
| keen to introduce what they deem to be "Sharia" | | | | ideals which are claimed to be central to the Islamic |
| law they are surprisingly devoid of ethic of the rule | | | | ideals of government. These assertions are false. |
| of such law, the narrow scope of legislation to | | | | Islam needs to be lived first before it is legislated. |
| certain aspects of criminal law (the Hudud), and they | | | | Institutionalizing piety is itself problematic, as we are |
| do not tolerate a judiciary independent of the | | | | currently discovering. |
| executive. The fidelity toward the absolute rule of | | | | The first generation of Islamists who are now |
| law or to governance based on unchanging set of | | | | entering the last years of their lives are full of |
| legal principles is conspicuously lacking.The arbitrary | | | | regrets. In private conversations they admit that the |
| nature of legal rulings itself becomes an obstacle to | | | | errors they made were to rush into political power |
| social stability and economic progress | | | | and compromise or distort religious principles for short |
| Islamist governments appear to have more in | | | | term political gain. They also admit that in formulating |
| common with Marxist regimes of the early and middle | | | | their lofty goals they were almost childlike in their |
| part of the twentieth century than with the | | | | naiveté. One recurring regret is prominient, |
| Prophetic (PBUH) model of governance in Medinat ul | | | | moving from a community based religious movement |
| Nabi in the 6th century. Their development along this | | | | to a political party has been a tragedy for the |
| abbherent path reflects the very low level of | | | | former. Once it entered politics, the growth in the |
| education amongst Islamists group and their | | | | Islamist support stopped, then gradually declined. If |
| unwillingness to read non-Muslim scholars and | | | | one were primarily committed to the promotion of |
| understand that this type of governance has been | | | | worship of Allah, this should be alarming. |
| tried and has failed. Islamist have no understanding of | | | | As one who feels that the Muslim world will never |
| Islamic finance that are rarely developed beyond | | | | truly be itself until Islam forms an integral part of its |
| rudimentary systems, nor do they understand the | | | | polity, I don't wish to see a secular government. That |
| gradualism that is required to move societies. Islamist | | | | model (e.g. Bathism in Iraq, Egypt and Syria) has been |
| regimes are revolutionary and radical. they seek to | | | | tried and failed. Nor has secular government given |
| impose the will of the elite on the masses without | | | | security to non-Muslim countries who have interests |
| persuasion, trust and transparency. Islamist | | | | in the Muslim world, indeed it is regularly argued that |
| governments confuse their own survival with that of | | | | totalitarian secular polity has been the germ that has |
| Islam, which forms the basis for their missionary zeal, | | | | fuelled Islamic radicalism. But the Islamist models that |
| resembling most closely that of Lenin's October | | | | are on display today are excessively romantic, |
| revolutionaries. | | | | formulaic and shallow. Islamists need to turn down |
| Youssef Choueiri details the profound similarities | | | | the temperature of their public religious fervor and |
| between the the 19th century French Nobel prize | | | | demonstrate that they can govern a community. |
| winner Alexis Carrel and the thesis of Sayyid Qutb. | | | | |