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