The Exploration of the Politics and Ideas of Western Muslim Reformers: the Emergence of Islamic Reform in America
Introduction
The confrontation between Islam and modernity has been one of the major issues that Muslims still deal with it across the contemporary Muslim societies because the consequences of modernity have brought profound religious and socio-political challenges to many aspects of Islamic faith and life. Hence, the intellectuals of Muslim majority societies have engaged with modernity in a constant conversation through various approaches to reform many aspects of Islamic thought and practices in the last century, which have produced significant literature and diverse contributions to both modernity and Muslims’ discourses (Kurzman 2002; Sinanović 2012; Vahdat 2015). The majority of reform attempts had been originating from the Muslim majority countries until the recent decades. …show more content…
However, the recent mass migrations of Muslims toward western countries and the growth of Muslim population in America and Western Europe have opened a new and dynamic phase regarding the current engagements between Islam and modernity because we have witnessed the emergence of new type of Muslim intellectuals and their new significant approaches to reform Islamic socio-political thought in the western settings (Chehab and Whitaker 2014; Kersten 2011). The representation of Western Muslim reformers is a complex and diverse phenomenon mainly consisting of a number of Muslim American and some Western European academics and scholars with different reform discourse, agendas and priorities. Their common denominator is the idea that various aspects of the inherited pre-modern Islamic tradition, especially aspects of Islamic law, with respect to its underlying worldview assumptions, episteme, and various methodologies underpinning this body of knowledge, are not adequately equipped or need serious reform/rethinking in meeting the many challenges of Muslims are facing in modern societies, especially in the context of Muslim majority communities in non-Muslim societies (Duderija 2014; Kersten 2011; Rahman 1984). Western Muslim reformers (WMR), therefore, have been developing more sophisticated and distinctive approaches in their reform projects, since they live in multiculturalist, secular, relatively democratic nations in the America and Western Europe, often marked by considerable religious and academic freedom. They also have relatively better social, economic and educational sources and opportunities than others. This recent experience in a non-Muslim modernized environment has led WMR towards a meticulous and authentic dialogue with modernity’s truth-claims (Afsaruddin 2015; Chehab and Whitaker 2014; Sachedina 2009; Safi 2003). These Muslim reformers are deeply engaged with concrete realities and complexities surrounding the notion of modernity and well-aware inadequate engagements of Muslim societies with modern issues (Abou El Fadl 2014; Ramadan 2009a). Thus, they are very critical of superficial efforts to reform Muslim societies, as well as the without questioning acceptance of western modernization project. However, although they have reduced their confidence on the fundamental premises of the modernization project, they refuse the categorical rejections of radical, fundamentalist, and militant islamists’ groups for the achievements of western modernity. They also highly skeptical on unquestioned embrace of so-called ‘authentic Islam’ or traditional Islam mostly grounded the literal understanding of the Qur’an and the life of ‘pious ancestors (Kersten 2011). According to Western Muslim Reformers, the majority of traditional Muslim Ulama are ill-equipped to handle and understand the comprehensive challenges and dynamic aspects of modernity because traditional religious institutions and literature in many Muslim majority counties also no longer offer the highest level of critical thought, methods and theoretical perspectives to tackle with the challenges of modernity. In addition, today these institutions often have been unable to admit the talented students because of the popularity of medical, engineering and computer sciences among new generations. The curriculums of many madrasahs also can not engage with Islamic reform in challenging philosophical, religious and socio-political aspects of modernity seriously (Safi 2003, 2006). However, …show more content…
This feature leads the discourses of them from the periphery to the center, which underscores their increasing significance for not only the central role in shaping western Islamic identity and culture, but also suggesting alternative approaches and perspectives from the heart of modernity to global Muslim Ummah across the world (Kersten 2011:77). These Muslim thinkers emphasize to need to redefine Muslims itself away from the “Islam versus the West” or “Islamic tradition versus modernity” discourse and affirm the necessity of prosperous, educated and engaged
Introduction
The confrontation between Islam and modernity has been one of the major issues that Muslims still deal with it across the contemporary Muslim societies because the consequences of modernity have brought profound religious and socio-political challenges to many aspects of Islamic faith and life. Hence, the intellectuals of Muslim majority societies have engaged with modernity in a constant conversation through various approaches to reform many aspects of Islamic thought and practices in the last century, which have produced significant literature and diverse contributions to both modernity and Muslims’ discourses (Kurzman 2002; Sinanović 2012; Vahdat 2015). The majority of reform attempts had been originating from the Muslim majority countries until the recent decades. …show more content…
However, the recent mass migrations of Muslims toward western countries and the growth of Muslim population in America and Western Europe have opened a new and dynamic phase regarding the current engagements between Islam and modernity because we have witnessed the emergence of new type of Muslim intellectuals and their new significant approaches to reform Islamic socio-political thought in the western settings (Chehab and Whitaker 2014; Kersten 2011). The representation of Western Muslim reformers is a complex and diverse phenomenon mainly consisting of a number of Muslim American and some Western European academics and scholars with different reform discourse, agendas and priorities. Their common denominator is the idea that various aspects of the inherited pre-modern Islamic tradition, especially aspects of Islamic law, with respect to its underlying worldview assumptions, episteme, and various methodologies underpinning this body of knowledge, are not adequately equipped or need serious reform/rethinking in meeting the many challenges of Muslims are facing in modern societies, especially in the context of Muslim majority communities in non-Muslim societies (Duderija 2014; Kersten 2011; Rahman 1984). Western Muslim reformers (WMR), therefore, have been developing more sophisticated and distinctive approaches in their reform projects, since they live in multiculturalist, secular, relatively democratic nations in the America and Western Europe, often marked by considerable religious and academic freedom. They also have relatively better social, economic and educational sources and opportunities than others. This recent experience in a non-Muslim modernized environment has led WMR towards a meticulous and authentic dialogue with modernity’s truth-claims (Afsaruddin 2015; Chehab and Whitaker 2014; Sachedina 2009; Safi 2003). These Muslim reformers are deeply engaged with concrete realities and complexities surrounding the notion of modernity and well-aware inadequate engagements of Muslim societies with modern issues (Abou El Fadl 2014; Ramadan 2009a). Thus, they are very critical of superficial efforts to reform Muslim societies, as well as the without questioning acceptance of western modernization project. However, although they have reduced their confidence on the fundamental premises of the modernization project, they refuse the categorical rejections of radical, fundamentalist, and militant islamists’ groups for the achievements of western modernity. They also highly skeptical on unquestioned embrace of so-called ‘authentic Islam’ or traditional Islam mostly grounded the literal understanding of the Qur’an and the life of ‘pious ancestors (Kersten 2011). According to Western Muslim Reformers, the majority of traditional Muslim Ulama are ill-equipped to handle and understand the comprehensive challenges and dynamic aspects of modernity because traditional religious institutions and literature in many Muslim majority counties also no longer offer the highest level of critical thought, methods and theoretical perspectives to tackle with the challenges of modernity. In addition, today these institutions often have been unable to admit the talented students because of the popularity of medical, engineering and computer sciences among new generations. The curriculums of many madrasahs also can not engage with Islamic reform in challenging philosophical, religious and socio-political aspects of modernity seriously (Safi 2003, 2006). However, …show more content…
This feature leads the discourses of them from the periphery to the center, which underscores their increasing significance for not only the central role in shaping western Islamic identity and culture, but also suggesting alternative approaches and perspectives from the heart of modernity to global Muslim Ummah across the world (Kersten 2011:77). These Muslim thinkers emphasize to need to redefine Muslims itself away from the “Islam versus the West” or “Islamic tradition versus modernity” discourse and affirm the necessity of prosperous, educated and engaged