Islam and Secularism in the Middle East

Islam and Secularism in the Middle East PDF

Author: Azzam Tamimi

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2000-10

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0814782612

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Western civilization tends to view secularism as a positive achievement. From this perspective, benefits of secularizing trends include the separation of church and state, the rule of law, and freedom from organized religion. In the Arab Middle East, however, Islamist intellectuals increasingly cite Western-inspired secularism as the source of the region's social dislocation and political instability. While secularism in the West led to the spread of democratic values, in the Muslim world it has been associated with dictatorship, the violation of human rights, and the abrogation of civil liberties. Islam and Secularism in the Middle East examines the origins and growth of the movement to abolish the secularizing reforms of the past century by creating a political order guided by Shariah law. Contributors explain the Islamic rejection of secularism as a failed Western Christian ideal and also discuss how secularization was pioneered by those who thought Muslims could only advance politically by emulating Western practices, including the renunciation of religion.

Islam and the Politics of Secularism

Islam and the Politics of Secularism PDF

Author: Nurullah Ardıc̦

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 0415671663

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This book examines the process of secularisation in the Middle East in the late 19th century and early 20th century that transformed the Ottoman Empire and led to the abolition of the Caliphate.

Secularism in the Arab World

Secularism in the Arab World PDF

Author: al-Azmeh Aziz al-Azmeh

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2020-03-18

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 1474447481

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This book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work Al-'Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif that was first published in Beirut in 1992. Both celebrated and criticised for its reflections on Arab secularisation and secularism in the modern history of the Arab World, it is the only study to date to approach its subject as a set of historical changes which affected the regulation of the social, political and cultural order, and which permeated the concrete workings of society, rather than as an ideological discussion framed from the outset by the assumed opposition between Islam and secularism. The author takes a comprehensive analytical perspective to show that an almost imperceptible yet real, multi-faceted and objective secularising process has been underway in the Arab world since the 1850s. The early onset was the result of adapting to systemic novelties introduced at the time and a reaction to the perceived European advance and local retardation. The need for meaningful reform, and the actions taken in order to put in place a new organisation of state and society based on modern organisational and educational criteria, rather than older, religious traditions, stemmed from the perceived weakness of Arab polities and from an internal drive to overcome this situation. The book follows these themes into the close of the 20th century, marked with the rise of Islamism. A preface to the English translation takes a retrospective look at the theme from the vantage point of social, political and intellectual issues of relevance today.

Islam and the Politics of Secularism

Islam and the Politics of Secularism PDF

Author: Nurullah Ardic

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-08-21

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1136489843

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This book examines the process of secularization in the Middle East in the late 19th and early 20th century through an analysis of the transformation and abolition of Islamic Caliphate. Focusing on debates in both the center of the Caliphate and its periphery, the author argues that the relationship between Islam and secularism was one of accommodation, rather than simply conflict and confrontation, because Islam was the single most important source of legitimation in the modernization of the Middle East. Through detailed analysis of both official documents and the writings of the intellectuals who contributed to reforms in the Empire, the author first examines the general secularization process in the Ottoman Empire from the late 18th century up to the end of the 1920s. He then presents an in-depth analysis of a crucial case of secularization: the demise of Islamic Caliphate. Drawing upon a wide range of secondary and primary sources on the Caliphate and the wider process of political modernization, he employs discourse analysis and comparative-historical methods to examine how the Caliphate was first transformed into a "spiritual" institution and then abolished in 1924 by Turkish secularists. Ardıç also demonstrates how the book’s argument is applicable to wider secularization and modernization processes in the Middle East. Deriving insights from history, anthropology, Islamic law and political science, the book will engage a critical mass of scholars interested in Middle Eastern studies, political Islam, secularization and the near-global revival of religion as well as the historians of Islam and late-Ottoman Empire, and those working in the field of historical sociology and the sociology of religion as a case study.

Islam and the Secular State

Islam and the Secular State PDF

Author: Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2010-03-30

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 0674261445

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What should be the place of Shari‘a—Islamic religious law—in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? In this ambitious and topical book, a Muslim scholar and human rights activist envisions a positive and sustainable role for Shari‘a, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state in all societies. An-Na‘im argues that the coercive enforcement of Shari‘a by the state betrays the Qur’an’s insistence on voluntary acceptance of Islam. Just as the state should be secure from the misuse of religious authority, Shari‘a should be freed from the control of the state. State policies or legislation must be based on civic reasons accessible to citizens of all religions. Showing that throughout the history of Islam, Islam and the state have normally been separate, An-Na‘im maintains that ideas of human rights and citizenship are more consistent with Islamic principles than with claims of a supposedly Islamic state to enforce Shari‘a. In fact, he suggests, the very idea of an “Islamic state” is based on European ideas of state and law, and not Shari‘a or the Islamic tradition. Bold, pragmatic, and deeply rooted in Islamic history and theology, Islam and the Secular State offers a workable future for the place of Shari‘a in Muslim societies.

The Political Economy and Islam of the Middle East

The Political Economy and Islam of the Middle East PDF

Author: Hayat Alvi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-05-14

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 3030170500

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This book analyzes the political economy of the MENA region with a focus on pre-revolutionary political and economic conditions, the 2011 revolution itself, and post-revolutionary political processes in Tunisia. The author places particular emphasis on the political role of women, Islam, and democracy after the revolution, and argues that post-Revolution Tunisia serves as an ideal model for the MENA region to follow. This volume will interest scholars, students, researchers, and everyone who is interested in the politics of MENA and political economy.

God's Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics

God's Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics PDF

Author: Monica Duffy Toft

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2011-03-14

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0393087816

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A fresh and illuminating perspective on the surge in religion’s political influence across the globe. Is religion a force for good or evil in world politics? How much influence does it have? Despite predictions of its decline, religion has resurged in political influence across the globe, helped by the very forces that were supposed to bury it: democracy, globalization, and technology. And despite recent claims that religion is exclusively irrational and violent, its political influence is in fact diverse, sometimes promoting civil war and terrorism but at other times fostering democracy, reconciliation, and peace. Looking across the globe, the authors explain what generates these radically divergent behaviors. In a time when the public discussion of religion is overheated, these dynamic young scholars use deeply original analysis and sharp case studies to show us both how and why religion’s influence on global politics is surging. Finally they offer concrete suggestions on how to both confront the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities posed by globally resurgent religion.

Islamism, Secularism, and Human Rights in the Middle East

Islamism, Secularism, and Human Rights in the Middle East PDF

Author: Mahmood Monshipouri

Publisher: Lynne Rienner Pub

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 9781555877828

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Political scientist Monshipouri assesses the implications of both secularization and Islamization for human rights in the Middle East. After surveying the broad issues of Islamism, secular politics, and democracy, he focuses on the politics of reform in Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran. He particularly looks at the tension between pressures to define human rights within the context of contemporary political Islam and countervailing forces calling for a move toward more western norms. He concludes by reflecting on the challenges to the governing powers in the region. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Turkish Islam and the Secular State

Turkish Islam and the Secular State PDF

Author: M. Hakan Yavuz

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2003-11-01

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9780815630159

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In the first book of its kind, M. Hakan Yavuz and John L. Esposito explore recent reformations of Islam and culture in Turkey and the successful Islamist modernist Fethullah Gülen movement. As one of the most significant religious movements to emerge in Turkey in the past fifty years, the Gülen movement combines a devotion to Islam with love for modern learning. especially modern science. This groundbreaking work focuses on and explains the nexus of complex historical and political developments that have contributed to the transformation of Islam in Tukey and to the movement's sphere of influence stretching into the Balkans and central Asia through the establishment of schools outside Turkey. The book cogently traces the origin of Gülen's ideology and his early efforts to propagate his views through educational activities. It details the various strategies employed by Gülen's followers to put his ideas into practice, both in Turkey and around the world. Contributors describe its intellectual and religious formation, its spread across Turkey and Central Asia, and its influence on citizens outside the movement, including leading Turkish politicians.

Making the Arab World

Making the Arab World PDF

Author: Fawaz A. Gerges

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2019-08-27

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 069119646X

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Based on a decade of research, including in-depth interviews with many leading figures in the story, this edition is essential for anyone who wants to understand the roots of the turmoil engulfing the Middle East, from civil wars to the rise of Al-Qaeda and ISIS.