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| 02 February 2003 | Sunday | 29 Ziqa'ad 1423 |
REVIEW: Bridging Faith and Freedom
It's an inarguable fact that America, representing the West, has a great
impact on the lives of people everywhere, regardless of whether they are aware
of it or not. Muslim thinkers and leaders have had a polarized view of
everything that the west stands for : a model worthy of emulation in its
achievements of a prosperous civil society, or the Great Satan responsible for
all the evils in the world, a monster that must be condemned in all its
aspects. Muqtedar Khan, a Hyderabad, India-born professor of political science
at an American college, finds elements of truth in both positions, but thinks
that both suffer from a lack of balance.
In his book, American Muslims: bridging faith and freedom, Khan argues
that "we not only have to understand the modern west in a more balanced
way and also develop a discourse for the reconstruction of (an) Islamic iden!
tity that is neither weakened nor distracted by the enormous shadow of the
West. Until we as Muslims can go beyond blind imitation of the West or
outright rejection of its values, we will not be able to construct an Islamic
self, independent of western influence. It is essential that we develop a
positive and constructive understanding of the 'other'. Only through such a
positive and creative act will we be able to reconstruct a vibrant and
meaningful self."
Muslims in America are ideally situated, Khan says, not only to spread Islamic
values in the west "but also influence and reshape the destiny of
traditional Muslim societies", such as those in Asia and Africa. This is
because the American Muslim community has enormous intellectual talent, a
highly educated population, and a free and ever encouraging environment. The
task of not only articulating but also practising a moderate, peaceful,
tolerant, inclusive, compassionate and moral model of Islam falls on the
Americ! an Muslim community because they live in relative freedom and
prosperity. Freedom from coercion whether from the state or from the clergy is
a necessary condition for any social change to take place, Khan says.
With their strength estimated to be anything between three to seven million in
the United States, the American Muslims seem to have accommodated modernity in
their lives, just as America has accommodated Islamic practices within its
culture. Khan believes that it is Islamic political theory that lags behind
actual practice.
The theory that there is no separation of deen and duniya in
Islam is one that has always lagged behind actual practice in Islamic history,
from the time of the Abbasids, to the Ottomans, the Safavis and the Mughals in
India.
Many American Muslims have found solace in a traditional formulation of
Islamic values, which require them to avoid integrating themselves into the
American society. But many others have dea! lt pragmatically with issues of
modernity, such as acceptance of democracy, the equality of sexes, tolerance
for dissenting religious values, and such theological matters as the
possibility of attaining Jannah for non-Muslims.
They have integrated themselves into the mainstream society while maintaining
their Muslim identity. Whereas, in many Muslim countries the dangers to a
modern but Islamic life are physical. Reformers in these countries either face
repression from the state or from the clergy establishments.
But in the west, Khan says, it is the manifest destiny of American Muslims -
to demonstrate to the rest of the world the relevance of Islamic values to a
modern/postmodern society. How? By interpreting Islam in such a way that it
facilitates a virtuous existence, here and now. Thus they can convince the
West that Islam will not only enrich it but will also show the Muslim world
what Islamization should be.
American Muslims cannot realize their ! destiny unless they actively imagine
themselves as agents of change. Ijtihad is the standard tool for social
self-renewal. Khan argues that by reinterpreting reality through Islamic
lenses and simultaneously reinterpreting the sacred texts with an eye on
contemporary conditions, the Mujaddids systematically reduce the distance
between text and time, between reason and revelation, between conscience and
consciousness, between the here and the hereafter and between values and
politics.
Basically, what Khan wants American Muslims to do is to shed the traditional
Islamic discourses brought over from the old countries and rediscover Islam by
going back to the Prophet's time for inspiration, to reinterpret Quran and
Sunnah and draw meaning for such western categories of thought as individual
conscience, individual responsibility, human rights, equality, gender equity,
freedom of choice, minority rights, and respect for the environment. In the
process, American Muslims will a! cquire a share of the political power, which
they can use to make a difference in the lives of Muslims in the rest of the
world.
American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom
By M.A. Muqtedar Khan
Amana Publications, Maryland, USA.
Website: www.Amana-Publications.com
email: amana@igprinting.com
194pp. Price not listed
To
Place an order with the publisher call Amana Publication:
1-800-660-1777
on the internet go to Amazon