Hudson Institute > Islam: Suspended in Centuries Past?

Islam: Suspended in Centuries Past?

May 31, 2006
by Zeyno Baran , Emmet C. Tuohy

In the more than four years since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks—a period that has seen many more such horrendous acts conducted "in the name of Islam"—many Americans wonder whether Islam itself is at the root of the problem.
Similar concerns were expressed by the Danish cartoonists, whose drawings caused a worldwide uproar that led to fatal rioting. The recent case of Abdul Rahman, a convert to Christianity who narrowly escaped a death sentence on charges of apostasy, led many to conclude that Islam is fundamentally incompatible with modernity.
The relative silence of moderate Muslims in the resulting discussion has only made matters worse. Certainly, there have been some hopeful signs: From the spread of democracy in Lebanon to the reforms undertaken in Indonesia, Malaysia and India, some adherents of the Islamic faith are seeking to disprove the blanket assertion that Islam is a violent religion incompatible with modern democracy.
None of these attempts will succeed unless Islam's essence is understood—above all, by Muslims. In its essence, Islam is as compatible with modernity as is Christianity or Judaism. The problem is not with Islam itself; rather, the fault lies with certain Muslims who wish to hide the essential truths of the religion in the nonessential traditions of early Arab societies.
From its beginnings, Islam has been a "living religion," one not bound by the practices of a particular time and culture. The truths of the Muslim faith are in its primary source: the Quran. The hadiths (words) and sunnas (deeds) of the Prophet Mohammed are only secondary, used in cases where there is uncertainty.
There is no doubt that, as the first Muslim, the prophet lived an exemplary life. While justly emulating the prophet, however, modern Muslims must take care not to place undue emphasis on the cultural practices of his time.
To look at the political, social and economic conditions of the Muslim countries and then to conclude that Islam is not compatible with modernity is to confuse cause and effect. Unfortunately, there are those who preach and practice a form of Islam that is not compatible with modernity—but the problem began much later, with the spread of extremist ideology.
This ideology has been promoted most of all by Saudi Arabia, where the ruling family owes its existence to its two-century alliance with the fundamentalist Wahhabi sect. It has used that position to destroy historic mosques, shrines and other physical reminders of the pluralistic Islamic heritage. And, with its significant petrodollar reserves, the country has also used that position to export its intolerant brand of Islam. In similar nations, Islamic law often is used as a pretext to squelch dissent and eliminate popular opposition, while distracting the public from the failure of each regime to provide good governance.
Islam today is the only major world religion in which fundamentalism has become identified as mainstream. However, this fundamentalism is not representative of mainstream Islam—a tolerant, peaceful religion that thrives from Southeast Asia to South America.
We need to separate Islam as a religion—where the moral and ethical principles of the religion are compatible with democratic values and principles—from Islam as a culture or a political ideology.
For example, the Quran explicitly states, "there is no compulsion in religion" and "let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve." While these verses emphasize the private nature of religion, in Islamic literature, apostasy is said to be punishable by death.
However, this is not a premise based in the theology of Islam, as its starting point is political: When the prophet died, some tribes rebelled and wanted to leave the first Islamic state. Abu Bakr, his political successor, declared them "apostates" and waged war against them on ostensibly religious grounds.
This is one of many examples that underscore the importance of separating the unchangeable essence of Islam from what happened at a particular point in history—just as is done in Christianity and Judaism.
It is also critically important not to fall into the trap set by the Islamists, who want to continue to mix state and religion to control their societies. Thus, including Islam in the constitutions of Afghanistan and Iraq was a mistake. Freedom of religion and freedom from religion can only be provided under secular systems.
In addressing the question of Islam's compatibility with the modern, democratic world, the West must avoid the simplistic solution of condemning Islam in its entirety.
While it is ultimately up to Muslims to demonstrate that the teachings of Islam are applicable to modern life, the West must help them reclaim their religion from the extremists who profane its name.
This article appeared in the Press-Examiner (Riverside, California) on May 27, 2006.

Zeyno Baran joined Hudson Institute as Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson’s Center for Eurasian Policy in April 2006.

Emmet Tuohy is the Assistant Director of the Center on Eurasian Policy at Hudson Institute

Hudson Institute > Islam: Suspended in Centuries Past?

Hudson Institute > A Muslim Manifesto

A Muslim Manifesto

Rejecting the bad.

March 1, 2006
by Zeyno Baran

"Who are the moderate Muslims, and why do they not speak up?" After being asked this question over and over again since 9/11, particularly after the Danish cartoon crisis, we decided to propose the following Muslim Manifesto:
Recently, the disrespectful cartoons about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) published in Jyllands-Posten resulted in an extreme reaction among many Muslims worldwide. While we understand the feelings of our co-religionists, we strongly urge them to refrain from rage and violence.
A zeal for Allah is rightful only when it is expressed in an enlightened manner, since Allah himself has ordained a restrained response. When the early Muslims were mocked by their pagan contemporaries, the Koran ordered not a violent backlash, but rather a civilized disapproval: "When you hear Allah's verses being rejected and mocked at by people, you must not sit with them till they start talking of other things." (Koran 4:140) The Koran also describes Muslims as "those who control their rage and pardon other people, [because] Allah loves the good-doers." (3:134) Therefore all demonstrations against the mockery of Islam should be peaceful. All critiques of Islam should be countered not by threats and violence, but by rational counter-argument.
We also believe that terrorist acts can never be justified or excused. None of the challenges Muslims face, such as oppression or military occupation, can justify attacks against non-combatants. In the Holy Koran, Allah orders Muslims to "never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice." (5:8) The true Islamic sense of justice is well-established in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); even in time of war — let alone peace — Muslim soldiers should never "kill the old, the infant, the child, or the woman." Those who do so are not martyrs, but cold-blooded murderers.
Supported by the Koran's affirmation that "there is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), we cherish religious liberty. Every human has the right to believe or not to believe in Islam or in any other religion All Muslims furthermore have the right to reject and change their religion if desired. No state, community or individual has a right to impose Islam on others. People should accept and practice Islam not because they are forced to do so, but because they believe in its teachings.
We support and cherish democracy — not because we reject the sovereignty of the Almighty over people, but because we believe that this sovereignty is manifested in the general will of people in a democratic and pluralistic society. We do not accept theocratic rule-not because we do not wish to obey Allah, but because theocratic rule inevitably becomes rule by fallible (and sometimes corrupt and misguided) humans in the name of the infallible God.
We accept the legitimacy of the secular state and the secular law. Islamic law, or sharia, was developed at a time when Muslims were living in homogenous communities. In the modern world, virtually all societies are pluralistic, consisting of different faiths and of different perceptions of each faith, including Islam. In this pluralistic setting, a legal system based on a particular version of a single religion cannot be imposed on all citizens. Thus, a single secular law, open to all religions but based on none, is strongly needed.
We believe that women have the same inalienable rights as men. We strongly denounce laws and attitudes in some Islamic societies that exclude women from society by denying them the rights of education, political participation and the individual pursuit of happiness. Like men, women should have the right to decide how they will live, dress, travel, marry and divorce; if they do not enjoy these rights, they are clearly second-class citizens.
We believe that there is no contradiction between religious and national identities. Any Muslim should be able to embrace the citizenship of any modern secular state while maintaining feelings of spiritual solidarity with the umma, the global Muslim community.
We regard Christianity and Judaism as sister faiths in the common family of Abrahamic monotheism. We strongly denounce anti-Semitism, which has been alien to Islam for many centuries but which unfortunately has gained popularity among some Muslims in recent decades. We accept Israel's right to exist, as well as the justified aspiration of the Palestinian people for a sovereign state and hope that a just two-state solution in Israel/Palestine will bring peace to the Holy Land.
In short, we strongly disagree with and condemn those who promote or practice tyranny and violence in the name of Islam. We hope that their misguided deeds will not blacken our noble religion — which is indeed a path to God and a call for peace.
We encourage Muslim political, social, community and business leaders to contact us at http://www.hudson.org/infor@muslimmanifesto.org to sign onto the Manifesto so that the authentic peaceful and civilized message of Islam will be heard.
This article first appeared in NRO and was co-written by Mustafa Akyol

Zeyno Baran joined Hudson Institute as Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson’s Center for Eurasian Policy in April 2006.

Hudson Institute > A Muslim Manifesto