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INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM
Islam, a people of over 1 billion
people, with adherents found all over the globe
is an incredibly diverse religion.
Only 1 in 4 Muslims actually live in the Middle
East, but American media coverage
and American contact with Islam is most
direct in this region of the world.
With American interests so interlinked in the
religion t is critical for us to
understand Islam if we are to respond affectively
to the new opporunities and perils
the Middle East promises.
Beginings
Islam was born out of the Middle
East in the 7th century CE.
Previously the land was mainly
occupied by nomads called
Beouins. The 2 major empires of
this time were Byzantine and Persian empires.
Yemen and along the coast lines
also had various urban centers. The area was the center of
the caravan trade routes, including
Mecca in current day Saudia Arabia which served as a center of both trade
and a place for religious pilgrimage. Before Islam, Mecca was still a holy
site for the
area religions and a gathering
point for people of various religious traditions including Christianity
and Judaism as well as Zoarasterianism, various local religions, etc. Most
of the life of the Bedouin was tribal structured, but in Mecca the city
was cosmopolitan in nature. Merchants work together to both protect the
religious shrines of Mecca, to create an economic monoply and esnure that
Mecca retained it's economic importance.
The beginnings of Islam starts with
Mohammad. He was born to a merchant family
but both his parents died young.
He was raised by his uncle Abu Talib, who was also a merchant.
His trustiworthiness and skill
in business helped him rise in Meccan society and was able to marry a woman
of some financial means: Khadija. He and Khadija gave birth to 2 sons who
died in
inancy and 4 daughters, including
Fatima who will come up later in this site. Muhammad was disastisified
with the materialism of Mecca and frequently would to a cave near Mount Hira. One time he did this, he received a revelation from God.
He anguished over these revelations
but was forced to face the fact that
he could either ignore these revelations
or proclaim them. He decided to proclaim the messages, and he converted
his wife. He started to preach his mesage of a unitary God, of judgement,
or personal morality, and in opposition to materialism in the city of Mecca.
This was seen as a clear attack on
Mecca, it's financial success and
the local God and opposition rose up against Mohammad.
At first they sought to bribe him
to stop his preaching but his refusal to stop, increased the opposition
to persecution and violence against him and his converts. Most of his converts
were forced to flee Mecca, including Mohammad. It was during this time
period that his wife and uncle
died. He fled to a city north of
Mecca, named Medina.
Medina was very receptive to his
message and the religion caught on fast.
The religion, of Islam really starts
here and a religious community was created here, called Ummah.
This community encompassed both
Muslims and Jews. For members of the Ummah the goal was to convert others
to their newfounded faith. This struggle was called Jihad, which does not
mean holy
war. It means to struggle or to
strive in the way of God. This can include personal self reflection , study,
evangelism, and militarily spreading Islam. Though the last measure was
not the dominant method of evangelism.They sought to crease an Islamic
society in Medina, the first of many attempts to base a government on the
laws of the Quaran. The Quaran was the book the carried the revelations
Mohammad had received from God throughout his life.
In 624 Medina and Mecca went to
war and while Medina and the Ummah
were greatly outnumbered their
fierceness made it possible to win at the Battle of Badr. This increased
the strength and morale of the Ummah and in 629 they invaded Mecca and
succeeeded in taking the city over. But the only thing Mohammad wanted
was not military conquest but the spread of
Islam. It was this condition he
layed at Mecca. By 632 Islam had spread throughout
the entire Arab peninsula, and
tried to seek converts in Persia and the Byzantene empires.
Mohammad died in 633, but scholars
took down the oral sayings and life
events of Mohammad which is compiled
in the Hadith. The Hadith provides an important role model for Muslims
who wish to model there life after the prophet. This ideal life that he
lived is usually referred to the Sunnah. Mohammad was never divine, he
was just a prophet. And yet being chosen by
God and living a life of charity,
justice, etc. he has become a role model for Muslims. While his teachings
are emulated from Hadith there is no graven images of Mohammad and unlike
many political and religious leaders, little is made of his grave sight.
It is his example that people wish to love and do.
Beliefs
Quaran
The focus of Islam is the Quaran,
the revelations the prophet Mohammad received from God.
The Quaran offers a world view
that deals with all aspects of living. Religion can never be compartimalized,
since there is no area of life that the Quaran does not speak of. Mohammad
received these revelations from God for 22 years and scribes made sure
these revelations were
written down. After his death,
they compiled a cannon and within a year or so the entire Ummah
(Islamic community) had access
to the Quaran for which the most part have remained unchanged for almsot
1400 years.
The Quaran is divided into 114 chapters,
each called a surah.
Each surah has several verses,
the largest verse always starting off the surah and the smallest verses
ending the surah. These verses are called ayah. The chapters all have titles
which indicate
the content of the surah. Most
all the chapters begin with the phrase "In the name of God, most Gracious,
most Merciful". Chapters (ayah) will identify themselves if they came from
Medina, Mecca, or both places. The key to the Quaran is not only it's universal
scope, but also the importance of recitiation. It is meant to be recited,
to be heard, to be fully experienced. The power of Arabic from the Quaran
affects the whole person not just the mind. Recitation is central to this.
Fundamental Quaranic Beliefs
1.Tawhid: The Unity of God. Islam is a radical monotheistic religion, with repeated affirmations of the oneness of God. This is to ensure that Islam never slips into idoltary, pantheism, or other compromises of the worship of God. Allah the Muslim name for God, is absolute soverign and Lord of all of creation. There are actually 99 names for God, which are based on attributes of God. Compassionate, Eteral, Mighty are examples of such names. God is soverign and transcendent but very close to humans and his creation. God communicates through messengers throughout history. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were all prophets, and Mohammad is the "Seal of the Propehts" or the last messenger. The Quaran is the most perfect revelation from God so there is no need for more messengers. These messengers are never divine, only God is worthy of worship.
2.God's creation: God created the universe in an orderly harmonic fashion, and there is nothing in this universe that can't be attributed to God alone. All of nature points to God and glorifies God. God also created angels and jinn. Angels to the tasks of God. Jinn are spirits which can be good or bad, but tend to trick humans.
3. Humans
were created as a special creation. With the capacity to reason and free
will humans are separate from other parts of the creation. Though this
free will has frequently produced disobedience to God. God wanted all the
angels to worship, the first created man; Adam. Shytan or Iblis (an angel
himself) refused to and became an enemy of God. Satan targeted Adam to
sin, which he did but God restored Adam and still he is the model for humans
to follow. Our actions are the cause of the
judegment of God. Our actions either
can lead us to heaven or to hell. Hell is a place of suffering, eternal
torment. Heaven we shall meet our loved ones. The ideal behavior is that
which submits to God, Islam means submission to the will of God.
4.Ummah:is the community of faith which expresses completely Islamic values and teachings. It is the goal for individuals as well as societies to govern themselves with the Quaran as the basis. As one will see in other parts of this web site, this critical and basic belief in a Quaranic based society will play a key role in the Middle East.
5.Pillars of Islam
1.Profession of Faith (Shahadah) : There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger is the basic affirmation of faith in Islam. It's recited at most every event from daily prayers to births of children and all significant events throughout the year.
2.Salat:
Prayer:This defines Muslim worship.Salat is a formal ritual prayer, 3 times
a day though times
are set apart at dawn, noon, afternoon,
sunset, and late evening. Ideally one should pray at the Mosque (Islamic
house of worship) though one can pray on their own. Before one pays they
need to purify themselves by washing their hands, arms, mouths, feet, nostrils,
and ankels. All mosques provide the water needed for purifying. If that
is unavailable sand or stone can be used for symbollic purifying. Any clean
place is possible to use, though prayer carpets are most commonly used.
The order of the service is as follows:
a. Call to prayer done by a muezzin, often this is done from minarets, which are spirals which are a part of the mosque. This prayer invites people to prayer
b. Imam will lead the prayers, as they face in the direction of Mecca, this direction to Mecca is called qiblah. One raises their hands to their ears, and pronounce the takbir, which is the praise: God is Great!
c. During the standing, the prayer of al-Fatiha is recited together, which expresses praise to God, recognition of dependence on God, and seeking guidance from God.
d. Afterwards a person bows, with his hands on his knees and praises God.
e. Than one stands and than bows again, with forehead on the ground as a sign of humility and submission to God.
f. And as one rises one recites another takbir prayer.
g. And than step e is done again.
h. But staying in the sitting position, one recites one own's personal prayer and afterwards greets those around him. The greeting, salam, ends than with a prayer.
Worships symbolizes Islamic beliefs, of praise to an all powerful God, of submission to the total will of God, of community (Ulammah) This community is re-enforced on Friday's at noon with special congregational prayers. Prayers complement daily life universally and are not a means to escape the daily routine. Again Islam is the totality of life, not an escape valve. Mosques or masjid is the center of the prayer, the term means a "place of prostration".
3 Zakat: Purification through alms giving. The Quaran has various requirements on giving dependent on the type of wealth and property. Zakat is to be used, according to the Quaran, to aid the poor, to help those in debt, to pay for education, health services and education. This also includes facilities for sojourners and travelers. These acts of justice for the poor strengthen the overall spiritual community of the Ulammah.
4.Ramadan:
month of fasting, which is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar. Fasting
starts at day break and ends after the sunset. The self discipline involved
during these times, including a more stringent adherence to taboos of the
Quaran as well as prohbition of sex, drink, and food. This was the month
that Mohammad first received his revelations from God and thus the formation
of the Quaran. It also helps for self reflection, such as in Lent in Christianity.
While fasting and reflection occurs in the
day, the evening has drinks with
friends, prayers, and than perhaps dinner with family. The festivities
comes in it's most intense time at 'Id al Fitr, which is similar to Mardi
Gras after Lent. It's one of the big festivals in Islam.
5.Hajj:
Pilgrimage, is the peak event in any Muslim's life. Once in a person's
life the goal is to visit the holy sites in Islam and end up in Mecca if
they can afford to. The event occurs in the last month of the Islamic year,
the month of Hajj. Both the spiritual preparation can be draining on a
person, it's a long process which ends up in Mecca. In Mecca they enter
into a state of ihram or sacredness by wearing nothing but simple white
garments.The Sancturary of the Ka'ba in Mecca is where it is believed Abraham
almost sacraficed Issac. It also was the religious center of the religions
before Islam, which was
cleaned out by Mohammad. He reclaimed
it, and today signifies God and human communication. Thus prayer is directed
in the direction of the Ka'ba. It is a huge stone square, about 50 feet
high, covered in black cloth. When one enters Mecca, homage is payed by
circiling the Ka'ba 7 times in a counterclockwise direction. Than they
proceed to re-enact various historical and mythical events related to Abraham,
Mohammad, etc. interwined with fasting and prayer. The Hajj ends back at
Mecca where
they circile around the Ka'ba 7
times to become impure again. The Hajj allows people a tremendous sense
of equality with all believers (something Malcom X was overhwelmed with),
it allows people to reconnect with Islamic links to Abraham, and it brings
a renewed faith and sense of committment to one's lives.
Two important cities that reign
in importance in Islam is Medina, the city that first gave Mohammad safety
and where the first Ummah was created from. Mohammad is buried there. Jerusalem
is the other holy city, where early Muslims first prayed to before they
began praying to Mecca. Also it is the sight of the Dome of the Rock mosque,
which is deeply connected with the history of Jerusalem and Islamic connections
with people like David, Abraham, etc. Islam, like Christianity and Judaism
are people of the book. Their religions are centered on a holy text that
starts with the same stories, especially Abraham And
Mohammad was taken to heaven at
Jerusalem.
The Islamic year is a lunar year with 12 months. Following are the names of islamic months:
Muharram
Safar
Rabi
al Awwal
Rabi
us Sani
Jumad
al Awwal
Jumad
us Sani
Rajab
Shaban
Ramadan
Shawwal
Dhu-1-Qaddah
Dhul-1-Hijjah
Last Note:
One of the interesting things in Islam is that 90% of Islam do not have clergys. While there is indeed a spiritual community, and community worship, there is no notion of priest or pastor as the west is familair with. This is the case in Sunni Islam which makes up over 90% of Islam and not so for Shia Islam, these divisions will be spoken of in the next page.
The City of God: The Ummah
Ummah
The Ummah is the community of believers
in Islam, that community of faith
whose life is modeled on the Quaran.
The Ummah makes it possible for the Muslim to truly live out the Quaran,
since the Quaran addresses nearly every aspect of one's own life, the totality
of one's life. It is not just a religious community but also an economic,
political, social, moral, etc. community as well.
Din is the word used to describe
the totality upon which one's life respond to God's will.
Shariah
Is the Law, with the total sum
and duties to the Ummah.
The concept of the Shariah developed
as Islam expaned through Arabia and through the Middle East. Within less
than 100 years of Mohammad, Islamic rule had spread from the Atantic Ocean
to India, including Persia and most of Byzantium. These lands were first
ruled by Caliphs who provided the ldeadership needed to ensure that Islam
was preserved and grew and prospered. After 4 Caliphs, several Muslim dynasties
rules parcels of land here and there. It became important to unify these
lands by unifiying how they were governed.
Islamic leaders sought to organize
these lands based on the Quaran and the Sunnah (the sayings of Mohammad).
The end of this is what we call Shariah, or the Law. It is more than just
a legal and judicial framework, it is very comprehensive and governs all
aspects of people's lives from the political responsibilities and limits
of the Caliph and military forces to the relationship of the Muslim to
the state, the Muslim to the non-Muslim and rules relating to personal,
moral, social, and familial
life. It also laid out the religious
responsibilities for Muslims.
A system of courts were established to deal with all levels of disputes. The jurists who would decide these cases (fuqaha) would define and interpet the Shariah. This level of interpetation helped make Islamic law flexible depending on the situation, location, etc. and the basis of Islamic government until the1800s in many cases and into the 20th century.
The City of God, an example
The most important feature in a
model Muslim city, is the mosque (place of worship) with a qiblah pointng
towards Mecca for prayer times. The purpose of the city is to ensure that
a person can faithfully practice Islam. Mosques would be the center for
prayer, for education, for universities, etc. For instance Al-Azhar mosque
and university in Cairo, which was founded in the 900s still operates today.
The mosque than would have streets
that would connect one to the Bazaar, the market center for the town. The
foods, products sold would be under Islamic codes. There would be workshops
and craftsmen as well as merchants selling their goods. The Shariah would
govern the rules of commerce in the city such as no gambling, no selling
of pork, etc.
Family Life
The family life provides less rights
for women than women in the west enjoy. Though Islam as a religion was
more liberatory. It provided for some legal righst for women, ended unrestricted
polygamy, female infanticide was outlawed, and more lenient measurs for
divorcer were established. Inheritence was not just for men, but also for
women as well. Family life is also governed by privacy, which extends to
women. Housing is not found ideally in the commerical sector but in ahousing
area. Interior courtyards are covered. Women wore veils (and still do)
which was an ancient Middle Eastern custom to
assure privacy and anonymity. Some
women support such notions today, since women are no longer than commidified
as sexual objects. Yet privacy is problematic when it comes to issues of
violence against women, rape, etc. And there is strong disagreement on
this issue. Gardens are integral to not only privacy issues but also to
affirm the life that is yet to come in heaven. Likewise death is to be
avoided. The cemetary in an Islamic city would be at the far fringes. Today
the traditional city though is rare. Modernization, skyscrappers, foreign
good produced at factory output levels have devestated the bazaar, commerican
and private homes intermix, and cities are not always conducive to fulfilling
the totality of
the Islamic faith. As citie like
Cairo, and former Tehran had all the trappings of the western city. Drugs,
pornography, etc. are still commonly found, in places such as Cairo today.
This is part of the appeal that Islamic fundamentalism thrives upon. As
we'll see in the case studies of Iran and Egypt
Islamic History and Groups
The death of Mohammad forced the
Islamic community to deal with several issues,
including succession of the spiritual
leader. Mohammad, of course, was the last and most authoritative prophet
of God but the need for spiritual leadership was important. Abu Bakr, an
early convert and father in law to Mohammad was chosen in 634, though others
supported Ali, the son in law
and cousin of Mohammad.
Shia
The Shia descended from the group
that believed Ali should have been chosen as leader. Today they make up
20% of all Muslims in the world. Unfortunately Americans traditionally
have misunderstood Shia Islam as terrorists while the Sunni muslims are
"moderate" . That is not the case, as there are millions of Shia who are
both moderate and peaceful found all over the world. And there are radical
fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, such as Taliban in Afghanistan. Taliban has
sought to impose an
Islamic order which has shocked
Shia neighbors in Pakistan and Iran.
The word Shia means followers, and by the 8th century their views became distinct enough to distinguish them as a sect. They believed that Mohammad had personally chosen Ali to succeed him as leader and that Mohammad wished for a new organization to develop to govern Islam, known as a Imamah. The Imamah would be responsible for the spread and protection and interpretation of Islam to the Ummah, the community of believers. The Immah was to be based on the descendants of the prophet, and the Imam who led the community would be nominated by his predecessor.
One of the basic affirmations of faith that distinguih Shia from other Muslims is the affirmation that Ali is the commander of true believers and friend or Wali of God, which is incorporated in the shahadah, the proclamation of faith. The Imam helps interpet the Quaran and the Sunnah, and so is divinely inspired. He acts as spiritual leader of the community and intercessor to God.
The Shia have made a dramatic impact on Islamic thought through the science of tawil, which is the analysis into the meanings of revelation. But division affected Shia as well , as a battle occurred over the successor of an Imam. After the 6th Imam, Jafar al Sadiq died there was a battle between his two sons.
Ithna Ashariya
This group supported the younger
son Musa al Kazim, and it is this group which most Americans are familiar
with when they think of Shia Islam. There was a total of 12 Imams,but the
12th one never died but went into a spiritual state of bliss. The 12th
imam will return as the Mahdi, the messiah to bring peace and justice into
the world.
The spiritual leadership
of the ummah goes to clerics, known as mujtiahids, and there are several
levels of authority. The highest authorities would be the ayatollahs. Notice
that were are many ayatollahs, not one and that it is a religious title.
Many Americans are not aware of this, as one of the more famous ayatollahs
in Iran, Khomeini became the sole leader of Iran in the1979 revolution.
The sayings of the Imams are used as supplemental to understanding Islam. Inregards to ritual, Shia remember the death of Ali's son Husayn, who died at the hands of a military uprising. They celebrate the month of Muharramm as a time to remember the martyrdom of Husayn, and to resolve to fight for truth against evil. Ithna Ashariya represents the vast majority of Shia, especially in Iran, which is a Shia Islamic nation.
-Ismailiya
Sunnis
Sunnis represent almost 80% of
all Muslims today, and were the group that went with the Abu Bakr as successor
to Mohammad. Today and historically Sunni Islam has not been based on a
clerical model, as i explained in intro to Islam, but rather scholars known
as mullahs, have helped form the basis of Sunni thought. Sunni comes from
the word as those who have traditionally followed the Sunnah, the sayings
of Mohammad.
The basis for though is consensus or ijma. If scholars come to a consensus of interpeting the Sunnah than it is indeed the correct way and understanding. The other basis is qiyas, or analogy. With qiyas, the Sunnah is allowed to inpert itself, by drawing analogies from various parts of the Sunnah to develop an understanding of a particular issue or practice. Like rabbinic interpetation of the Torah so as to bring understandings of the Torah to modern problems, so it is done in Sunni Islam. For instance there is nothing in the Quaran that says one should be married with a legal transaction. Yet the Quaran does require certification for other commerical transcation to stop fraud, and so it is interpeted that marriage should likewise be registered. A Jewish example would be the prohibtion in Orthodox Judaism from driving on the Sabbath. Earlier rabbis interpeted the prohbition of work on the Sabbath to include lighting a fire. Since cars light a fire to ignite the pistons than driving must also be against the law as well.
This understanding of applying the Quaran provides felxibility needed to adapt Islamic beliefs in a modern world, and has produced a literal Islamic judiciial approach to understanding their faith. The jurists in this case being the mullah. The mullah are trained scholers, who have training not only in the Quaran but in legal science as well.
The Calpih is the head of state
in a Sunni Islamic vision of the government.Sunni jurists have developed
an elaborate and comphrehsnive understanding of Islam that affects everything,
the totality of life. The splits that have occurred in Shia Islam has not
been as prevalent or divisive as in Shia, since concensus is the basis
for undersanding the Law. For instance in a debate between whether the
Quaran is a part of the essence of God or a created and separate enttiy,
scholars dived in and wrote disertations and scholastic works and in the
end the view of the Quaran as essence won out. Such emphasis on scholarship
has
produced incredible minds including
the 15th century writer Ibn Khaldun is considered the father of sociology.
Sufis
Mystical orders were created which provided paths to develop that relationship, led by various spiritual leaders. A disciple could join an order and through prayer, discipline, and meditiation one could become closer to God. Such an order could be likened to the monastery system in Catholicism. There are stages of spiritual development until one has reached the fana. The goal is also to find one's inner self as well as communion with God.
Most of Islam has considered Sufism as a heresy, especially for it's focus on spiritual feeling over the Law, and the personalization of the faith. Though Sufism has helped spur personal piety amony many Muslims. Also during the Russian and than Soviet occupation of the central Asian republics, where muslims faced persecution for their faith; Suffism became a dynamic faith that was personalized and thus had no mosque which could be destroyed, no books which could be burned. Sufism helped sustain many of the Muslims in these republics.
Media and Islam
American understandings of Islam are greatly affected by the media. Interest in Islam was non existent in the media and most Americans until the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East which has been unsympathetic to American policy goals in the region. The fall of the Shah in Iran and the rise of an Islamic fundamentalist regime there and the attacks that westerner have faced by Islamic terrorists, have shaped our understanding of Islam.
This has had unfortunate side effects including anti-Arab bigotry and even violence as well as ignorance of a religious faith that includes over a billion people. According to a Los Angeles Times poll, 45% of Americans believed that "Muslims tend to be fanatic" Islam is the fastest growing religion in this country, outnumbering Episcopalians and Presbyterians combined. It's criticalthat we understand Islam to understand the Middle East and to promote understanding here and abroad.
Most American images of Islam includes
Arab identity
Only one in four Muslims live in the Middle East. One of the largest areas of Muslim concentration is in fact Malaysia and North Africa and India as well as significant minority populations throughout the west. In the Middle East we are faced with many religious and language differences. Iranians are not Arabs nor do they speak Arabic. Their Persian and speak Farsi. Turks are not Arabs, their Turkish and speak Turkish. There are significant Arab populations that are not Muslim such as Lebanese Christians. The use of the word Muslim and Arab as interchangable has no basis.
Terrorism
They hate the west-Sam Donaldson
When one reads the newspaper and finds articles on violence perpetuated by a Muslim one will find headlines such as "Islamic terrorist" does such and such an act. When Rabin was assinated, his assailent was never labeled as a Jewish terrorist. A study done by Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting noted that in a 2 month time period, following the assination the most common label used was "right wing". The assailent was never described as a "Jewish terrorist". When Salvi killed several people in an abortion clinic in Brookline Massacusetts last year he was called an anti-abortion fanatic, not a Christian fanatic, or a Catholic fanatic. Yet Islam and terrorism are regularly linked in newstories, that would never be accepted in any other religious faith. And this has produced an ignorance of Islam.
On This Week with David Brinkly (6/27/93), after a newstory was done on the secular government of Iraq and it's alleged assasination attempt against President Bush, Sam Donaldson linked the assasination attempt to Islamic fundamentalism. "Muslims fundamentalism hates the West..And we're not going to be able to do anything but continue to fight it ..and safeguard our shores" George Will noted that "Well, we (the West) also have democracy and human rights and other things...totally strange to their region". David Brinkley added "which they hate"
This exchange ignores the history of the Middle East, which has had many democratic revolutions and movements apsiring for democracy. Human rights in many key aspects, including care for the poor, are imbedded in the Islamic faith. Again this type of media exchange is not uncommon. The Oklahoma City bombings was quickly blamed on Islam as well. As Ted Koppel noted the media has helped produce an Us veruss Them mentality, that has helped fuel anti-Islamic bigotry in this country.
Islam
The only difference between Shia
and Sunnis is that Sunnis are homicidal and Shiaites are suicidal-Steve
Emerson, news journalist and common media "expert" on Islam .Thus Islam
is not a well understood religion in this country. Some Islamic terms that
I've described have been misused by the
media
-jihad is not religious holy war, nor is it inherently related to anything
militaristic. An evangelical
Christian might use the term spiritual
warfare. It means struggle, internal and otherwise to help further faith.
For instance prayer and meditiation and studying can be a form of jihad.
It is a struggle to improve one one's faith and the faith of others
-ayatollah is a title, for the highest level of cleric in Shia Islam, not a name. There are many ayatollahs, not one which is why many Shia Muslims consider the regime in Iran as illegitmate.
-fundamentalism is not inherently connected with violence. It relates to religious devotion, not violence. Over 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, a small % are actually violent as is the case in any religion. For instance Christian fundamentalism is not a violent faith, though a few individuals have been involved in bombing abortion clinics,it would be unfare to characterize the entire religious movement by a few individuals.
-Mindest of Muslims doesn't exist. On Nightline Koppel asked one media expert to give us the mindset of Muslims. We're talking about over a billion people, and there is just one mindset? They ended up interviewing not an expert on Islam but a psychologist. Again, it is irresponsible to somehow cartegorize Muslims into a little box. Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam cannot be pigeonholed.They aspire for the same things any of us do, a future for their children, peace, etc.
-violence is not an inherent teaching of Islam. For most of Islamic history, their tolerance has surpassed Christianity and other religions. The Ottoman Empire which governed the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa for centuries until 1919 incorporated religious tolerance for both Christians and Jews who are considered people of the book. Islam most commonly spread via conversion not by force.
Case Study: Iran
The Need for One
It's imporant for us to look at a particular example to see where Islamic fundamentalism arises from to understand what one should do to nurture democracy in the Middle East region. To have an historical perspective on what conditions which give rise to such fundamentalism can aid us in seeking an appropriate response to that rise. Iran is the focus, because it had a tremendous impact on the American public. Iran, a nation in which Americans imagined was secular, capitalist, westernized, and supportive of the US to a fault.
Pre-18th century to 1922
Iran differs from most countries
in the Middle East since it was a nation with a distinct language, culture
and history. Most Middle Eastern countries are artifical creations of France
and the UK after 1919. The Ottomon Empire since the 14th century had ruled
all of North Africa, the Arab Peninsula and the Balkans and Middle East
(outside Iran). World War I broke out in 1914 and the Ottomon Empire sided
with Germany, which had been critically important in building the Baghdad
Rail route connecting the Middle East with Germany. After the Great War,
France and the UK divided up the area into various countries
with artifical boundaries to pay
off political debts to various groups that had fought against the Ottomon
Empire.
Iran on the other hand had a distinct religion and culture. Shaped by Shia Islam and the experiences before hand of being one of the most powerful empires in the region: The Persian Empire, Iranians were very much aware of their history and distinctness. Part of that uniquness was the tremendous pride in the power of the Persian Empire which had so shaped the history of the region.
This power started to experience
a decline and in the 19th century Iran faced repeated foreign invasions.
Russia invaded and siezed the northern provinces of Azerbijan. England
invaded Iran and siezed modern day Afghanistan, to create a buffer state.
England feared with the Baghdad railroad that Germany could quickly dispatch
troops and proove a threat to Englan's crown jewel of the empire: India.
England specifically had a tremendous impact on Iran as it sought various
financial concessions,
including a sugar and tobacco monoply
for British firms, and later on an oil monoply. Iran was stuck between
two powerful western empires and was helpless.
This provided a wake up call to
many Iranians. The Persian empire was half the size of it's former self
and power seemed to derive from the West. Iran is nothing but a backward
country. What caused it's backwardness? Islam did, because it prevents
us from being like western nations which have done the things neccessary
for power. They have industrialized, they created a modern educational
system, they have created factories, railroads, modern industry, etc. They
have parliamentary system in
which people have a say, instead
of a Shah which is selling off the Iranian economy to British interests.
Others in Iran did not give the
same diagnosis. The Islamic clergy felt a responsibility to the Ulamah,
the community of believers. The Bazzar (the small merchant class) were
hurt tremendously economically by the foreign concessions. So a broad coalition
of both religious and secular forces in 1891 forced the Shah of Iran to
reneg on the tobacco monoply given to the British. The problem of a Shah
which had absolute power and was irresponsibly bowing to the west spurred
the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911 which provided for a parliamentary
system of government which Islamic checks such as a council to
determine if legislation is Islamic,
and Shia Islam remaining the state religion.
Iran remained in a quagmire. Their
was a parliament and a prime minister, but no power in the country side,
no ability to consolidate the country so that it could break it's dependence
from the West and no ability to carry out the proposals that were being
debated in the Parliament. Iran was a nation, like modern day Afghanistan,
which had little infrastructure. Most Iranians lived out of touch from
any central government, making taxation an impossibility. One could tax
the bazaar of Tehran and than
face rebellion. As what occurs
in many cases a strong man arises from such a situation.
Bibliography
Richard Bush, "Islam" in The Religious World (New York City, MacMillan Publishing, 1988) p.311-339
Samuel Huntington, "Clash of Civlizations" Foreign Affairs (May/June 93)
Merhdad Kia, "Lectures for Iranian History" University of Montana (Spring 95)
Daniel Pipen, "Same Difference" National Review (Nov 7, 1994)
John Voll and John Esposito, "Iran"
in Islam and Democracy (New York City, Oxford University Press,
1996) p.52-59
WRITTEN BY : Niyaz
Ahmed
MODIFIED BY: Faysal Rasheed
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