The closing of the Muslim mind - Essay Example

(b) What are the political, economic and cultural consequences of the closing of the Muslim mind? (c) Is the emergence and strength of the Al Qaeda associated with the closing of the Muslim mind? (d) Is there a way out of this dysfunctional culture for the ordinary Muslim? The closing of the Muslim mind as put forward by Reilly represents the rejection of reason by Muslims, in favour of an irrational and strict adherence to the tenets of Islam and the Quran, irrespective of whether they conform tot he demands of human reason or not.

Reilly traces the roots of the present dysfunctional Islamic culture back to a great intellectual battle that took place between two groups of Muslims – the Mu’tazlites and the Ash’arites, which raged during the 9th century and was settled around the middle of the century. The Mu’tzalites attempted to balance faith and reason in the same manner as Christianity was also seeking to do. They fully accepted the teachings of the Quran and its authority, but argued that these teachings could be subjected to logic and reason; logical analysis of the works of Allah could prove amenable to the demands of human reason. . They were so adamant on their viewpoint that they would not allow even the slightest questioning of the Quran, they would accept no less than complete and utter obedience.

The Mu’tzalites pointed out that some contradictions existed in the Quran and argued that reason had to be the guiding factor leading believers to the truth. But the Ash’arites shot back that if Allah chose to be contradictory, who were mere mortals to question him? In this great intellectual battle, the Ash’arites were the victors. The presence of the Mu’tzalites and their reasoning held the door open for some dialogue to occur between different faiths, but with the triumph of the Ash’arite view banged the door shut on the Muslim mind, because reason itself was held in contempt by the dominant view, therefore any interfaith dialogue became impossible.

It also made the Muslims resistant to a scientific outlook and an analytic approach. Once reason was closed off, all battles became subject to winning through power and dominance; any questioning of the Quran was held to be blasphemous and worthy of condemnation. The most disastrous consequence of the closing of the Muslim mind is the death of scientific advances and achievements in the Muslim world. All of the major scientific accomplishments in the Islamic world were achieved prior to the 12th century; after the conclusive victory of the Ash’arites, there has been a notable lack of scientific development and thought among Islamic countries, because the Muslim mind has been closed off to reason, logic and questioning, in favour of blind, unquestioning obedience to the tenets of the Quran.

Unlike Western civilization, which embraces reason and progresses through the propagation of reason, Islam embraces irrationality. Any belief or