Islam and Secularism Are not Compatible - Term Paper Example

ISLAM AND SECULARISM ARE NOT COMPATIBLE “Those who thought that religion could be separate from politics understand neither religion nor politics” - Mahatma Gandhi The role of religion in public affairs and the ensuing relationship between religious systems and the establishment of a liberal democracy has been widely debated across cultures and more specifically in the Islamist regimes, where religion is intricately entwined with politics thereby making it impossible to distinguish between the two. It is often argued by religious scholars and academics that the role of religion in politics has been ‘democratically negotiated in favor of secularism’ in the non Western world, in general and Muslim majority countries in particular. This paper on “Islam and Secularism” attempts to challenge the myths associated with the role of Islam in politics and whether the notion, that Islam is incompatible with secularism, holds true. This is studied against the background of Turkey – a Muslim majority nation, which brought about widespread reforms by ushering in liberal political ideologies, through successfully implementing secularism within its political framework, despite the presence of religious fundamentalism, which is intricately woven in the fabric of the Islamist nation. Secularism is defined by different authors in different ways. According to Yavuz & Esposito (2003): Secularism is defined as: “…the removal of the domination of religious authority from diverse spheres of society or public life" (Pp. xv) According to Fuller (2008): “The states impartiality towards every form of religious beliefs and philosophical conviction” (Pp. 50) While the Oxford dictionary defines the term Secularism as: “…the doctrine that morality should be based solely in regard to the well-being of mankind in the present life to the exclusion of all considerations drawn from belief in God or in a future state" (in Afzal-Khan, Seshadri-Crooks, 2000, Pp. 160) These definitions reflect an ideology which favors equality and fair treatment of all human beings, and is heavily influenced by modernism, and the modernization of religious outlook. The doctrine of secularism is illustrative of scientific development, industrial revolution, and the formation of a liberal democratic state, which is a stark contrast to the principles of Islam, where pseudo secularism has been known to obliterate the society, for instance the Arab experience, and according to Tamimi and Esposito (2000) has “rendered it an easy prey to a corrupt elite that very much resembles the Mafia in Italy or the white minority in the defunct apartheid regime of South Africa. This view has been propagated and voiced by several Muslims across the globe that secularism is indeed incompatible with Islam, and hence religion and politics must not be merged. However, in the twenty first century, these beliefs have been confronted with differing opinions, especially with the emergence of moderate Islam, who readily accept modernization of the religion and express the desire to deviate from the fundamentalist perspectives who completely reject the idea of secularism, and in fact perceive secularism as “anti-Islamic” in nature, and those who favor secularism are viewed as revolting against the religion and hence God. This is because, orthodox Muslims believe that secularism is atheistic in nature, and since atheism holds no place in Islam, secularism is viewed as anti-Muslim. Another significant difference between the two ideologies – i.e. Secularism and Islam is that, where Islam vehemently propagates the idea of life hereafter, secularism in turn, stresses on only those matters which pertain to this world. Furthermore, Islam is largely viewed as incompatible with secularism since a secular state is governed by independent laws, which are devoid of any religious connotations, which are unacceptable to Islam, as they are considered to harbor anti-Islamic ideologies. Besides, it is widely believed in the Islamist nations that religion and politics cannot be merged and hence reject secularization of their states on religious grounds (Abu-Rabi, 2006). The anti-secularism view harbored by the majority of the Muslim world was further strengthened by the historical incidences which took place in the rest of the non Muslim world, which in turn were influenced by widening socioeconomic disparities, the repression of internal disputes, and the increasing political conformity with the secular countries of the west, which combined, caused a further deviation from secularism leading to its widespread dissent among the Islamic countries. For instance, incidences such as the banning of the hijab by the French government in public schools in 2004 (CBC News, 2004) in the name of secularism, has further tarnished the image of secularism in the Muslim world, as it further reaffirmed their beliefs that secularism is inherently an anti-Muslim ideology which exists at the cost of civil rights of the Muslims (Hashemi, 2009). Such events have further reinforced the idea that religion and politics cannot be All such incidences are based on the belief that Islam cannot be viewed independently as a religion alone, since it is a foundation of that governs the entire social system which comprises of various elements that are inherent in Islam and that the existence of any such aspect would be highly threatened if an attempt to separate it from the others is made (Berkes, Ahmad, 1998). Given the above arguments and facts, it is apparent that secularism is not compatible with Islam and the two cannot co-exist, on account of their contrasting principles. However, if the foundation of a liberal democracy is to be sought, then it requires the development of a political framework for secularism, where a distinct indigenous theory of Islamic secularism must be developed which is compatible with the Islamist religious ideologies and can be widely acceptable to the Muslim world. This holds immense credibility as is observed from the case of the Turkish republic, discussed below. Although, secularism is rejected by a majority of orthodox Muslims, and some liberals as well, it cannot be concluded that the concept of secularism is rejected by Islamist nations worldwide. This can be observed from the case of Turkish republic, which successfully adopted and implemented secularism as its vital political ideology. The Turkish context, is representative of a unique political framework whereby the dynamic relationship between two differing ideologies – that of secularism and Islam, have been successfully merged to create a liberal democratic modern nation. The Turkish Republic, which broke free from the Ottoman culture, and laid a foundation of secular nation, was a serious step towards modernization of the nation, which predominantly aimed at privatizing the religion (Arat, 2005). The establishment of secularism in Turkey, represents the conquest of liberal values over rigidity of religion however, the two were not segregated despite such adoption of secularism as a state policy. In conclusion, it is prudent to comprehend the fact that emphasizing on debates and arguments centered on cultural and religious beliefs may, to a certain extent, help in explaining the relationship between the two, however, would be irrelevant to what holds significance in modern times. The persistent fluctuation between perspectives on secularism and Islam, can be eliminated by observing the Turkish model, which successfully separated religion and politics, without necessarily denying the role and significance of either of the two, but reinforcing the relevance and significance of establishment of a stable political authority, which can only be possible by defining the political requirements of the state, in conformity with modern times, and redefining the scope and impact of religion as it relates to politics and social life. Having said that, it is also true that altering the widespread belief that religious groups harbor against secularism and the moral debates that follow would be a difficult task, however, an attempt to engage the Muslim world in meaningful discussion with a view to reconcile their religious beliefs with a political framework which is not only secular but also religion friendly, can be made, as is apparent from the case of Turkey and Indonesia. Thus, although a majority of the Muslim world views secularism as incompatible with Islam, it is possible to reconcile the two for the formation of a liberal democratic state where religion and politics co-exist. References: Abu-Rabi, I. M., (2006). The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Pp. 338 - 340 Afzal-Khan, F., Seshadri-Crooks, K., (2000). The Preoccupation of Postcolonial Studies, Duke University Press Arat, Y., (2005). Rethinking Islam and Liberal Democracy: Islamist Women in Turkish Politics, SUNY Press, Pp. 3 - 5 Berkes, N., Ahmad, F., (1998). The Development of Secularism in Turkey, Hurst & Co. Publishers CBC News (2004). France’s hijab ban, Available: < http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/islam/hijab.html > Last Accessed: November 29, 2009 Fuller, G. E., (2008). The New Turkish Republic: Turkey as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World, U.S. Institute of Peace Press Tamimi, A., Esposito, J. L., (2000). Islam and Secularism in the Middle East, Hurst & Co. Publishers, Pp. 105 Yavuz, M. H., Esposito, J. L., (2003). Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gülen Movement, Syracuse University Press Read More