The Relationship between Culture and Religion in Islam - Assignment Example

1. Page Amina Wadud discusses how historic interpretations of the Qur’an regarding women have helped shape contemporary views of the roles of women in Muslim societies. According to Wadud, how can the Qur’an be read in a more women-friendly way? Do you agree with her assessment? Why or why not? In the article written by Amina Wadud, titled Quran, Gender and Interpretative Possibilities, we see one of the emerging trends in contemporary Islamic discourse. That beyond the commonly understood and accepted fact of the text being of revelatory nature, one has to take into account other socio-historical circumstances of 7th century A.D, in order to open up interpretative possibilities. For example, considering that patriarchal social systems are the norm during the time of revelation, one can see why the choice of a male messenger of God in the form of Prophet Mohammad strengthened the status quo. What Wadud seems to be implying is that although there is no dispute about the revealed word, its documentation and dissemination was exclusively done by men, making it susceptible to sub-conscious (if not deliberate) gender bias. Seen in this perspective, the Holy book could be interpreted as a divine code meant to apply only to men and which employs masculine language and viewpoints throughout. With this new understanding it is then a natural course of action to reinterpret the text from a female point of view, by discounting historical patriarchal prejudices and attitudes toward women. Added to this there are limitations of language itself, which is found inadequate in encapsulating the numinous and transcendent into the range of common human experience. However sophisticated the syntax, grammar and flexibility of Arabic languages, they cannot capture experiences that are beyond words. This could mean that there is a divergence between divine intent and the Holy Quran. Also, divine revelation is a process and not an event. This was true even during the life of Prophet Mohammad, when divine guidance did not cease to arrive to him till his last days. So, if one sees the guidance provided by Allah as perennial and emergent, there is plenty of scope for constructing a fair and just code for womens role in society. If one would accommodate these adjustments to the reading of Quran, as the author Amina Wadud proposes, the the text ceases to be as oppressive for women as it is made out to be. I largely agree with the authors assessment and her suggestions for a progressive reinterpretation of the Quran. 2. Page2/‘Umar Faruq ‘Abdallah and Tariq Ramadan both discuss the relationship between culture and religion in Islam. What do they argue should be the relationship between culture and religion? What implications do their arguments have for Muslims in Europe and America? Do you agree with their assessments? Why or why not? One of the misconceptions in the Occidental discourse on Islam is that the latter is a monolithic entity. Islam has spread far and wide across the planet. It has a significant presence from China in the East to Spain and Northern Africa toward the West. And through this broad range, there is considerable diversity and variety in the expression of the religion. While maintaining the core principles of Islamic law and jurisprudence, each region has assimilated its own local flavor into Islamic practice. Islam not only moves along the cultural scale but also along the temporal one. In the 13 centuries of its existence, the religion has accommodated itself reasonably well with changing Zeitgeist (with a few exceptions). Author Umar Faruq Abd-Allah and Tariq Ramadan state this truth in their respective articles. In a way, they are reiterating Edward Saids concept of Orientalism, whereby the East is seen as the eternal other to the more progressive and liberal Western civilization. In any given context, culture is the dominant social paradigm compared to religion. But this fact is often suppressed or overlooked in Western scholarships on Islam, probably because its suits their political purposes. In the post-colonial world, especially, the process of cultural diversification within Islam has accelerated, giving rise to new identities and definitions. A case in point is the relatively smooth assimilation of Muslims from Indian subcontinent into mainstream British society, as shown by the recognition and popularity of novelists Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi, etc. It then follows that while religion offers solutions for universal concerns of human existence, culture gives it the necessary context and serves as the substrate for its operation. Hence, there is no inherent conflict between the two entities. More importantly, as both authors seem to suggest, a critical analysis of Islam the religion divorced from its cultural underpinnings is not only intellectually lazy but also potentially dangerous. 3. Page3/ Farid Esack argues that much of the current strife in the world can be seen as a “clash of fundamentalisms.” According to Esack, who are the “fundamentalist” parties in this conflict? What are some parallels that he sees on each side? Do you agree with Esack’s analysis of current global dynamics? Why or why not? In the reading titled In Search of Progressive Islam Beyond 9/11, author Farid Esack makes several valid observations. At the outset, he admits that the word progressive is very hard to define due to elements of subjectivity and scope. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and other targets, cultural and religious scholarship is full of calls for a progressive followers. But what is often left out in speculating about progress is its political basis. In political discourse, the term progressive is associated with Left-of-center ideologies such as Marxism. The 911 attacks were commonly seen as an attack on the American way of life with or seen as a continuation of the historical conflict between Christianity and Islam that goes back to the Crusades. But what is not represented in mainstream commentary is the economic disparity between the terrorists and their targets. If the terrorists are acting on the basis of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs such a Jihad, then they are expected to progress by adopting a liberal, open-minded attitude toward their religion. In the same vein, the United States (especially its government and large business corporations) would have to introspect about entrenched Market Fundamentalism, whereby the pursuit of profits and market expansion have economically impoverished and politically weakened people in the rest of the world. Esack is correct in pointing out that the neo-liberal capitalist agenda set by American and European elite is causing and accentuating discontent among poor peoples of the world. Since most of the Arab Muslims are poor (excepting their ruling class, which is mostly allied to Western capitalists), the 911 attacks can be seen as an outburst of their frustration toward their rulers and their allies. In this analytic framework, the Market Fundamentalism of neo-liberal capitalism is definitely a more sinister and potent instigator of terrorist acts. The prevailing global economic order is also hostile to progress within Islam, as Esack rightly points out. Read More