The Muslim World - Essay Example

But why these happened in Islamic countries? What is indeed the problem of the Muslim world? This researcher contends that educations remained the most helpful instrument to reform and nurture the culture of peace in the Muslim world. Ayoob (2006) contends that Islam as a religion upholds the unity of state and religion. Such meant that faith binds them into political action which is often manifested in extremism and radical action. This political motivation upholds uncompromising belief that Islam is the only religion and that there is one God—Allah.

This religious system upholds monarchical system and they have strong belief that violence is an instrument to meet all political ends (Ayoob, 2006). At the outset, the intention of the unity of religion and state is essentially to minimize fragmentation of the Muslim community or ummah. This is historically upheld by Muslim leaders as illustrated by the Sunni in the 17th century when these Islamic countries were formerly known as the Ottoman Empire (Ayoob, 2006). The same is evident in Saudi Arabia and in Iran, major countries which claimed to be Islamic.

But such practice is not alien to their political culture at that time, neither is this considered distinct to Islam since politicization of religion is also evident among those who practiced Judaism and of the Hebrew (Ayoob, 2006). But the same source of political upheaval, the Islamic faith, led Iranian to overthrow a monarchical government who have strongly disregarded the social services for its people and have concentrated the resources and wealth to the monarchy. This is because the secularization of Islam, as a religion, is not true to all nations.

For instance, the Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Hamas in Palestine have already adopted the peaceful resolution to their problems and have already maximized the social political structures to enable them to participate in major decision-makings (Ayob, 2006). The Islamic militants in the Philippines have also started negotiating with the government in a peace process after the 2000 all-out war and the recurring clashes although Abu Sayyaf group in the far south maintained its atrocious behaviors and maintained its relations with the Jemmah Islamiyah, a prominent terrorist organization (ICG, 2003).

In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is fragmented as a number of them cooperated with the government while Jamiat-ul-Ulamah-i-Islam and Jamiat-ul-Ulamah-Pakistan are competing with each other and therefore weakening the monolithic nature of Islamic faith (Ayoob, 2006). These fragmentations of groups are also evident among Shia Islamist parties, Daawa, SCIRI and the Sadrists (Ayoob, 2006). The fragmentation of the groups is caused by the awakening of the brutality and inhumanity of 9/11 attack. There is also a widening of perception and social acceptance that the structural violence illustrated by widening gap of the rich and poor in Muslim community.

There is already a strong realization that poor governmental management in Muslim countries is rooted by corruption and injustices within the Muslim ummah. Moreover, as multiculturalism and peace-building is extolled professionally and widely amongst Muslim leaders, tolerance and dialogues is conducted or experienced nowadays by educated Muslims. Many Muslim educators who have appreciated democratic ways of managing governance and in resolving political issues through the legal system and parliament, have