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5 - The Function of Myths in the Justification of Muslim Extremism
- Edited by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman
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- Book:
- Pathways to Contemporary Islam
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 25 November 2020
- Print publication:
- 15 January 2020, pp 125-142
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Summary
Abstract
This chapter argues that the prevalence of certain myths in Islamic tradition predispose some Muslims into adopting exclusivist ideas that define their religious orientations in a manner that can be viewed sociologically and even theologically as extremist. By taking the examples of the alleged genocide of the Bani Qurayza Jewish tribe by Prophet Muhammad and the alleged link between a Yemeni Jew to the founding of Shiite Islam, the chapter shows that these myths have led to justification of anti-Semitism, violence against non-Muslims, and sectarianism in the Muslim World. The chapter concludes by calling for a more critical reading of Islamic tradition.
Keywords: Muslim extremism; myths in Islam; Islamic tradition
Introduction
It is known that the phenomenon of religious extremism has a myriad of causes, among them being psychological and social factors. Psychological factors may include low self-esteem and a sense of humiliation, while social factors may include a lack of social integration or the dominance of exclusivist orientations. Without downplaying the complexity of the phenomenon of religious extremism and the salience of the various psychological and sociological factors that have been cited by researchers in the field, this chapter focuses on a specific social cause. This has to do with the role of myths in the justification of an extremist orientation among believers. I argue that the prevalence of certain myths in Islamic tradition predispose Muslims into adopting exclusivist ideas that define their religious orientations in a manner that can be viewed sociologically and even theologically as extremist.
This chapter proceeds as follows. In the next section I briefly discuss the meaning of myths as used in this study. Myths can be seen as ideas that function within an ideological or utopian orientation to preserve or advance the interests of a particular group. This is followed by an account of one particular myth that has an important place in Islamic tradition. This is the story of the killing of the men of the Medinan Jewish tribe, the Banu Qurayza. I suggest that this story is indeed a myth that functions to maintain a certain attitude of Muslims towards Jews. This attitude can be defined as extremist to the extent that it is an exclusivist one.
7 - The Meaning and Objectives of Progressive Islam
- Edited by Norshahril Saat, Azhar Ibrahim
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- Book:
- Alternative Voices in Muslim Southeast Asia
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 02 April 2020
- Print publication:
- 17 December 2019, pp 89-117
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In the last three decades, frequent reference had been made to Islam in the plural. For example, some years ago a book appeared with the title Islams and Modernities by Aziz Al-Azmeh. Such usage confuses rather than clarifies matters. Many Muslims would be puzzled by what is meant by “Islams”. From a conceptual and empirical point of view, as well, it would be wrong to refer to Islam in the plural. Muslims understand from the Qur’an that there is only one din or religion of Islam. By this is meant that there are certain basic beliefs and practices common to all Muslims that neither change from space to space nor time to time. This is not an ideal but a reality.
What does change, however, are the material, cultural and ideological expressions of Muslims. For example, the cuisine of Muslims, their music and dance forms, their art and literature continuously develop in different directions. So do the ideologies; that is, the Muslims’ orientations to the political, economic and social worlds. The ideologies of Muslims do draw upon the sources of Islam, such as the Qur’an, the Sunnah or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the intellectual heritage of the Muslims that developed from the early days of Islam. But they also incorporate interpretations and experiences that are space-time bound and, therefore, continuously change. We can, therefore, speak of multiplicity and plurality when we speak of Islam at these levels. The term din refers to Islam as revelation, while other terms such as sabil, shari‘a, tariqah and jama‘ah refer to Islam as interpretation and lived experience. At the level of din, Islam is unitary. The diversity appears at the levels of sabil, shari‘a, tariqah and jama‘ah. These are the historical and empirical levels at which the din is realized.
While there are no multiple Islams, there are a multitude of Muslim ideologies. They are often grouped under headings such as modernism, traditionalism, neo-modernism, fundamentalism and radicalism. Some Muslim ideologies are held to be in line with Islam as a religion, and some are not. Backward and extremist ideologies and orientations have always been held on to by a minority in Muslim societies. But that is enough to cause problems. As a result, the question as to what constitutes a progressive interpretation of Islam arises.
11 - Islam and Modernization
- from PART THREE - MODERNIZATION, GLOBALIZATION AND THE ‘ISLAMIC STATE’ DEBATE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
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- By Syed Farid Alatas, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore
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- Book:
- Islam in Southeast Asia
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 03 November 2017
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- 21 March 2005, pp 209-230
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INTRODUCTION
Modernity refers to the end result of the process of modernization. It is the condition that a society attains after having gone through specific patterns of social and economic change which began in Western Europe in the eighteenth century and which has been spreading throughout the rest of the world. The process of modernization refers to the introduction of modern scientific knowledge to increasing aspects of human life, first of all in Western civilization, then to non-Western societies, by different means and groups, with the final aim of achieving a better life as defined by the society concerned (Alatas, S.H. 1972, p. 22). The traits of modernization include the rationalization of economic and political life, rapid urbanization, industrialization, differentiation in the social structure, and greater popular involvement in public affairs. If we understand these traits as constituting the modern condition, then modernism would refer to the ideology, attitude or mentality that subordinates the traditional to the modern.
This chapter begins with a brief introduction to development studies as a modernist discourse. This is followed by a concise overview of the Islamic ideal of development which is juxtaposed to the economic realities of Muslim societies. It then proceeds to theoretically assess attempts in Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia to create an alternative discourse on development that draws on Islamic law and an Islamic philosophical anthropology. The next sections move on to a consideration of the role of the state in development and the questions of democracy and civil society. The concluding section makes some remarks on the problematic state of discourse in the Muslim world on modernization.
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AS MODERNIST DISCOURSE
The vast majority of Muslims around the world live in economically underdeveloped countries, with high rates of inflation, low rates of economic growth, low life expectancy, and a high level of adult illiteracy. There are also severe problems in the health and nutritional status of Muslims worldwide, which have serious implications for the quality of human resources. Muslim countries also lag behind industrialized nations in educational attainment, especially where access to tertiary education is concerned (Hassan 1992).
4 - The Meaning of Alternative Discourses: Illustrations from Southeast Asia
- from Part I - Academic Discourses and Concepts
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- By Syed Farid Alatas, National University of Singapore
- Edited by Srilata Ravi, Mario Rutten, Beng-Lan Goh
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- Book:
- Asia in Europe, Europe in Asia
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 21 October 2015
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- 30 June 2004, pp 57-78
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The term ‘alternative discourses’ refers to works that attempt to both critically assess mainstream ideas in the social sciences that are generally regarded as unproblematic, as well as generate alternative concepts and theories. To the extent that mainstream social science is Eurocentric, the practioners of alternative discourses often see themselves as contributing to counter-Eurocentric social science. This chapter introduces the notion of alternative discourses by way of providing illustrations from Southeast Asia.
Introduction
That the social sciences in much of the Third World lack creativity and originality is something that has long been recognized by social scientists everywhere and has even become the topic of many research papers and books. To be sure, part of the problem has to do with the fact that the social sciences in much of Asia, Africa and Latin America were introduced by colonial powers and failed to be sufficiently indigenized, domesticated, or nationalized in order that they could be more relevant. This is due in part to the lack of continuity between the European tradition of knowledge and indigenous systems of ideas (Watanuki 1984, p. 283) and the non-existence of an organic relationship with the cultural history of the colony (Kyi 1984, p. 94).
While it is not true that there was nothing approximating social scientific theory in Asian and other non-Western societies prior to the introduction of the social sciences from Europe and America from the eighteenth century onwards, it is certainly worth noting that no indigenous schools or traditions in sociology or any other social science discipline ever came into being autochthonously in non-European societies. What I am referring to here is a general problem of knowledge even in countries like India, Egypt, Turkey, Korea and the Philippines where the social sciences are relatively more developed. In Korea in the 1970s, for example, scholars were ‘awakened’ to the need to establish a more creative Korean sociology (Shin 1994).
4 - Religion, Values, and Capitalism in Asia
- from SECTION II - THE CULTURAL LINEAGES OF “ASIAN” CAPITALISM
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- By Syed Farid Alatas, National University of Singapore
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- Book:
- Local Cultures and the New Asia
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 21 October 2015
- Print publication:
- 07 January 2002, pp 107-126
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The question of the relationship between religion and other phenomena that come within its conceptual and semantic field, such as values, on the one hand, and modern economic development, on the other, have occupied the minds of scholars since the last century. While the issue was first dealt with theoretically and sociologically by Ibn Khaldun in the fourteenth century AD, it was taken up again in systematic fashion by European classical social theorists in the nineteenth century. By the turn of the twentieth century, North American, Japanese, and Indian sociologists, economists, and political scientists began to write about the work ethic and other cultural or non-economic factors of development. Since the Second World War many others have joined in the debate. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss a number of fundamental problems that underlie the media and academic discourse surrounding the question of religion and development in East Asia that have to do with problematic Orientalist constructions.
Owing to the vastness of the field, however, there is the problem of delineating my area of concern for this chapter. The field is vast, covering various world religions, numerous disciplines in the social sciences, and a multitude of topics such as industrialization, economic growth, education, and business firms. In addition, one has also to consider the budget of concepts that are related to religion such as ideology, culture, values, and the work ethic. Even if one chooses to focus on a region such as Southeast Asia, one is not left with a more manageable task.
What I propose, therefore, is to define my interest in the relationship between religion and economic development by way of limiting it with reference to a related concern, that of “Asian values”. In what follows, I take the Asian values debate as my entry point into the topic of the religious work ethic and its relationship with capitalist modernization in Southeast Asia.