Islam: Faith and Practice

Mehdi Noorbaksh Ph.D., MBA, MHAAssociate Professor of International Affairs

Coordinator of General EducationHarrisburg University of Science and Technology

Fellow, Center for International Studies, University of St. Thomas

President, Southwestern International Studies Association

Islam: Geography Population is 1.66 billion

25% of the worlds Population 52% of Africa 30% of Asia 7% of Europe (Germany with largest Muslim population 4 million,

and France with 3.5 million) 2.3% of North America (United States with 7 million and Canada

with close to 1 million) The largest Muslim population in Americas, Argentina with close to

1 million Muslims The Most Populated Muslim Countries

Indonesia 203 million Pakistan 174, India 161, Bangladesh 145, Iran 74,

and Turkey 74 million The Middle East and North Africa

315 million in the Middle East 20% of the world Muslim population

Islam: Geography II The percentage of Muslim population

Afghanistan 99.7% Azerbaijan 99.2% Bangladesh 89.6% Bulgaria 12.2% China 1.6% India 13.4% Indonesia 88.2% Iran 99.4% Israel 16.7% Spain 1% Switzerland 4.3% United Kingdom 2.7% United States 2.3%

Islam: Tenets of Faith Pillars of Faith

Declaration of Faith (Shahda), There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger

Prayer (Salat), Five times during the day-at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening

Thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor (Zakat), 2.5% of wealth

Fasting (soum), one month during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset

Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca in Saudi Arabia Islam is followed by Sunni Muslims(85%) and Shiite(15%) Theology is based on:

Quran, Sunnah (tradition of the prophet), Aghl (reasoning) and Ijma’ (consensus)

Recognized school of theology: Hanbali, Shafei, Maliki, Hanafi and Shite Ithna Ashari

Islam: Other Faiths No compulsion in religion

“There is to be no compulsion in religion,” Quran 2:256 “O humankind, We have created you male and female and

made you nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another,” Quran 49:13

“Surely the believers and the Jews, Christians and Sabians, whoever believes in God and the last day, and whoever does right, shall have his reward with his lord and will neither have fear nor regret,” Quran 2:62

“Say, We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us, and in what has been sent down to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac and Jacob and their offspring, and what has been revealed to Moses and Jesus and to all prophets of our Lord. We make no distinction between them and we submit to Him and obey,” Quran 3:84

Islam: Other Faith II In Islam the concept of prophecy is broader than

Judaism and Christianity Muslims distinguish between “prophets” and

“messengers” While all messengers are prophets not all

prophets are messenger Abraham, Noah, Joseph, and John the Baptist are

all prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are Messengers in

the tradition of Abrahamic faith

Islam: Reading and Interpretation There is no structure for priesthood in

Islam There is the concept of Ijtihad (reasoning

in matters of faith and society). Anyone can have Ijtihad as long as he or she is relatively knowledgeable about the faith

Two spectrums of reading and interpretation in Islam

Reformist Islam Puritanical Islam

Islam: Reading and Interpretation II Reformist Islam

Relies on reason and Ijtihad Relies on modern science to understand complexities

of society, is not superstitious and deterministic Advocates want to purify faith from traditional

cultures and misinterpretation Sees faith within the confine of rationality Relies on faith to enhance norms and values within

society It is the religion of the intellectuals and educated It rejects structured religion

Islam: Reading and Interpretation III Puritanical Islam

It is the religion of the literal reading of faith This reading of faith relies on determinism This reading of faith is attached to emotion and

colored by culture and tradition It uses social institutions and resources for the

promotion of the faith It is a conservative reading of religion as against the

intellectual and informed understanding of the faith It is highly authority oriented and hierarchical

Islam: Politics and Government Politics in Reformist Islam

All who support Reformist Islam are political Sees total compatibility between faith and

democratic norms The advocates of Reformist Islam are in the forefront

of the battle for democratic rule and government in their societies

In many parts of the Muslim world, they collaborate with secular forces to establish democratic institutions in their society

They are not tolerated by authoritarian regimes and puritanists alike

They are not necessarily against the Western values

Islam: Politics and Government II Not all supporters of puritanical Islam are

political Those who are:

They see incompatibility between the faith and democratic norms

They are for establishing theocratic governments If they can, they join forces with authoritarian

regimes for the promise of a theocracy They resort to violence for achieving their goals They are not tolerated by secular authoritarian

regimes They are mostly against all Western values

Islam: Politics and Government III Muslims participation in government:

India: Muslims contributed to Indian democracy Indonesia: successful to fully establish democratic

government and institutions Malaysia: Established democratic government Turkey: Took over the government from military and

secular bureaucrats Iran: Advocates of Reformist Islam are in a battle with

puritanist theocrats Muslims fully participated in the politics of the

Western democracies

Islam: Politics and Government IV Three failed government by Puritanists:

The experience of Jamaat Islami in Pakistan under Zia ul-Haq in the 1970’s

The Experience of Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini The Experience of Sudan under Bashir governmet in

the 1990’s

Advocates of Piratical Islam when gained power

Establish theocratic regimes in which Islam is used as a mean for discipline and control

These regimes start with authoritarianism and lean toward totalitarianism

Islam: Jihad and Terrorism Jihad in Arabic means to strive in the path of God

Non-violence (the greater Jihad): Struggle against one’s own ego, selfishness, evil and misdeed

Violent (the lesser Jihad): The right to defend faith and community

Political Puritanists combined militancy with messianic vision to inspire violent act against what they interpret enemy

They are marginal groups who participate in terrorism

Supporters of Reformist Islam and even non-political Puritanits condemn their violence

Islam: The Future The battle between Reformist Islam and

Puritanical Islam will continue In countries with poverty and authoritarian rule,

political puritanists will have more chance of success to recruit

In countries with better economy and an educated middle class, the advocates of Reformist Islam will win the battle against the Puritanists

In countries benefiting more from globalization and its economic benefits, the danger of radicalism is lower

Islam: The Future II Policies that can help eradicate radicalism

and terrorism Eradication of poverty by development and education

in countries with high level of poverty Western support for democratic change especially in

the Middle East Resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict Western attention to democratic forces and not

authoritarian regimes in the Muslim world