Islamic liberalism in the age of Terrorism seems like a contradiction, but is it really? Is Islamic liberalism a feasible goal for Muslim countries?
Islam in the age of Terrorism
Since the September 11th attacks in 2001, Islam has been victim to a constant barrage of negative focus. Even though there is a common consensus that the Iraqi war has been nothing but tactical errors on the behalf of the U.S., the perception remains that Islam leads to fundamentalism, which is inextricably linked to extremism. There has been little support for the beliefs of the Muslim, as most of the negative reactions to Bush’s “War on Terror” have not been centered on the religious aspect. Unfortunately, the support that Islam has garnered has remained fairly underground, leaving the majority of people oblivious to the surging new trend in Muslim scholars, as well as Western scholars who show an interest in the Islamic religion. This new trend, as surprising as it may be, is Islamic liberalism. Liberalism, a concept firmly combined with democracy in the Western school of though, seems highly unlikely to mesh with Islam, a religion perceived as stoic, uncompromising and often associated with Holy War and theocracies. In the harsh light that Sept 11th has thrown on this ancient religion, how can Islamic liberalism ever make its way into mainstream thought? Is the implementation of a liberal Islamic state, even a liberal pan-Islamism conceivable?
To answer this question, it is necessary to fully understand the concept of Islamic liberalism. Also, when following this line of inquiry and observing the Islamic world, it is important to look at it as a whole, and not simply its Arab portion. It is also imperative to examine closely attempts at liberalizations that have taken place in the past, as well as the level of liberties currently offered in the Muslim world and the effects of international intervention.
The concept of Islamic liberalism
The concept of Islamic liberalism is a complicated one. The term itself comes from “Liberal Islam”, which was coined by the Indian scholar Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee .
Most importantly, it must not be confused with Islamic democracy. This is not because supporters of Islamic liberalism do not agree with democracy, but because given the level of despotism in the Muslim world, democracy is a big leap. The notion behind Islamic liberalism is to take small steps towards democracy, and view the acquirement of certain liberties as a step in the long process of democratization. In his article Islam, Democracy and Constitutional Liberalism, Fareed Zakaria states that
Elections are an important virtue of governance, but they are not the only virtue. It is more important that governments be judged by yardsticks related to constitutional liberalism. Economic, civil, and religious liberties are at the core of human autonomy and dignity. If a government with limited democracy steadily expands these freedoms, it should not be branded a dictatorship
To understand Islamic liberalism, we must embrace the differences between Muslim and Western cultures. These major differences mean that Islam must approach liberalization differently than the West to ensure success. “Liberal Islam focuses on its Islamic dimension….liberal Muslims are … [not] imitators of Western philosophy”. Because of this non-Western approach, it becomes difficult to consolidate Islamic liberalism with our Western concept of liberty. But although the means may differ, in the end, Muslim liberals want fundamental liberties: no more theocracies, rights for women and non-Muslims in Islamic countries, the right to choose religion, and of course, the right to human progress.
The Islamic world
One of the main misconceptions concerning Islamism is that it is an Arab religion. This is where the main point of confusion concerning Islamic liberalism stems. Because of all the political instability in the Middle East, it becomes hard to associate liberalism with the Arab culture, but there are only 260 million Muslims in Arab countries, whereas there are around 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. This means that only about 22% of Muslims are of Arab descent. Once we broaden our observations to include the rest of the Muslim world, liberalism becomes easier to conceive. For example, as Fareed Zakaria points out, “Indonesia has had secular government since its independence in 1949”. He goes on to mention the fact that Indonesia, along with other Muslim countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have all have elected women as their prime ministers, some even before Westernized states did. These countries, apart from being leaders in Islamic women’s rights, also have sustainable economies: In 2005, the GDP estimate for India was $3.666 trillion (more than Canada’s $1.1 trillion); Indonesia, $869.7 billion; Pakistan, $395.2 billion; Bangladesh, $305.9 billion. Moreover, in the example of India we see demonstrated the ability of Muslims to coexist with non-Muslims in the same country. The Indian rule of law has different codes for Muslims, Hindus and Christians, adapting to the tenets of each religion. Examples such as these make it much easier to conceive the notion of a liberalized Islam.
