*****به خود بنگريم، به اطرافمان، به خود بيانديشيم، به اطرافمان، توجيه‌گريها و فلسفه بافيها، شك و ترديدها، يأس و نااميديها را كنار بگذاريم، تصميم بگيريم، برخيزيم و حركت كنيم. هر جا كه هستيم، در هر سن و سالي، با هر عقيده و ديني... بياييم قبل از آنكه عالِم باشيم، دانشمند باشيم، مخترع و كاشف باشيم، تاجر و كاسب باشيم، كارگر و كارمند باشيم، سياستمدار و سياستگذار باشيم،...، انسان باشيم، انسان باشيم، انسان باشيم*****

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Christianity went through it, why not Islam?

Secular rule will help Islam with its reform
By Shahram Akbarzadeh


What is happening with reformation in Islam? Christianity went through it, why not Islam? Why not separate church and state and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's? The reality is that Muslims living in Western liberal democracies are already doing just that.

The daily experience of Muslims is marked by an acknowledgement of the distinction between public and private. Australian Muslims are more than happy to comply with the secular rules of this great land because these are the best guarantee for religious freedom. Secular rule is the most effective bulwark against religious intolerance and exclusive claims to ultimate truth.

It may be ironic that Muslims can be more true to their faith in Australia than in a good number of Muslim societies.

Countries that claim to implement sharia law, for instance, are among the most serious offenders of human rights against their Muslim citizens. Afghanistan under the Taliban was the most horrendous case.

The value of secular rule is appreciated by Muslims. They live by it - but do not articulate it. And that is the problem. Australian Muslims have not had the leadership to translate the implicit reformation that is under way into clear formulation. The substance is there but not the form. This is a pervasive issue that affects all Muslims in liberal democracies.

The Australian case, however, may be more acute as voices of reformation can already be heard in Europe and North America. Muslim intellectuals there have challenged old taboos and argued for some fundamental rethinking of Islam on religious tolerance and gender rights, trying to catch up with the daily reality of Muslim lives.

It is not surprising that the Islamic leadership and Muslim thinkers in Australia, apart from a handful of lone voices, are reluctant to meet this challenge. It is not easy to question established traditions. Inertia is a serious problem. The official leadership, most notably Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali, have in fact worked against innovation.

But all is not lost. Innovation can emerge from the rank and file. There is no reserved place for clergy in Islam. Any Muslim believer can interpret and re-interpret the intended meaning of the sacred text. This is a liberating feature. Through the centuries, however, the autonomy of the individual believer has been usurped by a class of the learned ulema and political rulers who exercised control over the ulema.

The ulema ruled that the gates of ijtihad (re-interpretation) were shut. In other words, the Koran was not deemed open to continuing interpretation. Instead, they favoured following tradition and religious interpretation that was established by their predecessors.

Islam was thus co-opted by the state to serve the interests of the rulers. There has been little chance of breaking with tradition as vested interests thwarted innovation.

But migration has offered a much-needed circuit breaker. Migration to Australia has broken the link between religious belief and political culture. Individual freedoms and liberties that govern Australia offer the best opportunity to revive Islam's culture of innovation and intellectual inquiry. Secular rule serves to open the gates of ijtihad.

New generations of Muslims in Australia are comfortable with their faith and civic responsibilities. They are at the forefront of Islamic reformation. They are not afraid of their heritage, religious or secular. They have the responsibility to articulate their experience as good citizens and true believers.This is not at easy task. Innovation is never easy. They have to tackle two very different audiences.

On the one hand, they work within their own communities to spread the message of rethinking and re-interpretation, which are bound to be met with the forces of inertia and suspicions of the traditionalists.

On the other hand, they have to convince the broader Australian community that reformation is not a matter of expediency, but reviving an essential doctrine in Islam. If Islam is to remain relevant to Australia today, it cannot pass up this opportunity.

Islamic reformation may not be the most talked about issue among Australian Muslims, but they live it. The challenge is to turn action into words.

Shahram Akbarzadeh is director of Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University.