Reclaiming the Middle Ground

The need for reinterpretation and re-evaluation of the existing Islamic thought has never been more pronounced in the entire history of Islam than the present times. Where advances in science and technology rocked the foundations of Christianity in the 19th and 20th centuries, exposure to new influences as a result of access to diverse electronic and print media, modern education, and a disadvantaged position in the modern context has led certain sections within Muslim societies to call for a selective return to the culture and norms of seventh century Arabia as a way of life. Whether it is the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, perpetration of sectarian violence on the pretext of religion, the behaviour and bearing of religio-political elements within our own polity, or the violent Muslim resurgence in the form of al Qaeda, it brings us back to the question of how to negotiate our Muslim identity with the violent demonstration of Muslim thought in the modern context. Should we accept these regressive interpretations as monolithic as they are presented before us, or dismiss them and dissociate from our Muslim identity or, as another option, question them and use our own intellect and effort to try to dig out the truth for ourselves? Going for the last option would not only mean discovering the already existing moderate discourses and intellectual advances among Muslims and making them current, it would also mean renegotiating our positions within the modern systems and structures with the philosophy of religion, without having to forego the advances humans have made so far.

The rise of the fundamentalist Taliban regime in the mid-1990s imposing very narrow interpretations of Islam in Afghanistan, the Islamist movements struggling to find their way to power in societies in North Africa, and a general shift towards a more archaic and fundamentalist approach within Muslim societies is a stark reminder that those holding the middle ground are unorganized, unassertive and weak. No enlightened Muslim would contest that harsh impositions on women by the Taliban regime were against the very spirit of Islam. It was a time when most family breadwinners had been killed or incapacitated during two decades of war. Instead of providing employment opportunities by creating enterprises for women, the Taliban inflicted upon them a miserable existence that forced many into prostitution. The thing to ponder is, there were not very many voices claiming ‘Islamic’ credentials from within Muslim societies, who condemned the atrocities of the Taliban as un-Islamic.

It seems most modern educated Muslims are gripped by confusion and unable to decide if they have the legitimacy to voice their thoughts as ‘Islamic’. Moreover, traditional religious interpretations fail to come up with answers to many issues that form part and parcel of modern life.

Thinkers and philosophers give new ways of thinking to the ordinary masses. However, such an intellectual discourse in Muslim societies is conspicuous by its absence. Politics of power and forces of the status quo prevent any movement in this direction in our part of the world. Government’s backtracking on the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, seeking to amend the Hudood Ordinances, on MMA’s pressure is a case in point. However, some rethinking is taking place, mostly in the US, spearheaded by Muslim academics associated with universities. Many scholars have turned towards the reinterpretation of the Quranic text itself and found many discrepancies in the existing interpretations (the word ‘interpretation’ is used since it is a recognized principle that there could be no ‘translation’ of the divine word) according to modern epistemology. Likewise, new practices and constraints of modern life are being brought within the purview of religion to come up with suitable solutions having religious legitimacy.

Advocacy of ijtihad among Muslim scholars of the subcontinent started well before the 20th century with Syed Ahmad Khan, Shah Wali Ullah, and more recently Allama Mohammad Iqbal. In The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, presenting a philosophical treatise on religion, Iqbal has emphasized the need for ijtihad. He says: “The task before the modern Muslim is, therefore, immense. He has to rethink the whole system of Islam without completely breaking with the past…The only course open to us is to approach modern knowledge with a respectful but independent attitude and to appreciate the teachings of Islam in the light of that knowledge, even though we may be led to differ from those who have gone before us.” Religious knowledge or experience is not only specific for a particular time, social, economic, political and cultural situation, it is the experience of an individual of the Ultimate Reality. Like knowledge itself, religious philosophy and knowledge is dynamic — and not static — and needs to be reassessed periodically.

Human societies undergo a process of evolution. Each culture is a demonstration of how humans adapt to their geographical surroundings with their knowledge and understanding and give rise to a socio-economic and political milieu. There has been unprecedented growth in accumulated knowledge during the last two centuries, and discoveries in one field have aided advances in others. The conflating of various factors — economic, political, scientific — has shaped and restructured the lives of common people in unpredictable ways. There have also been corresponding developments in international patterns of interaction among countries. Most religions fail to account for these human successes, which have put the faith in human ability and endeavour instead of the divine presence, and shifted the focus towards the individual. Muslims too find it difficult to reconcile with many of the new developments that were unimaginable a few decades ago. They find themselves bereft of standards and values that would address situations that have emerged with changed socio-economic conditions.

There is not only the need for reinterpretation, there is also a need for review of the principles of reinterpretation. The science of ijtihad was developed by Muslim scholars in the early centuries of Islam to arrive at the interpretation of Quran and hadith applicable to particular societal needs. Most would think that the right to ijtihad is the sole domain of learned jurists and those who have specialized in Arabic grammar, are versed in Quran and hadith texts and familiar with the prevalent schools of thought. But one cannot ignore the vast majority of educated Muslims who are adept in their area of expertise. With the proliferation of branches of knowledge and a vast accumulated corpus of knowledge, it would be in order to legitimize the opinion of educated and experienced Muslims on particular matters. In addition to a body of intellectuals working on purely scholastic interpretations, ordinary, exoteric, easily understandable discourses are needed that could enlighten the general public. In this regard, media debates, for instance on the Hudood Ordinances, could be perceived as a practice in ijtihad. Muslims must look for progressive references within the culture of 7th century Islam as a starting point and bring them to wider public attention, as opposed to the stifling incidents and interpretations that are current.

The overly scholastic and pedantic approach of most ulema of the present times has helped them to claim a monopoly over religious knowledge. They sometimes use it to serve personal interests. In modern times, instead of wasting energies in thinking and trying to find ways, for instance, of how to bring a Muslim woman back into the ‘security and sanctity’ of the home’s four walls who has — as a result of exposure to a different culture, requirements and way of life — learned to not only live independently, but to think independently, why don’t we try to establish it as a perfectly legitimate religious fact?

No matter how we try to dissociate ourselves from our Muslim identity, it comes back to us in unexpected ways. As Muslims, we do feel sympathy for Palestinian Muslims, or those in Lebanon. We were strung together in our reaction at the derogatory depictions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in a cartoon series commissioned by a Danish newspaper. This identity has determined the lives of many a Muslim in their adopted countries. The treatment meted out to people of Muslim origin in the US after 9/11 put our faith to the test.

All of us Muslims who hold divergent opinions springing from independent rational thinking, and not associated with any immediate interests, must assert and voice this opinion. We must own our Muslim identity and work towards the ‘reconstruction’ of Islamic thought. This is the only way to defeat the obscurantist views that justify themselves by using the name of ‘Islam’. It is only when we grow in number and strength, would we be able to gain legitimacy and reclaim the middle ground lost to us.