Assalamu ala maanitaba al Huda,
[Peace be unto those who are rightly guided]
Some people on this forum keep on praising ‘secular’ Muslims. Now this is an oxymoron if ever there was one! What does it mean? A person who calls himself/herself a Muslim but doesn’t agree with the Laws of Islam, ie the Shariah?!
I think the Qur’an has got a better word for them…the munaafiqs.
Asif, the world is full of oxy-morons. I've met Marxist-Muslims. They seem to have forgotten to read Karl Marx's passage - "religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, just as it is the soul of the souless conditions. It is the opium of the people".
I think there is no such thing as a 'secular' Muslim. I think those who label themselves as such are liberal minded. They believe that religion and state should be divorced. But I think even they realize that the pervasive nature of Islam does not allow for a complete separation. Certain institutions have to remain Islamic. Even in North America, governments have found it increasingly difficult to completely separate religious institutions from state run activities. Holidays such as Christmas, Easter, sometimes even Hannakuh are marked as legal days off for all citizens regardless of their religion. Many so-called secular Muslims, believe in the spiritual aspects of Islam, attempt to live their lives in accordance with Islamic morals, but don't see political Islam as a necessary ideal to strive towards.
I think their interpretation of 'Islam' may differ from yours or mine. They may call for a re-examination of Islamic principles and a definite re-examination of the Shariah, in light of modern times - * ijtehad * . Many secularists believe that Prophet Muhammad (saw) or any of the other Prophets of Islam did not want their messenger-ship to be associated with politics. That they were spiritual leaders bringing humanity a message of guidance from a Creator, devoid of political instructions. The crux of their argument rests on the debate over the nature of 'Islamic state' - a debate which has left the Muslim world in a state of constant flux since the death of Muhammad (saw).
I think most secular Muslims are not 'secular' in the sense of the Western definition, but rather somewhere in between conservative traditional Muslims and strict liberal secularists who reject Islam totally.
Achtung ;)
Asif & Achtung:
I agree with both of yours inputs.
There are some people who call themselves "Secular Muslims" and some I would like to call them "Western Muslims". These people do not even know what directions they are heading? All they know is to blame the religion especially Islam for all of the problems they have in their families. They do not want to change their lives according to Islam but they want to change the Islam according to their self-made ideas.
These people would be worried about the Image of Islam in the western world and they would come up with the lame ideas saying, OH, If we do this and that, which would heal the damage of our image in the western world. I am surprised that these people worry about their image in the western world more than their own image near Allah (SWT). Should I care about my image as a fundamental Muslim in the western World? My Answer would be a BIG NO.
You know why? Because What ever I do, they would always follow their egos against Islam, then why should I care about my Image. The better term for secular Muslims and western Muslims is "Western Slaves"
While people Like Achtung Play HopScotch on the Liberal Landscape and flirt with extremism, the silent and simple majority are left without answers and solutions to real world problems.
Stud
The current struggle for political legitimacy in Muslim societies is a ** 'real problem' ** ? The biggest 'real problem' facing Muslims today is meeting their basic needs. Moving above and beyond the poverty line. This struggle to meet ones basic needs is encapsulated in the greater struggle concerning the enigmatic nature of defining and forming the Islamic State. A Muslim child's basic needs are held hostage in the struggle, often armed, between elitist rulers (the product of colonial rule) and revolutionary Islamists fighting for the implementation of their version of the Islamic State. These wars are waged in the background of global politics. Decisions made by those in positions of power, weather they are super-powers, regional powers or small localities, are often made in accordance with economic ends in mind. The problem isn't a simple, I support secularism or I support Islamic extremists.
Strict secularists who completely deny the value of Islam in building institutions for reform are ignoring 'real problems' as defined by Muslims. They rather impose their own version of what Muslims should define as 'their' problems. They are incapable of speaking the language of the Muslims, that language being Islam. Its because of this, they have failed to offer any solutions to the Muslim world. Capitalism and socialism have failed. Strict secularism, best exemplified in the government of Turkey, is beginning to falter, breaking at the seams.
Its strict secularists, who ignore the unique and pervasive effects Islam has on the lives of Muslims, who are unrealistic. Muslims do not welcome the secularist's complete separation of government from religion. Only through force can their secularist dreams become legitimized in the Muslim world.
Similarly extremist Muslims invest their time instituting and applying medieval interpretations of Islam, in order to insure their supremacy and maintain their power. Their concerns for the welfare of their communities are overshadowed by their own incessant desire for power. They are a reactionary group, often encouraging the implementation of draconian interpretations of the Islamic * Shariah * .
I don't support either group. Both groups can only legitimize their rule through force. Support cannot be built by coercion, threats or denigrating those who are powerless.
I wish I had a cure all solution to the 'real problems' facing Muslims today. Unfortunately the problems facing Muslims are so many, so complicated and so intertwined with the complexities of the newly 'globalized' political-economy of our world - addressing them will have to involve a multi-disciplinary approach. Islam is not a cure-all - its one piece in the puzzle. It can neither be ignored or taken as a panacea for all of the ailments of our society.
We can all play a part in helping alleviating the hardships befallen on others. This is our duty as Muslims. We may not be able to save the world - but we can play a part in our own communities. Looking at the bigger picture can be frustrating, our cynicism and pessimism can lead us almost to the point of paralysis. But we have to be optimistic and do whatever is in our power to help others and deal with 'real problems'.
Achtung ;)
[This message has been edited by Achtung (edited April 27, 1999).]