THE HEIRS OF THE PROPHET: CHARISMA AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN SHI‘ITE ISLAM – By Liyakat N. Takim (original) (raw)

Book Review: Politics of Secularism

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, 2021

Akan, Murat (2017) The Politics of Secularism: Religion, Diversity, and Institutional Change in France and Turkey. New York: Columbia University Press.

New Secularism in the Arab World by Ghassan Abdullah

A major movement of secular writing in Arabic has been gaining strength and depth over the last few years, little reported by outsiders. It is going into new directions, well beyond a mere reaction to Islamic fundamentalism which grew mostly after Khomeini took over in Iran in 1979. This article is a quick overview of some of these recent writings that have come out in Arabic. The secularists cannot hope to compete for the minds and souls of the masses, without a change in social conditions, but their message is being written and distributed and they are reaching countless readers. Rewriting and re-evaluation of Islamic history, including its secular aspects, is taking place as never before in the contemporary history of Arab and Islamic countries. Islamists are having to contend with this growing trend, in addition to facing an array of other challenges: the growing disappointment with 'Islamic states' such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan, inter-Islamic strife as in Afghanistan, women's movements, the economic failures and scandals of 'Islamic investment banking', the excesses of 'Islamic' violence.

Secularization Signs in Shi’ite Clergymen’s Everyday Life

Abstract: Do clergymen experience secularization in their everyday lives, despite their initial opposition to it? The present work attempts to answer this question by looking for signs of secularization in the everyday lives of clergymen. The data were collected through direct observation and semi-structured interviews. To select the seventeen clergymen as participants, purposeful sampling and the snowball method were used, and the results were then classified into nine clusters. The results found that one of the most prevalent reasons for the emergence of secularization is a tendency to coexist with their society, which teaches clergymen to avoid absolutistic views. Social and religious identities have also changed with the adaptation to a modern lifestyle. Clergymen move toward a prioritization of their needs based on the demands of their jobs, welfare, and interests and, finally, move toward a more worldly life. Exposure to communication tools and being informed about global cultures make clergymen transform particular cultural values and soften the atmosphere in society based on present and future needs. Furthermore, these changes reduce the need for traditional clerical structures and help clergymen continue their lives on the basis of their awareness, thought, and individual independence. This issue leads to growth in empiricism, materialism, and rationality; change in attitudes toward traditions and beliefs; and attention to adjusting to extreme religious attitudes. Keywords: Secularization, Clergymen, Everyday Life, Phenomenology, Iran

Islam and Secularism -- by Syed Muhammud al-Naquib Al-Attas

Islam and Secularism

Written 40 years ago, this book is one of the most creative and original works of a Muslim thinker in the contemporary Muslim world. The author deals with fundamental problems faced by contemporary Muslims and provides real solutions, beginning with a discussion on ‘The Contemporary Western Christian Background’ in Chapter (I), followed by his analysis of the concepts (which he newly defines) of ‘secular’, ‘secularization’, and ‘secularism’ in Chapter (II). All this is then contrasted in Chapter (IV) of the book entitled ‘Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality’. Based on all the preceding explanation, the author proceeds to analyze the Muslim ‘dilemma’ by declaring that it should be resolved primarily through what he calls the “dewesternization of knowledge” or, conversely, the “islamization of contemporary knowledge”, an original concept conceived and elucidated by the author for the past five decades. Numerous original and profound ideas are contained in this book—arrived at chiefly through critical study of the Muslim tradition—such as the concepts of dīn, ‘adl, ḥikmah, adab, ma‘nā, and ta’dīb, and their significance in the development of an Islamic system of education. The rationale for the Islamization of contemporary knowledge and the establishment of a truly Islamic university was in fact provided for the first time in contemporary Muslim thought by this author long before the appearance of the present book, which explains these interconnected subjects more concisely. Further, the appendix entitled, ‘On Islamization: The Case of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago’ is an actual explanation and application of the seminal ideas discussed in the book. This is a must read for all Muslims and those concerned with the problems and effects of secularization in our world today.

Book Review: A Secular Age Beyond the West

International Sociology Reviews, 2019

Mirjam Künkler, John Madeley and Shylashri Shankar (eds), A Secular Age Beyond the West: Religion, Law, and the State in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2018