Religious Extremism and Islamic Pluralism

Despite Islam’s exhortation to plurality, claims and counter claims are levelled at the intolerance of Muslims. Ostensibly, the words mosque and university share the same ontological root word jāmaᶜ that is, a melting pot of ideas. Different interpretations of shariᶜah ‘clash’ in the mosque. More so, with the rise of institutes of higher education providing Islamic studies in secular and non-secular societies, the monopoly of the madrasa institutes over the religious discourse has been broken. The aforementioned forms the backdrop and raison d'être of the clash within Islam. Diverse opinions among the sahaba or companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his life and after his departure were commonplace. In order to address what is now referred to as ‘Islamic extremism’ this article analyzes the paradigm that underpins labelling others as extremists and highlight the foundations and implications of the emergent world of Islamic pluralism.

The advent of the liberal paradigm in politics ushered a new mindset: individual freedoms. Individual freedom! “Freedom from what, or from whom?” one might ask. As a political ideology, liberalism does not enjoy an explicit definition. Indeed, to safeguard values of a pluralistic society, society has transformed to tolerate divergent lifestyles while ensuring individual rights. From political liberalism, liberalism or freedom of conscience in religious matters has permeated religions. It would not be too presumptuous to conclude that tolerance of different opinions about religious issues lies at the very foundations of political liberalism, and religious pluralism may be viewed as an overdue phenomenon, which seeks to provide a theological basis for this tolerance.

The division between the ‘church’ and the state or more apt: freedom of conscience in religious matters is a clear departure from state religion in our history both Muslim and non-Muslim. Muslim countries and movements are culpable for many vices in the name of religion: “continue”, whispers one soldier to the other, “I am going for taraweh” [the night prayer during the Holy month of Ramaḍan]’ reminisces a Muslim activist about a torturing ordeal. A lot of resentment that has built up among individuals and sections of the society is due to the enforcement of a state religion, nay a state’s mad’hab or religious interpretation on its populace. Apparently, it is difficult for one to divorce his or her resentment from the misconduct of adherents of a particular mad’hab and acknowledge the veracity of it's teachings.

The crux of contention in religious pluralism and Islamic extremism lies in the exclusivism doctrine. The doctrine of exclusivism stresses that only those subscribing to a particular creed are on the right path. This is the primary teaching of all the major religions. However, the liberal paradigm has adopted a pragmatic approach to religious matters and the emergent paradigm is inclusivism.

Islamic teachings assert that anyone who does not witness to and declare belief in one God: Allah and Muhammad (peace be upon him) as His true Prophet and Messenger is not a believer. With the advent of Islam, the last testament confirming previous revelations and guiding to the truth thereof and the seal of Prophethood, all believing men and women were expected to continue submitting to the one and only true God: Allah. However, religious pluralism is of the view that all major religions are equally valid and lead to God and salvation. Thus, no one religion is inherently better or superior to any other major world religion. With religious Pluralism, all the major religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are equal. Islamic pluralism is therefore the belief that all the firaq or Islamic sects are valid.

Diverse interpretations that have culminated into seventy-three Muslim sects as foretold by the Prophet (peace be upon him), only one being on the truth drives home this doctrine. This foundational teaching forms the clash among Muslims, the freedom exercised by individuals and societies against particular interpretations of the shariᶜah is but a manifestation of their choice. Any efforts expended to invite Muslim brethren professing a different interpretation or emulating alien cultures to Islam is translated as intolerance and/or extremism. The question that we all need to ponder over is, is attaining Allah’s pleasure (din) a human construction or is it in engaging in beliefs and practices consonant with the shariᶜah?

Islam characterizes extremism as exceeding the limits of our religion (An-Nisaa, 171; Al Maida, 77). Any belief or action not found in the Quran or taught and practiced by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the rightly guided generation is not religion. “Beware of exceeding religious limits! Indeed, preceding generations were destroyed for exceeding religious limits” (Ibn Majah). The challenge of the era of liberalism and individual freedoms is the permeation of liberalism into religious matters. Muslims are profiled as fundamentalists, traditionalists, secularists or modernists. Apparently, these labels are grounded on political dispensation that seek to maintain its perceived supremacy. Locating extreme doctrines and actions should be established within the purview of shariᶜah and not mere individual preferences or flawed methodologies. Contemporary challenges facing Muslims and Islamic doctrines need not be revised, but Muslim jurists need to be more apt to the contemporary challenges to maintain Islamic changeless principles while integrating Muslims with the dynamic world community.

This article reiterates that, Islamic pluralism in Muslim countries and minorities should be located within the shariᶜah. Today a number of us analyze the shariᶜah and judge it from the liberal paradigm. “I don’t think that is right,” says one of us against Prophetic traditions: clearly refuting a shariᶜah ruling (Al Ahzab, 36). Different groups and movements, like the Salafis: those seeking to follow in the footsteps of the pious predecessors, have come under constant fire for calling on us to denounce a liberal approach to religion. When we fail to submit to Allah and subjugate our lives to serve Him we serve our own desires (Al Furqan, 43). Aisha the mother of the believers (may Allah be pleased with her) instructs us on how to differ and make shariᶜah-based judgments rather than personal preference interpretations. On hearing that Abdullah the son of Umar the second Caliph (may Allah be pleased with both of them) was teaching that: the dead are punished for their relatives’ wailing over them; she said: “As for him (Abdullah) he has not told a lie but he has forgotten or made a mistake. The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by a Jew’s grave and relatives of the deceased were crying over her, and he said they are crying for her and she is punished” (As-Shafy).

Religious extremism is a reality that needs to be defined within the remit of shariᶜah and confronted at all fronts even if it leads to war (Al Hujurāt, 9). However, locating extremism from a liberal paradigm is intolerance to the individual freedoms and religious rights espoused by the modern society. The impact of globalization has meant that there is a vibrant mobility of diverse Islamic interpretations. Understanding and living in accordance with the Islamic brotherhood teaching enshrined in the Quran and Sunnah will ensure a robust Muslim pluralist society. Without a doubt, Islamic pluralism remains a daunting challenge for our generation and generations to come.

© 2009 Badru Jaffar Swaleh
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