June 15, 2003

e Islamic movement is not cognizant of contemporary global movements. The way out is by ensuring constitutional and electoral politics on a sustained basis,’ says Dr Mohammad Waseem

WHAT is Political Islam? The term carries no precise definition. Scholars belonging to different schools of thought have different ideas on the subject. Some believe it to be synonymous with radical Islam, militant Islam, extremist Islam, revolutionary Islam and fundamentalist Islam.

Others, mainly in the West, argue that political Islam involves an illegitimate extension of Islamic traditions outside the religious domain. They have often equated it with the use of political violence, specially in the context of the Middle East. In fact, some Islamic scholars have given fatwa that suicide-bombing is justified, which, to many, is totally repugnant to Islam and its pristine values.

In a recent interview, famed Pakistani social scientist Dr Mohammad Wasim, who is associated with the Islamabad-based Quaid-i-Azam University, talked about the many aspects of Political Islam. The following are the excerpts:

Q. A number of Western scholars have argued that Political Islam involves an illegitimate extension of Islamic traditions beyond the proper religious domain. What do you think?

A. No, I think the tradition of Political Islam have always been there. Most of the Islamic thinking is related to revenue collection, governance etc. Islam always had a political tradition. But Islam has been politically used by the establishment in the past 50 years. This type of use has added a militant colour to Islam, thanks to the political forces and the element of Afghan Jehad.

Q. The phenomenon commonly referred to as Political Islam has been equated with the use of political violence specially in the Middle East. Could this be justified in the light of Islamic teachings?

A. I think there are two schools of thought on the issue. Western media says Islam promotes violence, using 1,000-year-old text and justifying it in today’s age is unimaginable. The key to the presence of militant Islam in conflict zones is because the world community let many conflicts unresolved, like Kashmir and Palestine. As Muslim community is involved in most such conflicts, it was somewhat forced to pick up arms.

Q. Some religious scholars in the Middle East have given the fatwa that suicide-bombing is justified. What do you say?

A. Various shades of Islamic opinions are operating in the world. Some of them are very desperate and go against the West. They lack understanding of world politics. There are others who have been preaching that Islam is a religion of peace. There are extremist Jews and extremist Hindus as well. I don’t find in the classic literature of Islam anything that sanctions suicide and murder for some cause. This is a product of desperation in certain conflict areas.

Q. Do you think Political Islam is a genuine reaction to Social inequality and political repression in Islamic countries?

A. No, I think the establishment has been using Islam to maintain a status quo. It has not been used for public interest, but for blocking democracy in a number of countries.

Q. Do you think Political Islam has so far served the causes of the Arabs and the Muslims?

A. There are two aspects. Political Islam at the state level is an arrangement that favours the status quo, like the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC). It hardly has any relevance, and its decisions have no consequences at all. On the other hand, Political Islam on a broader scale is transnational. The concept of Muslim Ummah came after the fall of Khilafat in 1924, and worked in favour of the Islamists. They have since used it to follow politics of identity at the cost of politics of issues.

Q. Do you think that women’s empowerment in the Muslim world could become a sort of antidote for Political Islam, Islamic extremism and obscurantist fundamentalism?

A. I would not relate women’s movement with the issue of Islamic radicalism. Women have their own perception and rights. They must be given empowerment, equal opportunities, protection and right to free movement in an Islamic country.

Q. With political Islam acting in many Islamic countries, including Pakistan, what prospects do you see for democracy and egalitarianism?

A. Let me first define democracy. Democracy is based on individual rights and duties. Individuals’ rights are human rights in the end. Most of the religious and Islamic movements are community oriented. Methodology is not their strong point. They talk about rulers’ mandate to rule, but they do not talk in terms of rulers’ accountability. In democratic countries, a government is answerable to an institution (parliament) which is elected by the people. That is why a military ruler has never ever been made accountable, as there is no institution for such a purpose. Political Islam does not talk about accountability. Overall it tends to bypass the question of democracy. The content of democracy is different in an Islamic setup.

Q. How do you define political Islam? Is it synonymous with radical Islam, militant Islam, extremist Islam, revolutionary Islam and fundamentalist Islam?

A. The term Political Islam was in use even before 9/11. It cannot be an icon to militancy or fundamentalism. Political Islam means seeking a say in the business of the state. However, a particular shape of Political Islam is different in different countries. Islamic movements tended to operate through elections, like what happened in Pakistan. It is not revolutionary or radical.

Q. Many political bandwagons in Pakistan and elsewhere have been using Islam as a ladder to attain political power. Is it justified to use religion for political ends?

A. Political movements have not been using Islam as a ladder to gain power. It is the other way round. It is used to stop the democratic forces from coming into power. Particularly, Yahya Khan, Zia and now Musharraf, all of them have used Islam for this purpose.

Q. Is political Islam a spent force? Some scholars say it is on the wane. What do you say?

A. I don’t think Political Islam has come to an end. It is not that the future of the world of Islam is doomed. The West is responsible for creating a situation that leads to the creation of the kind of Islam that they don’t like. Therefore, Political Islam is used for its own vested interests by the West as well.

Q. Has political Islam in any way helped what is in Arabic called Al Sahwatal Islamia, the Islamic reawakening, in Muslim countries?

A. The Islamic movement is not cognizant of the contemporary global movements in the fields like economy, art, media and technology. It is a kind of a blinding force. They have tried to branch out, but the urge for the revival of traditions almost always overpower them. They feel that they have been pushed to the wall, and act accordingly. The answer lies in constitutional and electoral politics on a sustained basis.

Q. How far Political Islam, as seen in Pakistan, differs from that in the Middle East?

A. In Pakistan, we have a constitutional state, which is the inheritor of the British colonial system. Most of its laws, judicial system, and traditions are drawn on modern European constitutional traditions. Unlike Pakistan, most of the Arab world was part of the Ottoman Empire. It was a feudal empire that ruled its occupied territories by decrees, and not by laws. All Arab territories were units of a feudal empire. The British empire was a colonial empire and it was the most developed imperialism. Whereas Spanish and Ottoman empires were least developed. In Arab world, there are no established institutions and traditions.

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