Edited by: Sohail H. Hashmi
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2002
Islamic Political Ethics: Civil
Society, Pluralism, and Conflict is a collection of essays written by renowned
scholars. The essays collected in the book address some of the most difficult
and urgent issues facing the Islamic world today. Although most of the essays
collected were written before September 11 attacks but they collectively
highlight issues that have been illuminated by the recent events. The essays
first try to highlight that the rethinking of Islamic political theory has been
one of the most dynamic aspects of the Islamic revival during the past two
centuries. Basically, the essays in this volume argue for the relevance of
classical Islamic theory and what they demonstrate clearly is that Islamism
cannot be equated with “Fundamentalism” or “Radicalism” instead it is a broad
term, and that the rifts among Islamists are often as deep as those separating
Muslims from non-Muslims. The book conveys a number of important messages and
dispels many misgivings about the Muslim tradition and its approach towards
civil society and pluralism.
This volume has been divided into
four parts, each of which contains essays written by present day scholars. The
parts deal with the basic Islamic Political Ethics, from civil society to war
and peace. Namely the parts are:
1. State and
Civil Society
2.
Boundaries and Distributive Justice
3. Pluralism
and International Society
4. War and
Peace.
The first section includes three
essays on Civil Society. In the first essay titled “Civil Society and Government
in Islam”, John Kelsay gives a brief summary of the life of the Prophet to show
its relevance for Muslim political thought, and refers to “din wa dunya” as
religion and politics, which should be translated more properly as religion and
the world because politics is only one of the ways in which one manages his/her
worldly life. He also explains the complementarily thesis, that is, the religion
and politics play distinct, though mutually supportive, roles in the life of a
Muslim society, suggests one way to develop an Islamic perspective on the civil
society. In this essay, Kelsay has suggested that one might view a class of
scholars, the ‘ulama and khilafah relation to that of civil society and
government. In his article, Kelsay tries to draw the complementary behaviour of
civil society and government in the reader’s mind. He uses the example of the
Prophet (sws) to illustrate the Islamic political thought. He points out that
Prophet’s career encompasses both religious and political leadership. He further
states that “The Prophet called human beings to faith by means of beautiful
preaching. He also pursued the cause of Islam by means of statecraft, including
warfare.”
The second essay included in Part
I is on “Perspectives on Islam and Civil Society” by Farhad Kazemi. He
highlights the citizenship issue and stresses that it falls most heavily on
religious minorities, women etc.
Hasan Hanafi’s essay “Alternative
Conceptions of Civil Society” takes up the same issue as Kazemi’s essay and
argues for the possibility of deriving an Islamic concept of civil society from
the basic teachings and practices of Islam. Hanafi takes a very critical
position called the “reformist” in the case of civil society in his article
since he denies to take either side i.e. for or against.
The second part of the book
includes two readings on “Boundaries and Distributive Justice”. M. Raquibuz
Zaman’s article “Islamic Perspectives on Territorial Boundaries and Autonomy”
provides a useful survey of the concepts of boundaries, ownership, distribution,
and the norms of religious coexistence. Zaman has also responded to some Western
historians who present the views of certain jurists, especially those of Shafi‘i
and Sarakhasi, on jihad.
In the fifth essay by “Religion
and the Maintenance of Boundaries: An Islamic View” Sulayman Nyang continues
Zaman’s discussion by throwing light on the religious and physical conditions of
making boundaries. Similar to that in Zaman’s discussion, Nyang’s main aim is to
argue for religious differentiation without discrimination.
Part III of the book contains
essays revolving around “Pluralism and International Society”. Dale F.
Eickelman’s “Islam and Ethical Pluralism” presents the most convincing and
philosophical analysis of the main theme of the book and argues that Islam’s
“remarkably modern” origins allows for a theology of ethical and cultural
pluralism. To show the awareness of Muslim societies of other religious and
cultural traditions, he cites a number of examples from the history of Islam and
makes some interesting observations on the flourishing and transformation of the
various zones of Islamic culture. Eickelman’s main point is that although
religious intolerance and radicalism cannot be absolutely prevented, the
theological foundations and cultural experiences of Muslim societies enable them
to promote a genuine culture of pluralism and co-existence.
“The Scope of Pluralism in
Islamic Moral Traditions” by Muhammad Khalid Masud, the seventh essay continues
Eickelman’s discussion by concentrating on ethical theories in Islam. He
presents two grounds, basis for pluralism. Firstly, he thinks because it appeals
to human reason; secondly, he says, it is the social acceptance of the Islamic
values as understood by different people and communities.
The Editor Sohail Hashmi himself
has contributed an essay titled “Islamic Ethics in International Society”. He
examines key issues as justice, human rights, democracy, distributive justice,
and diversity from the point of view of an Islamic political body.
Hashmi concludes by emphasizing
the positive role that religion has played in building a just and moral human
habitat.
The fourth and final part of the
book constitutes two essays on “War and Peace” as their basic theme. The ninth
and a fairly different essay is by Bassam Tibi on “War and Peace in Islam”. It
is different because it is a little critical in nature. Tibi’s main argument is
that Islam, a violent religion bent on including all humanity to its outdated
worldview, has been historically alien to notions of international peace and
human rights and is thus incapable of accommodating their underlying values. It
seems that Tibi is assuming that Muslims are misguided in believing that their
religion is one of peace, and it is his duty to teach them that they have been
woefully misled by their sacred book.
The last essay of the book is
also from Sohail Hashmi and is titled “Interpreting the Islamic Ethics of War
and Peace”. Hashmi attempts to give a reinterpretation of jihad in the Qur’an
and the Sunnah, and argues that the medieval Muslim jurists have understood
jihad primarily in legal terms and thus failed to express its primarily ethical
content. He calls the Qur’an’s position towards war an “idealistic realism”. In
discussing the modern interpretations of jihad, he refers to “fundamentalists”
and “modernists” as the two competing views in the modern Islamic world.
Conclusion
This edited volume is a welcome
addition to the growing literature of Islamic political ethics. It is quite a
contribution to the ongoing debate on Islam and political rule in the world.
Reading selectively both the Islamic tradition and the modern notions of open
society is not sufficient for the reconstruction of an Islamic political ethics
that will be legitimate in the eyes of the majority of the Islamic world. In the
discussions and the numerous essays, works ranging from classical writers to
modernists’ works have been analyzed. It is a great effort on Sohail Hashmi’s
part to collect works of different scholars who are well-versed in the subject,
and present it in book form. This book actually presents the reader with
different views, and helps them understand the major terms associated with Islam
in the present day and helps a great deal in understanding the basic differences
and removing popular misunderstandings.
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