Reformation of Islam

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Reformation of Islam; a new Islam

Salman Choudhry ([email protected]) 29-01-2011

The predictions of a revolution in a far off land have proved to be right and the people have

spoken at last. The people have shown that they have the courage and the will to shake of thecloak of ignorance and apathy when there is no way out. The question of a leader matters little to

these unsung heroes who need no messiah to come forward for deliverance. Theological answer

to such a question would be difficult in the current setting when people come out feeling almost

the same levels of disgust over the way the situation is going. The collective deprivation of the

generation is a stark reminder that few cannot hold sway over a majority for too long as the end

is always there. History is replete with such examples when courageous people changed the

course of time and destiny. Then why it is the few ignore the lessons of history.

As I was watching people marching on the streets of Cairo, I realized that the time has come for

Egyptians who have come out to do the same. They have no leadership and no organistaion andthey dont care as long as they rid themselves of the tyrannical rule of a despot. The other

interesting element is that the religious zealots cannot make a profit out of this development. The

people know the dangers of the extremism and absence of sustainability of the ideas these people

have. Yet it is ironic that this is happening in a land which is thought to be the philosophical

playground of theologians in all forms. This country has a long history which is so long that one

has to travel almost seven thousand years back in time and the only uprising recorded was

conducted by a Prophet Moses who had the temerity to challenge the might of the Pharaoh and

lead his people to deliverance. The difference is that he did it for his people the Israelites not for

ordinary Egyptians who formed the bulk of the people. After 3000 years the people have again

spoken but this time they are without the likes of Moses and they have no land promised fordeliverance.

Would it work is the big question ahead of us and an answer is really difficult. When people

have a long connection with the land it is almost impossible to rise against conformity which is

as long as the land itself. Now religion can be of some assistance here and one must keep in mind

the Christianity spread here forming the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Coptic Church which is

the creation of the challenge to the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. Similarly Islam also has a

dominant role in shaping the Egypt as we know it now. The Islamic Empire which was created in

the aftermath of the Conquests in early part of Islam was sustained largely by Egyptians. The

higher places of learning were in abundance here and have remained unmolested during the lasttwo thousand for both the monotheist religions. So it can be said Egypt has survived in a

continuum for at least the last eighteen hundred years and that is too long.

Now the hope is there, that for the first time the people will have the revolution which is missing

from their history and they will tell the world that it is not only the West which can have

revolutions. This situation also puts a case for a Reformation of Islam in the same way which
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happened in Christianity in the sixteenth century. Islam is now more than fourteen hundred years

old and it would also undergo the same reformation. The point of writing this essay is to

emphasise this issue and call for a realization at large that case for reformation has come upon

us. The people are coming out and they want better conditions both economic and social. The

underlying message is that they need better Islam which otherwise does not satisfy their thinking.

It should not be confused with western ideals of freedom which cannot work here. So if the

argument holds and the people win in the end I think the reformation process would be unleashed

and this larger upheaval would engulf the entire Arab Peninsula. In a short time it would also

reach us in Pakistan. We should be prepared for this and dust the thinking of Iqbal when he said

that Islam cannot be adopted in the form of Arabian Imperialism but it has to conform to the

local customs.

The natural leadership for Islam can only come about form three countries; Turkey, Egypt and

Pakistan. In this trio Pakistan fits this role better than anyone. As our experiments with Islam are

continuing they are shaking the very foundations of this country and the belief system. Now it is

time when words of sages like Azad and Jinnah make sense even though they were standing at

opposite ends. These experiments would ultimately set a new Islam which could be distasteful to

the existing religious vicars. However it demands blood and hardships from us; are we prepared

to give without complaining about the absence of a leader. In the end it would be prudent on my

part if I say that there is one such leader and he happens to be Hussein grandson of the Prophet

Muhammad. He challenged the tyranny and religious extremism almost fourteen hundred years

ago. Had he succeeded he would have unleashed a crushing blow to the ruling class and religious

bigots. I think he would succeed now and he would be happy to see his brethrens rise and

achieve what eluded him then.

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Reformation of Islam