Televangelists, Media Du'ā, and 'Ulamā'
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TELEVANGELISTS, MEDIA DU‘Ā, AND ‘ULAMĀ’: THE EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN MODERN ISLAM A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies By Tuve Buchmann Floden, M.A. Washington, DC August 23, 2016 Copyright 2016 by Tuve Buchmann Floden All Rights Reserved ii TELEVANGELISTS, MEDIA DU‘Ā, AND ‘ULAMĀ’: THE EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN MODERN ISLAM Tuve Buchmann Floden, M.A. Thesis Advisor: Felicitas M. Opwis, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The rise of modern media has led to debates about religious authority in Islam, questioning whether it is fragmenting or proliferating, and exploring the state of the ‘ulamā’ and new groups like religious intellectuals and Muslim televangelists. This study explores these changes through a specific group of popular preachers, the media du‘ā, who are characterized by their educational degrees and their place outside the religious establishment, their informal language and style, and their extensive use of modern media tools. Three media du‘ā from the Arab world are the subject of this study: Amr Khaled, Ahmad al-Shugairi, and Tariq al- Suwaidan. Their written material – books, published interviews, social media, and websites – form the primary sources for this work, supplemented by examples from their television programs. To paint a complete picture, this dissertation examines not only the style of these preachers, but also their goals, their audience, the topics they address, and their influences and critics. This study first compares the media du‘ā to Christian televangelists, revealing that religious authority in Islam is both proliferating and differentiating, and that these preachers are subtly influencing society and politics. Second, it presents a theoretical analysis of their main audience – Muslim youth. Youth are strongly encouraged to take action, and thus serve as both the media du‘ā’s tool for change and the target audience for their religious messages. Third, it provides evidence of how these preachers blend old sources with new issues and how they are iii shifting religious discourse to focus on life in this world, not just the afterlife. Finally, this study explores the ties between the media du‘ā and the ‘ulamā’. There is no clear line of demarcation between the du‘ā’s ideological views and those of the ‘ulamā’, at least on big issues, and, the media du‘ā often defer to the religious authority of the ‘ulamā’. This study thus concludes that these preachers have two roles in society, that of agenda setters and motivators. This allows them to suggest issues that require attention, subtly affecting religious discourse, and then encourage their audience to act, thereby slowly enacting social and religious change. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe many thanks to my thesis advisor, Felicitas Opwis, whose sage advice and comments strengthened my work, challenged me to sharpen my arguments, and helped me to grow as a scholar. She was always available, no matter the distance and time difference, and for that I am truly grateful. Special appreciation is also due to my committee members Jonathan Brown and John Voll, who contributed valuable feedback and offered insights that significantly improved the quality of my work. Many other individuals have played important roles in my academic career. In particular, I thank Emma Gannage, Katherine Kidd, and Scott Lucas. Their guidance and mentorship helped me become the writer and researcher I am today. In addition, Brenda Bickett at the Georgetown University Library provided important support for my work and frequently went out of her way to provide assistance. This research and academic work would not have possible without generous funding from Georgetown’s Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, the Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), and the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship Program. Their financial support provided me with the freedom to focus almost exclusively on research and writing, and for that I am very grateful. Above all, this study would not exist without my family. My wife and kids have provided unwavering support, even during long nights of work and my travels away from home. I dedicate this work to my wife and life-long partner. Dana, no words can adequately capture my feelings – I could not have done this without you. v A NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION AND OTHER CONVENTIONS In this study, I transliterate Arabic words and titles using the rules given by the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), which also include a list of exceptions that are not italicized or fully transliterated, like Qur’an and fatwa. Any direct quotations, however, will follow the transliteration as given in their source text. I deviate from these guidelines on two occasions. First, I fully transliterate the term ‘ulamā’ rather than using ‘ulama’ (single quotations included) as suggested by IJMES. This avoids any possible confusion that I am placing this term in quotations and thereby minimizing or disparaging this scholarly group. Second, in the body of my text, I do not transliterate the names Amr Khaled, Ahmad al-Shugairi, and Tariq al-Suwaidan, for which the correct transliterations are respectively ‘Amr Khālid, Aḥmad al-Shuqayrī, and Ṭāriq al-Suwaydān. I use these simplified versions for ease of reading and because the preachers themselves write their names like this in English. I do however maintain the transliterated versions in my bibliography and footnotes. Regarding Ahmad al-Shugairi in particular, this simplified version also distinguishes him from another Aḥmad al-Shuqayrī, the first Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), who was born in 1908 in Tebnine, southern Lebanon, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Translated passages of the Qur’an follow the version of Marmaduke Pickthall. A comparison of Pickthall’s translation with other versions can be found at http://quran.com. Hadith citations from the six canonical collections (the Six Books) are not tied to a particular edition, but are listed by the section under which they appear. Thus, for example, a citation for a hadith might read: Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Isti’dhān, bāb qawl Allāh ta‘ālā. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE: Literature Review and the Sources For This Study ........................................... 8 CHAPTER TWO: Definitions and Goals: The Media Du‘ā as Religious Authorities ................. 41 CHAPTER THREE: The Power of the Youth Audience: A Theoretical Analysis of the Aims of the Media Du‘ā ............................................................................................................................. 65 CHAPTER FOUR: The Media Du‘ā and the Sīra of the Prophet: Using Traditional Sources to Communicate Old and New Ideas ................................................................................................ 93 CHAPTER FIVE: Opposition to the Media Du‘ā ...................................................................... 118 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 143 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 147 Appendix I: Amr Khaled’s Publications and Television Productions ................................... 147 Appendix II: Ahmad al-Shugairi’s Publications and Television Productions ....................... 150 Appendix III: Tariq al-Suwaidan’s Publications and Television Productions ....................... 151 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 156 vii INTRODUCTION The month of Ramadan begins and a Muslim family turns on their television to find a clean-shaven preacher in pants and a button-down shirt talking about Andalusian history. Rocky cliffs extending down to the water form a vibrant backdrop as he unpacks the lessons of the Muslim presence in the region.1 On a different channel, another preacher paces a computer- generated stage, speaking about the ideal leader and how to develop leadership skills, quoting Western research and theories, but using the Prophet Muhammad as his reference point.2 That show ends and another one begins. A colorful display of computer animation forms the opening sequence, taking the viewer from the twenty-first century to the twelfth century and back again, showing the diverse influence of Classical thinkers on modern thought, science, and technology. The animation fades and a young preacher begins a discussion on mosques in the modern world, stressing how, like in the Prophet’s era, they should serve as a community center and not just a place for prayer. In Singapore, he explains, mosques now include classrooms, a Friday market, a playroom for children, and even a welcome desk to answer questions.3 The family finishes their ifṭār, turns off the television, and heads into the city. In a local bookstore, the faces of these same preachers greet them from the covers of books about faith, happiness, leadership development, and Muslim history. Pausing to check her phone, the mother finds her Twitter and Facebook feeds full of messages from