Kaffah Islam in the Context of Indonesia, Between Fundamental and Moderate Islam Dian Andesta Bujuri1* Nurul Hidayah1 Yuli Yanti1 Fikriansyah1 Masnun Baiti1

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Kaffah Islam in the Context of Indonesia, Between Fundamental and Moderate Islam Dian Andesta Bujuri1* Nurul Hidayah1 Yuli Yanti1 Fikriansyah1 Masnun Baiti1 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 492 Proceedings of the 1st Raden Intan International Conference on Muslim Societies and Social Sciences (RIICMuSSS 2019) Kaffah Islam in the Context of Indonesia, Between Fundamental and Moderate Islam Dian Andesta Bujuri1* Nurul Hidayah1 Yuli Yanti1 Fikriansyah1 Masnun Baiti1 1Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Different interpretation of kaffah (comprehensive) Islam in the Qur’an (Baqarah: 208) has caused a conflicting understanding between the fundamental and moderate Muslims, both claiming a single truth of their own opinions. This paper describes and examines the conflicting interpretation of kaffah Islam according to fundamental and the moderate Muslim groups, and its implementation in Indonesia. This study uses a library research method, with a content analysis technique. This article concludes that, according to the fundamental Islam group, the kaffah concept is the implementation of Islam into all life aspects including making Islam a political entity. While for the moderate Islam group, the kaffah Islam is an inclusive and universal understanding of Islam, that integrates Islamic values into all elements in life, without necessarily labeling them with Islamic symbols. The conception of kaffah Islam that is exclusive, rigid, and radical, with the mission of establishing an Islamic state by the fundamental group, has received strong rejection from the majority of Muslims in Indonesia. Whereas the conception of kaffah Islam by the moderate groups is more widely accepted because of its inclusive and universal character, upholding peace and toleration in society. The moderate groups also consider that Islam has become an integral part of the Indonesian constitutional laws, in the aspects as faith, syari’ah (legal aspects), and morals, without having to be affiliated with Arabization, nor altering the Indonesian state into an Islamic state. Keywords: Interpretation, kaffah Islam, fundamental Islam, moderate Islam 1. INTRODUCTION Muhammad Ali states that "Kaffah Islam which is more appropriately translated as an overall realization of Islam Every Muslim is instructed to practice Islam in a way that in values and tenets, such as justice (an-Nahl: 90; an-Nisa: is kaffah (comprehensive). This command is written in the 58), peace (al-Anfal: 61), security (al-Nur: 55), welfare Qur'an (2: 208), which means, “O ye who believe! Enter (an-Nisa: 9), not solely in the formal form or instrumental into Islam whole-heartedly, and follow not the footsteps of aspects, that can alter according to the development of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy”. Kaffah is time and place".[2] This statement shows that there are translated as a whole (without exception), or universal, some Muslims intending a formal life as that in the time of holistic, and totality,[1]. Yet in the terminological sense, the Prophet Muhammad saw, such as the type of food, how to emulate Islamic kaffah is still a debatable how to dress, the economic system, education, politics and discourse. form of state are applied in Islamic societies especially to The debate is about how to apply that kaffah Islam in daily Indonesia. By contrast, there is a group of Muslims life. A bulletin named "Buletin Dakwah Kaffah” by the believing that Islamic foundations and values are more title "Islam Kaffah" published in August 2017, mentioned pivotal to be understood. that Islam kaffah means shamil Islam (covering Hizbut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), represented by M. Ismail everything) and kamil (perfect). By quoting the Qur'an in Yusanto, viewed that Muslims in Indonesia and the world chapter 16: 89 and 5: 3, the bulletin explains that all must return to living Islam the kaffah way (perfect) in intents of kaffah entangle all matters, namely faith, order to answer the challenges driven by the globalization worship, morals, food, clothing, muamalah (sociability), era. HTI defines the implementation of kaffah Islam by uqubat (legal sanctions) et cetera. In the bulletin, it was the formalization of syari’ah (Islamic law) and written: "it is not fitting for Muslims to practice other rules establishing khilafah (Islamic state).[3] Meanwhile, that originate from the Western ...". “Thus, it is unlawful Nadirsah Hoesen in his book Islam Yes, Khilafah No, for Muslims to deny or discard a part of syari’ah from the criticized the concept of khilafah proposed by HTI, in reality by following the principles of secularism as which he said that it was irrelevant to Indonesia citizens. practiced by the state (Indonesia) today." The book also mentioned various negative aspects of the khilafah system. On top of that, HTI did not have a standard draft of khilafah.[4], [5] These debates persist to Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 315 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 492 occur among Indonesian Muslims lately. Different teachings comprehensively (kaffah), by transforming the understanding made Muslims polarized in several groups, social-community order, based on religious norms (Islam), producing their respective truths continually. and establishing an Islamic state. These three typologies have one thing in common, that is, the Islamic fundamentalism motion in Indonesia is a transnational movement from the Middle East region 3. DISCUSSION bringing a strong change of ideology to make Islam legally and formally, to regulate a society life in a country whether in the education, economy, politics, and state or 3.1. Interpretation of Islam Kaffah in the governance system. In addition, Muhammad Ali said that Nahdhatul Ulama Qur’an and Muhammadiyah are the major base of moderate Different interpretation of Islamic teachings is not a new Islamic movement in Indonesia. Long before that, experience among Muslim scholars in general. This reality Walisongo is the group of saints believed to have spread transpired after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, as moderate Islam in Indonesia.[6] Walisongo was able to the sole authority in providing cognition of Islamic integrate Islamic teachings with cultural adjustment. thoughts. Prophet Muhammad, in his time, was the sole Practicing Islam without eliminating Indonesian culture is source related to Islamic teachings because he obtained referred by Ahmad Syafi'i Ma'rif as Islam of an Indonesian direct instructions in the form of the divine words, through style, which according to Azumardi Azra, it is the original the intermediary of angel Gabriel. After the death of character of Indonesian Muslim.[6] Moderate Islamic Muhammad, Muslims were divided into several streams movement is more receptive to adjustment of Islam with and groups that have their tenets, beliefs, and local culture, even though it is not applied legally and commendations (ijtihad) related to Islamic teachings, formally in a given country. The most important thing for including the teachings of kaffah whereas they refer to the them is that substantially, Islamic teaching can be applied same text (the Qur'an and the prophet traditions). without transforming the richness of Indonesian culture The standpoints of the diversity (ijtihad products) is due to itself. This paper will study how the contestation between the results of different thoughts influenced by certain the fundamental and moderate movements of Islam in factors such as social conditions, scientific development, understanding and implementing kaffah Islam in the historical views, and language, as in the Mujtama book context of Indonesia. 'Jadid aw al-Karitsah’ (new society or disaster), which divides it into four groups in Islamic society, namely seeing the old problem with old views; seeing the old 2. RESEARCH METHOD problems with new views; see the new problems with new views, but by paying attention to the soul or way of This article is a qualitative research, using the library thinking of the predecessors; and seeing the new problems approach as its main method. Library research is a with new perspectives, but the relationship is definitive research conducted by collecting data, information and with past thoughts or instruction. These four groups are various other data contained in the library. Therefore, similar to four different trees that produce different authors in this study attempt to explore, study, and analyze fruits.[7] This has become a necessity in the development several interpretations of Islam kaffah contained in the of Islamic teachings to the present. However, this paper chapter of Al-Baqarah verse 208, especially according to does not discuss historically and philosophically the Islamic fundamental and moderate groups, from various diversity of theological schools in Islam. In this chapter, sources such as books, journals, papers, articles, and other the author focuses on kaffah Islam interpretation between relevant scientific opus. As the context discussed, the fundamental Islam group and moderate Islam. author also trace, study, and analyze the contestation The term kaffah in the Qur'an (2: 208) is translated equally between the fundamental and moderate groups of Islam, in by multiple Islamic groups. Fundamentalists and implementing the concept of kaffah Islam in Indonesia. moderates alike interpret the word kaffah with
Recommended publications
  • Jihadism: Online Discourses and Representations
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0 1 Studying Jihadism 2 3 4 5 6 Volume 2 7 8 9 10 11 Edited by Rüdiger Lohlker 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 The volumes of this series are peer-reviewed. 37 38 Editorial Board: Farhad Khosrokhavar (Paris), Hans Kippenberg 39 (Erfurt), Alex P. Schmid (Vienna), Roberto Tottoli (Naples) 40 41 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0 1 Rüdiger Lohlker (ed.) 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jihadism: Online Discourses and 8 9 Representations 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 With many figures 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 & 37 V R unipress 38 39 Vienna University Press 40 41 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; 24 detailed bibliographic data are available online: http://dnb.d-nb.de.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Statement Regarding the Succession in the Leadership Of
    Statement Regarding the Succession in the Leadership of Qaida't al-Jihad June 16, 2011 [Please note: Images may have been removed from this document. Page numbers have been added.] On June 16, 2011, Al-Qaida's General Command released a statement announcing "the undertaking of responsibility of Amir of the group by Shaykh Dr. Abu Muhammad Ayman al- Zawahiri." The communication also stated, "We support and back the revolution of our Muslim, oppressed and suppressed peoples that have risen in the face of the unjust, corrupt tyrants, after they tortured our Ummah in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Ash-Sham, and al- Maghreb. And we encourage them and encourage the rest of the Muslim people to rise and continue resistance, sacrifice and persistence...until...true, full and anticipated change comes, which will not be achieved except by the Islamic Ummah's return to the Sharia of its Lord..." [Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri, may Allah protect him] [Verse] [Hadith] "With hearts content with Allah's will and fate, reassured before the promise of Allah, the Most Glorified, and the goodness of his rewards, the Islamic Ummah and the Mujahideen in Qaida't al-Jihad Group and others received the news of the martyrdom of the reviving, Mujahid, migrant, steadfast Imam Shaykh Usama bin Muhammad bin Laden, may Allah have wide mercy on him; asking the Lord, raised and glorified, to raise his degrees and reward him on behalf of us and the Islamic Ummah the best of rewards." "This and since Jihad is ongoing until the Day of Judgment—as mentioned in Hadiths—and in this era has become an individual duty against the disbelievers who invaded the Muslim homelands, and against the apostate rulers who replaced the Sharia of Islam—just as the scholars of Islam have had consensus over.
    [Show full text]
  • Symbols of Islam
    Symbols of Islam Calligraphic representation of the word Allah A troop of spectators on horseback and with inscribed banners Designs used as symbols of Islam include calligraphy watching a procession. Illustration from the seventh Maqama of of important concepts or phrases, such as the shahada, al-Hariri of Basra in a 13th-century manuscript (BNF ms. arabe takbir, basmala, etc.; besides this the colour green is often 5847). used as symbolising Islam. The star and crescent symbol was the emblem of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th cen- tury, and gradually became associated with Islam in late • The Abbasids chose black (blue) and fought under 19th-century Orientalism. black banners. • The Fatimids used a green standard, as well as white with gold. 1 Colour • Various countries on the Persian Gulf have chosen red flags Further information: Black Standard Further information: Green in Islam • The Fatimas used the colour purple to symbolise Early Islamic armies and caravans flew simple solid- humming birds. coloured flags (generally black or white) for identifica- tion purposes. In later generations, the Muslim lead- These four Pan-Arab colours, white, black, green and red, ers continued to use a simple black, white, or green flag dominate the flags of Arab states.[1][2] with no markings, writings, or symbolism on it. Muham- The color brown is often believed to symbolize purity and mad used flags of different colours in different Ghazwat peace. Many Muslims wear the color white when they at- (or campaigns commanded by Muhammad himself) and tend Friday prayers. The color black is considered the Saraya (or campaigns commanded by Sahabah, the com- colour of mourning in Western and Mediterranean coun- panions of Muhammad).
    [Show full text]
  • Transnational and Cosmopolitan Forms of Islam in the West Karen Leonard
    Harvard Middle Eastern and Islamic Review 8 (2009), 176–199 Transnational and Cosmopolitan Forms of Islam in the West Karen Leonard Transnational forms of religions—in this case, Islam—are not new. As Richard Eaton and many others have written, Islam and Muslims have long constituted a “world system.”1 Muslims were, in interactions and aspirations, moving across linguistic and political borders long before there were modern nation-states.2 Even though current deªnitions of transnationalism rest on the existence of nation-states, modern nations actually work against transnationalism by producing tensions that chal- lenge and weaken efforts to establish and maintain transnational con- nections. In this article, I argue that transnational forms of Islam are inevita- bly engaged in losing struggles, particularly in North America and Eu- rope.3 Although only a few years ago, such writings were rare, some scholars of Islam in Europe are beginning to write about European Is- lam or Euro-Islam, about Swedish or Norwegian Islam, and about Euro- Muslims, Swedish Muslims, and so on.4 In North America, Muslims and scholars who previously resisted the phrase American Islam are now accepting it and imbuing it with meanings beyond a simple politi- cal claim on the United States or Canada. American forms of Islam can be discerned as the forms of Islam in the West become strongly cosmo- politan rather than transnational. In examining transnational and cosmopolitan Islamic movements in the West, much depends on the deªnitions employed. I am using spe- ciªc deªnitions of transnationalism and cosmopolitanism rather than the broad deªnitions that were presented in works published in the 1990s on primarily economic migrants (people moving from their homelands to other societies and linking two or more societies).5 Steven Vertovec employs a similarly broad deªnition in an essay on diaspora, transnationalism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ismailis of Najran RIGHTS Second-Class Saudi Citizens WATCH
    Saudi Arabia HUMAN The Ismailis of Najran RIGHTS Second-class Saudi Citizens WATCH The Ismailis of Najran Second-class Saudi Citizens Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-376-5 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org September 2008 1-56432-376-5 The Ismailis of Najran Second-class Saudi Citizens I. Summary and Recommendations ..................................................................................... 1 Recommendations to the Saudi Government .................................................................. 4 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 6 II. Background .................................................................................................................... 8 III. Relevant International Standards .................................................................................14 IV. The Clash and Crackdown of April 2000 ....................................................................... 19 Background: The Ministry of Interior plan to shut Ismaili mosques ...............................
    [Show full text]
  • Credibility of Halal Logo Design Among Consumers Nurul Wahidah
    Credibility of Halal Logo Design among Consumers Nurul Wahidah Mahmud Zuhudi & Jasni Dolah Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia Email of corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract The credibility of halal logo certified by JAKIM must perform as a vital indicator in providing consumers with trustworthy components during product consumption. The recognition of halal logo will also be helping in raising potential brand awareness to avoid conflict and confusions to consumers. Previous research has indicated some point of view on the use of multiple patterns on crescent and moon applied for halal logo (Brill, Leiden, 1960), which is inconsistent to shows strong significance to consumers. The appropriateness aspect of putting correct symbols or shape for halal logo is particularly subjective, and yet has not been widely discussed. The objective of study is, i) to examine factors influencing consumers to recognize and perceive halal logo, and ii) to suggest appropriate visual recognition to enhance better understanding. Using self-administrative questionnaire as a method of gaining a result, this study has been conducted among consumers. The findings may reveal some recommendation in improving previous halal logo to grab a sense of required recognition and raise brand awareness, which significantly essential in spreading wider knowledge for halal industry. Keywords: credibility; halal logo; visual recognition 1.Introduction 1.1Religion, Beliefs and Halal Concepts As the Muslim consumers become more knowledgeable of their religion, it is inevitable that they will be more particular on the type of products and services that they consume or use (Shahidan Shafie and Md Nor Othman, 2006). Hence, religion is a system of beliefs and practices by which of people interprets and responds to what they feel is supernatural and sacred (Johnstone, 1975).
    [Show full text]
  • A Leader Despite Himself? an Analysis of the Statesmanship of Alija Izetbegovic, 1990-2000
    University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Theses UMSL Graduate Works 4-24-2009 A Leader Despite Himself? An Analysis of the Statesmanship of Alija Izetbegovic, 1990-2000 Jason Edward Carson University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Carson, Jason Edward, "A Leader Despite Himself? An Analysis of the Statesmanship of Alija Izetbegovic, 1990-2000" (2009). Theses. 164. https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/164 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jason Carson M.A., History, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2009 B.S., Secondary Education, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2002 “A Leader Despite Himself?” “An Analysis of the Statesmanship of Alija Izetbegovi ć, 1990-2000” A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Missouri-St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History with an emphasis in European History An Institutional Review Board Approved Project (#071211C) May 2009 Advisory Committee Peter Acsay Ph.D Chairperson John Gillingham III Ph.D Ellen Carnaghan Ph.D 1 Abstract Although much attention and scholarship have been devoted to the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, very little work has been done on one of the key figures of that conflict, Alija Izetbegovi ć. No biography exists of Izetbegovi ć in English, nor is there even a serious journal article which thoughtfully analyzes Izetbegovi ć’s statesmanship during the war.
    [Show full text]
  • Information Censorship: a Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of The
    INFORMATION CENSORSHIP: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF THE JYLLANDS-POSTEN EDITORIAL CARICATURES IN CROSS-CULTURAL SETTINGS Julie George Thomas, B.A., M.S. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2010 APPROVED: Brian C. O’Connor, Major Professor F. Mitchell Land, Co-Major Professor Jacqueline Lambiase, Minor Professor Linda Schamber, Program Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Information Science PhD Program Herman L. Totten, Dean of the College of Information James D. Meernik, Acting Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Thomas, Julie George. Information censorship: A comparative analysis of newspaper coverage of the Jyllands-Posten editorial caricatures in cross-cultural settings. Doctor of Philosophy (Information Science), August 2010, 122 pp., 1 table, 2 illustrations, references, 98 titles. The identification and examination of cultural information strategies and censorship patterns used to propagate the controversial issue of the caricatures in two separate cultural contexts was the aim of this dissertation. It explored discourse used for the coverage of this topic by one newspaper in a restrictive information context and two newspapers in a liberal information context. Message propagation in a restrictive information environment was analyzed using the English daily Kuwait Times from the Middle East; the liberal information environment of the US was analyzed using two major dailies, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The study also concurrently identifies and elaborates on the themes and frames through which discourse was presented exposing the cultural ideologies and premises they represent. The topic was approached with an interdisciplinary position with the support and applicability testing of Chatman’s insider-outsider theory within information science and Noelle-Neumann’s spiral of silence theory and Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model based in the area of mass communication.
    [Show full text]
  • In Search of Hegemony: Islamism and the State in Indonesia
    In Search of Hegemony: Islamism and the State in Indonesia LUQMAN NUL HAKIM This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Melbourne February 2019 Declaration I certify that this thesis is the product of my own research, fewer than the maximum word limit in length, and contains no material which has been accepted as part of the requirements of any other degree at any tertiary education institution, or any material previously published by another person except where due reference is made. Luqman Nul Hakim i Abstract In post-authoritarian Indonesia, but particularly following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Islamism has become a contentious matter of scholarly debate. The prominent accounts emerging from security and democratisation studies place much analytical weight on ideology and culture by often portraying the relationship between Islam and politics in essentialist fashion, associating the dynamics of Islamism with interpretations of Islamic doctrine or the contest between moderate and radical Muslims. The institutionalist literature, on the contrary, explains the rise of Islamism as the result of the weak capacity of the state following the fall of the centralised New Order authoritarian regime. Another variant draws attention to the moderation of Islamic politics as the result of participation in democratic processes, especially electoral politics. Yet, such linear and teleological explanations obscure the complex circumstances that establish the different trajectories of Islamism. They also fail to comprehend how the prevalence of Islamist discourse on power struggles in the current democracy can produce a more conservative and illiberal form of Islamism. In contrast, this thesis utilises the politics of hegemony approach as developed in the traditions of political discourse theory.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works
    UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title Transnational and Cosmopolitan Forms of Islam in the West Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3r81s8jc Author Leonard, KB Publication Date 2009 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Harvard Middle Eastern and Islamic Review 8 (2009), 176–199 Transnational and Cosmopolitan Forms of Islam in the West Karen Leonard Transnational forms of religions—in this case, Islam—are not new. As Richard Eaton and many others have written, Islam and Muslims have long constituted a “world system.”1 Muslims were, in interactions and aspirations, moving across linguistic and political borders long before there were modern nation-states.2 Even though current deªnitions of transnationalism rest on the existence of nation-states, modern nations actually work against transnationalism by producing tensions that chal- lenge and weaken efforts to establish and maintain transnational con- nections. In this article, I argue that transnational forms of Islam are inevita- bly engaged in losing struggles, particularly in North America and Eu- rope.3 Although only a few years ago, such writings were rare, some scholars of Islam in Europe are beginning to write about European Is- lam or Euro-Islam, about Swedish or Norwegian Islam, and about Euro- Muslims, Swedish Muslims, and so on.4 In North America, Muslims and scholars who previously resisted the phrase American Islam are now accepting it and imbuing it with meanings beyond a simple politi- cal claim on the United States or Canada. American forms of Islam can be discerned as the forms of Islam in the West become strongly cosmo- politan rather than transnational.
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Catholics Hold a Vigil for Activist Nguyen Van Dai, Who Was Badly Beaten by Unknown Attackers and Was Arrested for Anti-State “Propaganda.”
    UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Catholics hold a vigil for activist Nguyen Van Dai, who was badly beaten by unknown attackers and was arrested for anti-state “propaganda.” Hanoi, Vietnam. Reuters/Kham Migrants protest outside a train that they are refusing to leave for fear of being taken to a refugee camp. Budapest, Hungary. Matt Cardy/Getty Images People attend a mass funeral A woman poses for a Girls rescued from Boko for Rajib Haider, an architect photograph at a memorial to Haram at Sambisa Forest line and blogger who was killed by An ethnic Uighur man passes pay tribute to the victims of up to collect donated clothes an extremist group. by security forces. the Paris attacks. at the Malkohi refugee camp. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Xinjiang, China. Yangon, Burma. Yola, Nigeria. Reuters/Andrew Biraj EPA Reuters/Olivia Harris Emmanuel Arewa/AFP/Getty A boat with Rohingya Muslim A Ahmadiyya Pakistani cries Police arrest a protesting People pay tribute to the migrants in waters near as she leaves a detention monk near the Chinese victims of the Hyper Cacher Koh Lipe Island. center with her family on Embassy visa section office. kosher supermarket attack. a bus. Thailand. Kathmandu, Nepal. Paris, France. Bangkok, Thailand. Christophe Archambault/ Reuters/Gopal Chitrakar Reuters/Yves Herman AFP/Getty Reuters/Damir Sagolj A girl waits to receive food provided by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) during a visit by a European Union A man stands near a car on Sunni Muslims who fled the delegation, at an IDP camp fire as Muslim families prepare A Crimean Tatar sits in the Islamic State’s strongholds of in Azaza.
    [Show full text]
  • The Khalifate Is Way Cool: the Role and Method of Hizb Ut-Tahrir US in the Proliferation of Party Ideology Worldwide
    Center for Eurasian Policy Occasional Research Paper Series I (Hizb ut-Tahrir), No. 2 The Khalifate is Way Cool: The Role and Method of Hizb ut-Tahrir US in the Proliferation of Party Ideology Worldwide Madeleine Gruen* Hizb ut-Tahrir in the United States (HTUS) is advancing slowly but steadily. Its membership is on the rise, as is the number of major American cities and university towns in which it is present. As a result of its superior propagandizing skills, HTUS is a rising player in the global HT network. It is also gaining valuable ground for the global jihad movement because it is able to sell radical extremist ideology to moderate Muslims by making rejection of Western governments and doctrines seem “cool.” Because HTUS members have been raised on a steady diet of pop culture, they are endowed with the unique ability of being able to export HT and jihadist ideology to a world that dislikes America but loves its entertainment industry. Until 2003, it was easy to spot the HT presence in the United States. Representatives could be found at group-sponsored conferences and at college Muslim Students Associations. Ideology was circulated in magazines published by adherents in New York and California,1 and US-based Web sites bearing the name Hizb ut-Tahrir popped up by the dozens. Yet, since 2003, public mention of HT in the US became scarce, leading to a potential impression that group adherents have thrown in the towel, grown up, and moved on. Not so. HTUS has in fact experienced a revival; however, due to its now-clandestine operations, its presence is apparent only to law-enforcement investigators and to those who can recognize HT ideology.
    [Show full text]