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Social Justice, Islamic State and Muslim Countries (Cultura. Vol. X CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of 2014 Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed journal devo- 1 2014 Vol XI No 1 ted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to pro- mote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are judged to make a novel and important contribution to understan- ding the values and cultural phenomena in the contempo rary world. CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY CULTURE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL www.peterlang.com CULTURA 2014_265846_VOL_11_No1_GR_A5Br.indd.indd 1 14.05.14 17:43 CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology E-ISSN (Online): 2065-5002 ISSN (Print): 1584-1057 Advisory Board Prof. Dr. David Altman, Instituto de Ciencia Política, Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile Prof. Emeritus Dr. Horst Baier, University of Konstanz, Germany Prof. Dr. David Cornberg, University Ming Chuan, Taiwan Prof. Dr. Paul Cruysberghs, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Prof. Dr. Nic Gianan, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines Prof. Dr. Marco Ivaldo, Department of Philosophy “A. Aliotta”, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy Prof. Dr. Michael Jennings, Princeton University, USA Prof. Dr. Maximiliano E. Korstanje, John F. Kennedy University, Buenos Aires, Argentina Prof. Dr. Richard L. Lanigan, Southern Illinois University, USA Prof. Dr. Christian Lazzeri, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France Prof. Dr. Massimo Leone, University of Torino, Italy Prof. Dr. Asunción López-Varela Azcárate, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain Prof. Dr. Christian Möckel, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany Prof. Dr. Devendra Nath Tiwari, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India Prof. Dr. José María Paz Gago, University of Coruña, Spain Prof. Dr. Mario Perniola, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy Prof. Dr. Traian D. Stănciulescu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iassy, Romania Prof. Dr. Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek, Purdue University & Ghent University Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Co-Editors: Prof. dr. Nicolae Râmbu Prof. dr. Aldo Marroni Faculty of Philosophy and Social- Facoltà di Scienze Sociali Political Sciences Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti B-dul Carol I, nr. 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania Scalo, Italy [email protected] [email protected] Executive Editor: PD Dr. Till Kinzel Dr. Simona Mitroiu Englisches Seminar Human Sciences Research Department Technische Universität Braunschweig, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Bienroder Weg 80, Lascar Catargi, nr. 54, 700107 Iasi, Romania 38106 Braunschweig, Germany [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Assistant: Dr. Marius Sidoriuc Designer: Aritia Poenaru Cultura International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology Vol. 10, No. 1 (2013) Editor-in-Chief Nicolae Râmbu Guest Editor: Abdul Rashid Moten Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Umschlagabbildung: © Aritia Poenaru ISSN 2065-5002 ISBN 978-3-631-64755-4 (,6%1 (%RRN '2, © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Frankfurt am Main 2013 All rights reserved. Peter Lang Edition is an Imprint of Peter Lang GmbH. Peter Lang – Frankfurt am Main · Bern · Bruxelles · New York · Oxford · Warszawa · Wien All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems. www.peterlang.de CONTENTS AXIOLOGY OF ISLAM Abdul Rashid Moten 7 Social Justice, Islamic State and Muslim Countries Maszlee Malik 25 The Role of Religion for an Alternative Sustainable Governance Theory Suwan Kim 47 Framing Arab Islam Axiology Published in Korean Newspapers Mohd Faizal Musa 67 Axiology of Pilgrimage: Malaysian Shi’ites Ziyarat in Iran and Iraq Haggag Ali 85 Secularism: from Solidity to Liquidity Aimillia Mohd Ramli 99 Decolonizing the Study of English Literature in a Muslim−Malaysian Context: An Argument for a Spiritual−based Comparative Paradigm Patrick Laude 119 Acceptance as a Door of Mercy: Riḍā in Islamic Spirituality Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani 141 Politico-Religious Values in Malaysia: Comparing Asian Values and Islam Hadhari Maximiliano E. Korstanje 167 Preemption and Terrorism. When the Future Governs 10.5840/cultura20131011 Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology 10(1)/2013: 7–24 Social Justice, Islamic State and Muslim Countries Abdul Rashid Moten Department of Political Science International Islamic University Malaysia [email protected] Abstract. A content analysis of the Qur’an shows that it lays utmost importance on the realization of justice and conversely the eradication of injustice in society. A his- torical analysis found that social justice was prevalent in Mecca under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad and was also practiced during the period of the first four rightly guided caliphs (Khulafa-e-rashidun). Since then, the successive Muslim majority states have not taken the issue of social justice seriously. These states have failed in taking an active role in uplifting the ethical and moral standards of society. The documentary analysis of the existing 49 states in the Muslim world found majority of these states to have deviated from the real spirit of Islamic social justice falling within the category of “failed states.” Keywords: Islam, social justice, Islamic state, Muslim world, shari’ah INTRODUCTION Islam, as a way of life, is most emphatic on the realization of justice as a goal to be achieved and an ideal to be sought. The Qur’an categorically “commands justice and the doing of good” (Al-Qur’an, 16:90) and warns the believers not to allow “your rancour for a people to cause you to deal unjustly” (Al-Qur’an, 5:8). There are many verses in the Qur’an relating to justice. The word ‘adl meaning justice, occurs in 28 places; the equiva- lent word qist meaning balance, occurs 27 times; and the word mizan meaning scale and its derivatives occur 23 times. A word referring direct- ly to carrying out justice, that is qada and its derivatives, occur in 52 plac- es. The word hukm and its derivatives, meaning ordinances, command- ments, judgments and decisions occur eighty-nine times. This commit- ment to justice is accentuated to the utmost when Allah (SWT) declares justice as the seal of His illustrious speech: “The word of your Lord does find its fulfillment in truth and in justice….” (Al-Qur’an, 6: 115). Accord- ing to Imam Ibn al-Qayyim: Allah has sent down Prophets and revealed Books to establish justice, which is the fundamental and basic objective of the whole creation. Everything revealed by Allah 7 Abdul Rashid Moten / Social Justice, Islamic State and Muslim Countries proves that the ultimate goal of revelation is the establishment of a just and bal- anced way of life. In whatever way the law may be made it must aim at establishing justice and fair play. (1977: 109) This study analyses the nature of justice in Islam and the structure it prescribes for the realization of justice. Next, it looks at some of the at- tempts made in the past to achieve justice as conceptualized in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAS). The third section is devot- ed to examining the status of social justice in the contemporary Muslim world. The concluding section summarizes the argument and its implica- tions for the realization of justice in the Muslim world. JUSTICE IN ISLAM ‘Adl literally means to straighten and be upright, to move from an unde- sirable to a position that is desirable; it also means to equalize; and final- ly, it means balance and equilibrium. ‘Adl is the most important principle in Islam and Muslims are required to “stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves…” (Al-Qur’an, 4: 135). The Qur’an commands the believers to be just for, it says, “justice is next to piety” (Al-Qur’an, 5: 8). It also enjoins them to observe the law and obey those appointed “to judge among men with justice” (Sad, 38: 24). The prophets came with “the Book and the Balance (of Rights and Wrongs) that men may stand forth in justice” (Al-Qur’an, 57: 25). The Qur’an uses multiple words like sunnat Allah (the way or tradition of Al- lah), mizan (scale), qist and ‘adl (both meaning justice), to emphasize the significance of justice. ‘Adl in Islam has several dimensions. First, it has a Divine basis, rooted in morality, and guidance revealed by Allah (SWT). Therefore, the first principle of ‘adl is to relate to and recognize Allah (SWT) as the Creator, Cherisher and Sustainer of the universe. The se- cond principle is related to the equality of human beings. Third, it re- quires social, political and cultural life to be based upon a set of moral values and principles. These moral values are not merely moral impera- tives but they also form the basis of legal and political norms. Finally, justice is a process through which people redress injuries and grievances, establish rights and struggle for the removal of exploitation, oppression and injustice from society. 8 Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology 10(1)/2013: 7–24 JUSTICE MEANS SOCIAL JUSTICE Islam’s approach to justice is comprehensive and all embracing, non- partisan and universal. As Sayyid Qutb explains: [It] embraces all sides of life and all aspects of activity. It is concerned alike with per- ception and conduct, with the heart and the conscience.
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