00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page i Diversity and Pluralism in Islam The Institute of Ismaili Studies 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page ii The Institute of Ismaili Studies 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page iii Diversity and Pluralism in Islam Historical and Contemporary Discourses amongst Muslims The Institute Editedof by ZULFIKARIsmaili HIRJI Studies I.B.Tauris Publishers LONDON • NEW YORK in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies London, 2010 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page iv The Institute Published in 2010 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com of in association with The Institute of Ismaili StudiesIsmaili 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA www.iis.ac.uk Distributed in the United States and Canada ExclusivelyStudies by Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright © 2010 Islamic Publications Ltd All rights reserved. This book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978 1 84885 302 7 A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available Designed and Typeset by 4word Ltd, Bristol, UK Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page v The Institute of Ismaili Studies The InstituteThe of Ismaili Studies was established in 1977 with the object of promoting scholarship and learning on Islam, in the historical as wellInstitute as contemporary contexts, and a better under- standing of its relationship with other societies and faiths. The Institute’s programmes encourage a perspective which is not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but seeks to explore the relationshipof of religious ideas to broader dimensions of society and culture.Ismaili The programmes thus encourage an interdisciplinary approach to the materials of Islamic history and thought. Particular attention is also given to issues of moder- nity that arise as Muslims seek to relate theirStudies heritage to the contem- porary situation. Within the Islamic tradition, the Institute’s programmes promote research on those areas which have, to date, received relatively little attention from scholars. These include the intel- lectual and literary expressions of Shi‘ism in general, and Ismailism in particular. In the context of Islamic societies, the Institute’s programmes are informed by the full range and diversity of cultures in which Islam is practised today, from the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Africa to the industrialized societies of the West, thus taking into consideration the variety of contexts which shape the ideals, beliefs and practices of the faith. These objectives are realiz ed through concrete programmes and activities organized and implemented by various departments of the Institute. The Institute also collaborates periodically, on a v 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page vi vi Diversity and Pluralism in Islam programme-specific basis, with other institutions of learning in the United Kingdom and abroad. The Institute’s academic publications fall into a number of inter- related categories: 1. Occasional papers or essays addressing broad themes of the relationship between religion and society, with special refer- ence to Islam. 2. Monographs exploring specific aspects of Islamic faith and culture, or the contributions of individual Muslim thinkers or writers. 3. Editions Theor translations of significant primary or secondary texts. 4. Translations of Institutepoetic or literary texts which illustrate the rich heritage of spiritual, devotional and symbolic expressions in Muslim history. 5. Works on Ismaili history and thought, and the relationship of the Ismailis to other traditions,of communities and schools of thought in Islam. Ismaili 6. Proceedings of conferences and seminars sponsored by the Institute. 7. Bibliographical works and catalogues whichStudies document manu- scripts, printed texts and other source materials. This book falls into category two listed above. In facilitating these and other publications, the Institute’s sole aim is to encourage original research and analysis of relevant issues. While every effort is made to ensure that the publications are of a high academic standard, there is naturally bound to be a diver- sity of views, ideas and interpretations. As such, the opinions expressed in these publications must be understood as belonging to their authors alone. 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page vii Contents Editor’s NoteThe ix About the ContributorsInstitute xi List of Illustrations xvii 1. Debating Islam from Within: Muslim Constructionsof of the Internal Other ZULFIKAR HIRJI Ismaili 1 2. Pluralism and Islamic Traditions of Sectarian Divisions Studies ROY P. MOTTAHEDEH 31 3. Being One and Many Among the Others: Muslim Diversity in the Context of South Asian Religious Pluralism DOMINIQUESILA KHAN 43 4. Religious Pluralism in the Light of American Muslim Identities PATRICE C. BRODEUR 61 5. Islamic Art and Doctrinal Pluralism: Seeking Out the Visual Boundaries JAMES W. ALLAN 83 vii 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page viii viii Diversity and Pluralism in Islam 6. The Contestation and Resolution of Inter- and Intra-School Conflicts through Biography R. KEVIN JAQUES 107 7. Traditions of Reform, Reformers of Tradition: Case Studies from Senegal and Zanzibar/Tanzania ROMAN LOIMEIER 135 8. Justifying Islamic Pluralism: Reflections from Indonesia and France JOHN R. BOWEN 163 The Notes Institute 185 Glossary 221 Bibliography 223 Index of 247 Ismaili Studies 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page ix Editor’s Note This volumeThe is the result of a series of seminars on ‘Muslim Pluralism’ hosted at The Institute of Ismaili Studies between 2002 and 2003. The seminarInstitute series and this volume were developed, in part, as a response to the events of September 11, 2001. Since that moment, words and images concerning Islam and the histories, beliefs and practices of Muslims have proliferated globally. Muslims and non-Muslimsof have regularly contributed to these debates. The articulations and representationsIsmaili of Islam presently in the public sphere hallmark common foundations and exhibit different and divergent views on issues both pedestrian and divine. This complex portrait of a kaleidoscopicStudies and kaleido- phonic Islam is not solely a product of modern times but has a long history. It challenges the notions that Muslims everywhere are the same or should be the same. With this background in mind, the seminar series aimed not to present the social fact that Muslims are diverse, rather its aim was to examine how Muslims frame, address and attend to their own diversity over time and in different contexts. This subject remains the central concern of this volume. The contributions of J.W. Allan, John R. Bowen, Patrice Brodeur, and Roy P. Mottahedeh were part of the seminar series. The contributions of R. Kevin Jaques, Roman Loimeier, Dominique- Sila Khan, and my own were subsequently developed to expand the historical scope and geographical scale of the inquiry and to further develop the volume’s emerging themes. I should like here to record my sincerest appreciation to each of the authors for their ix 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:56 Page x x Diversity and Pluralism in Islam efforts, patience, and scholarly insights. In addition, I should like to acknowledge the contributions of the scholars who participated in the seminar series. I should like also to acknowledge that from the inception of the seminar series up to the volume’s publication, this project has received the gracious support of the Institute’s directors, faculty, staff members and students. The volume has greatly benefited from the support of Dr Farhad Daftary, the editorial expertise of Fayaz Alibhai and other members of the editorial team at the Institute, and the staff of I.B.Tauris, who have been instrumental in seeing this volume to press. Finally, IThe owe a personal and deep debt of gratitude to Ruba Kana’an, whose advice and encouragement have remained con- stant over the longInstitute course of this project. Z. Hirji of Ismaili Studies 00c–Diversity_i-xviii 21/7/10 16:57 Page xi About the Contributors James W.The Allan is a recognized world authority on Islamic metal- work. He is currently Emeritus Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford.Institute His research interests include Islamic metal- work, Islamic ceramics and Shiʿi art. He has recently completed research on the history of the Persian steel industry up to 1900, and his book on Shiʿi art, The Art and Architecture of Twelver Shiʿism: Iraq, Iran and the Indian Sub-continentof is currently in press. His recent publications include: ‘MyIsmaili Father is a Sun, and I am a Star. Fatimid Symbols in Ayyubid and Mamluk Metalwork’ (2003); Persian Steel: The Tanavoli Collection (Oxford, 2000); ‘Silver Door Facings of the Safavid Period’ (1995);Studies ‘The Transmission of Decorated Ceilings in the Early Islamic World’ (1994); Metalwork of the Islamic World: The Aron Collection (London, 1986); and Islamic Metalwork: The Nuhad Es-Said Collection (London, 1987). John R. Bowen is the Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sci- ences at Washington University in St Louis. He studies problems of pluralism, law and religion, and in particular, contemporary efforts to rethink Islamic norms and law in Asia, Europe and North America. His most recent book on Asia is Islam, Law and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning (Cambridge, 2003), and his Why the French Don’t Like Head- scarves (Princeton, 2007) concerns current debates in France on Islam and laïcité.