Theoretical Aporia of Islamic Liberalism: the Case of Lockean Liberalism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THEORETICAL APORIA OF ISLAMIC LIBERALISM: THE CASE OF LOCKEAN LIBERALISM A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HALİL İBRAHİM CANBEGİ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NOVEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences ________________ Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________ Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Okyayuz Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Filiz Zabcı (Ankara Uni., SBKY) ________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Okyayuz (METU, ADM) ________________ Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yetiş (Ankara Uni., SBKY) ________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. E. Attila Aytekin (METU, ADM) ________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Umut Beşpınar (METU, SOC) ________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Halil İbrahim Canbegi Signature : iii ABSTRACT THEORETICAL APORIA OF ISLAMIC LIBERALISM: THE CASE OF LOCKEAN LIBERALISM Canbegi, Halil İbrahim Ph.D., Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Okyayuz November 2019, 309 pages Even though the historical background of discussions on “Islamic liberalism” dates back to colonisation of Muslim-majority countries between 19th and 20th centuries, these debates have become much more visible both in academia and media in the post-Arab spring period. In this period, proponents of “Islamic liberalism” have predominantly taken Lockean liberalism as a model and they have even equated former with the latter. This thesis thereby critically evaluates the theoretical and conceptual framework of “Islamic liberalism” through analyzing Locke’s political theory and political theology. From the comparative political theory and comparative political theology perspectives, Locke’s natural law theory and his understanding of liberal rights are compared with the premises of “Islamic liberalism” in order to assess whether it is a consistent term or not and whether it is a form of Lockean liberalism or not. This study therefore aims to contribute the endeavours for comprehending the liberalism’s relation to religions in a broad sense and to Islam in a narrow sense. Keywords: Islamic liberalism, Lockean liberalism, Christianity, Islam, comparative political theory and comparative political theology. iv ÖZ İSLAMİ LİBERALİZMİN TEORİK ÇIKMAZI: LOCKEÇU LİBERALİZM ÖRNEĞİ Canbegi, Halil İbrahim Doktora, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Mehmet Okyayuz Kasım 2019, 309 sayfa Her ne kadar “İslami liberalizm” tartışmalarının tarihi arka planı Müslüman çoğunluğa sahip ülkelerin 19. ve 20. yüzyıllarda sömürgeleştirilmelerine kadar dayansa da bu tartışmalar Arap baharı sonrasındaki süreç içerisinde akademide ve medyada çok daha görünür hale gelmiştir. Bu süreçte “İslami liberalizm” savunucuları büyük bir çoğunlukla Lockeçu liberalizmi model almışlar ve hatta her ikisini eşdeğer görmüşlerdir. Böylece bu tez, Locke’un siyaset teorisini ve siyasal teolojisini inceleyerek “İslami liberalizmin” teorik ve kavramsal çerçevesini eleştirel bir biçimde ele almaktadır. Karşılaştırmalı siyaset teorisi ve karşılaştırmalı siyasal teoloji bakış açılarından hareketle, “İslami liberalizmin” tutarlı bir terim olup olmadığını ve “İslami liberalizmin” Lockeçu liberalizmin bir türevi olup olmadığını değerlendirmek amacıyla Locke’un doğal hukuk teorisi ve liberal haklar anlayışı “İslami liberalizmin” öncülleriyle karşılaştırılmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma liberalizmin geniş anlamda dinlere, özel anlamda İslam’a olan bağıntısını kavrama çabalarına katkı sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: İslami liberalizm, Lockeçu liberalizm, Hristiyanlık, İslam, karşılaştırmalı siyaset teorisi ve karşılaştırmalı siyasal teoloji. v To Özlem, Melissa, and Milan Deniz vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my adviser Mehmet Okyayuz for his guidance and support. This thesis would not have been possible without his exhaustive criticisms and meticulous reading. I would also like to thank my thesis examining committe members Filiz Zabcı, Mehmet Yetiş, E. Attila Aytekin, and F. Umut Beşpınar for their contributions, criticisms, and constructive feedbacks that helped me to create the final version of this thesis. This thesis is an outcome of a long journey in which I have witnessed that patience and decisiveness are the most significant essentials; therefore, I am more than thankful to my mother, Gül Canbegi, who taught me overcoming difficulties and trusted me until the last day in her life. I am also supremely grateful to Canbegi and Yılmaz families for their continuous support during all phases of my life including the research period of the thesis. I am sure that every journey becomes memorable with the contributions of friends. I thereby extend my heartfelt thanks to my all friends who enormously helped me in developing the ideas in this thesis. Last but not least, words fall short of expressing my appreciation to my companion in life, Özlem, for her endless motivation, patience, and love. She is the person who had to take care of our beloved children, Melissa and Milan Deniz, almost by herself. She never gave up and never let me give up. Obviously, without her tremendous support and the smile on our children’s faces, this thesis would not have been completed. Needless to say, this thesis is a creation of hard working and labour; nevertheless, I am the sole responsible for all its shortcomings and flaws. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ........................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... iv ÖZ ............................................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Setting the Scene ............................................................................................. 3 1.2 Research Questions ......................................................................................... 7 1.3 Methodology ................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Outline and Structure of the Thesis .............................................................. 11 2. NATURAL LAW TRADITION: THE SEEDS OF LIBERALISM ................. 16 2.1 Natural Law in the Greco-Roman Philosophy .............................................. 17 2.2 Natural Law in the Age of Early Christianity ............................................... 23 2.3 Thomistic Doctrine of Natural Law .............................................................. 30 2.4 Natural Law in the Reformation Period ........................................................ 38 2.5 Natural Law in the Early Modern Era .......................................................... 51 2.6 Secularization of Natural Law ...................................................................... 64 2.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 81 viii 3. THEOLOGICAL PREMISES OF LOCKE’S NATURAL LAW LIBERALISM………………………………………………...84 3.1 Locke’s Liberalism Embedded in Natural Law and Christianity ................. 85 3.2 Natural Law in Locke’s Political Philosophy ............................................... 94 3.2.1 Political Legitimacy and Right to Resistance ...................................... 109 3.2.2 Right to Private Property ..................................................................... 119 3.2.3 Toleration in the Context of Lockean Liberalism ................................ 132 3.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 140 4. ISLAMIC NATURAL LAW: A RUDIMENTARY QUEST FOR THE ONTOLOGICAL AUTHORITY OF REASON………………...…..…… 143 4.1 Tracing an Antagonism: Reason and Faith in Islamic Tradition ................ 144 4.1.1 A Common Legacy: The Greek Rationalism....................................... 146 4.1.2 Mu‘tazilites and Ash‘arītes: A Conflict on the Scope of Reason ........ 150 4.1.3 ibn Tufail’s Ḥayy: The Defeat of Reason ............................................ 155 4.2 Does Islamic Natural Law Exist? Reinvestigating Emon’s Classification 159 4.2.1 Hard Natural Law ................................................................................ 162 4.2.2 Voluntarist Criticism ............................................................................ 166 4.2.3