KK K K K K K K K Reformist Voices of KK K K K K K K K KK K K K K K K K Reformist Voices of KK K K K K K K K Mediating Islam K and K Modernity Shireen T. Hunter, editor M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England Copyright © 2009 by M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, New York 10504. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reformist voices of Islam : mediating Islam and modernity / edited by Shireen T. Hunter. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7656-2238-9 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Islam—21st century. 2. Islamic renewal—Islamic countries. 3. Globalization—Religious aspects—Islam. 4. Religious awakening—Islam. 5. Islamic modernism. I. Hunter, Shireen. BP163.R44 2008 297.09'0511—dc22 2008010863 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. ~ BM (c) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Detailed Table of Contents vii Foreword Vartan Gregorian xv Preface xix Introduction Shireen T. Hunter 3 1. Islamic Reformist Discourse in Iran Proponents and Prospects Shireen T. Hunter 33 2. Reformist and Moderate Voices of Islam in the Arab East Hassan Hanafi 98 3. Reformist Islamic Thinkers in the Maghreb Toward an Islamic Age of Enlightenment? Yahia H. Zoubir 132 4. Islamic Modernist and Reformist Discourse in South Asia Riffat Hassan 159 5. Liberal and Progressive Voices in Indonesian Islam Martin van Bruinessen 187 6. Reformist Muslim Thinkers in Malaysia Engaging with Power to Uplift the Umma? Farish A. Noor 208 7. Islamic Reformist Discourses and Intellectuals in Turkey Permanent Religion with Dynamic Law Recep ¸Sentürk 227 v vi CONTENTS 8. Reformist and Moderate Voices in European Islam Farhad Khosrokhavar 247 9. Voices of Reformist Islam in the United States Tamara Sonn 267 Conclusions and Prospects Shireen T. Hunter 287 Selected Bibliography 299 Index of Names 313 About the Editor and Contributors 321 detailed table OF CONTENTS vii Detailed Table of Contents Introduction Shireen T. Hunter 3 Reform and Renewal in Islamic Thought: Origins and Evolution 4 Reform Movements as Responses to External Threats and Internal Crises 6 Encounter with Modernity 9 Modernity and Imperialism 10 Non-European Responses to Modernity 11 Muslim Responses to Modernity: A Historical Perspective 13 Afghani, Abduh, and the New Islamic Reformism 14 Ascendance of the Modernizers: An Ephemeral Victory? 16 The Return of Islam: A Reaction to Modernization or Its Result? 16 Contemporary Muslim Reformist Movements: Genesis and Ideas 20 Success and Disillusionment: The Case of Iran 20 Failure and Its Consequences: Turkey and the Arab World 21 The Rise of Extremism and the Changing International System 22 Islamic Reformist Thinking: Early Debates and Themes 23 Reason versus Tradition 23 Literalism versus Contextualism 25 Current Islamic Reformist Thinking: Diverse Influences and Common Traits 26 Structure and Methodology of This Book 27 A Note on Spelling and Transliteration 29 1. Islamic Reformist Discourse in Iran Proponents and Prospects Shireen T. Hunter 33 Tradition and Modernity: The Still Relevant Paradigm 34 Iranian Responses to Modernity: Historical Background 35 The Pahlavi Era: Modernization Without Modernity 37 Islamic Forces Under the Pahlavis 38 vii viii detailed table OF CONTENTS Islamic Reformist Thinking Before the Revolution: Revivers and Intellectuals 42 Revivers of Islam 43 Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahari 43 Ayatullah Muhammad Husseini Beheshti 45 Ayatullah Mahmud Taleqani: Reviver and Intellectual 46 Religious Intellectuals 48 Mehdi Bazargan and the Scientific Reading of Islam 48 Ali Shariati: The Ideologue of the Islamic Revolution? 50 Shariati’s Vision of Islam 51 Shariati and Marxism 52 Islam, Government, and Revolution 54 Islamic Revolution: Impact on Islamic Reformist Thinking 56 Typology of Reformist Thinkers 58 Reformist Clerics 58 Hujat al-Islam Muhammad Khatami 59 Ayatullah Hussein Ali Muntazeri 61 Ayatullah Yussef Saanei 62 Ayatullah Muhammad Moussavi Bojnourdi 63 Hujat al-Islam Muhsen Kadivar 65 Sheikh Abdullah Nouri 68 Ex-Clerics 68 Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari 68 Preconceptions of Fuqaha and the Limits of Fiqh 70 Governance, Democracy, and Human Rights 71 Muhsen Saidzadeh 73 Yussefi Eshkevari 75 Ahmad Qabel 76 Lay Religious Reformists 77 Abdolkarim Soroush 77 Mustafa Malekian 80 Ali Reza Alavitabar 82 Emmad Eddin Baqi 83 Conclusions 84 2. Reformist and Moderate Voices of Islam in the Arab East Hassan Hanafi 98 The Range and Characteristics of Reformist and Moderate Discourses 100 Intermediary Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood 100 New Reformist Projects 102 The Syrian Reform Project 102 detailed table OF CONTENTS ix The Egyptian Reform Project 105 Other Reform Projects 107 Enlightened Islam 107 Islamic Left 107 Democracy and Muslim Moderates 108 Muslim Reformist Activists 108 Hisham Ga’far 109 Mohammad Mus’ad 110 Ahmad Abdullah 110 Magdi Sa’id 110 ‘Amr Abu Khalil 110 Ahmad Muhammad and Muhammad abd al-Gawwad 110 Peaceful Islam: The “Repentants” (al-Ta’ibun) 111 Gamal Sultan and al-Manar al-Jadid 118 Liberal Islam 118 Abd el-Aziz al-Kasim 119 Abdallah al-Hamid 119 Hassan al-Malki 120 Mansour al-Nogaidan 121 Muhammad Sa’id Tayyeb 122 ‘A’id al-Quirni 122 Practical Objectives of Saudi Reformist Discourse 122 The New Preachers (al-Du’ah al-Judud) 124 Shi‘a Moderate and Reformist Thinking 126 Conclusions 128 3. Reformist Islamic Thinkers in the Maghreb Toward an Islamic Age of Enlightenment? Yahia H. Zoubir 132 Islamic Reformist Thinking in the Maghreb: A Brief History 133 Post-Independence Nation Building: Impact on the Evolution of Islamic Discourse 134 Maghreb’s Muslim Reformist Thinkers: Who Are They? 135 The Philosophy of Reformist Thinkers 136 Methodologies of Reformist Thinkers 138 Reformist Muslim Thinkers and the State of the Arab-Islamic World 141 Reformist Scholars and Contemporary Political and Social Issues 143 Secularism and Democracy 143 Freedom of Conscience, Human Rights, Individual Liberties 145 Women’s Rights 147 Moderate Islamist Parties 148 Conclusions 151 x detailed table OF CONTENTS 4. Islamic Modernist and Reformist Discourse in South Asia Riffat Hassan 159 The Pioneers of Islamic Reformism and Modernism 161 Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Muslim Modernism: Philosophy and Methodology 162 Sir Sayyid’s Disciples 164 Mulawi Chriaq Ali: Advancing Sir Sayyid’s Reformist Agenda 164 Mahdi Ali Khan (Muhsin al-Mulk): A More Cautious Reformism 165 Sayyid Mumtaz Ali: Defender of Women’s Rights 165 Muhammad Iqbal: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought 166 Iqbal’s Religious Philosophy: The Self and the Purpose of Life 166 Iqbal’s Epistemology 167 Iqbal and the “Reconstruction” of Religious Thought in Islam 167 Iqbal’s Views on Democracy 169 Iqbal’s Views on Women 169 Fazlur Rahman: Pakistan’s Influential Reformist Thinker 170 Fazlur Rahman’s Philosophy and Methodology 170 Fazlur Rahman’s Views on Revelation 171 Fazlur Rahman’s Views on Democracy 172 Fazlur Rahman’s Views on Women’s Rights 172 Muhammad Khalid Masud: Keeper of the Reformist Tradition 173 Khalid Masud’s Philosophy and Methodology 174 Khalid Masud’s View on Democracy 174 Khalid Masud’s Views on Pluralism in Islam 174 Khalid Masud and Review of the Hudud Ordinances (1979) 175 Riffat Hassan: Theology of Women in the Islamic Tradition 175 Riffat Hassan’s Methodology for Interpreting Islamic Texts 176 Javed Ahmad Ghamidi: Contemporary Reformist Thinker in Pakistan 177 Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s Approach to Interpreting Islamic Texts 178 Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s Views on Governance and Democracy 178 Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s Views on Women 179 Asghar Ali Engineer: India’s Reformist Scholar-Activist 179 Asghar Ali Engineer: A Leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Reform Movement 179 Asghar Ali Engineer’s Philosophy and Methodology 180 Yoginder Singh Sikand: A Moderate Muslim Voice in India 181 Conclusions 182 5. Liberal and Progressive Voices in Indonesian Islam Martin van Bruinessen 187 The Beginnings of Islamic Reform in Indonesia 187 detailed table OF CONTENTS xi Reformist Movements and Organizations: A Brief History 187 The Traditionalist Reaction 188 Politicization of Islamic Reformism 188 From Party Politics to Da’wa 189 Nurcholish Madjid and the Movement for “Renewal of Religious Thought” 190 First Provocative Ideas 190 The Yogyakarta Group and Intellectual Influences on the Renewal Movement 191 The Renewal Movement and the New Order 192 Institutionalization of the Renewal Movement: Paramadina 193 Core Elements in Nurcholish’s Thought 193 Traditionalist Islam, the Pesantren, and the Search for a Socially Relevant Fiqh 195 Abdurrahman Wahid: Maverick Modern Traditionalist 195 Nahdatul Ulama, NGO Activists, and the “Fiqh of Social Questions” 196 Gender Issues, Liberation Theology, and Human Rights in Traditionalist Circles 198 Women’s Rights 198 Developing a Rights-Based Islamic Discourse 198 Institutional Networks 199 The “Five Basic Needs” as a Basis for an Islamic Human Rights Discourse 200 Eclecticism, Social Activism, and Discourse 200 Post-Suharto Developments 201 Inter-Religious Tensions and the Defense of Religious Pluralism 201 The Liberal Islam Network 202 Conclusions 203 6. Reformist Muslim Thinkers in Malaysia Engaging with Power to Uplift the Umma? Farish A. Noor 208 Reformist Islam in Historical Context 209 Early Reformist Thinkers 209 The Traditionalist/Reformist Encounter 210 Fighting Islam with Islam: Malaysia’s State-Sponsored Islamization 211 Imperatives of Development and Islam 212 Statist, Modernist, Developmentalist Islam 213 Power and Patronage: Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas and the Pitfalls of State Power 214 The Failure of State-Sponsored Islamic Reformism 216 Liminality and Critique: Chandra Muzaffar and the Struggle for Reform in Islam 217 xii detailed table OF CONTENTS Other Reformist Voices 220 Kassim Ahmad, the Critic of Hadith 220 Islamic Feminism 222 Emerging Reformist Clergy 222 Has “Reformist Islam” Become a Hostage to Malaysian Politics? 223 7.