Maryam Namazie is a powerful voice against political Islam, and a major campaigner against sharia courts in Britain, but she is a lapsed Muslim and Westernized. Is she disqualified from the debate and are her warnings relevant to the West?
Born into a religious Muslim family, Namazie left Iran aged 13, at the time of the revolution. During a recent interview in Australia, she recalled the Islamic guards they called "Hezbollahs," who descended on her school to enforce segregation of the sexes and compulsory veiling for girls from the age of 9.
Namazie also champions Muslim women's reform. Both secular and religious women advocate changes in discriminatory laws but the latter believe reform can only be accomplished from within Islam. As a former Muslim, Namazie is a target for intimidation and threats. She is also denigrated for lacking Islamic scholarship. Such censure, she says, "is just an argument to exclude people from the debate and stifle criticism."
Her concerns extend beyond women's rights to the ideology of political Islam, or Islamism, which she describes as a far right, totalitarian, homophobic, misogynist movement with imperialist designs. Adherents of this heretical strain of the religion aim for state conquest and rule by sharia.
Critics of Islamism, she says, are vitally important to the well being of the West and the vast majority of Muslims. In her case, a clear message is matched with activism as spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against sharia in Britain, the International Committee against Stoning and other human rights organizations.
She points to sharia as the most widely used religious law in the world, its growth associated with the rise of Islamism. However, Western powers, in particular the United States, have misconstrued Islamist ideology. This was evident in their shortsighted appraisal of revolutionary Iran during the Guadeloupe conference in 1979, and use of the mujahedeen against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Islamism was also strengthened by the failed project of modernization in the Middle East and North Africa and the economic ascendance of Saudi Arabia, with its extremist, Wahhabi form of Islam. In continuing the policy of building Islamic courts in Afghanistan, Namazie believes the United States is still misguided about the intentions of Islamism and the risks of appeasing Islamists.
Perhaps the greatest current boost to political Islam in the West, she says, derives from cultural relativism that has advanced notions of moral equivalence, tolerance of extremism, and also silenced opinion makers fearful of being labeled racist.
In the process, the dangers of political Islam inherent in the Iranian revolution were largely ignored. Originally left-leaning and female led, the revolution was hijacked by Islamists, and although brutally suppressed, revolutionary fervor was never destroyed. Seventy percent of the population in Iran is under the age of 30, well educated and committed to the Internet. This new generation is now attempting to complete the revolution that was started three decades ago.
Namazie believes political Islam in the West is linked to the forces unleashed at the time of the revolution, but unlike Muslim communities in the West, Iran is currently in the grip of an anti-Islamic backlash and secular protest movement. Jokes that would be considered Islamophobic in Western countries are common currency, and some Iranian women are resisting authorities that have stepped up arrests for improper veiling.
It is very difficult for Muslims to reform Islam, as the religion has turned into a political movement, and she compares the situation to the Christian Inquisition, when any criticism against those in power was considered dangerous. Eventually, the Inquisition was reined in. If Islamism were also curbed, she believes reform would follow, and Islam would be relegated to a personal, rather than a state matter.
Muslim women, particularly in Iran, are in the forefront of the reform of discriminatory laws because they have the most to gain, but they need grassroots solidarity in the West, similar to the support networks that were established during the battle against racial apartheid in South Africa. In the struggle for reform, secular women have a special role, as their path clears the way for others. Homa Arjomand, a secular reformer on the left, started the campaign against sharia courts in Canada, and as the movement developed, more traditional Muslim women, who previously felt intimidated, joined the organization.
Although the "Arab Spring" is a new opportunity for the development of freedom in the region, Namazie is concerned that well-organized Islamist groups could seize control unless the West strongly supports the secular vanguard and resists appeasement of Islamists. Past history indicates her warnings deserve to be heeded.
Follow Ida Lichter, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/IdaLichter
Political aspects of Islam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whither Political Islam? | Foreign Affairs
That's true whether we're talking about the Dominionist current in fundamentalist Christianity, the persistence of Orthodox Judaism in the politics of Israel, or the use of Sharia Law to form the legal structures of various Muslim countries.
Religion + Statism = Insanity.
Reform minded Muslims know this. Reform minded ex-Muslims know this. And most non-Muslims know this as well.
Religion + Statism = Insanity.
When the 1.6 Muslims all over the world come to recognize this one fact, Islam will reform. Until they do, it will not reform.
Religion + Statism = Insanity.
As long as a majority of Muslims reject this one fact, it is not irrational to fear Islam as a religion. It is, in fact, rational - because Religion + Statism = Insanity.
It is rational for Muslims and ex-Muslims to fear their own religious heritage - just as it would have been rational for a Christian to fear his own religion when church and state were joined, as they were, for centuries.
Religion + Statism = Insanity.
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And pressure. We secular non Muslims can supply that.
It's a bit more difficult for Christians and Jews to criticize Muslims because they all three have so many faults in common.
Oh, bless.
What started as a localized verification largeley restricted to Arabic speakers has passed through various stages of increasing sophistication and wider application and have now reached where verification can be done using the Universal language of mathematics. No amount of references to goats will change this by now established fact.
BTW which part of the Quranic message is not consistent with "Human Rights" as define by ............... take your pick to fill in the blank.
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The problem here is that nothing in Christianity dictates that it be the temporal authority. On the contrary, Jesus settled that with, "My kingdom is not of this world" and, "Render unto Caesar..." So it was no great reform to rein in the Inquisition as there never was anything in the Bible to support it in the first place. Eliminating the Inquisition was a political act, not a religious one.
But that's not so under Islam. From the beginning, Islam was both religion and government. Unlike Christianity, Islam has a comprehensive body of legislation covering family law, business law, civil law, and criminal law. Reforming Islam to be a private rather than public matter would be almost impossible because too much would have to be given up.
Also, technically the Inquisition's mechanisms are still there in the Church. (Ratzinger was the former head).
Also, in terms of ISlam, if you are not Muslim you are generally free to follow your own laws in private matters.
You can't comment on Islam because you aren't good enough to do so or somebody in history that you have nothing in common with did. It is a fantastic argument. Specious, and manipulative.
Alas, in Egypt the Copts are not even allowed that. Their churches are burned down and not allowed to be rebuilt. They are not allowed to celebrate openly. They are treated as second class citizens which under Sharia Law is required. And there are continious reports of Copic girls being dragged off the streets by Muslim men who kidhap them and force them to 'convert'.
Throughout history Sharia Law has not been nice to non Muslims.
JEF
It would be wiser, IMO, to point to how religious conservatives of all stripes, not just Muslims, are bad for women in general, and usually do harm when they take power. Any time you see religious conservatives get into power, things get worse for most people in that country. You certainly see examples of that in Christianity over and over and over again.
"I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance.
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh. -
Nietzsche
Versus
"Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." -- Ayatollah Khomeini”
' Nough said
or the lesser known... breakdancing naqshbandis....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX66n-uxghg
"She points to sharia as the most widely used religious law in the world, its growth associated with the rise of Islamism."
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The assertion that Shari'ah's growth is associated with the rise of Islamism is invalid.
Shari'ah is simply the outer code of Islam, designed to provide a protective and conducive environment for the self to grow so that it reflects the higher qualities of selflessness, compassion, justice, generosity, humility, forgiveness, and ultimately love.
Since individual selves form a community and society, as they reflect the higher qualities, to a varying degree, they help to form communities (such as the various Sufi communities that exist around the world) and eventually societies that reflect the higher qualities collectively.
[Continues]
Your attempt to separate Islamism from Shariah has no basis in reality.
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One word: Taqiyyah.
Why are you afraid of a law that tells you to wash with dirt (if necessary) if you have come into contact with a woman? As @Tolerant has been telling you, Islam means Sufism, and all religions are intrinsically the same.
Provide a list of these totalitarian Islamic nations please.
Thanks!
(my bet is you don't know what you're talking about, as usual)
Understood in this manner, anything that is not condicive for the self to grow to reflect the higher qualities is not part of the Shari'ah.
And since individual selves form a community and a society, the same rules apply to those aspects of the Shari'ah that deal with communities and societies.
For further reading, I refer those readers who are open-minded and willing, to "The Heart of Islam" by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
There is no question that some Muslims have corrupted parts of the Shari'ah. But this doesn't mean that there are no Muslims who are not engaged in reforming those parts.
Sincerely,
tolerant
Hopefully, this second part still makes some sense to the readers without its first part.
Sincerely,
tolerant
to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be
destroyed, and tolerance with them.
We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.” - Karl Popper
This is the best argument against spread of Islamic totalitarian doctrine in the West I've heard.
In the USA, who are these "Islamist militants" and how is allying themselves with them? Or does this happen in your head?
Small number? if even one percent are extreme that's a lot of people!
When a Muslim washes before offering his canonical prayers, he does that according to the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim offers his canonical prayers, he does that according to the rules of the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim fasts, he does so as per the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim helps out the poor, the needy, the wayfarer, he follows the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim performs the Hajj, he does that according to the rules set forth in the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim is generous towards his next of kin, relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers, he follows the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim works diligently at work with utmost honesty, he obeys the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim stays away from back-biting, gossiping, intoxicants, he does that according to the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim obeys the laws of the land in which he lives, it is due to the Shari'ah.
When a Muslim makes sure that he has a will, he obeys the Shari'ah.
Muslims all over the world, whether they are living in a Muslim majority country or as a minority, are living their lives as Muslims in a meaningful way contributing to the progress and welfare of the society they are living in.
If a Muslim wants to live as a Muslim, he has no choice but to obey the laws of the Shari'ah in the matters I have listed above.
You seem to cherry pick and notmention the whole truh.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia
Sharia deals with many topics addressed by secular law, including crime, politics and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexuality, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting.
The reintroduction of Sharia is a longstanding goal for Islamist movements in Muslim countries.
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Nonsense!
There is a tremendous amount of self-criticism and disagreements within Islam.
If there were none, Islam/Muslims would be monolithic.
There are many currents within Islam -- a few are bad, but most are good.
For more information on the positive currents within Islam, I refer the readers to the following authors and Sufi Shaykhs:
1. Seyyed Hossein Nasr
2. William Chittick
3. Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
4. ibn Arabi
5. Rumi
6. Kabir and Camilla Helminski
7. Frithjof Schuon
8. Rene Genon
9. Dr. Abou El Fadl
10. Martin Lings
Moreover, Shari'ah is also not monolithic -- some forms are bad, most are good, especially those forms of the Shari'ah that are adhered to by the traditional and Sufi Muslims.
In another response you admitted that Sufis are being persecuted, especially in Iran. You should have also noted that populations that were previously adherents of Sufism or under its influence are being increasingly radicalized by the spread of Salafism--for example in South Asia.
"Moreover, Shari'ah is also not monolithic..."
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Extremely astute, but irrelevant observation. No one is opposing the good parts of Sharia--pay your Zakat, just not to militant organizations. Law!
Can you provide some scholarly references?
I have been immersed in Sufism for about 40 years and I have only seen/heard us call bad Muslims from those who are very much influenced by the Wahhabis and the Salafis.
Saudi Arabia oppressed the Sufis, but the current king has mellowed down towards them.
The Iranians have been harsh against the Sufis, as were the Ataturk of Turkey and the Russians when they had Islamic republicans under their control.
But Sufism flourished for hundreds of years in India without the Sufis being called heretics.
They benefited both the Muslims and the non-Muslims.
Even in death, the grace from them issues forth - recently, in response to a letter of mine that was published in a local newspaper, a former baby doctor of my daughters, who is a Hindu, looked me up and called me to thank me for the letter and to reminisce about his days in India when he used to go to the Sufi shrines to listen to the Sufi music and benefit from it spiritually.
The light emanating from the Sufi masters shines on other Sufis and non-Sufis alike.
It's a phenomenon I have observed many times.
Also see this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-schwartz/how-many-sufis-in-world-i_b_902164.html
The Sufis are not a demonination. So they exist in all schools of thought.
Islam is not monolithic.
[Continues]
There are many currents within Islam -- some are dangerous, most are not.
I have listed many books on Sufism in many of my comments. Perhaps, one can look them up and read some of the books to get a better understanding of Sufism.
1. "The Elements of Sufism" by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
2. "Sufi Essays" by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
3. "Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi" by William Chittick [Rumi's poetry is essentially considered a commentary on the Qur`an]
4. "Sufism: A Beginner's Guide" by William Chittick
5. Various Qur`anic Commentaries by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
6. "Inner Meaning of Worship in Islam" by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
7. "Witnessing Perfection" by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
8. Various writings of Shaykh Kabir Helminski
9. Various discourses by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri. See http://www.shaykhfadhlallahaeri.com/ for details (Audios and Videos)
10. "Introduction to Sufi Doctrine" by Titus Burckhardt
11. "What is Sufism" by William Chittick