Pushing the Islamic spirit in the context of Islamic Pluralism

There has always been a dilemna among Muslim scholars when

dealing with other Muslims who possess differences with belief systems and
are diverse in culture. This has always created conflict and
misunderstanding, like the riots and rivalry in India and Pakistan which has
gone to inconsiderable extents of violence.

This disturbing tendency of measuring ones faith by vigorous rejection

of another's belief is indeed one of the most pressing issues of the Ummah,
needing to be confronted by a counter current of the spirit of respect and
tolerance of the other.

For many Muslim theologians, this personality that has permeated

Muslim states actually represents an obstacle to Islamic ethics and values.
Seeing how difficult it is to sustain civil, political and religious rights in the
Muslim states.

As a result, an increasing number of Muslim scholars across the world

are calling for alternative systems that can foster an Islamic vision of
society and simultaneously accommodate our increasingly pluralistic
societies.

They believe that pluralism and the universal democratization of

human rights are at the heart of the Qur'an. There are diverse opinions
about the nature, shape and purpose of an Islamic state, ranging from the
conservative to the very progressive. However, Islamic states as we know
them today have largely failed in creating political systems that respect
such ideas1.

1 Dana, Isabelle,Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 5 January 2010,

www.commongroundnews.org
 They see the vision that pluralism comprises elements of assimilation,
integration and acceptance of differences, a syncretism that accepts in the
words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), “mercy in differences of the
ummah”

In effect, looking into more of the Islamic spirit of the Ummah than
the Islamic state. For unless this Islamic spirit is felt by the Ummah and its
leaders, an Islamic state will not evolve in itself into its desired form.

Tunisian writer and intellectual, Mohamed Talbi, calls on Muslim

societies to abandon the Islamic state paradigm and instead strive for a
global ummah, a global community that shares the core values of freedom
and justice. To him, Islam is embodied in the concept of "differences within
unity", namely pluralism2.

He writes, "I am a Muslim atom within a human molecule. My ummah

is humanity, and I do not make any distinction between confessions,
opinions, colour or race; all human beings are my brothers and sisters."
This time of globalisation represents to him a rare opportunity to work
towards this ideal.

Farid Esack is another Muslim scholar, from South Africa, who argues
against an Islamic state in today's world: if Islam's message is to fight for
oppressed communities, then Islamic states as we currently know them are
anything but Islamic. He came to this conclusion as a result of his personal
experiences-first, as a student in Pakistan when he witnessed the
persecution of poor and marginalised non-Muslim communities and, later, as
an activist in South Africa, when he experienced solidarity with people from
all faiths against apartheid.

2 ibid
 A close ally of former South African president Nelson Mandela, Esack
also proposes a different form of Islamic influence embodied in a global
ummah that does not simply tolerate differences but also unites humankind
beyond race and religion for a specific purpose: justice.

Esack believes that the ummah cannot be defined by kinship but by

acts of faith: the real ummah is a united interreligious struggle against
oppression in all its forms.

Abdullahi Na'im, a Sudanese Muslim intellectual who had to flee

Khartoum for following the open religious doctrine of Mahmoud Taha, a
Sudanese theologian and political figure who advocated political and liberal
religious reform, is convinced that an Islamic state is doomed to failure and
that secularism-rooted in freedom of religion, ethics and morality, and rights
and duties-is by far the best system for Muslims throughout the world. This
form of secularism would have to be inclusive of different worldviews and
could only be built through the dialogue and exchange of a global civil
society.

The importance of the ummah over the Islamic state demonstrates a

shift from the state-the political apparatus-to individuals and communities
who become active agents responsible for implementing Islamic ideals in
their pluralistic societies3. This interesting proposition, rooted in an Islamic
worldview, could be a more fluid and suitable framework for our globalized
world. This in itself manifests the more open discourse to accepting internal
differences in the Ummah.

3 ibid