An ideology is a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture and a set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political system.
Political Islam thus is a viable ideology but it is difficult to perceive it as such from a Western perspective. There are a wide range of definitions used to describe political Islam, however, essentially it is a movement of Muslims who draw upon the belief, symbols, and language of Islam to inspire, shape, and animate political activity (Pelletreau, 1996). Like all ideologies it has a wide spectrum, from moderate to extreme and is firmly part of the culture and forms the basis of a political system.
Western thought is ethnocentric in its understanding of Islam. Islam to western understanding is a religion like Christianity, it is essentially separate from other sections of life (Meyer, 2006). Western thought has separated religion and the rest of life, due to the influences of Christianity, render unto Caesar what is his and unto God what is His, so there is a split authority between the Church and the State. This distinction had never existed in pre-westernized Islamic nations, and who is to say one thought is ‘righter’ than the other? Within Islamic thought Islam is a “total way of life” (The Religion of Islam, onine). It provides guidance to all aspects of life from trade to individual cleanliness to politics. Islam is primarily dedicated to bringing God’s just rule to the world, as God is the absolute sovereign as the Quran states, “His is the Creation and Command.” (Quran 7:54). Thus God is the ‘lawgiver’ and ‘law-creator’ who distinguishes what is right and what is wrong.
Sayeed (1994) argues that although Islamic fundamentalism, particularly in its militant and violent form, lacks the potential to become a political system, some of the major Islamic ideas, if reinterpreted and reformulated, can provide a viable alternative to Western political and economic dominance, especially in the Middle and Near East. He argues that the six key principles which make Islam interwoven into everyday life and hence politics are a good foundation (Sayeed, 1994:112). They are: Sovereignty of Allah, Caliph of Mankind, Legislation by Shura, Accountability of government, Independence of judiciary, and Equality before the law (Milton-Edwards, 2004:34). Sovereignty of Allah refers to in Islam, Allah is the source of all powers and laws (Quran, 3:154, 12:40, 25:2, 67:1). There many laws in the Quran concerning life and those laws must be put to practice by an Islamic state for the greater good of human beings. Caliph of Mankind means man is an agent of God and should always follow the tenets of his teaching. Legislation by Shura explains to run a government or make legislation decisions should be made through Shura, which is to make decisions by consulting and participation. Accountability of government refers to government being firstly responsible to God and his teachings , then to the people. The government’s job is to ensure society upholds the teachings, while the ordinary citizens may ask anything of the leaders. Independence of Judiciary and Equality before the law are a couple of the many aspects the Quran explains in regards to justice. Firstly, the Judiciary is independent of the Executive and, secondly, all citizens are equal before the law (Milton-Edwards,2004:37). These aspects are clearly part of everyday society not just a religious component.
Although, the appearance of political Islam is relatively new, it has been around for approximately 1400 years, since the Prophet Mohammed set about God’s work. Sayeed (1994:112) argues that although classical political Islam slowly disappeared after the death of Mohammed, due to a lack of authority, it shows that political Islam was a form of governance.
Political Islam is a viable political ideology as it is firmly part of the culture of groups advocating for a way of governance. The obvious ‘everyday nature’ places political Islam above just a religion and makes it into a form of governance. Western thought makes these concepts seem impossible but the Islamic empires in history which used classical Islam as a political ideology prove it is possible and can be successful.
References
Meyer, Tim. (2006) Catching Up Islamic Political Ideology and the West, Stanford Journal of International Relations, Stanford.
Milton-Edwards, Beverly. (2004) Islam and politics in the contemporary world, Polity Press, US, 34-39.
Speech by Robert H. Pelletreau, Jr., Council on Foreign Relations, May 8, 1996.
The Relgion of Islam, (2006) The Basics of the Political System in Islam: Islam a Total Way of Life, via: <http://www.islamreligion.com>, accessed 18/6/2011.
Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English Language. (2001)Trans. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali. Riyadh: Darussalam.
Sayeed, Khalid Bin (1994) Western Dominance and Political Islam Challenge and Response, Queen’s University Press ,112.