Intellectual (Neo-) Imperialism: The Examples of “Islam[ism(s)]” and “Jihad[ism(s)]”

In any scientific endeavour, or considered as such, methodology and epistemology are paramount, not to mention ontology: what is the nature of the reality that we are studying? What is the nature of the knowledge that is being produced and its rationality? What are the methods applied to the field of study? However, when it to comes to “Islam”, the “Middle East”, or the “Orient”, the starting points are assumptions and truisms, particularly in “scientific” fields such as Political Science or International Relations, especially when the subject is the relation between politics and religion. In the last few decades, Islam has become a central point of reference for a wide range of political activities, arguments and opposition movements. The term “political Islam”, or “Islamism”, has been adopted by many scholars in order to identify this seemingly unprecedented irruption of Islamic religion into the secular domain of politics and thus to distinguish these practices from the forms of personal piety, belief, and ritual conventionally subsumed in Western scholarship under the unmarked category “Islam”. There have been tremendous, innumerable websites, voluminous publications and many projects on “Islamism(s)” and “Post-Islamism(s)”, the idea that political Islam had failed. However, when reality did not confirm that prediction, a new term was coined: “neo-Islamism”. This paper aims to explore the thesis that, as in other fields, these labels are nothing more than an attempt by Area Studies within Western academia to mould reality according to preconceived ideas and according to policy-oriented circles and funded by governmental organizations, and that, when dealing with “Islam” and “politics”, we are urgently in need of a different epistemology.

Women, Islam, and politics in Samarkand (1991–2021)

This article is devoted to the analysis of the following issues: state policy in Uzbekistan in the field of Islam and gender, the modern understanding of local Muslim societies‘ traditions, the spread of the hijab in Samarkand, and discourses around the hijab. There are various interpretations of religious practices in which women are involved. Some of these rituals are considered non-Islamic by the official Muslim clergy. We argue that the various discourses that existed around the Muslim societies‘ tradition contributed to the emergence of different motivations for wearing the hijab. In different eras, various symbolic meanings were attached to the hijab, with religiosity, modesty, backwardness, traditions, etc. If in the 1990s the hijab meant a return to pre-Soviet gender traditions for certain groups of women in certain regions of Uzbekistan, now it is perceived as part of modernity, which is understood differently by Muslims of Uzbekistan. For every one of these women, the hijab has its own personal meaning and there are various reasons for wearing it such as to consider it related to Islam or a symbol associated with Islam and the symbolization of moral categories of the spiritual purity and good manners.

Pemikiran Politik Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi di dalam Karya Islamisasi Ilmu dan Tawhid

As a scholar of Islam, Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi has made great contributions especially in the field of philosophy, theology, education, and thought. Provided with a vast knowledge of Islamic tradition and Western, his ideas have impacted the academic world crossing the disciplines. Al-Faruqi also went further by transforming his ideas into a decisive practice especially when he co-founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) as a symbol that showcases the relevance of the methodology of Islamic education. Two of his significant writings which are the Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Work Plan and Al-Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life have become one of the major references in the field of Islamic studies. By referring these two writings, this study argues that, Al-Faruqi’s view on politics is inevitable and he presented his political thought by establishing a substantial connection between Islam and politics. Besides that, Al-Faruqi also acknowledges the discipline of political science by arguing that such discipline is critical in assessing the problematic situation that the Muslim world is currently facing. Just like other Muslim political thinkers, Al-Faruqi also did not dismiss the important facts that the concept of khilafah is profoundly central to Islam and politics.

Islam will play growing political role in West Africa

Significance However, although the relationship between Islam and politics in the Sahel is changing, its prospects reflect local and national environments. The growing and multidirectional pressures on clerics, imams and hereditary rulers are expressed in many ways depending on particular circumstances. In some cases, this leads Muslim leaders to engage in heated rhetoric which should not be confused for jihadist inclinations. Impacts Elected politicians will increasingly rely on major religious figures or families for support. Political parties with broadly secular orientations will continue to dominate electoral politics. Muslim leaders who wade into electoral politics risk losing legitimacy as they become full-fledged politicians.

Padangan Muhammad Said Al-Asymawi tentang Relasi Agama dan Politik

Nation building requires a cultural basis and platform as a basis for solidarity. In countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, religious aspirations and political movements must emerge. Certain strategies and handling are needed so that these Islamic aspirations are not counterproductive to national development. Muhammad Said Al-Asymawi's view on the relationship between religion and politics contributes a lot of understanding and clarification and becomes an important exemplar of the dynamics of thought so that fiqh siyasa rediscovers its relevance in the contemporary world. For Muhammad Said Al-Asymawi, Muslims need a fear of secularization in the sense of placing religion and politics in their respective places so that religion can manifest in life without being manipulated and reduced by politics. To arrive at this need requires a complete and adequate understanding of what he calls authentic Islam. His mastery of Islamic treasures and the history of Islamic development, makes his views on the relationship between Islam and politics difficult to refute and dispels the stigma of some people that he is a liberal thinker. Muhammad Said Al-Asymawi offers a scientific and authentic perspective on siyasa fiqh and makes siyasa fiqh actual and relevant again in the current situation and conditions.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ISLAMIC VALUES IN INDONESIAN POLITICAL DYNAMICS

Islam and politics are closely related, Islam puts politics as one way to protect Muslims. Islam without politics will give birth to Muslims who do not have the freedom and freedom to implement Islamic law. Likewise, politics without Islam will only give birth to a society that glorifies power, position, and worldliness. So it is necessary to apply Islamic values in politics, especially in Indonesia, because they can be used as a reference in carrying out the dynamics of politics in Indonesia. The existence of Islamic organizations with political nuances that emerged during the movement until now in their development have implemented Islamic values. So at this time it is necessary to review how the application and development of Islamic values in politics in Indonesia so as not to deviate from the teachings of Islam. The method used in this research is discourse analysis with a qualitative approach. The data collection techniques used were library research and literature studies. The purpose of writing this research is to find out and explore the implementation of Islamic values in the dynamics of politics in Indonesia, this will be discussed and become the focus of this paper.

RELASI AGAMA DAN POLITIK DI ACEH PASCA KONFLIK; Pemerintah Indonesia-Gerakan Aceh Merdeka

This article tries to explain how the relationship between Islam and politics after the conflict between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). After the peace agreement between the two parties with the signing of the Helsinki MoU, the Indonesian government interpreted the agreement in Law No. 11 of 2006 concerning the Government of Aceh (UUPA). The presence of the act makes the ulama a partner of the government in running the wheels of government by giving fatwa on issues of government, development, community development, and the economy. Furthermore, after peace, the role of the ulama was not only to give knowledge to the community, some ulama participated in practical politics. This was one of the effects of the UUPA, where Aceh was given the privilege of establishing local political parties. At present some ulama have occupied various positions in party management, and even participated in the regional head election (PILKADA), where religious values are used as a means of gaining power.