An Enhanced Islamic Index of Well-Being (IWI 2.0-2021) for Muslim Countries

This is a revised version of an assessment of the Islamic Well-Being Index (IWI) of Muslim majority countries, first published by this author in 2013 (IWI 1.0). It uses an improved, updated methodology and reflects the essential maqasid al-shari‘ah (Higher Objectives of Islamic Law) developed by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. The IWI provides practical insights for countries that aspire to move to a higher state. Leading countries in the maqasid fields could serve as role models for lagging counties. More specifically, IWI indicators provide a way to spot problems, set targets, track trends, and identify best practice policies. This 2021 assessment adds four more countries to the 27 ranked previously. The method incorporates insights from leading Islamic scholars who have developed a ‘maqasid index of governance’ for Muslim countries. The top three countries listed in the Index are (first to third): Indonesia, Tunisia and Malaysia. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country with a successful democracy, experienced an Islamic resurgence, which is reflected in its citizens’ moderate values and practices. Leading countries within the maqasid fields are (first, second): Religion – Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria; Life – UAE, Brunei; Intellect - Albania, Kyrgyzstan; Family – Morocco, Tunisia; and Wealth – Malaysia, UAE. Countries showing greatest improvement in IWI rankings are Lebanon and Turkey. Those that significantly worsened are Afghanistan, Nigeria, Chad and Iraq. To expand the applicability of this index, governments in Muslim majority countries need to facilitate assessment. In particular, religiosity surveys should be expanded and periodic surveys are required to fill other data gaps. The IWI Index and its highlights should be prepared and published annually.

Sex Manuals in Malay Manuscripts as Another Transcript of Gender Relations

This article interprets the narratives of sex manuals produced within the Malay-Indonesian archipelago before the coming of Western colonialism and the dawn of postcolonial Islamic resurgence. In the collection of Malaysian libraries and museums, these manuscripts are largely classified as Kitab Jimak and Kitab Tib. They are all written in the Malay language with indigenous references, though the contents are likely derived from a common genre of texts transmitted from an early Arab-Islamic world and circulated within the region before the coming of European colonialism. The corpora of sexual knowledge in these texts emphasises the valorisation of sexual pleasure in conjugal relationships. Through an extensive list of prescriptions—from sexual techniques to diet, food taboos, medicine, pharmacopoeia, mantras, charms, and astrological knowledge—a near-sacral sexual experience is aspired. Couples are guided in their attainment of pleasure (nikmat) through the adherence of Islamic ethics (akhlak), rules (hukum), and etiquette (tertib). The fulfilment of women’s desire in the process is central in these observances. Nevertheless, despite placing much emphasis on mutual pleasure, these texts also contain ambiguous and paradoxical pronouncements on the position of women, wavering from veneration to misogyny. The article also highlights how intertextual studies of similar texts throughout the Islamic world can be a new focus of studies on the early history of gender and sexuality in Islam.

Faith and Revolution: The Case of Islamic Resurgence by Said Nursi in Turkey

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi dedicated his life to the safeguarding and strengthening of faith in God, which for him was the most important issue of the time and was at the heart of religion and the societal system. He believed religious conviction faced severe and combined attacks and was being weakened by unreligious ideologies. Nursi sought to strengthen belief by transforming it from imitation to certainty. He maintained that to be occupied with the fundamentals of belief over and above everything was an absolute necessity and compelling need. This definition of the problem gave direction to his discourse, and in all his writings Nursi pursued the renewal, revival, and strengthening of the truths of creed, rather than trying to rebuild Islamic political authority and Islamic institutions or expounding Islamic Shariah rules. This is the most important single issue that distinguishes Nursi from his contemporaries. This paper, in this backdrop, anticipates to discuss the significance of Nursi’s thoughts, teachings and also explains the importance of Nursi in the formation of ideology that helped the society of Turkey to neutralize anti-religious systems. The aim of this research paper is to explain Nursi’s contributions that proved him to be a faith revivalist and whose works are one of the most ubiquitous read materials in Turkey. This essay is primarily a theoretical one and the methodology adopted for this paper is analytical-historical and descriptive.

Regaining the Islamic Centre?

This chapter chronicles factors contributing to and implications arising from declining levels of moderation in Muslim-majority societies in the era of global Islamic resurgence by looking at the example of Malaysia, a country that has been classified as a moderate Muslim country. Moderation here is understood in terms of both the intellectual conception of Islamic doctrine and its practical application as a way of life and of relating to others, both Muslim and non-Muslim. It is argued that moderation has taken a beating with the ascendancy of the Wahhabi-Salafi school of thought by especially penetrating Islamic institutions with organic linkages to the state, a phenomenon made worse by the prevalence of authoritarian structures and paternalistic political cultures in post-colonial Muslim societies. In Malaysia, Middle Eastern-influenced Salafization synergized with ethnocentric aspects of local politics to produce a socio-political environment largely antithetical to the country’s pluralist heritage.

Nationalizing Islam, Islamizing the Nation

This concluding chapter turns the reader’s attention to global Islamic resurgence as an alternative form of triumphalist Islamization. The state attempted, on many occasions, to tame this resurgent and equally Malay-triumphalist Islam through coercive and co-optation strategies. The effectiveness of these policies reached its zenith in 1998 on the eve of the Reformasi Movement. Islamic movements and Islamic opposition parties closed ranks and battled against the state’s hegemony. They derived their strength and inspiration from a globalized Islam. Amidst this struggle between the state and civil society actors, the notion of a total Islamization of society, of “halalization” and the implementation of the shari’a to cover all aspects of Muslim life bound the opposing groups together, causing much anxiety for non-Muslims and inspiring the development of counter-Islamization and liberal civil society groups. This book closes with brief reflections on recent developments in Malaysia. After a millennium’s journey analyzed through the lenses of entwined history, it is clear to me that Islamization in Malaysia is now in a state of flux. Debates over halal (permissible) food, the hudud, the prohibition of the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims, sectarianism among Sufis and Salafis, culture wars between liberals and conservatives, and regime change that saw the end of UMNO’s dominance in Malaysian politics, among many others, indicate that Islam in Malaysia is, without a doubt, a riveting case study that can shed light on the ways in which Islam in other parts of the world has developed over time. This book is an invitation to a deeper attentiveness to that past and to recognizing that the histories and destinies of Muslims, wherever they may be, have always been entwined.

Review Aihwa Ong’s “State versus Islam”

Aihwa Ong’s “State versus Islam” provides an excellent model for social scientific analysis of disruptive social changes. The author had managed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics among the state, the Islamic resurgence, the Malay identity, womanhood, and family relations. However, there are some minor issues related to nationalism and social agency.

The Roots of Sayyid Qutb’s Qur’anic Studies, 1939 – 1947

The paper is an inquiry into the roots of Sayyid Qutb’s Qur’anic studies 1939 - 1947, which were to pave the way for his commitment to Islam and his emergence as a leading ideologue of the contemporary Islamic movement in Egypt, the Arab and Muslim worlds. Qutb’s Qur’anic commentary Fi Zilal ai-Qur’an (In the Shades of the Qur’an) which appeared first in early the 1950’s and his other controversial Islamic writings have become an integral part of current Islamic resurgence. And like other Muslim revolutionary writers, Qutb’s Islamic writings are grounded in and justified by quotations from the Qur’an. This is clearly seen in his major Islamic writings such as al-‘Adalah al-ijtima’iyah fi al- Islam (Social Justice in Islam) (1949). The paper tries to discuss Qutub’s literary career and concerned works to focus on them and to disseminate among the world leaders.

The Perception of Malaysian Buddhist towards Islam in Malaysia

The existence of Muslim-Buddhist conflicts in the Southeast Asian region such as in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand is based on the perception that Islam is a threat to Buddhism. While in Malaysia, although the relationship between the Muslims and Buddhists remains in harmony, there is a certain perception among Buddhists towards Islam. Hence, this article will discuss the forms of Buddhism’s perception of Islam in Malaysia. The study was qualitative using document analysis. The study found that particular group of Buddhists in Malaysia had a negative perception of Islam, particularly on the implementation of Islamization policy by the government and the Islamic resurgence movement in Malaysia. This perception is based on misunderstanding of Islam which is seen as a threat to the survival of Buddhists in practicing their teachings. The study recommends the empowerment of understanding between the religious adherents through Islamic-Buddhist dialogue at various levels of government and NGOs.