Reformist Muslim

moving on.

2006-06-04T01:22:00.000+01:00

thanks to anyone who has read this blog. Almost a year and 117 posts later I've moved on. You can find me at gilani.wordpress.com, where I hope to be posting more on politics/sports/popular culture, as well as the subject of this blog. hope to see you their.

Dressing In Drag...In Pakistan!

2006-04-27T01:19:00.000+01:00

This is required reading (and watching I assume - I'll be sure to check it out the next time I'm in Karachi). Also if the neocon drumbeat ever comes around to Pakistan (think! nuclear weapons, taleban type government in some provinces, bin laden sympathisers, state sponsor of terrorism, millitary dictatorship - oh how easy it is to make a seemingly rational claim for war), then Begum Nawazish should serve as conclusive proof that Pakistan does not need invading.

Civil Society In Musharraf's Pakistan

2006-04-04T18:42:00.000+01:00

The military is so secure in its rule and the official politicians so useless that 'civil society' is booming. Private TV channels, like NGOs, have mushroomed and most views are permissible (I was interviewed for an hour by one of these on the "fate of the world communist movement") except a frontal assault on religion or the military and its networks that govern the country. If civil society posed any real threat to the elite, the plaudits it receives would rapidly turn to menace.

This is from a very interesting column by Tariq Ali on the World Social Forum's stop in Karachi. Particularly biting is his critique of NGO's operating in Pakistan. However in this post I would like to focus on his comments on Pakistani civil society.

In my opinion, liberal democracies are successful when there is a diverse and resilient civil society which resists authoritarianism. All governments have authoritarian tendencies, but whether or not they succeed in establishing and maintaining total control is dependent on if those concerned with society are significant enough a presence to prevent it from happening.

I believe this is one of the reasons why Fareed Zakaria's analysis of liberalism before democracy works. A period of liberal authoratarianism allows civil society to develop in a way which is not possible in countries which rush towards democracy before the basic elements of a stable and tolerant society are in place.

It is in this context, that I'm not as skeptical of the current role of Pakistani civil society as Tariq Ali. It is true that today that the TV media in particular are relatively reluctant to openly criticise the government and it's policies.

However in the past year, we have witnessed at least two events where an internal conflict amongst the elite has opened up. Firstly and tragically was the Earthquake, when the TV media in particular could not help but report on the hopeless inadequacy of the government in leading the response effort. Secondly, we saw the lampooning of Musharraf after the seeming failure of President Bush's visit to Pakistan to achieve anything other than some funny pictures and a meaningless speech.

Of course there are problems in Baluchistan, parliamentary politics is a farce and a catastrophic event would in all likelihood set civil society back another ten to twenty years. However for now, the fact that the WSF is in Pakistan at all, gives me reason to hope for what in many ways is still a very flawed country.

Is Democracy Western?

2006-04-02T00:02:00.000+01:00

The belief in the allegedly "Western" nature of democracy is often linked to the early practice of voting and elections in Greece, especially in Athens. Democracy involves more than balloting, but even in the history of voting there would be a classificatory arbitrariness in defining civilizations in largely racial terms. ...[T]there is reluctance in taking note of the Greek intellectual links with other civilizations to the east or south of Greece, despite the greater interest that the Greeks themselves showed in talking to Iranians, or Indians, or Egyptians (rather than in chatting up the Ostrogoths).

The above quote is taken from this article by Amartya Sen (via 3QuarksDaily). He makes important arguments, addressing both non-Westerners and the West. For me the two key themes are,

a) Democracy isn't Western and
b) The West doesn't own democracy.

These overlap nicely to create a coherent critique of the false west/non-west dichotomy. That democracy isn’t just a western concept is an important argument for those who aren’t western.
Sen provides interesting examples, and these need to be emphasised, of leaders such as Mandela and Gandhi who combined modern notions of democracy with their own 'native' traditions which, which while not containing voting, were similar to a democratic system in many ways.

This is not to say all desi's should rely upon such a fusion (although I feel that those who don't are missing out). If some would like to become 100% westernised, that is their choice. However for those who want to continue some of their cultural heritage, adopting concepts such as public reason should not make them feel as if they are 'selling out', or being brainwashed to think in a certain way.

This is where the second point comes in. As Sen points out, seeing Iranian dissidents as 'ambassadors for Western values', is both incorrect and counter-productive. To take an example, why should the Afghan convert to Christianity not be executed for apostasy? I would suggest because as Muslims, we should not consider it either a humane or rational thing to do. This is not to say that the West has nothing to contribute to this discourse - they should make their voices heard. However this should preferably be done in the spirit of reflection rather than conversion.

Cross posted on Pickled Politics.

RSS Feed Now Setup

2006-03-31T18:13:00.000+01:00

Click on the button on the left to get the feed's link to this blog's feed. For those of you not acquainted with RSS, Svend White had a good tutorial and lots of other useful tips a while back. The easiest way to setup a feed for your own blog is to go to www.feedburner.com.

A Letter To Reformist Muslims

2006-03-24T22:06:00.000+00:00

"It is conceivable, yes, that there are those in the West with as much sadomasochim (or courage, if you will), as the reformists of Islam; with as great a penchant for human rights as the reformists of Islam; with as great a willingness to face off against the edifice of a corrupt theology as the reformists of Islam. We must embrace them as our brothers, be they Latino, Black, or dare I say, white; be they Hindu, Jew, Christian, or dare I say, secular-humanist"

Click here to read the full piece

The extract is taken from an open letter written by Ali Eteraz to fellow reformist muslims. His argument is that while there may be some 'Westerners' with ulterior motives, to be successful the reform project has to accept those non-Muslims who show an interest in changing the world for the better.

Overcoming the threat of those with ill-intent, is a powerful idea which is applicable not just to non-Muslims. One finds it amongst those who are reluctant to let ijtihad devolve outside the exclusive preserve of religious scholars. There is an understandable fear that if religion is to be democratised then there would be widespread chaos which would undermine the basic tenets of Islam.

However as Ziauddin Sardar has eloquently put, when engaging with religion and making progress we must not be constrained by the banks of a river. Instead the future should be imagined as an ocean, where every assumption may be challenged and people can shape their own destiny.

Of course this may lead to the conversation within Islam occasionally veering towards areas which are uncomfortable. Mistakes will definitely be made, but this criticism makes the assumption that things are fine the way they are right now, they are not. In a way, Ali's piece demonstrates that for reformists to be both consistent and successful, we need to open their movement to those who are willing, just as we argue that the application of Islam should also become more open.

Cultural Baggage & Religious Modesty

2006-03-23T12:36:00.000+00:00

The House of Lords decision in the Jilbab case has elicited a lot of comment. One of the more interesting pieces was written by Fareena Alam at the Guardian's Commentisfree. I'd like to pick up on one paragraph in particular.

For years, Muslims around me have said: "Islam must be separated from culture." While this slogan has deep and well-meaning roots - such as the struggle to teach people that honour killing, often justified with religious excuses, is a cultural practice that is unequivocally abhorred in Islam - the clash between culture and religion is ultimately a false one. This idea of a "pure Islam, free of cultural baggage" is a false one. Religion manifests itself in the realities of life. Must we all neutralise ourselves - even the aspects that do not contravene Islam, to be accepted as "pious"? What is this "one Islam" or "one voice" people call for, and who decides what it says?

I think this cuts to the root of the major clashes within Islam, not only today but for a very long time. For the fundamentalists, modesty is something which has an external standard, judged by God and having only one true interpretation. Therefore any element of culture which gets in the way, is baggage which needs to be discarded in order to obtain 'pure Islam'.

On the other hand for the liberals or more commonly the pragmatists, modesty without its social setting is devoid of both meaning and guidance. Therefore to judge what is modest, one has to take the surroundings into account. After all, if everyone in society thinks that my dress and behaviour is modest, then that is all that should count in determining whether I am modest. Evidence for this can be seen in the fact that women can wear whatever they want in the company of other women. To extend this further, it is possible that people wearing different clothes in different parts of the world can both be fulfilling the requirement for modesty.

The second view of modesty reaches when one reaches the extremes. For example while most people would feel comfortable with an outsider wearing shalwar kameez when in Pakistan, wearing a Burqa in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan simply because others wear it seems less acceptable. In any case the fact that it is limited to extremes means that it affects relatively few people.

The biggest problem comes from the fact that the majority of the world's population do not live in small isolated communities. For Muslims this is most acutely felt when in living in non-Muslim countries.

An obvious solution is to stick with the lowest common denominator so that you make sure that you remain within certain bounds. Unfortunately this has two problems - firstly it may make integration unnecessarily difficult, but more importantly, if someone chooses to wear clothes which are slightly different but still modest, they can be made to feel as if they are lesser Muslims or not as pious by those who stick with traditional clothing.

Tariq Ramadan has proposed a middle ground to this debate by calling for scholars of the text, to engage in a consultative process with experts of the context, ordinary economists, civil servants, politicians etc. This approach definitely has its merits in integrating traditional knowledge with contemporary secular knowledge. However I'm not sure if it deals with something as personal a decision as what is and is not modest. To conclude, I would agree with Fareena Alam that while religion seeks to make us better humans, that should never mean that it neutralise us as individual human beings.

Critical Thinking - Iqbal's Shikwa

2006-03-20T19:06:00.000+00:00

I've just finished reading the first part of Muhammad 'Allama' Iqbal's classic 'dialogue' with Allah. Shikwa, or 'Complaint', first published in 1909 is a breathtaking piece of poetry. Seeing the plight of Muslims across the World, Iqbal passionately questions Allah on why he allowed such a situation to develop.

Not suprisingly the idea that God could wrong his people and was not carrying out his plans justly caused quite a stir. Despite the inevitable response of many traditionalists, Iqbal's ideas have lived on and he is revered in Pakistan as her national poet.

I am not advocating that people read Shikwa and hold its text as sacred, or something which can not be questioned. There are some elements to do with conversion and Muslim superiority to which my reaction is somewhere, deeply uncomfortable and profound disagreement.

However to use this a stick with which to attack Iqbal completely misses the point. He was at once both a man of his times and ahead of his times. Above all it was his ability to think freely and outside of the traditional mold while contributing to the discourse of his times which made him great. The fact that his ideas were expressed in aesthetic and powerful poetry simply add to his greatness.

I'll post on God's response to Iqbal soon.

Cross-posted on Pickled Politics

Resuming Blogging

2006-03-20T17:19:00.000+00:00

I realise that by not posting for over a month I may have lost some of my readership (In fact Sitemeter confirms this). Meanwhile I've also fallen on the TTLB ecosystem, from the lowly heights of lowly insect to a mere wiggly worm. Nevertheless, I have decided to get over the mental block which seems to have come over me and resume blogging. As always, I look forward to reading comments.

Cappucinos and Coconuts

2006-02-14T17:30:00.000+00:00

We've all heard the term coconut before and to be honest I've always thought it to be rather crude. So when I found the word 'cappucino' in the New Statesman special report on India I was quite intrigued. Apparently in India, a cappucino is someone who is 'white and frothy' on the outside but with deeply conservative and traditional sub-continental 'values' on the inside.

One situation which exemplifies this is that of desi men who have long term relationships with white women and then leave them (or sometimes continue to see them on the side), to get an arranged marriage. Of course this phenomenon isn't limited to desi's. The archetypal rich Arab who 'enjoys' himself in the west while placing severe constraints on his wife and daughters at home is a good example. Neither is it a new phenomenon - the father in Naguib Mahfouz's classic Palace Walk is the ultimate fun-lover with his friends and tyrant at home.

Why is this important? Because all too often traditionalists attack liberals when in fact they are attacking cappucino's just like liberals often attack traditionalists when in fact they are attacking 'maulvis'. All of this muddies the discourse and doesn't allow for clear analysis and debate reagarding the many social questions people face when they encounter different cultures, either through immigration or globalisation. I would be very interested in who people think are some famous cappucino's. At the risk of being scorned, may I suggest Imran Khan.

Pickled Politics

2006-02-13T17:34:00.000+00:00

I will be guest-blogging on Pickled Politics for the next month (my first post will be up shortly). However I will continue to post those pieces and comments which aren't appropriate for that site on this blog.

Disgrace

2006-02-08T10:26:00.000+00:00

Apparently a delegation of Danish Muslims to the Middle East added this photograph to a dossier of the Danish cartoons (for more click here). This dishonest attempt to incite violence deserves to be condemned and I think an apology is in order. Meanwhile Iran's biggest selling newspaper has created this despicable cartoon contest (via Secular-Right India).

Voting Open For Brass Crescent Awards

2006-02-07T21:06:00.000+00:00

Voting is now open for the 2nd Annual Brass Crescent Awards presented by City of Brass and Altmuslim. Even if you don't vote, its worth scrolling through the nominees and exploring some of the blogs you may not have come across before.

More On The Cartoon Controversy

2006-02-06T16:51:00.000+00:00

Three more comments on this mess. Firstly, I think this little publicised incident supports my earlier contention that it was right to criticise (albeit not threaten) newspapers who published the cartoons gratuitously. Muslim Week

An anti-Semitic cartoon in a Muslim paper, which depicts Israel's acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, as a hook-nosed figure wearing a giant Star of David, last night drew protests from MPs and Jewish groups. (for more click here)

Muslim Weekly deserves to be condemned. Especially at a time when relations between Britain's Muslim and Jewish communities are sensitive, publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon is morally repugnant and will only contribute to anti-Jewish feeling. I feel that the Danish newspaper's actions falls into a similar category.

Secondly, I was listening to Radio 5 Live yesterday and the editor of Der Spiegel which published the cartoons in Germany, said that he regarded the cartoon of the Prophet with a bomb in his turban as a political statement about Islam. This to me is telling of the anti-Muslim sentiment of those responsible for the cartoons.

Thirdly, Sunny at pickled politics points out that for once the Muslim Council of Britain had something sensible to say in condemning the hateful protesters in the London. This to me is indicative of the fact that those holding up the wretched placards were thugs who constitute a fringe element of Muslim society.

Finally also on pickled politics, Hari Kunzru has a superb piece dealing with all the issues presented by the controversy including his own experiences of 'middle-class racism' in Denmark.

Blasphemy Laws

2006-02-06T14:19:00.000+00:00

I have another post on Der Spiegel and the cartoon crisis coming up, but before that I would like to deal with the suggestion that there is a need for countries which don't have Blasphemy laws to implement them.

In Pakistan, Blasphemy laws were introduced by General Zia-ul-Haq, a military dictator who lacking popular support tried to use religion legitimise his rule (famously, the question in his sham referendum was, Yes if you are for Islam and No if you aren't).

Not surprisingly, Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code has largely been used as a weapon by religious extremists to harass and intimidate their opponents. Often the use of the law is not even political - but used by scheming people to attack Christians with whom they had a personal dispute.

I sense that the Blasphemy law is something which isn't important to the majority of Pakistani's. However the threat from fanatics and the lack of any clear political gain has led to successive governments staying well away from it.

When Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, he disregarded threats of unrest and changed the weekly holiday from Friday to Sunday without any catastrophic consequences. Given the current global environment, it would be a bold and positive move for General Musharraf to stand up to the embassy burning elements and repeal the Blasphemy laws. I suspect the negative fallout would be minimal and the General's credibility would be enhanced. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

For more on the issue, here are two excellent pieces from Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed and renowned Pakistani columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee.

Update On Baluchistan

2006-02-05T00:15:00.000+00:00

The situation in Baluchistan continues to get worse. The BBC reports that tribesmen have succeeded in blowing up a gas pipeline. It would be interesting to know if the American government has raised the matter with President Musharraf.

Update: The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has published this illuminating paper. A must read for all Pakistani's skeptical of Baluchi grievances.

Film Review - Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)

2006-02-04T19:43:00.000+00:00

When I started this blog, I didn't think that I would be writing a review of a Pakistani film. Although Pakistani drama serials have traditionally been highly thought of, its film industry or 'Lollywood' has catered to cruder tastes. Going to the cinema isn't considered to be a respectable pastime and a couple of years ago, the police even raided a Karachi cinema on the grounds that it was a den of prostitution!

Khamosh Pani isn't a typical Pakistani film though. Originally intended to be a documentary, the movie contains incisive social commentary to go along with superb acting and a thought-provoking plot.

Set in a small village in Punjab during the early period of General Zia's military rule in Pakistan, the film revolves around Saleem, an initially aimless, carefree 17 year old and his relationships with his mother and girlfriend, while exploring themes of religious extremism and communalism.

The New York Times reviewer didn't think much of the film until the 'fundamentalist wind blew in'. I think this misses the point - the first half hour which is very amusing shows the everyday concerns of ordinary people, thereby putting the rise of fundamentalism and its corrosive effects into perspective.

Particularly interesting is the fact that the director Sabiha Sumar (for interviews click he re), decided to have the first screening of the movie in the village where it was filmed. Given the sensitive nature of some of the issues, she may have been justified in thinking that it wasn't worth the risk. However not surprisingly, the villagers enjoyed the film, it went through without a hitch and a traveling cinema was created to take the film to other parts of Pakistan as well.

With the KaraFilm Festival becoming a permanent fixture, films such as this one being made and the independent television media becoming more robust, there are positive signs emerging from Pakistan. Khamosh Pani although optimistic in places, provides a cautionary tale of how progress can be halted if religious fundamentalism is manipulated by those in power. I think it deserves a large audience both in Pakistan and abroad.

Cross-posted on Desicritics.

The New Great Satan - Denmark???

2006-02-01T12:03:00.000+00:00

For an excellent roundup of Muslim opinion on the cartoon controversy, you can visit Thabet's blog here.

As to what I think, firstly I would suggest that simply causing offense should not be sufficient for a big fuss to be made about anything. Otherwise, Sikh protests forcing the play Behzti to stop playing would probably have been justified, as would Christian protesters complaining about Jerry Springer the Opera being broadcast on the BBC.

As Svend White points out though, the context of these cartoons is the very real increase of xenophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in Denmark, and increased anti-semitism and Islamophobia in significant segments of Western Europe. The cartoons themselves are just a symptom of this and Steve makes a good point at avari/nameh, that an appropriate response by the Danish Prime Minister would have been to acknowledge the increased Islamophobia in his country, which has made such incendiary cartoons being published without widespread condemnation possible.

Unfortunately it seems to me that the unfortunately inevitable threats of violence has made this into a false, 'our free speech v. dangerous fundamentalists' debate (I'm not sure many people are actually proposing government censorship). Andrew Sullivan see's it this way and puts it in the same catalogue of events as the Rushdie fatwa and 9/11. This is an unfortunate exaggeration, (although the Rushdie case should serve as a reminder for the need to be careful when choosing objects of scorn) but the major problem with this is that seems to make apologising for the original cartoons into an appeasement of the threat of violence which doesn't do anyone any good.

Random Musings On A Hajj Completed

2006-01-31T13:30:00.000+00:00

Thabet at Muslims Under Progress recently returned from Hajj and has posted his comments and observations here.

I enjoyed this one in particular,
"Who said the Saudi authorities don't know anything about irony? I mean, why else would they build an Intercontinental Hotel outside the Haram at Makkah and call it Dar al-Tawhid?".

Although this was disturbing albeit not completely surprising,
"The incident at the Jamarat could be avoided if people were taught -- or bothered to learn -- the significance of the various rites of the Hajj. Instead people are selfish. One of my relatives was caught up in the incident and says she saw people literally climbing over other people to get away from the area. I only found out about the full extent of the incident when I returned to Makkah around Asr time and received a phone call from my worried sister."

Thoughts On Baluchistan

2006-01-30T18:43:00.000+00:00

Sepoy at Chapati Mystery has an excellent essay on the origins and present state of Baluchistan's disaffection with Pakistan. With most eyes focused on Afghanistan and Kashmir, Baluchistan doesn't get a lot of attention, but if it isn't handled properly it could have significant local and international repercussions.

One of the things which I find interesting about the matter is the fact that there isn't really an educated elite which is heavily involved in the resistance, which comes almost exclusively from tribal leaders. This brings to the fore many of our attitudes towards less developed regions of the World and in particular the tension between reform and self-determination, respecting indigenous culture and promoting Human Rights. The difference in this case is that both parties are part of the developing world and it isn't easy to lay the blame on a powerful foreign entity.

Personally, I would be worried about the state of affairs in an independent Baluchistan. However if the Pakistani government denies it opportunities of economic development and engages in a systematic repression of its people, I don't see how it can make a moral claim to the land considering the historical background of the case.

President Musharraf has made a lot of his 'enlightened moderation' - he needs to put it into practice here. Get the Baluchi's to the negotiating table, arrange a more equitable distribution of its natural resources and put in place economic policies which encourage economic development in the area. The Baluchi's must feel involved in the process - if not, then as Sepoy points out, we may be on the path to another Bangladesh and more instability in a region which could do without it.

Cross-posted on DesiCritics

Crossing the Border: The Normalisation of Indo-Pak Relations

2006-01-26T07:43:00.000+00:00

The normalisation of Indo-Pak relations continues. We’ve already seen the opening of the Kashmir border despite terrorist attacks in India, L.K. Advani visiting Pakistan and yet another cricket series being played in exemplary spirit.

The latest piece of good news is the creation of a bus service linking the Punjab. The most obvious benefit is increasing cultural encounters and creating greater understanding between the two peoples. Having said that, I think that this has been overestimated. The number of people who can take advantage of this service is not that big, and those who do usually already have family or friends on the other side of the border, or are doing so to visit religious shrines.

What gives me hope are the attitudes of the two governments which allowed the bus service to be created. Without a doubt Manmohan Singh doesn’t seem to have achieved much in his time as Prime Minister, while everyone has their own opinion of President Musharraf, but the peace process is something which transcends these concerns.

It would help solidify India’s position as a politically mature nation to go alongside its growing economic strength. At the same time it would provide Pakistan some much needed stability, while the prospect of increased trade with India would certainly help its economic development. It would also serve to demonstrate that the ‘updated Caliphate’ argument which seeks a Muslim confederacy, is a utopian vision which is not the best way to achieve progress in the Muslim world. Pakistan needs greater trade and cooperation with India not Algeria.

This does not mean that there aren't problems in both countries. Pakistan in particular struggles from increasing sectarian violence and has not effectively resolved the problem of Baluchistan. India meanwhile has to find a way of achieving in stability in places like Bihar to go along with the prosperity which it has achieved in other parts of the country, while also ensuring that communal tensions do not get out of control again.

However despite these other problems, there is no doubt that the Indo-Pak rivalry has overshadowed the other ones. From unnecessary military expenditure to the ever present threat of war, it has created a situation in which domestic problems have been ignored in supposedly trying to deal with the ‘other’. These problems will continue to exist even with greater co-operation, but rather than hindering each other's efforts, the two countries will be able to help in dealing with what are very similar problems.

Cross-posted on Desicritics

Desicritics

2006-01-26T07:34:00.000+00:00

Just a quick plug to Desicritics. It is a spin-off of Blogcritics with a south-asian focus. I will also be posting on it as well and I think its quite interesting as you have a mixture of 'subcontinental' and 'western', Indian and Pakistani, left and right, on a whole range of issues in one place.

Osama's Book Club

2006-01-22T20:34:00.000+00:00

Does anyone really think that reading this book will help us better understand Osama? If they want to know more about Al-Qaeda they should read Olivier Roy or Faisal Devji.

Food For Thought

2006-01-22T20:25:00.000+00:00

"A people whose religion teaches them to despise others, whose heaven is supposed to be ruined by drinking water touched by a neighbour, who have to protect their sanctity by insulting others - such a people deserves no better fate than humiliation."

From the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Class & Modesty

2006-01-22T20:19:00.000+00:00

I’ve also observed other people who are NOT daughters of doctors and engineers agonize over the same issues. Mention “tailored jackets” and “long but elegant modest skirts” and we moslem scrubs know exactly what you’re talking about. The Gap aisles are cleaned out of those $50 skirts before we get to the sales. Scrubs like me can’t afford them Saks tailored jackets. We end up with sagging chenille sweaters and Payless shoes.

I found the above post very interesting. Read the whole piece here.