Café dialogue this Wednesday April 17 at Vendome

Hello dialogue artists,

Last Wednesday it was as lively as it's ever been. Zoe rejoined us after her travels and shared the story of her encounter with a baby elephant, as well as her reading of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. We heard a bit of a short story by Anton Chekhov, and learned from each other about stressful situations we're encountering and how we are coping with them. Odile Rollin, Robert Corbeil, Daniel Buom Met, Nyabuoy Gatbel, as well as many of our regulars were there. This coming Wednesday if we're lucky, we'll have Don Harris back with us.

I'll append below my "book share" for this time, as part of my own contribution for this coming Wednesday. The dialogue starts at 6 PM at Vendome.

Looking forward,

Arthur

Book: (Khaled Abou El Fadl) The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists (2005)

“An accomplished Islamic jurist and scholar, [the author]is a professor at the UCLA School of Law, where he teaches Islamic law, immigration law, human rights law, and international and national security law.” - from the book cover

The conflict within Islam between what the author calls puritans (extremist, jihadist, militant, or fundamentalist are terms others have used) and what he calls moderates (progressives or modernists are terms used by others) will profoundly influence the future of Islam, and the stakes could not be higher.

The puritan movement presents itself as the true follower of the Prophet and his directives. On the contrary, says the author, the puritan movement is not based on authoritative interpretation of the Qur’an or Shari’a. It is an “orphan of modernity” that arose in reaction both to the destructive effect that western colonialism had on Islamic civilization; and to the oppressive nature of Muslim governments that have been influenced by western colonialism. Many of those Muslim governments have become tyrannical – false representatives of Islam, despite their carrying its name – and their practices such as torture having been instrumental in driving even some moderate Muslims into the arms of the puritan movement.

The puritans are primarily opposed to what they see as the apostasy of most of the Muslim world today. Their acts of violence are overwhelmingly directed against other Muslims, and their opposition is overwhelmingly directed against Muslim governments. The author emphasizes the danger they represent to Islam and to humanity, and calls for non-Muslims to work in harmony with moderate Muslims to counteract the effects of the puritan movement.

The government of Saudi Arabia has played a very toxic part in this, with its puritan ideology and culture. Historically the Saud family (one of various prominent families in the region) adopted the teachings of Abd al-Wahhab (an eighteenth century figure); and this family received British support because the British wanted to control the oil wealth of the region. Thus the British (and more recently the Americans) have indirectly supported Wahhabism. Wahhabism is one current of the puritan movement and because of enormous Saudi wealth that supports it, that particular current has become massively influential in the world today – in book publishing, in international conferences, in university teaching positions, and so on. Consequently the puritans – instead of fading away – have become a dangerous challenge to moderate Islam and to the future of humanity. Salafism (which includes diverse elements, not just puritan ones) was partially co-opted by Wahabbis so that the terms Salafi and Wahabbi are often conflated.

The author describes in detail the moderate Islamic views, which tend to support the humanist and liberal values of the west while rejecting many permissive aspects of western culture such as the openness to sexual exhibitionism. All this is validated by Shari’a, the Islamic tradition in law which has an extremely rich history, with thousands of books devoted to its interpretation. Moderate Islamic views are in accord with constitutional democracy and the dignity and liberty of individuals, and moderate Muslims are often strongly supportive of non-Muslim governments that exemplify such values, and rigorously opposed to whichever Muslim governments have undermined them. Moderate Islamic views are rooted in the Qur’an itself, with its emphasis on justice, mercy, and compassion; and the value of each person in the eyes of God.

He describes the puritan movement as based on a very shallow and selective reading of Islamic texts. Parts of the Qur'an that are contrary to the puritan worldview will often be "abrogated" (dismissed as not valid). The puritan’s support for despotism is not always violent and militant, but it is contrary to a deep understanding of the Qur’an. The puritans believe that by imposing rigid practices and beliefs in a despotic caliphate of the future, they will achieve utopia. “After much suffering,” writes the author, “the puritans are bound to wake up and realize that while they dreamed in clouds of their utopia, on this earth they only managed to create a nightmare.”

Setting the record straight on a series of other issues, the author explains the relation of Islam to history and modernity; the real meaning and significance of jihad; and the status and role of women in Islam. The core values and principles of the Qur'an are timeless and when rightly understood serve as reliable guides to a healthy society through all the vicissitudes of culture in every time and place. All persons have a direct relationship with God, whether male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim. As for jihad, its meaning is striving or persevering toward those conditions that place the individual and the society in right relation with God, and the realization of justice, mercy, and compassion. There is no Islamic counterpart of the idea of a “crusade” or “holy war.” War is not necessarily bad or good, but it is sometimes necessary in self-defence.

Deeply concerned about the threat the puritans pose to the soul and reputation of Islam, the author calls upon moderates to become educated as much as possible about Islam and the Shari’a; and to consider themselves in a state of defensive jihad against the puritan heresy, and thereby to win the respect and support of Muslims and non-Muslims all around the world.

Familiarity with this book can help us understand some of the complex and diverse root causes of violence in our world today.