Ali Abdul-Raziq’s book was an attempt to sever any link between Muslims and the caliphate, and to reconstruct Islam in the image of European Christianity but in this case without the Pope.
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The End of History and the Caliphate
The reality is that the hegemony of Western governments and values is being disputed more openly as time passes. As re-emerging powers such as Russia, China and India all assert themselves regionally and internationally, demands to adopt the political values and philosophy of Western European and American governments are less relevant to those involved. This is particularly the case as aforementioned values and philosophy lie largely discredited even in the heart of the West itself
Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (3)
Common Discussions There are a number of reoccurring issues, confusions and misconceptions linked to the classification of the world into dar al-Islam and dar al-kufr. These include the number of classifications, taking the meanings of the classifications literally, conflation between classifications and rules related to issues as various as emigration, interest and fighting and the … Continue reading Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (3)
Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (2)
Islamic Scholarship and the Dar Paradigm There are numerous definitions of what constitutes dar al-Islam and dar al-kufr found among classical scholarship. A number of contemporary writers have compiled statements of scholars regarding the dar classifications – among them Juda’i (al-taqsim al-mamura fi-l-fiqh al-islami), Dr. Muhammad Haikal (al jihad wa-l-qital fi-l-siyassa al-shara‘iyya) and Dr. Abdul … Continue reading Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (2)
Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (1)
Introduction Since the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate, the Muslim community has faced the unique situation of the absence of a clearly defined political entity that represents the political unity of the Muslims and has an Islamic foundation in international relations. Alien forms of statehood were imposed from outside, creating secular nation-states where the basis … Continue reading Islamic IR Theory: The Dar Paradigm (1)
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The Caliphate Deniers
(The following is a section reproduced with minor edits from an article originally published in the academic journal Political Theology 11.6 (2010) 826-845) "Muslim secularists" - or the subset within them of "Caliphate deniers", being those who profess a Muslim belief but consider that Islam has nothing to say about the State, that any conception … Continue reading The Caliphate Deniers
Muslims, Islam and Liberal Democracy
This hegemony of the superiority and universality of democracy has underlain much of the approach to analysing the politics of Islamic individuals and groups across the Middle East and general Muslim world. ... This assumption is standard fare, with undergraduate books on comparative politics dividing governments into “democratic” on the one hand, with various models and shades, and anything completely outside the democratic category generally considered “authoritarian”. The promotion of democracy is considered to be an explicit objective of the West, and it could be argued that for any political discussion to be taken seriously requires the adoption of the slogans that aspire towards democracy and freedom. Alternatively it could be argued that the adoption of such slogans, whether by the general Muslim population or Islamic movements, obscures what is really being said by all sides involved.
Democratic Theory (2): Who are “the people”?
The first thing to note is that “the people” has never included all the people in a particular society – children for example are generally excluded. The question is how to define the limit of who has the right of participation in the ruling, and who is to be excluded.
Voting: A Brief Look
Democracy is fundamentally “rule by the people”, and is based upon total and complete sovereignty residing in “the people”.....Representative democracy is when representatives are chosen by the people in order to exercise that sovereignty on their behalf.... Voting for a candidate in a representative democracy is therefore the process of selection to choose someone to exercise the sovereignty of the people on your behalf.
Caliphate Contentions (4): It is permitted to have multiple Caliphs or rulers and multiple Islamic states
Historical precedence is not an evidence for permissibility. That it is not a source of Islamic ruling should be clear – if taken to its conclusion that would mean that we can point to the actions of some of the leaders historically to align themselves with groups hostile to the Muslims such as the crusaders or Mongols, or enforced hereditary rule, or other indiscretions of specific rulers which went unchecked, whether personal or otherwise – and suggest that they were also permitted since they took place. Such an argument is irresponsible, incorrect and contrary to Islamic thought.