The Oxford University Islamic Society launched its groundbreaking Rethinking Islamic Reform conference this May 26, 2010. It has been noted as one of the first major Western platforms to substantively address reform from the perspective of respected, mainstream authorities on Islam and the West.
The full video and annotated transcript are available here, at www.rethinkingislamicreform.com.
While neither keynote address can receive full justice without being heard in full, the following summary offers brief insights into the breadth of urgent questions addressed by the conference.
Drawing upon the expertise of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson and Professor Tariq Ramadan, the following central questions were addressed:
- What is Islamic Reform? What is legitimate Islamic Reform? What are its spheres and remits?
- Why have Islamic reform projects thus far been met with distrust and trepidation from the Muslim grassroots?
- What is the interaction between Islam and the political, social, religious and cultural discourses surrounding it, if any? In other words, is the call to Islamic reform being affected from the outside, or is it an impulse that comes from within?
- What roles (if any) should governments play in Islamic reform and what are the challenges they face?
In response, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf noted how Islam, within its own tradition, recognises the permissibility of multiple interpretations of the legislative texts – the Qur’an and the Prophetic tradition. He further explains, however, how certain things (thawabit) are unchangeable and cannot be reformed. Thus, legitimate reform can only be accepted within Muslim communities if these thawabit are respected, and if reformers follow certain rigorous principles and guidelines. To illustrate, he explains “first and foremost, [understandings of the texts] have to be within the context of the language in which the revelation was revealed... the idea that somehow we can reinterpret the Qur'an in the light of 21st century language... is a very important departure for the vast majority of Muslims with certain reformist movements”.
In considering the role of governments in Islamic reform, Shaykh Hamza frankly warned the audience, which included government officials, that “nothing taints a reputation more in our community than an association with the government...and there's a reason for that - because governments never do that out of the graciousness of their goodwill. They co-opt.” Nonetheless, Shaykh Hamza qualified his statement by noting that there can be circumstances in which scholars must work with governments, and at times, Muslims may need governments to intervene on their behalf.
In his concluding remarks, Shaykh Hamza unpacked a number of contemporary issues with extraordinary insight, including the questions of ‘British Islam’ and civic engagement as Muslim populations in the West continue to rise.
Professor Tariq Ramadan’s also answered each question and outlined his vision for Islamic reform –termed ‘Radical Reform’. In line with this vision, Professor Ramadan urged Muslims to contribute intellectually in a variety of spheres, such as science, medicine, art and law. Furthermore, through working towards an Islamic Ethics, he anticipates Muslims will be able to develop important answers to many of the world’s ethical questions, contributing to positive reforms of social ills challenging humanity at large.
Professor Ramadan stated that a prerequisite for legitimate Islamic reform is ‘faithfulness’ to the texts of Islam: to the essence of the texts, and to the objectives of the texts. Faithfulness does not necessarily mean following traditional understandings of texts – in fact, sometimes “the answers to old problems are not the answers for new problems. And it might be that you are going to betray the very essence of the text if you literally implement one verse in a new specific environment because it doesn't fit”. Thus, the intention behind any reform attempt is vital, where reform should not be an impulse caused by feeling pressured into adaptation, but the impulse that comes from within Islam.
With the world becoming ever more complex, Professor Ramadan argues that the only way to be faithful to the texts is by incorporating intricate understandings of our world into our readings, through creating councils where ‘scholars of the text’ and ‘scholars of the context’ can engage in meaningful and productive channels of communication. Simultaneously, Muslims must be able to reform their pre-existing legal apparatus, such as the maqasid al-shariah (principles of jurisprudence), in order to effectively cope with, engage, and then contribute to this increasingly multifaceted world. He explains that “we are talking about reforming the minds, and not touching the essence of the religion.”
Professor Ramadan, however, also sent out a stern warning to many would-be reformers whose methodologies he considered to be unfaithful to the essence of Islam’s sacred texts. Attempts at reform aimed at simply conforming to the dominant culture or that have been influenced by nefarious government agendas are not carried out with the correct intention. Indeed, they are unfaithful to the texts, as the reformer’s design to adapt and please rather than to truly reform and contribute will ultimately be counterproductive to Muslim communities and serve only to harm. In addition, questions of reform must not be diluted to few issues of contemporary discussion, such as headscarves or terrorism. Rather, Muslims must stop being on the defensive and instead rise to respond to deeper questions, such as those surrounding the family, ethical finance, consumerism and global warming.
The Extended Question and Answer Session was an opportunity for the distinguished guest panel and audience including policy advisors, think tanks, journalists, government officials, theologians, scholars and other public figures to further explore many of the issues that had been touched upon during the evening. The Question and Answer Session dealt with numerous cutting-edge topics and issues, further illustrating why both speakers are in receipt of intellectual respect and authority from so many. A sample of the questions asked and subjects discussed include:
- What happens if the immutable (thawabit) of Islam are in conflict with Western Liberal values?
- How do Muslims have meaningful engagement with the government as citizens?
- Will reform mean less violence targeted at the West?
- What is the speakers’ advice to the new coalition government regarding reform movements, such as the Quilliam Foundation?
- Can a Muslim be a good Muslim and a neo-con at the same time?
source: http://rethinkingislamicreform.co.uk/summary
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