Political Islam.

Najjar, Fauzi M.

Edited by Charles E. Burreworth and I. William Zartman. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 524. Newbury Park, Cal.: Sage Publications, 1992. Pp. 236. $24.

This special issue of the Annals, edited by two eminent scholars, provides a historical, legal, theological and political perspective to the movement known as political Islam (al-islam al-siyusi), a term preferred by the editors to the current "Islamic fundamentalism." It consists of fourteen articles, divided into six general groupings. The first, "political Islam viewed across time," consists of "The Golden Age: The Political Concepts of Islam," and "Political Islam: The Origins," by Ira Lapidus and Charles Butterworth, respectively. Lapidus highlights two paradigms in terms of which one may understand the degree to which Islam may shape the political and cultural life of the modern Muslim. The first is the "undifferentiated" politico-religious community established by the Prophet and emulated by some of his successors. The second is the "differentiated structures of previous Middle Eastern societies," culminating in the Ottoman state, in which a virtual separation of religion and state was institutionalized. He concludes that Islam will play a greater role in personal and societal culture than in the structure and daily affairs of the state.

In a perceptive statement, Butterworth articulates the teaching of Islamic political philosophy, which focuses on virtue/excellence as an end of politics or the political regime. While in the modern West freedom/democracy replaces virtue, Islamicists insist on the concept but with an Islamic moral content. That is partially why democracy is of little or no concern in Islamicist literature. As he calls for "greater tolerance with respect to the basic presuppositions of those who look to religion for guidance," Butterworth is somehow silent about the rhetoric and actions of extremist Islamicists who claim to seek the same end by violence.

The second grouping, "nonofficial manifestations of political Islam," encompasses "Popular Islam" by Patrick D. Gaffney, "Militant Islam and the Politics of Redemption," by Mary J. Deeb, and "Conservative and Traditional Brotherhoods," by John 0. Voll. Gaffney discusses the nature of popular Islam and the changes it has undergone over time, pointing out how it has remained indifferent to Islamic modernism and its counterpart, Islamic conservatism, both being urban elite movements. Deeb examines five militant Islamic movements in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon and the Occupied Territories--all of them products of political and economic stagnation, deteriorating security conditions, pervasiveness of Western culture, and the secularization of Muslim states and leaders. She describes their ideology as one of "redemption." The latent motive of using religion to further political aims, an important component of today's political Islam is, however, left out, but later picked up by another contributor. Voll traces the contributions of Sufi orders to political islam: resistance to European imperialism, preservation of Islamic identity in times of upheaval, and the creation of "mass audiences for the fundamentalists' message."

In "Unofficial Attitudes to Political Islam," Nazih Ayubi and Shahrough Akhavi discuss Sunni and Shii theories of the state. Whereas Ayubi gives a historical perspective, Akhavi contrasts Egypt's Mufti's rebuttal of the jihad manifesto, al-Faridah al-Ghaibah, with Khumayni's vilayat-i faqih. They conclude that the ulamcz of both denominations agree that Islam is a religion and a state, and that the Shatia should apply to all aspects of public life.

"Monarchs, Mullahs, and Marshals: Islamic Regimes?" by Ibrahim Karawan, examines three regime-types of "Islam in Power" (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Sudan). He demonstrates how they use religion to legitimize their hold on power, Just as Islam is used to legitimize the status quo, it is also used to challenge it. The case of the FIS (Front Islamique du salut) and the December 26, 1990 elections in Algeria is used by Lahouari Addi to underscore the incompatibility of democracy with Islamicist Utopia as it has unfolded through time.

Four articles deal with political Islam outside the Middle East: the former U.S.S.R., Nigeria, Asia and Europe, where recent immigration has generated serious social conflicts, especially in Germany and France. The studies reveal similarities with political Islam in the Middle East, but also differences, resulting from different historical and cultural backgrounds and conditions.

The concluding article, "Democracy and Islam: The Cultural Dialectic," by I. William Zartman, focuses on the central issue confronting the Muslim world today, namely, how to be modern and remain truly Islamic. Zartman sees the conflict between democracy and political Islam as a dialectical process, the Hegelian thesis, antithesis, synthesis. He is correct in intimating that no modern value or institution would be accepted in the Muslim world unless it is reinterpreted in Islamic terms.

In view of an avalanche of articles, editorials, commentaries and judgments on Islam and Islamic fundamentalism, most of which are products of ignorance and bias, this collection of articles provides a scholarly background which will enable journalists and writers to see things in their true perspective.