Critical Muslim 02: The Idea of Islam PDF
Preview Critical Muslim 02: The Idea of Islam
Critical Muslim 2 The Idea of Islam Critical Muslim 2, April-June 2012 Editors: Ziauddin Sardar and Robin Yassin-Kassab Deputy Editor: Samia Rahman Publisher: Michael Dwyer Managing Editor: (Hurst Publishers) Daisy Leitch Cover Design: Fatima Jamadar Associate Editors: Abdelwahhab El-Affendi, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Iqbal Asaria, Michael Muhammad Knight, Vinay Lal, Hassan Mahamdallie, Ehsan Masood Contributing Editors: Waqar Ahmad, Merryl Wyn Davies, Farid Esack, Iftikhar Malik, Parvez Manzoor, Usama Hasan International Advisory Board: Karen Armstrong, William Dalrymple, Anwar Ibrahim, Arif Mohammad Khan, Bruce Lawrence, Ebrahim Moosa, Ashish Nandy Critical Muslim is published quarterly by C. Hurst & Co (Publishers) Ltd on behalf of and in conjunction with Critical Muslim Ltd and the Muslim Institute, London. Distributed in the United States, Canada and Latin America by Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. All correspondence to Muslim Institute, CAN Mezzanine, 49–51 East Road, London N1 6AH, United Kingdom e-mail for editorial: [email protected] The editors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed by the contributors. © 2012 Critical Muslim and the individual contributors. All rights reserved. C. Hurst & Co (Publishers) Ltd., 41 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PL ISBN: 978-1-84904-221-5 ISSN: 2048-8475 To subscribe or place an order by credit/debit card or cheque (pounds ster- ling only) please contact Kathleen May at the Hurst address above or email [email protected] Tel: 020 7255 2201 A one year subscription, inclusive of postage (four issues), costs £50 (UK), £65 (Europe) and £75 (rest of the world). The right of Ziauddin Sardar, Robin Yassin-Kassab and the Contributors to be identified as the authors of this publication is asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress THE BRITISH Ma mUSEUM Discover the Islamic World at the British Museum From early scientific instruments to contemporary art, explore how Islam has shaped our world through objects for centuries britishmuseum.ot1! Great RusseLL Street London WC1B3DG Holborn, Russell Square Mosque l £)'!"! p. bnemeii^ glass. Svi-i^cA:-" 1330-1=M5. OUR MISSION Critical Muslim is a quarterly magazine of ideas and issues showcasing ground-breaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, increasingly interconnected world. We will be devoted to examining issues within Islam, and Muslim socie- ties, providing a Muslim perspective on the great debates of contemporary times, and promoting dialogue, cooperation and collaboration between ‘Islam’ and other cultures, including ‘the West’. We aim to be innovative, thought-provoking and forward-looking, a space for debate between Mus- lims and between Muslims and others, on religious, social, cultural and political issues concerning the Muslim world and Muslims in the world. What does ‘Critical Muslim’ mean? We are proud of our strong Muslim identity, but we do not see ‘Islam’ as a set of pieties and taboos. We aim to challenge traditionalist, modernist, fundamentalist and apologetic versions of Islam, and will attempt to set out new readings of religion and culture with the potential for social, cultural and political transformation of the Muslim world. Our writers may define their Muslim belonging religiously, culturally or civilisationally, and some will not ‘belong’ to Islam at all. Critical Muslim will sometimes invite writers of opposing viewpoints to debate controversial issues. We aim to appeal to both academic and non-academic readerships; and emphasise intellectual rigour, the challenge of ideas, and original thinking. In these times of change and peaceful revolutions, we choose not to be a lake or a meandering river. But to be an ocean. We embrace the world with all its diversity and pluralism, complexity and chaos. We aim to explore everything on our interconnected, shrinking planet — from religion and politics, to science, technology and culture, art and literature, philosophy and ethics, and histories and futures — and seek to move forward despite deep uncertainty and contradictions. We stand for open and critical engagement in the best tradition of Muslim intellectual inquiry. Crescent Films is an award-winning independent production company with a record of producing high quality, original and entertaining television programmes for, amongst others, the BBC and Channel 4. Based in London, Crescent films specialises in documentaries on South Asia and the Muslim World. Our recent productions include ‘The Life of Muhammad’ a three part documentary series for the BBC, ‘Seven Wonders of the Muslim World’, ‘Muslim and looking for Love’ and ‘Women only Jihad’ for Channel 4. www.crescentfilms.co.uk [email protected] CM2 April–June 2012 CONTENTS THE IDEA OF ISLAM Ziauddin Sardar INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? 1 Bruce Lawrence MUSLIM COSMOPOLITANISM 19 S Parvez Manzoor JIHAD, ANYONE? 40 Samia Rahman ‘THE RACE OF WOMEN’ 57 Michael Muhammad Knight THE TAQWACORE VERSION 75 Soha Al-Jurf DO YOU BELIEVE? 85 Carool Kersten HERETICS 101 Ben Gidley COUSIN TROUBLE 123 ESSAYS Stuart Sim THE TYRANNY OF PROFIT 137 Andy Simons ALL THAT MUSLIM JAZZ! 156 ART AND LETTERS Robin Yassin-Kassab ERBIL DIARY 167 Hassan Blasim WORK FROM IRAQ 178 Ahmad Saadawi Nazand Begikhani Samarqand al-Jabri Mimi Khalvati FOUR POEMS 184 Said Adrus LOST PAVILIONS 188 Aamer Hussein SHORT STORY: THE MAN FROM BENI MORA 197 REVIEWS Ehsan Masood MARYAM AND THE MAULANA 209 Iftikhar Malik PAKISTAN: RECKONING AND REDEMPTION 226 Hassan Mahamdallie BEING AMERICAN 236 Jerry Ravetz THE ARABIC MAIMONIDES 240 ET CETERA Vinay Lal ASSESSMENT: EDWARD SAID 245 CITATIONS 261 Merryl Wyn Davies LAST WORD: 9/11 AND ALL THAT 271 CONTRIBUTORS 279 Istanbul: Model for Muslim Cosmopolitanism? The Muslim Institute is a learned society providing a space for its Fellows to freely debate and discuss the intellectual prob- lems and issues facing Muslim communities and the wider society. Our aim is to stimulate excellence in knowledge and thought. Become a Fellow to enjoy the facilities and activities available to help you engage with the best in contemporary thought and ideas. Benefits of joining • monthly gathering • winter conference • dynamic website • Critical Muslim • free books and monographs website www.musliminstitute.org [email protected] THE IDEA OF ISLAM } INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? by Ziauddin Sardar MUSLIM COSMOPOLITANISM by Bruce Lawrence JIHAD, ANYONE? by S Parvez Manzoor ‘THE RACE OF WOMEN’ by Samia Rahman THE TAQWACORE VERSION by Michael Muhammad Knight DO YOU BELIEVE? by Soha al-Jurf HERETICS by Carool Kersten COUSIN TROUBLE by Ben Gidley
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