Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization

336 Pages·2007·3.6 MB·English

by  Akbar S. Ahmed

J o u r n e y
I s l a m
i n t o
T H E C R I S I S OF
G L OB A L I Z AT I O N
A k b a r A h m e d
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j o u r n e y
I S L A M
into
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Akbar Ahmed speaking at one ofthe main mosques
in Deoband,India,the most orthodox center ofIslam
in South Asia.On the left is the head cleric,while
team member Hailey Woldt sits on the right.
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j o u r n e y
I S L A M
i n to
the crisis of
globalization
a k b a r a h m e d
brookings institution press
Washington,D.C.
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about brookings
The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research,education,
and publication on important issues of domestic and foreign policy.Its principal purpose is
to bring the highest quality independent research and analysis to bear on current and emerg-
ing policy problems.
On occasion Brookings Institution Press publishes works that warrant immediate circu-
lation to a broad,general audience as contributions to public understanding of issues of cur-
rent importance. These works are not subjected to all of the formal review procedures
established for the Institution’s research publications.We are pleased to publish Journey into
Islamin this vein.As in all Brookings publications,the judgments,conclusions,and recom-
mendations presented in this work are solely those of the author and should not be attrib-
uted to the trustees,officers,or other staff members of the Institution.
Copyright © 2007 by Akbar Ahmed
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without permission in writing from the Brookings Institution Press,
1775 Massachusetts Avenue,N.W.,Washington,D.C.20036,www.brookings.edu
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Ahmed,Akbar S.
Journey into Islam :the crisis of globalization / Akbar Ahmed.
p. cm.
Summary:“Presents a tour of Islam and its peoples as it follows author's
anthropological expedition to the three major regions of the Muslim world—the
Middle East,South Asia,and East Asia.Reveals unique information on large,often
misunderstood populations,describing the experiences and perceptions of ordinary
Muslims,women,and youth”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-0-8157-0132-3 (cloth :alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-8157-0132-2 (cloth :alk.paper)
1.Religious awakening—Islam. 2.Islam—21st century. 3.Globalization—
Religious aspects—Islam. 4.Islamic renewal—Islamic countries. 5.Islamic
countries—Description and travel.I.Title.
BP163.A3535 2007
297.09'0511—dc22 2007010770
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
The paper used in this publication meets minimum requirements of theAmerican National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials:
ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Typeset in Adobe Caslon
Composition by Cynthia Stock
Silver Spring,Maryland
Printed by R.R.Donnelley
Harrisonburg,Virginia
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
One An Anthropological Excursion into the Muslim World 1
Two The Struggle within Islam 49
Three Tribes,Women,and Honor in the Age ofGlobalization 83
Four Who Is Defining Islam after 9/11 and Why? 127
Five The Clash of Civilizations? 193
Six Lifting the Veil 245
Epilogue:The Hope of the World 269
Appendix:Analysis of the Questionnaires 275
Notes 287
Index 303
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Acknowledgments
This book is the product of a journey to the Muslim world with a team
of assistants dedicated to unraveling the complexities of Islam. Keenly
aware of the need to see into Muslim societies, I initiated a project that
would allow me to experience them firsthand.Along the way,I benefited
immensely from the collective wisdom,insights,and support of many peo-
ple,including generous hosts in the field,too numerous to name but all of
invaluable assistance.
This project would not have been possible without the extraordinary
support of Interim President Cornelius Kerwin and Dean Louis Goodman
of American University,Stephen Cohen and Peter Singer of the Brookings
Institution,and Luis Lugo and Tim Shah of the Pew Forum on Religion
and Public Life. I am particularly indebted to Dean Goodman for his
friendship and support before,during,and after the project.Most encour-
aging,I was appointed principal investigator for the project “Islam in the
Age of Globalization”along with another Muslim as my research assistant
at a time of growing Islamophobia.This seemed a sign of American will-
ingness to understand the Muslim world on its own terms.
I am also extremely grateful for the friendship and support of Jean and
Steve Case of the Case Foundation, Ambassador Doug Holladay and
Robert Woody of the Buxton Initiative,Lachlan and Martha Reed,John
Goodman, Nasser Kazeminy, Millicent and Robert Monks, Seeme and
Malik Hasan of the Hasan Family Foundation to Promote Understanding
vii
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viii Acknowledgments
between the United States and the Muslim World, and Haruhisa Handa
of the International Shinto Foundation.
A marvelous team worked with me on this project from start to finish
with unfailing belief in and commitment to its objectives.I deeply appre-
ciate what they did to help me survive the physically exhausting and emo-
tionally challenging journey,not to mention the intensive phase of writing
this book. They filled me with optimism and hope for the future. Each
participated and contributed in different ways, playing an integral role in
the whole.Undaunted by schedule changes or even illness,they pressed on
with collecting data or conducting interviews, their desire to learn and
enthusiasm a constant source of inspiration.The team was with me when
I interviewed presidents and princes, toured universities and madrassahs,
spoke at international centers,and visited synagogues,churches,mosques,
and even Hindu and Sikh temples.I learned so much from them that our
roles often became reversed,the students becoming the teachers.
Hadia Mubarak,my officially designated research assistant during and
after the field trip,is an Arab-American Muslim with an abiding interest
in the subject and its possible implications for the Muslim community in
the United States.Hailey Woldt and Frankie Martin,two of my star stu-
dents in an honors program I taught at American University, overcame
several obstacles to accompany me. Tridivesh Singh Maini, another stu-
dent, accompanied me in India and put together an excellent program
there. Jonathan Hayden, my office assistant, joined me during the last
stages of the journey.I was delighted to see Zeenat,my wife,and Nafees,
my daughter, who met us in Pakistan, and Amineh, my oldest daughter,
fresh from obtaining a Ph.D. in anthropology at Cambridge University,
also joined us during the last stages of the journey,and I benefited from her
presence and anthropological insights.In addition,Jerusha Ghazanfari and
Aishah Ma’ruf assisted me in Washington, D.C.,Talha Kose in Istanbul,
and Krystle Kaul in Cairo. Mela Norman and Marta Zoladz helped sort
the data and chart the findings upon our return.
Those who would complain of the lack of discipline and commitment
among the young should look to the team’s accomplishments in the sum-
mer of 2006, on our return from the Muslim world. Between mid-April
and August of that year,we codified the questionnaires,wrote up the inter-
views, and held a seminar to discuss our findings, and my book based on
the journey was completed—all this under very trying conditions:Hadia’s
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Acknowledgments ix
mother was hospitalized at this time,Jonathan had suffered a broken hand,
Frankie often worked well into the early hours researching some fact for
the book,and Hailey toiled week after week,even on Saturdays and Sun-
days, after already taking an entire term off from university to go on the
field trip.She was the only one of the team to accompany me from start to
finish, and largely because of her untiring commitment, energy, and
insights,I was able to complete the first draft of this book in three months.
Also,almost all the photographs in the book were taken either by Hailey
or with her camera.Her parting words to me and my family at the end of
that grueling summer captured her enthusiasm:“I will remember this time
as some of the happiest months of my life,learning ...and truly living as
you all have shown me how to.”
Throughout the journey,I was invited to lecture at various institutions
and events:the U.S.–Islamic World Forum at Doha,the Islamic Research
Center in Istanbul, a Friday sermon in a Damascus mosque, the Royal
Institute for Interfaith Studies and the Princess Sumaya University for
Technology in Amman,the Sindh Club in Karachi,the National Institute
of Historical and Cultural Research in Islamabad, Hamdard and Jamia
Millia Islamia universities in New Delhi, a Soka Gakkai event in Kuala
Lumpur, the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization
and International Islamic University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, the
University Tun Abdul Razak in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur,and the
State Islamic University in Jakarta.I would like to thank these institutions
for their gracious hospitality in welcoming me and my team.
I am grateful to the following for their comments on different drafts of
the manuscript:Roger Boase,Rajmohan Gandhi,Anthony Giddens,Hil-
lel Levine, Judea Pearl, Lawrence Rosen, Sir Jonathan Sacks, Tamara
Sonn,and Elie Wiesel.
My sincere thanks also go to all those at Brookings who helped to steer
this book into print, especially Steve Grand. I am particularly grateful to
Bob Faherty of the Brookings Institution Press for his enthusiasm for the
project and to those who worked ably and diligently on the book’s produc-
tion:Larry Converse,Vicky Macintyre,Janet Walker,and Susan Woollen.
Finally,I owe more than words can convey to my loving and wonderful
family,each one contributing so much to the understanding of Islam around
us:Zeenat,Amineh,Arsallah,Babar,Fatima,Umar,Melody,and Nafees.I
would like to single out Zeenat,who brought sagacity and understanding to