The contemporary Islamic governed state : a reconceptualization

336 Pages·2017·3.422 MB·English

Palgrave Series in Islamic Theology, Law, and History
The Contemporary
Islamic Governed State
A Reconceptualization
Joseph J. Kaminski
Palgrave Series in Islamic Theology,
Law, and History
Series editor
Khaled Abou El Fadl
School of Law
University of California
Los Angeles
CA, USA
This ground-breaking series, edited by one of the most influential schol-
ars of Islamic law, presents a cumulative and progressive set of original
studies that substantially raise the bar for rigorous scholarship in the field
of Islamic Studies. By relying on original sources and challenging com-
mon scholarly stereotypes and inherited wisdoms, the volumes of the
series attest to the exacting and demanding methodological and peda-
gogical standards necessary for contemporary studies of Islam. These
volumes are chosen not only for their disciplined methodology, exhaus-
tive research, or academic authoritativeness, but for their ability to make
critical interventions in the process of understanding the world of Islam
as it was, is, and is likely to become. They make central and even piv-
otal contributions to understanding the experience of the lived and liv-
ing Islam, and the ways that this rich and creative Islamic tradition has
been created and uncreated, or constructed, deconstructed, and recon-
structed. In short, the volumes of this series are chosen for their great
relevance to the many realities that shaped the ways that Muslims under-
stand, represent, and practice their religion, and ultimately, to under-
standing the worlds that Muslims helped to shape, and in turn, the
worlds that helped shaped Muslims.
More information about this series at
http://www.springer.com/series/14659
Joseph J. Kaminski
The Contemporary
Islamic Governed
State
A Reconceptualization
Joseph J. Kaminski
International University of Sarajevo
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Palgrave Series in Islamic Theology, Law, and History
ISBN 978-3-319-57011-2 ISBN 978-3-319-57012-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57012-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017939336
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This book is dedicated to my late grandfather, John Victor Penrod
[1932–2009], who taught me the values of hard work, discipline,
and intellectual curiosity.
S e ’ P
erieS ditor S reface
The volume that I have the honor of introducing in the Palgrave Series
on Islamic Theology, Law, and History is a distinctively thoughtful and,
I daresay, intellectually prodigious contribution to contemporary schol-
arly discourses on Islam and governance. Since the end of the age of
empires and the rise of nation-states, the subject of Islam and govern-
ment has been the focus of much attention. Of the many writings in this
field, Joseph Kaminski’s contribution is necessary, comprehensive, press-
ing, and superlative. This volume provides readers with a learned and
cautious exploration of the major intellectual orientations within the
Islamic classical heritage on what may be described as Islamic politics.
However, Kaminski does not analyze the classical Islamic discourses on
power, justice, and government in an historical vacuum. One of the most
important contributions of this book is that it situates and links classi-
cal Islamic political thought with its proper historical lineage in Greek
and Persian thought. However, Kaminski does not treat the classi-
cal normative orientations of the Islamic tradition as determinative for
modern Muslims. Unlike many studies that limit themselves to an his-
torical exploration of pre-modern Islamic thought without investigating
the ways that contemporary Muslims have negotiated their own intel-
lectual heritage, with notable mastery and finesse, Kaminski gives equal
weight to the classical heritage as well as the lived experience of mod-
ern Muslims. Consequently, readers will receive a deeply informed intro-
duction to the classical discourses on governance and politics as well as
insightful case studies of the ways that the Islamic intellectual heritage
vii
viii SERIES EDITOR’S PREFACE
was negotiated by modern Muslims in Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and
Malaysia. Most significantly, Kaminski does not limit himself to a descrip-
tive survey of the continuities and disruptions between the Muslim past
and present. Kaminski’s project is far more ambitious. He attempts a
reconceptualization of what Islamic governance means in the mod-
ern age and, in this regard, his arguments are provocative and compel-
ling. Notably, Kaminski is equally comfortable and adept at navigating
the intellectual terrain of Islamic thought as he is with Western politi-
cal theory. In analyzing what the right to self-determination means for
modern Muslims, Kaminski takes readers on an intellectual journey from
Michel Foucault and Ernesto Laclau to Robert Dahl’s Polyarchy in argu-
ing for a substantial difference between what he describes as an Islamic
state as opposed to an Islamic governed state. Perhaps most provoca-
tively, Kaminski argues that while democracy is a necessary and wise form
of rule for an Islamic governed state, the same cannot be said about lib-
eralism. Moreover, Kaminski contends that while democracy is compat-
ible with the values of Islamic governance, liberalism is not. Whether
readers are ultimately persuaded by the author’s approach or not, it is
undeniable that Kaminski has made an emphatically pressing and cogent
contribution to contemporary discourses on Islamic political thought,
liberalism, and democracy. In my view, no serious student of Islamic
political thought or Islamic politics can afford to ignore Kaminski’s chal-
lenging and inspiring contribution to the field. With this, I take distinct
pride in introducing this inspired and sorely needed scholarly voice to
readers interested not just in Islam and governance and politics, but also
the role of religion and religiously inspired traditions in modern polities.
March 2017 Khaled Abou El Fadl
Alfi Distinguished Professor of Islamic Law
UCLA School of Law
a
cknowledgementS
I first would like to thank the series editor, Khaled Abou El Fadl, for
believing in this manuscript. It truly is an honor to be a part of this
very prestigious series. I would also like to thank Amy Invernizzi and
Phil Getz at Palgrave for all of their help during the publishing process.
Second, I would like to thank my late dissertation advisor, Michael A.
Weinstein, for sharing his wisdom with me over the years—it was truly
a privilege to have spent 5 years under your aegis while I was at Purdue.
I hope that you would have been proud of my efforts in this work. I
would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to Stephen Eric Bronner
and the late Marshall Berman for their years of unwavering support,
mentorship, and professional guidance—you both most certainly taught
me to think outside the box and not be afraid to take risks. Regarding
this particular book, I would like to thank Fred Dallmayr, Zillur R.
Khan, Saqib Sheikh, and Robert Oprisko for your invaluable advice.
Next, I would like to thank the following individuals who I feel most
directly inspired my intellectual and professional development over these
years: Richard Ossana, Ralph Holden, Pam Miller, Harry Targ, William
McBride, S. Laurel Weldon, Bert Rockman, Jay McCann, Richard Wolin,
Joan Tronto, David Palazzo, Barry Murdaco, Justin Mueller, Christopher
Kulseza, Marco Morini, Peter Plenta, Jared Bell, Nathan Munier, Emil
Knezovic, Ali Çaksu, Aliye Fatima Mataraci, and Mesut Idriz.
Finally, I would like to thank my amazing wife, Maryam Golzardi,
and her father, Mohammad Reza Golzardi, for the long intellectual
ix
x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
conversations about Islam and politics we had over tea in Sarajevo. I
would also like to extend my warmest affections to my parents Debbie
and Joseph William Kaminski, my sister Holly, my wonderful nieces
Giana and Liliana, my cousins Eric and Lindsay, and my saintly grand-
mother, Suzanne Penrod, for their years of continued emotional sup-
port while I was living away from home in New Jersey, New York City,
and Sarajevo; you guys have always been there for me and I love you all
dearly.