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Title: Muslim Anarchism Author: Erik van Luxzenburg Date: July 9, 2010 Language: en Topics: islam, history, anarchist history Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20110603055902/http://knol.google.com/k/muslim-anarchism#
Anarchism is an ideology which deeply affected human live since the
19^(th) century. In both positive and negative ways, anarchists have
influenced historical events and societies all over the world. The
deeper philosophy of Anarchism as been laid down by likes as the French
philosopher Pierre Joseph Proudhon, the Russian thinkers Mikhail Bakunin
and Peter Kropotkin and the famous writer Leo Tolstoy! Especially the
latest is of special notice here, because his thoughts combines the
Anarchistic thought with religion.Tolstoy is one of the leading members
(as you can speak of members among Anarchists) in the Christian
Anarchist movement.
And it was this movement combined with some current events in the
Islamic societies that made me wonder. Many Muslims would prefer the
Caliphate and a Khalifa to return to rule them as it is to maney the
only true Islamic form of government. Though their version of the
Khalifa does in most cases not differ from the average corrupt and
despotic rule in the Middle East to date. When we look at the few cases
in which an Islamist revolution succeeded a corrupted state emerged.
Iran and Afghanistan of the Taleban are notorius examples of how such a
corrupted world view would occur. As such, by thinking along the lines
of the Mullahs and Ayatollahs these people ignore the concept of Shûra
and other important Islamic thought. Perhaps they ignore the Shûra part
due to the fact that most Muslims never experienced any form of Shûra in
their lives as they live in some form of oppressive government. As Shûra
is said to consider an Amir/Emir/Ameer, to lead the people and consult
the people before making a decision, they accept any ruler even when
this rules does not consult them. They probably donât know what to do
when consulted.
From an Muslim Anarchist point of view such an Emir does not have to be
a human. A Muslim Anarchist consider Allah (swt) to be the only Emir he
or she pays allegiance to. That stems from the anarchistic view that no
other human can make another human listen, unless it is the free will of
the other human to listen. Then combined with the afore mentioned
concept of Shûra, it enables Muslim Anarchists to create consensus in
accordance to the will of Allah (swt) as laid down in the Qurâan the
Hadith and prevent chaos to rule their society.
Islam is accoring to many a religion that can be simple in all itâs
complexity, as well that it can be complex in all itâs simplicity.
To work on a workable Muslim Anarchist framework will take some time.
Also the nature of Anarchism means that people will tend to disagree
with eachother. In this Islam will provide a natural constitution for
Anarchist to agree upon. As the Qâuran and Hadith provides
straightforward guidelines for humankind to live by. The Wikipedia on
Islam and Anarchism, mentions some famous westerners and Muslims who had
anarchistic ideals!
The French cartoonist Gustave-Henri Jossot, a frequent contributor to
anarchist magazines, converted to Islam in 1913, citing âsimplicity, no
priests, no dogmas and almost no ceremoniesâ as reasons. After the
change, he continued to criticize the idea of a fatherland, demanded
equal payment for all, rejected political action, violence and formal
education. He rejected social action, with the rationale that change is
only possible on an individual level.
An important and influential figure in the 20^(th) century was Ali
Shariati, one of the ideologues of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and
of whom Jean Paul Sartre said: âI have no religion, but if I were to
choose one, it would be Shariatiâsâ. After the Islamic Revolution took
on a particularly vicious authoritarian note, Shariati was imprisoned
for his lectures, which were extremely popular with the students, and
was forced to flee Iran. He was assassinated shortly afterwards.
Although Shariati was not an anarchist, his vision of Islam was one of a
revolutionary religion siding with the poor. He believed that the only
true reflection of the Islamic concept of Tawhid (unity and oneness of
God) is a classless society.
these people just show that the thought goes deeper than one might think
and stretches further, inspiring even others.
If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily you
indeed would be losers
as states the Holy Qurâan Surah 23 Al-Muâminun Ayat 34.
This quote proves that Islam does contain Anarchistic elements! The
renouncement of government appears clearly in the Qurâan as as such no
Muslim should obey any other Muslim, but only listen to others in order
to make up his own mind!
Throughout history, there have been anti-authoritarian movements within
Islam, but they are not well-documented and it is not clear how much
impact they have had on mainstream Islam.
The first recorded strand of anti-authoritarian Islam dates all the way
back to the death of the third Caliph UthmÄn ibn âAffÄn (Arabic: ŰčŰ«Ù Ű§Ù
ŰšÙ ŰčÙۧÙ) . They had a disagreement about who should succeed him as the
leader of Muslims, resulting in the Shia â Sunni split. There was a
third group, however, the Kharijites, who opposed both the Sunni and
Shia sects, and claimed that any qualified Muslim could be an Imam. They
held that all people were individually responsible for the good or evil
of their acts. They challenged all authority and encouraged all,
especially the poor and dispossessed, to see the struggle against
injustice as being divinely sanctioned. However, although Kharijites saw
all believers completely equal regardless of any social differences,
they believed that non-believers had no rights, and could be killed. At
least one sect of Kharajites, the Najdiyya, believed that if no suitable
imam was present in the community, then the position could be dispensed
with.
A strand of Mutazalite thought paralleled that of the Najdiyya: if
rulers inevitably became tyrants, then the only acceptable course of
action was to stop installing rulers.
As both Sunni and Shia strands of Islam developed into authoritarian
ideologies, the libertarian ideas within Islam continued most strongly
through Sufism, the mystic strand of Islam. Sufism was very common at
the edges of the Islamic empires, in secluded areas, and developed under
the influence of eastern philosophy, and anti-authoritarian and
revolutionary ideas are present throughout its history. Many Sufi orders
and Sufis advocated and struggled for womenâs equality and social
justice.
Sufism also provided much of Islamic poetry and literature where these
tendencies are visible. One of the most famous Sufi poets was the
Persian writer Farid al-Din Attar, who lived in the 13^(th) century CE.
In one of his books, âMuslim Saints and Mystics: Episodes from the
Tadhkirat al-Auliyaâ (Memorial of the Saints)â, Attar tells a story of a
Sufi teacher Fozail-e Iyaz (supposed to have lived in 8^(th) century CE)
and the 5^(th) Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. As Harun looks for a
person in his kingdom who can reveal the truth about him, he finds
Fozail, who is the only person who speaks honestly and without fawning.
Fozail tells Harun that he respects no authority and that ââto obey God
for one moment is better than a thousand years of people obeying youââ.
Although there are examples of anti-authoritarian tendencies throughout
the history of Islam, the main developments happen in the 20^(th)
century, which reintroduces liberal interpretations of Islam and sees
mixing of radical left ideas and Islam.
The French cartoonist Gustave-Henri Jossot, a frequent contributor to
anarchist magazines including lâAssiette au Beurre which published
numerous illustrated polemics railing against the Catholic church,
converted to Islam in 1913, citing âsimplicity, no priests, no dogmas
and almost no ceremoniesâ as reasons. After the change, he continued to
criticise the idea of a fatherland, demanded equal payment for all,
rejected political action, violence and formal education. He rejected
social action, with the rationale that change is only possible on an
individual level.
An important and influential figure in the 20^(th) century was Ali
Shariati, one of the ideologues of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and
of whom Jean Paul Sartre said: ââI have no religion, but if I were to
choose one, it would be Shariatiâsââ. After the Shahâs regime took on a
particularly vicious authoritarian note, Shariati was imprisoned for his
lectures, which were extremely popular with the students, and was forced
to flee Iran. He was assassinated shortly afterwards.
Although Shariati was not an anarchist, his vision of Islam was one of a
revolutionary religion siding with the poor. He believed that the only
true reflection of the Islamic concept of Tawhid (unity and oneness of
God) is a classless society.
The young anarchist Isabelle Eberhardt rejected anarchism for Islam in
North Africa in 1897. The Sufi sect she joined was involved in the
anti-colonial struggle.
Since much of the anarchist movement has occurred in countries under the
influence of the Christian tradition, anarchist criticism of religion
has been historically focused on Christianity. While some of this
criticism can be extended to the belief in God and organised religion in
general, Western anarchists have been so immersed in the Christian
tradition that transferring these criticisms to Islam is often
inaccurate. The Western world, and by extension Western anarchists,
often sees Islam as a political religion, dictating all aspects of
society and daily conduct. This goes against anarchist principles of
self-determination in oneâs daily life.
Anti-Islamic anarchist criticism centers the coercion they see imposed
on women in certain Muslim societies, as well as the oppression which
Homosexuals experience in these Islamic states (see Homosexuality and
Islam). In the popular imagination of the West, some Islamic societies
are patriarchal, where women are forced to wear a veil and are denied
basic rights like voting and education. While anarchists would not
advocate for voting for leaders (as opposed to voting on issues ) or, in
a small number of cases, formal education, the reasons for these denials
become the source of conflict. In many Muslim countries, homosexuality
is illegal and subject to harsh physical punishment, which violates
anarchistic concepts of equality and anti-oppression. It is disputed,
however, how many of these issues are tied to the religion specifically
and how many stem from regional customs. Furthermore, many contemporary
feminists, especially Muslim feminists, do not see the Islamic tradition
of âhijabâ (modest dress) as oppressive to women.
Also problematic to anarchists is the Islamic treatment of apostates and
non-Muslims. The concept of Jihad (which is a traditionally
controversial topic among Islamic scholars), while meaning âto struggle
in faith,â and originally used mostly in connection with a personal,
internal obstacle, is often understood to mean a holy war against
unbelievers. Anarchists also oppose Sharia law, which is based on the
Qurâan and early Muslim traditions and calls for harsh physical
punishment for transgressions against religious teachings. Most Muslim
states today do not implement Sharia law.
In the 19^(th) and 20^(th) century, there have been a rising number of
liberal Muslims who question orthodox interpretations of Islam. These
Muslims concentrate on the concept of self-realisation, called Ijtihad.
Many liberal Muslims call for complete equality of men and women, accept
homosexuality, and reject Sharia law, thus removing many of the
anarchist objections to Islam. Many liberal Muslims do not see their
movement as a reformation, but rather a return to the essence of Islam,
which they say was corrupted through the years.
Peter Lamborn Wilson, who writes under the pen-name Hakim Bey, has
combined Sufism and neo-Paganism with anarchism and situationism. He is
most known for his concept of Temporary Autonomous Zoneâs, which
influenced the âreclaim the streetsâ movement and events such as the
Love Parade. However, it is debatable whether he can be described as
either a Muslim or an anarchist, as opposed to being influenced by both
ideologies.
On June 20 2005, Yakoub Islam, a British-based convert to Islam,
published his online Muslim Anarchist Charter. The charter asserted a
set of basic principles for anarchist thought and action founded on a
Muslim perspective. These reaffirm some of the core principles of Islam,
including a belief in God, the prophecy of Muhammad and the human soul,
but assert the possibility that a Muslimâs spiritual path might be
achieved by refusing to compromise with institutional power in any form,
be it judicial, religious, social, corporate or political.