by Abu Daoud
Some time ago I wrote a post titled "The Islamization of Europe" wherein I argued as follows:
Also, every one of those states has a Muslim population that is willing to use acts of violence to further their politico-religious aims (in Islam there is no distinction, of course). So yes, a Muslim city-state in France with Algerian leadership will look different than the Turkish Islamic city-state in Germany or the Pakistani one in England. They will not be alike, but they will all be Islamic which tells us a few clear things: no religious freedom, an inferior status for women, persecution of homosexuality, an increase in nepotism and decline in rule of law, and the use of state-sponsored violence to proscribe dissent. These are trends that one can find in every single Muslim state in the world.In other words, I see the decline of the nation state and the rise of the city state in the future. I recently made this point in relation to Libya, for instance. A recent article by Parag Khanna over at Foreign Policy describes neo-medievalism as follows:
Many see the global economic crisis as proof that we live in one world. But as countries stumble to right the wrongs of the corporate masters of the universe, they are driving us right back to a future that looks like nothing more than a new Middle Ages, that centuries-long period of amorphous conflict from the fifth to the 15th century when city-states mattered as much as countries.Khanna then addds some other important factors which I had not taken into account in my previous analysis, like multi-national corporations and arms dealers. Since companies like Exxon-Mobil and Apple are worth more than a good number of nation states in the world, this is a shrewd move.
Anyway, suffice to say that I am a neo-medievalist. Not because I like it, but because I find this projection for the future to be reasonable and sound. Lacking from Khanna's brief article is any discussion of Islam, but one need not expect that in one page.
Other posts on the Islamization of Europe can be found here:
European Islamdom I
European Islamdom II
European Islamdom III
PS: You can actually LIKE neo-medievalism on Facebook, how cool is that?
6 comments:
---an inferior status for women---
That depends on who you ask.
For example, Yvoonne Ridley was captured
by the Taliban but was released. After
studying Islam, she converted and lectures about how Islam treats the genders equally.
See the interview
http://www.onislam.net/english/politics/asia/448271
http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/contemporary-stories/420044.html
----persecution of homosexuality---
You have been misinformed.
The popular scholarly website onislam.net mentions that
-----This does not mean, however, that Islam turns a blind eye to the existence of homosexuality. In fact, the Qur'an does not deny that some men and women might be inclined towards homosexual and lesbian behavior, but it is quite clear from Islamic teachings that when and IF SUCH BEHAVIOR BECOMES MANIFEST,it must be stopped -----
http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-about-islam/islam-and-the-world/worldview/166832.html
(emphasis mine)
-----an increase in nepotism and----
???????????????????????
This is the first time I have heard someone say this about Islam.
The quran says
----Oh you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both. So follow not the lusts, lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well Acquainted with what you do.-----
You can refer to the commentarie of
Mufti Muhhamed Shafi for more info.
(Can be seen here http://www.islamicstudies.info/maarif.php?sura=4&verse=135)
----decline in rule of law, and the use of state-sponsored violence to proscribe dissent.---
I am curious to know where you heard this?
Shiekh Hamza Yusuf is one of the leading American scholars on Islam. He stated on Shaykh GFF Hadad's website:
----this is accepted by consensus. There is no vigilantism in Islam. Muslims believe in state authority.----
http://www.abc.se/~m9783/terr_e.html
----Lacking from Khanna's brief article is any discussion of Islam, but one need not expect that in one page. ----
With all due respect, this maybe because he knows that the theory of 'Eurabia' is not true.
Philip Jenkins, Penn State University professor writes.
----"If we look at the size of Europe's Muslim population today--and how it is projected to grow over time--then the Eurabian nightmares look ludicrous."----
http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-229-4053.htm
Even IF IT WAS TRUE, what is the problem, Prof. Sheptycki and Prof. Wardack have written a book on criminology in which they state
-----most scholars attribute the low Saudi Arabian crime rate mainly to the strong influence of Islam in various spheres of life in Saudi Society, PARTICULARLY TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SHARIA-----
Transnational and Comparative Criminology
Page 94
(E-book can be read on google books, like most book references I give)
Hi there IJ,
Fair enough. Can you show me somewhere in the world where Islam is working? I mean, where Islam and the shari'a have produced a stable, prosperous, egalitarian society?
--AD
Post a Comment