Editorial

Muslim Renaissance:
Challenges in the

Twenty-first Century
The last three decades have brought profound changes to how we look at
the funadmental notions that define the modern world, such as culture, ide-
ology, religion, reform, and progress. A drastic shift from a bipolar world
defined by the rivalry betweeen the liberal West and the communist bloc in
the 1980s, to a globalization intent upon breaking both market and cultural
barriers in the 1990s, to a new form of polarization driven by religious and
cultural exclusivism at the turn of the twenty-first century. Not only has
communism succumbed and disappeared as a credible sociopolitical force,
but liberalism itself is in retreat even in the United States, the most liberal
society of all, giving way to a new tide of conservatism.

Evidently, the tide of conservatism seeking to replace both progres-
sive and revolutionary movements does not bring new hopes of a better
future; rather, it seems to be bent on reclaiming old postures of self-
righteousness and ethnicity that fueled hatred, international hostility, and
wars. Secularist idedologies are giving rise to religious ideologies, as can
be seen clearly in almost every culture, whether in the United States,
India, or Turkey.

In Muslim societies, religious conservatism has cloaked the Islamic
reform movement’s forward vision and threatens to roll back its achieve-
ments. The reform movement also has been suppressed by the overbear-
ing political regimes ruling the Muslim world. Many people question
whether an Islamic renaissance – or a renaissance based on Islamic val-
ues – is even posible and, if so, how does it relate to rising conservative
and declining modernist ideologies?



Renaissance: A Metaphor and Historical Patterns
Modern European history started with the Renaissance that took place in
southern Europe, at the frontiers of cultural exchange between Islam and the
West. It was the contrast between “self” and “other” that brought about the
first signs of cultural change. For many, this Renaissance is the metaphor and
frame of reference that guide our discussion and inspire our imagination.

Speaking of a Muslim renaissance goes far beyond the language of
metaphor, though, for it relates to historical patterns of change that can be
traced to every known civilization: Sumeria, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and
Rome, as well as Islamic and western civilizations. Those that eventually
became universal civilizations all passed through a renaissance of sorts
before becoming the great civilization that they are and were.

Today, Muslims live in the modern civilization of the West and yet con-
tinue to be influenced greatly by Islamic civilization. Indeed, Islamic civi-
lization, its cultures and accomplishments, are both a source of inspiration
and constraint for modern Muslims.

Sailing into the Rough Terrain of Social Change 
While the general patterns of cultural and civilizational change are similar,
the sequence and character of change are not identical. Contemporary histo-
rians, particularly in the Muslilm world, describe Islam’s resurgence as a
reawakening that began under the rising pressure of European colonialism.

The call of such early Islamic reformists as Jalal al-Din al-Afghani
(1838-97), Muhammad ‘Abduh (1849-1905), and Muhammad Iqbal (1873-
1938) did not lead Muslim societies to liberation and strength; rather, it was
followed by a state of oppression and weakness from which the Muslim
world has yet to recover. In fact, the reawakening has yet to lead to an envi-
ronment in which Islam’s universal and sublime values once again can shape
and guide the contemporary practices and institutions of Muslims. The mod-
ern nation-state’s repressive power in the Muslim world has left no room for
such creative reform.

Reconciling Islam with Modern Society
Faced with oppression and a lack of opportunity for creativity and growth,
many Muslims left for the West in their quest for academic, spiritual, eco-
nomic, political, and social growth. The phenonenon of a growing and
vibrant Muslim community in the United States is quite recent, and it is too

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early to predict the direction in which this almost unprecedented experi-
ment is going. But regardless of its direction, the United States provides a
relatively free environment in which Islam can interact with modern society.
And herein lies the tremendous responsibility, and possibly the historical
meaning, of Muslim Americans. The question Muslim Americans face today
fas far-reaching consequences: Can they reconcile modern practices and
institutions with Islamic values and assumptions?

In the last two or three decades, Muslim Americans have displayed a
great zeal and marked ability to build communities and to reassert their
Islamic commitments and identities. Islamic centers, schools, and national
organizations have mushroomed throughout the country. In many ways,
such efforts reflect a remarkable ability to adapt and catch up with a vibrant
American society. Then 9/11 came to complicate life for Muslims in the
West, but also to bring them closer to achieving their historical role. This
tragedy put all Muslim Americans in the spotlight and in the heart of evolv-
ing world history. As a result, no longer can they afford to speak to them-
selves only or to operate in the splendind isolation they enjoyed during the
last three decades.

Despite being faced with tremendous challenges, Muslim Americans
have unparalled opportunities to give Islam a new expression, suitable to
the age in which they live, and to help modern society overcome its current
predicaments.

Transcending Islamic Traditionalism and
Western Modernism
Islamic traditionalism permeates the practices and thinking of Muslim soci-
eties. Many current Muslim customs and social habits are continuations of
historical practices. The core of Islam’s message consists of universal values
and principles, as well as basic concepts and beliefs: justice, compassion,
honesty, cooperation, the equal dignity of human beings, respect for the reli-
gious and moral freedom of every person, and so on. These values are
abstract concepts that can function only when given a specific interpretation.
All interpretations are historically bound, because they are provided by his-
torically bound human beings.

Today, many of the social, economic, and political ideas found in
works by early Muslim authors are not suited for nurturing contempo-
rary or future societies, because these ideas dealt with specific historical
situations faced by specific Muslim communities. Now, many Muslims

Editorial iii



live in modern societies that emerged and have been influenced greatly
by a particular historical experience. At the heart of this experience is the
process of secularization.

Secularism in the West operates at two levels: political and social. In
the United States, political secularism basically means that the state shall
neither impose one religion on society nor deny the exercise of religion. In
many countries, however, political secularism has taken a militant form. In
Turkey, for example, the state has forced women, in the name of liberation,
to take off what they believe to be a religiously ordained head cover, and
has prohibited the teaching of the Qur’an to children.

Social secularism, defined as the ongoing purging of the religious foun-
dation of social morality, has led to the gradual erosion of social morality.
Further, it has, in spite of the efforts of modern secualrists, led to the resur-
gence of religion and its encroachment upon the public sphere. Unfortunately,
the brand of religiosity expressed in the public sphere is bigoted and divisive,
and reminds us of the religious intolerance of medieval Europe. Recent
attacks by such Evangelical ministers as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and
Franklin Graham are indicative of the type of political desecularization that
we are facing. These attacks are obviously political in nature, and are preludes
to violations of Muslim rights and calls to violence. And, combined with the
views and efforts of the bin Ladens of the world, they can only bring about a
meaner and nastier world.

Muslim Americans’ Place in
the Islamic Renaissance
The historical and geographical positioning of American Muslims demands
that they rise to the occasion and provide an alternative to religious bigotry.
American Muslims are well situated to bring about a shining and forward-
looking model of society in which religion is reconciled with modern society.

In so doing, they can provide a new vision of how Islam can be lived
to its fullest extent in modern society, and how religion can be reconciled
with contemporary social life without relapsing into medievalism. But for
that to happen, Muslims need to meet two conditions: liberate themselves
from traditionalism by deepening their commitment to Islam’s universal
values, and forge ahead in the knowledge that the Islam they love and
embrace still has a lot to offer to humanity.

Louay M. Safi

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