ASHE - Australasian School of Human Ecology...

.....because we are human

Islam must undergo Reformation after which it can join the modern world and take its place in western society. Until it achieves Reformation Islam is not and ought not to be welcome in a post- Enlightenment world. If not urged by intellectual pursuit and desire for improvement it is doubtful that Islam would be able to generate the energy to overcome the attitude expressed in this quote:

“The goal of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, of which I am a member, is to re-establish by political work alone an Islamic form of governance in the Muslim world; and in so doing, to end the damaging interference – political, economic and military – that has persisted in the Muslim world from the colonial powers and their “viceroys” until today. (Abdul Wahid, Tony Blair and Hizb-ut-Tahrir: “Muslims under the bed” Open Democracy 9/8/05)

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Following the end of the Roman Empire over a millennium passed with virtually no new knowledge or intellectual investigation in the West. Exceptions are notable because they are rare and include, inter alia, Pierre Abelard, Meister Eckhart and Hildegard of Bingen. The reason for this stagnation of scholarship following as it did the highlight of the Greek intellectual tradition, was twofold; the Medieval Church and the inheritance of Aristotelian philosophy. This is why we refer to that great period as “The Dark Age”.

When an Institution is held to be led by a role which is infallible there is little reason to make inquiry. This is how the Church operated under its head, the Pope who is held to be infallible in matters of faith. It was The Authority in all matters and as it was also a civil authority both civil and religious life were governed by the Church.

Aristotle provided the notion of the Great Chair of Being. This was an attempt to place all life along a hierarchy of importance from God at the top. The Church was so opposed to permitting new knowledge because once one item of the Chain of Being was disturbed other items might be disturbed and this could lead to a questioning of the Church’s teaching and authority. The Church established the Council of Trent which was designed to wrest back Papal authority from the newly rising Protestant movement; and deal with issues like Copernicus’ new knowledge. In order to enforce its will the Church
utilised the iniquitous process known as the Inquisition, a brutal re-education which not only used torture but was responsible, throughout Europe for the death of countless women who were judged to be witches. We now know that these women were practicing the ancient female arts of herbal medicine and midwifery.

When Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the Cathedral of Wittenburg in October 1517 he was motivated by a critique which included the corruption of the clergy who were not above becoming wealthy by charging for Indulgences (special blessings); the wealth displayed by clergy in the face of ordinary people; and the notion of the infallibility of the Pope.
Nineteen years after Wittenburg John Calvin fired the Reformation in Switzerland; four years after Luther’s death in 1546 John Knox led the Reformation in Scotland. In 1558 Elizabeth 1st established Anglicanism as the State Church of England.

With the breaking of the monopoly of the Medieval Church conditions were ripe for the Enlightenment, that process through which the basis of the modern age were laid in the development of science and industry. No longer were discoveries such as that of Copernicus prevented, by the Church, from being published. Even when Galileo attempted to bring this knowledge to light almost 100 years after Copernicus, he, Galileo was imprisoned by the Church. After about 1560 the smothering hold by the Church was broken and soon after the death of Copernicus, Francis Bacon continued the process of building Western science.

It is clear that without the Reformation, commenced by the German Martin Luther, western science could not have been developed and as a consequence of that we would not have had an Industrial Revolution and we would not now have our modern standard of living. When we think of the enormous changes which emerged from the Enlightenment we consider public sanitation which in itself prevented widespread infection (which has wracked the Medieval world in plagues); development of medicine and the wonder drugs of today; the establishment of industry and the countless items we take for granted today from the motor car to having a human stand on the Moon. Without Reformation Europe would have remained in the grip of ignorance, superstition and monolithic control.

Two cultures decided to turn their back on European Enlightenment, China and the Islamic world. Both retreated and remained with the status quo.
China was finally forced to open by British gunboats and now we see that vast nation racing to catch up with the construction of its modern cities. What we don’t see so readily is the 50% of Chinese population who dwell in rural areas which are not developed and might be right out of a medieval view.

Likewise throughout the Arab world there are scenes reminiscent of the Dark Ages. In Australian legislation had to be called upon to prevent Islamic immigrants performing deep female circumcision and clitorectomy. Public executions by sword are still seen on TV (performed incidentally at a soccer stadium in order for a large crowd to watch). Women are still stoned if perceived to be ‘sinful’ and may not appear in public without a male companion. Perhaps no better image of Dark Age exists than the images of Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. Women were not permitted to perform public work including primary school teaching and needless to say
items Western women take for granted such as makeup are banned.
Men may divorce their wives by circling them thrice saying they are divorced.
Most visible of all is the practice of wearing head to heel clothing and the veil which prevents a woman from being seen by anyone else. The application of
Sharia Law (Islamic Law) is synonymous with brutality and backwardness.

Most importantly Islam in its current medieval state prevents any progress in dogma, social practice and international relationships. In dogma Islam must confront its own belief in infallibility; its divisions between Shia and Sh’ite which is a constant source of warfare and murder; and its ancient learning methods. You will have seen the images of young boys sitting shaking their bodies to the chant of medieval texts.

Without Reformation Islam has no business in the West. This is something that individual Muslims do not realise and sadly the West is beginning to turn against Islam in Holland, France, Italy, Britain (post bombings) and elsewhere. This intolerance for jihad against the West will mean deportation, legal action, imprisonment (read for instance the speech of the shoe bomber in his US trial…it is clearly intolerable to a civilised person) and an expansion of mistrust.

Muslims want access to western nations and the wealth and prosperity available yet the individuals insist on wearing medieval costume, an act of insult to the host nation. It is not the clothing itself; Indians are accepted wearing saris for instance as Sikhs are accepted wearing headdress. It is the insistence on continuing medieval and brutal behaviour which gets some Muslims into trouble in the West. If they wish to participate in the wealth and prosperity then they must collectively enter, and then process, and finally emerge from Reformation. When this is achieved Islam will be able to join the modern world.

It is not up to non Muslims to tell Islam how to enter this process. This is a task for intellectuals, teachers, leaders and progressive elements to pursue within Islam. It will require willingness to question, debate, investigate, discuss and enjoin a sprit of change. Along the way it is predictable that the power of the mullahs must be removed in exactly the same way as the power of the priest was finally removed in modern Ireland. The current behaviour of
mullahs is incompatible with Reformation. They are as rigid, inflexible and corrupt as the medieval clergy and while it will be difficult for Muslim people to overcome and dismiss the entrenched role of mullahs in society nothing can progress until this occurs.

So we leave this essay in the hands of Islamic scholars to spread the word, to encourage debate, to challenge entrenched mullahs and imams; to have the courage to ask for and seek change. It will not be easy however it wasn’t easy for Luther, Calvin or Knox. The world wants to support this effort and Islam will find much encouragement freely available.

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