The Islamism: Origin, Ideology, Aims & Objectives
Nations around the world follows different ideologies to generate a direction for themselves. An ideology is a way of thinking, a set of beliefs, aims and ideas. It sets the vision for the group attached to it. Its purpose is to bring a specific change or carry out a certain task among its followers in accordance with a thorough thought process. When ideologies differ it gets difficult for the people belonging to a certain group to stay coherent. Ideological differences have triggered such events that were found to be powerful enough that they have shrugged the atlas several times.
Wars had been fought by those who reject leading their life in the ways that conflicts with their own ideological beliefs. Islamic Ideology Islam is a religion of having faith in the oneness of God, finality of Prophet-hood, following the code of conduct according to the principles mentioned in the Holy Book and practicing the preaching of Holy Prophet. Islam emphasizes on building individual characters in an exemplary way so that a foundation of an ideal society could be laid.
All Muslims have been ordered by their God Almighty to follow instructions prescribed in their Holy Book Quran, the purpose of this guidance is to lay down a way of life in which the laws mentioned in the book regulates a men’s relationship with other men and with his God. It provides a guideline for a man to maintain his social life along with his communion with the God. It indicates to a Muslim in his quest for knowledge, principle that enhances his capability to observe universe and nature with more understanding.
Quran is not a book of science; it’s basically a book that deals with the basic principles of human life it preaches belief in oneness, immateriality, absolute power of the creator, charity for needy, brotherhood among mankind, subjugation of passions, the concept of accountability of human actions in the life after death, a system that teaches men to be grateful to all those who help and development of a sense of social consciousness by carefully performing those actions that are sensible and right and avoiding those that are forbidden and harmful for self and others.
Islamism Islam provides Muslims a code of conduct that has been written in the Holy Book. Muslims are supposed to understand and follow it and when it comes to understanding there are different possible interpretations of the same text. Islamism is not a single concept rather it’s a product of different ideologies that exists within the umbrella of Islam. Islam is a religion that provides guideline for the Muslims around the world. Islamism has ideological conflicts.
In general all these ideological groups call them Islamists, a group of people that completely rejects accepting secular governments and institutions and aim to align the entire world and its establishments in accordance to Sharia, the Muslim Law. One single society could have several directions of Islamism contributing to the fact that it’s been initiated by different groups trying to enforce their own ideologies and they seemed to never cooperate.
Islamism expects its followers to align his life in complete adherence to the sacred law of Islam and completely rejects any foreign influences that may try to force any law or code of conduct that contradicts what is being mentioned in Islamic law. Islamism has in its root anger for non-Muslims and it condemn west to greatest extent. What it aims is to convert a religion into a kind of ideology. Origin of Islamism A little more than just 200 years before Muslim world was considered the hub of science and literature.
Muslim scholars have laid such foundations that were later used by European researches to build extremely beneficial artifacts that have amazed the world. During the prime era of Muslims, there were mathematicians, doctors, scientists, philosophers, researchers and artists that people from around the globe used to come and learn from them. The theories presented by Muslim scholars are the basis of most of the modern scientific inventions and innovations.
The downfall arose when the Muslim world interacted with the Europeans; its dated around 200 years back in 1798 when Napoleon landed in Egypt and the Muslim worlds came in contact with the Europe. From here came the influence and impact of European culture and civilization on the Muslims. The two nations are not incompatible but the ideological differences became evident when conflicts triggered events that lead to development of anger and hostile feelings among contradicting nations. According to Daniel Pipes:
This confrontation was clearly shown in the aftermath of the fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini against Salman Rushdie. Contrary to popular expectation, the lines in 1989 were drawn not between Muslim and Westerners, but between those who supported the ayatollah, or in some fashion sympathized with him, and those who were against him. One found many Muslims and Westerners on both sides. This illustrates how it is ideas that count, not religion. (Distinguishing between Islam & Islamism, 1998)
The origination of Islamism is neither a single event nor responsibility of a particular person. It is the fundamentalist Islamic approach carried forward by those Islamic radicals that completely rejects the western culture and way of thinking. Series of events in history builds such anger among the Muslims that were once the most successful nation on the map of earth that they started to rebel and participate in destructive activities so that world could again come in their control, this time if not by education or technology then by force and devastation.
Aims and Objectives There can’t by another explanation of Islamism but just that it’s like the other utopian schemes that have been proposed and adopted world wide and provides its followers ways and guidelines to control a state, take measures that help running a society and extend philosophies in order to re-make human beings inhabiting that state. The concept has been given an Islamic touch but over all it’s a totalitarian scheme. It embodied a complete transformation of the actual traditional Islam.
It has an element of modernization, for instance it deals with issues related with a modern society, address problems arises in urban living and modern day women issues, and it provides guidance for the non-traditional problems faced by my occupations. It completely ignores Islamic principle of restricting laws and regulations to the individual and society rather it tries to inject geographically restricted rules in its effort to come at par with western style geographic law. It’s not a system that has evolved as result of poverty and money.
It’s a reaction to modernization by those thinkers that try to find their own ways out in changing world environment and politics. Many educated people are Islamists and running their states according to their own ideology. Islamism has been evolved lately as a huge force that is responsible for running countries like Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan. In Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine they exists as the strong opposition force. Though its been observed that Islamists are not in majority but even if they consists of minority it’s a very active one.
The countries where they have establishments they are very successful and they not only run their own territories but they also interfere in their neighborhood and participate in overall world politics. Its been feared that if they grow their powers they will be responsible for contraction of economic stability, women oppression world wide, human right violation, terrorism and arms race. The ideas presented by Islamists belonging to different countries differ in ideologies and they are very difficult to predict.
All Muslims are all well aware that they were the superior military and cultural force in the world for centuries, and the reversed situation in the modern ages hurts the pride of Muslims. As many Muslim countries have tried to copy both the capitalist system, and others the socialist system, and all have seen little but marginal success, Islamists are working for re-establishing what the promote as a “third alternative”; a political system that they claim is similar to the one which once made unknown tribes grow into becoming lords of empires in a few decades.
But in order to create such a society, the Islamists are not rejecting modern technology, and are very concerned about implement this on a grand scale in an Islamist society. And because of the technology, the Islamists believe that the coming Islamist society will be an even better society than the one of the Golden Age. (Islamism, 2008) Even if what Islamists are trying is to bring the Golden period of Muslims back they are overlooking the fact that being intolerant, conservative and violent is something that was even practiced by Muslim rulers of history who ruled the world.
A liberal Islam that encourages peace and harmony has always been the pride of a Muslim. Islam in its fundamental teachings promotes tolerance and love. Islamists have originated from people having moderate background living in cities. Mostly youngsters have are its prime followers. They don’t consider themselves to be the revolutionaries rather they say they are bringing the lost values back to the culture and society.
Islamism condemns the economic system that world follows and suggests the Islamic economic system where interest rates should be replaced by investments made on profit and loss basis. When it comes to women they have contradicting views leading from conservatives to liberal. Sometimes they encourage women to work outside and sometimes they advocate women taking care of their families as their prime concern. The Islamist ideology could in no way support democracy, dictatorship is what they profess.
A leader is responsible for listening to people’s problems and solving them accordingly. The Islamists have started to adopt a violent approach towards addressing different issues and demands for almost last two decades and are considered responsible for many destructive activities killing thousands of people worldwide. Nowadays, Islamists have been feared as a long term threat as there are growing powers day by day with more and more young people joining their force.
