THE SECULARIZATION OF ISLAM: TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS
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Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of the relationship between Islam and secularization on different levels – from social-structural to individual – in order to determine whether or not Islam as a religious teaching is susceptible to the secularization processes. In addition to this, the data of the World Value Survey (WVS) will be used to reveal the current status of religiosity in Muslim societies, especially whether or not the continuing modernization and urbanization produce an effect of the “secularization of consciousness”. The following preliminary results and assumption can be presented. It may be stated that Islam and secularization contradict each other as incompatible ideological structures with mutually exclusive purposes and intentions. In this respect, Islam opposes secularization not just by virtue of its status as a “vehicle of protest”, a major source of social protest or identity, but in the most essential features of secula-rization processes. On the “social-structural level” there is a number of important factors which preclude secularization of Islam, e.g. universality and distinctly holistic character of its teaching (Islam as a “blueprint of social order”), the religious basis of Islamic law and its moral regulations, the role of community in the teaching of Islam and in the social structures of contemporary Muslim societies. On the individual level (secularization of consciousness) the data of the WVS show that religious beliefs, religious values and declarative religiosity remain at a very high level which obviously contradicts the thesis of secularization theories about the correlation between secularization and modernization. On the other hand, it should be pointed out that there is much less uniformity and much more variation in the data concerning the index of compartmentalization, or in the respondents’ opinion about the social role of religion.
How to Cite
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comprehensive analysis, Islam, secularization
Abed-Kotob S. The Accommodationists Speak: Goals and Strategies of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt // International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 27 (3). 1995. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800062115
Berger P. Sacred canopy. New York, 1969.
Brown G. A Revisionist Approach to Religious Change // Religion and Modernization: Sociologists and Historians Debate the Secularization Thesis / Ed. S. Bruce. Oxford, 1992.
Casanova J. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago, 1994. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226190204.001.0001
Chaves M. Secularization as Declining Religious Authority // Social Forces. № 72 (3). 1994. https://doi.org/10.2307/2579779
Demerath III N. J. Secularization Extended: From Religious “Myth” to Cultural Commonplace // The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion / Ed. R. K. Fenn. Blackwell publishing, 2003.
Dobbelaere K. The meaning and the scope of secularization // Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion / Ed. P. Clarke. Oxford, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199588961.013.0034
Dobbelaere K. Secularization: an analysis on three levels. Lieuven, 2002. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-0352-6146-2
Dobbelaere K. Towards an Integrated Perspective of the Processes Related to the Descriptive Concept of Secularization // Sociology of Religion. Vol. 60, № 3. 1999. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711935
El-Ghobashy M. The Metamorphosis of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers // International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 37 (3). 2005. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743805052128
Gellner E. Muslim society. Cambridge, 1981.
Herviue-Leger D. Present-Day Emotional Renewals: The End of Secularization or the End of Religion? // A Future for religion? New paradigms for social analysis / Ed. W. Swatos. London, 1993.
Herviue-Leger D. The figure of the converted as descriptive figure of religious modernity: A reflection based on the file of conversions to Catholicism in France // Secularization and social integration: papers in honor of Karel Dobbelaere / Ed. R. Laermans etc. Leuven, 1998.
Hoebink M. Thinking about Renewal in Islam: Towards a History of Islamic Ideas on Modernization and Secularization // Arabica. Vol. 46/1. 1999. https://doi.org/10.1163/157005899774229410
Islam and Secularism in the Middle East / Ed. J. Esposito. London, 2000.
Kamali M. Multiple Modernities, Civil Society and Islam. The Case of Iran and Turkey. Liverpool, 2006.
Kramer G. Drawing Boundaries: Yusuf al-Qaradawi on Apostasy // Speaking for Islam: religious authorities in Muslim societies / Ed. G. Kramer and S. Schmidtke. Leiden, 2006.
Kramer G. Islam and secularization // Secularization and the world religions / Ed. Hans Joas. Liverpool, 2009.
Lapidus I. The Separation of State and Religion in the Development of Early Islamic Society // International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 6/4. 1975. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800025344
Luckmann T. The Invisible religion. New York, 1967.
Luckmann T. The Structural Conditions of Religious Consciousness in Modern Societies // Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Vol. 6 (1/2). 1979. https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.6.1-2.1979.121-137
Luhmann N. Funktion der Religion. Frankfurt am Main, 1977.
Najjar F. M. The debate on Islam and secularism in Egypt // Arab Studies Quarterly. Vol. 18/2. 1996.
Nielsen J.S. Towards a European Islam. London, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230379626
Nieuwenhuijze, van С. A. O. Sociology of the Middle East: A Stocktaking and Interpretation. New York, 1971.
Pace E. The Helmet and the Turban: Secularization in Islam // Secularization and Social Integration / Ed. R. Laermans. Leuven, 1998.
Qutb S. In the Shade of the Qurʼān (Fī Zilāl Al-Qurʼān). In 30 vol. Markfield, 2001.
Roald A. S. From theocracy to democracy? Towards secularization and individualization in the policy of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan // Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies. Vol. 8 (7). 2008. https://doi.org/10.5617/jais.4591
Roy O. Secularism confronts Islam. N. p., 2007.
Shiner L. The Concept of Secularization in Empirical Research // Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 6/2. 1967. https://doi.org/10.2307/1384047
Stark R. Secularization, R.I.P. // Sociology of Religion. Vol. 60/3. 1999. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711936
Tamney J. Established religiosity in modern society: Islam in Indonesia // Sociological Analysis. Vol. 40. 1979. https://doi.org/10.2307/3709783
Waardenburg J. Islam as a vehicle of protest // Islamic Dilemmas: Reformers, Nationalists and Industrialization. The Southern Shore of the Mediterranean / Ed. by Ernest Gellner. Berlin; New York; Amsterdam, 1985. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110876581-004
Wallis R., Bruce S. Secularization: The Orthodox Model // Religion and Modernization: Sociologists and Historians Debate the Secularization Thesis / Ed. S. Bruce. Oxford, 1992.
Wiktorowicz Q. The Salafi Movement in Jordan // International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 32 (2). 2000. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800021097
Wilson B. Religion in secular society. London, 1966.
Wilson B. Aspects of Secularization in the West // Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Vol. 3/4. 1976. https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.3.4.1976.259-276
Wilson B. Contemporary Transformations of Religion. London, 1976a.
Wilson B. Secularization: The Inherited Model // The Sacred in a Secular Age / Ed. P. E. Hammond. Berkeley, 1985.
Wilson B. Reflections on a Many Sided Controversy // Religion and modernization / Ed. S. Bruce. Oxford, 1992.
Zubaida S. Islam and Secularization // Asian Journal of Social Science. Vol. 33, № 3. 2005. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853105775013607
REFERENCES
Abed-Kotob S. (1995), “The Accommodationists Speak: Goals and Strategies of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt”, in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 27 (3). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800062115
Berger P. (1969), Sacred canopy, New York.
Brown G. A (1992), “Revisionist Approach to Religious Change”, in Religion and Modernization: Sociologists and Historians Debate the Secularization Thesis, Ed. S. Bruce, Oxford.
Casanova J. (1994), Public Religions in the Modern World, Chicago. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226190204.001.0001
Chaves M. (1994), “Secularization as Declining Religious Authority”, in Social Forces, No. 72 (3). https://doi.org/10.2307/2579779
Demerath III N. J. (2003), «Secularization Extended: From Religious “Myth” to Cultural Commonplace», in The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion, Ed. R. K. Fenn, Blackwell publishing.
Dobbelaere K. (2009), “The meaning and the scope of secularization”, in Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion, Ed. P. Clarke, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199588961.013.0034
Dobbelaere K. (2002), Secularization: an analysis on three levels, Lieuven. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-0352-6146-2
Dobbelaere K. (1999), “Towards an Integrated Perspective of the Processes Related to the Descriptive Concept of Secularization”, in Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 3. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711935
El-Ghobashy M. (2005), “The Metamorphosis of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers”, in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 37 (3). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743805052128
Gellner E. (1981), Muslim society, Cambridge.
Herviue-Leger D. (1993), “Present-Day Emotional Renewals: The End of Secularization or the End of Religion?”, in A Future for religion? New paradigms for social analysis, Ed. W. Swatos, London.
Herviue-Leger D. (1998), “The figure of the converted as descriptive figure of religious modernity: A reflection based on the file of conversions to Catholicism in France”, in Secularization and social integration: papers in honor of Karel Dobbelaere, Ed. R. Laermans etc., Leuven.
Hoebink M. (1999), “Thinking about Renewal in Islam: Towards a History of Islamic Ideas on Modernization and Secularization”, in Arabica, Vol. 46/1. https://doi.org/10.1163/157005899774229410
Islam and Secularism in the Middle East (2000), Ed. J. Esposito, London.
Kamali M. (2006), Multiple Modernities, Civil Society and Islam. The Case of Iran and Turkey, Liverpool.
Kramer G. (2006), “Drawing Boundaries: Yusuf al-Qaradawi on Apostasy”, in Speaking for Islam: religious authorities in Muslim societies, Ed. G. Kramer and S. Schmidtke, Leiden.
Kramer G. (2009), “Islam and secularization”, in Secularization and the world religions, Ed. Hans Joas, Liverpool.
Lapidus I. (1975), “The Separation of State and Religion in the Development of Early Islamic Society”, in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 6/4. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800025344
Luckmann T. (1967), The Invisible religion, New York.
Luckmann T. (1979), “The Structural Conditions of Religious Consciousness in Modern Societies”, in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 6 (1/2). https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.6.1-2.1979.121-137
Luhmann N. (1977), Funktion der Religion, Frankfurt am Main.
Najjar F. M. (1996), “The debate on Islam and secularism in Egypt”, in Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 18/2.
Nielsen J. S. (1999), Towards a European Islam, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230379626
van С. A. O. Nieuwenhuijze (1971), Sociology of the Middle East: A Stocktaking and Interpretation, New York.
Pace E. (1998), “The Helmet and the Turban: Secularization in Islam”, in Secularization and Social Integration, Ed. R. Laermans, Leuven.
Qutb S. (2001), In the Shade of the Qurʼān (Fī Zilāl Al-Qurʼān), In 30 vol., Markfield.
Roald A. S. (2008), “From theocracy to democracy? Towards secularization and individualization in the policy of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan”, in Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Vol. 8 (7). https://doi.org/10.5617/jais.4591
Roy O. (2007), Secularism confronts Islam, N. p.
Shiner L. (1967), “The Concept of Secularization in Empirical Research”, in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 6/2. https://doi.org/10.2307/1384047
Stark R. (1999), “Secularization, R.I.P.”, in Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60/3. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711936
Tamney J. (1979), “Established religiosity in modern society: Islam in Indonesia”, in Sociological Analysis, Vol. 40. https://doi.org/10.2307/3709783
Waardenburg J. (1985), “Islam as a vehicle of protest”, in Islamic Dilemmas: Reformers, Nationalists and Industrialization. The Southern Shore of the Mediterranean, Ed. by Ernest Gellner. Berlin, New York and Amsterdam. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110876581-004
Wallis R. and Bruce S. (1992), “Secularization: The Orthodox Model”, in Religion and Modernization: Sociologists and Historians Debate the Secularization Thesis, Ed. S. Bruce, Oxford.
Wiktorowicz Q. (2000), “The Salafi Movement in Jordan”, in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 32 (2). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800021097
Wilson B. (1966), Religion in secular society, London.
Wilson B. (1976), “Aspects of Secularization in the West”, in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.3.4.1976.259-276
Wilson B. (1976a), Contemporary Transformations of Religion, London.
Wilson B. (1985), “Secularization: The Inherited Model”, in The Sacred in a Secular Age, Ed. P. E. Hammond, Berkeley.
Wilson B. (1992), “Reflections on a Many Sided Controversy”, in Religion and modernization, Ed. S. Bruce, Oxford.
Zubaida S. (2005), “Islam and Secularization”, in Asian Journal of Social Science, Vol. 33, No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853105775013607
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