!Liveblog! Islam and the Secular State Book Launch « Ali Eteraz
!Liveblog! Islam and the Secular State Book Launch
Posted in Politics, Religion by eteraz on March 11th, 2008
Abdullahi An-Naim is a Sudanese Islamic scholar. He was a student of the late Mahmud Muhammad Taha, who was killed by the Islamist regime in the early 80’s. He teaches Islamic law at Emory University. He is an incredibly humble and pious man. I have had the pleasure of being in his company a few times. Numerous times when I went to his office, I found him either praying, or on his way to prayer. His mastery of Islamic law is astonishing. He always knew I disagreed with his teacher’s theory about the Second Message of Islam - but he was always fair and courteous in his rebuttal. A couple of us once said to him, in essence: “No one is going to accept your ideas.” He said: “Let me put it out there and let’s see what happens.” That was about ten years ago, when he was not allowed to go back to Sudan. Now he is.
I am going NYU for the launch of his latest book: Islam and the Secular State; Negotiating the Future of Sharia. I have read the opening chapter of the boo
k and it is very fascinating because An-Naim is essentially putting forward an authentically Islamic vision of secularism — separation of religion from state. He is essentially saying that theories of secularism palatable to Muslims are not going to be rooted in Western philosophy, but Islamic texts, including the Quran. He sets forth an Islamic secularism. He rejects the facile smear made by Muslim fundamentalists that secularism = atheism or rejecting God. He has no interest or inclination in rejecting transcendence. I will write a more detailed analysis/response to his ideas later in the week.
!!!LIVE BLOG!!!
5:45 PM - Arrived at NYU Wagner. The event is hosted by Irshad Manji. Spoke to her and got me a spot near the electrical outlet.
6:00 PM - An-Naim has arrived. Said salam to him. There’s a small crowd outside — of people actually on time. I think the event is supposed to officially begin at 6:30. Why am I so early? Oh yeah: so I could pay 30 dollars for the parking lot seven inches closer to the building.
6:28 PM - OK, place has filled up. Capacity is 100. There’s gonna be people standing. Mixture of students and regular people.
6:43 PM - Manji addresses the idea of ‘moral courage.’ Criticizes ‘identity politics.’ The idea of the Moral Courage Project is to promote all people who look within their communities. Later events will include self-critical black activists, renegade Republicans, etc. An-Naim is behind the Heretic Muslims Conference in Atlanta at the end of March (I was under the impression that it was the 19?er Quran people). An-Naim begins…
6:45 PM - An-Naim traces his relationship to Taha’s movement. Believes in “scholarship for social change.” Discusses his return to Sudan in 2003. Points out that “every orthodoxy was once a heresy.” [Reminds me of Camus’: “Blasphemy is, ultimately, a participation in holiness”].
6:50 PM - “The state cannot be religious. Ever. The state is a political institution. As an institution it cannot have a religion. When we talk about the religion of the state, we talk about the religion of the elites that control the state,” he says.
Later says: “Sharia is my obligation to the Creator.” Defines Sharia as: totality of Muslim obligations. Says that it has to be voluntary. If it is coerced, it has no religious value. He says that a religious act requires niyya — without intention, there is no obedience to Sharia. “When Sharia is enacted, it ceases to be Sharia.” [Doesn’t justify this].
7:00 PM - “I am talking about a secular state, not a secular society,” he says. “Secular means to be neutral in matters regarding religion.”
7:05 PM - “Neither my version of Sharia should be law, nor should yours.”
7:19 PM - Shares the fact that the first time he went to a Taha lecture was because he didn’t have a movie to watch. It transformed his life.
Q & A:
During first answer says: The reason for enacting law shouldn’t be the belief “this is the will of God, but should be based on civic reasons - reasons that all citizens can debate. If someone wants to enact a law they shouldn’t say “this is haram.” Rather, give social or economic reasons why a law should be enacted.
Second question related to literacy among Muslim. I zoned out for a bit. How many Pepsi’s are left? Ooh: An-Naim says the view that “those Muslims” are unable to learn without books is presumptuous. He says that there is no relationship between being illiterate and being conservative or fundamentalist Muslim. Manji doesn’t agree but admits her view is patronizing. He disagrees with her, goes into the illiteracy of Muhammad PBUH. Further points out that the increase of education in Arab societies has actually hasn’t decreased authoritarianism — maybe even increased it.
Third question asked by this fine Pakistani guy asks him to locate his ideas in relation to Political Islam: responds that in Sudan political Islam has totally failed. 1999 constitution adopted by the Islamists didn’t make a reference to Islam or Sharia. Same with 2005 constitution. “Disillusionment with idea of Islamic state.”
On a tangent condemns the use of the term “Islamofascism.” Says “its a fascist use of the term.” Goes on to explain that fascism is a philosophy, why do you have to link it to Islam unless you are trying to totally alienate the people of a particular religion. When you see Muslims who are fascists call them what they are: fascist.” Manji says: what if they are fascist in the name of Islam? He says they are still Muslims who happen to be fascist.
Ok, there are more questions, but I am closing up shop.
Postscript - Met a few blog readers — hello! Met a couple of journalists, a film-maker and a couple of students. I noticed that I was standing next to a guy from the Sudanese embassy in the elevator. Seems like An-Naim’s making the right kind of friends.
!Liveblog! Islam and the Secular State Book Launch « Ali Eteraz