Islam in power

A note from the editor

Hadani Ditmars

Change from within

‘Islam in power’ is a contradiction in terms, said contributor Ziauddin Sardar, when I first mentioned this issue’s title to him.

The foundation for Muslim democracy, he maintains, lies in egalitarianism not in authoritarian theocracies. In fact, he contends, the whole idea of the Islamic state is un-Islamic, since the faith is a universalist not a nationalist movement. Grassroots decision making is much more in line with Islamic tradition than authoritarianism.

I was thinking about this the other day while attending a service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. The sermon was about the need for community consultation and consensus, whose Islamic equivalents are met in the concepts of shura and ijma. Later there was discussion about how to re-invigorate the church and make it relevant in the modern world. Issues around women bishops and gay rights were the elephants in the room.

I was reminded of issues the ‘Islamic world’ is contending with – ones that we explore this month. With dispatches from a Saudi feminist, an Iranian Jewish woman and a gay Iraqi Muslim activist, we hope to expand the concept of the larger ummah or community. And with a feature by Nafeez Ahmed on the connections between Western intelligence agencies and Islamist extremists, we offer a peek at realpolitik.

On the way back from the service at Christ Church, I crossed paths with a Muslim man coming back from his isha prayers at the mosque. Ramadan mubarak, I told him, and he nodded back. Acknowledgement and inclusion of the other are pan-Abrahamic traditions that need to be revived on all sides.

And our special feature this month on green law is all about acknowledging the rights of the earth itself.

Here’s to the fine art of mutual respect.

Hadani Ditmars for the New Internationalist co-operative.
www.newint.org

The big story

Photo by Patrick Brown / PANOS

Photo: Patrick Brown / PANOS

Islam in power

Hadani Ditmars calls for a return to Islam’s spirit of democracy and pluralism.

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Features

US and Pakistani intelligence bigwigs get chummy at a mujahidin training camp in 1987. Note then-Director of the ISI (Inter-Service Intelligence) Major Gen. Hamid Gul (front left) and then-Director of the CIA William Webster (second left).Photo: www.rawa.org

Our terrorists

Islamic fundamentalist militants are the enemies of Israel and Western governments, right? Think again. Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed reports in this extended version of the article which appeared in the October 2009 issue.

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Travesty Patrick Brown / PANOS

Travesty

Where did the controversial idea of the ‘Islamic state’ come from? Ziauddin Sardar traces its origins.

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More information on Islam

Books and websites for further reading on Islam.

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Left: 1920s Iraqi trans singer Masoud al Amaratly. Right: When Ali’s friend sent him this photo of them at a Baghdad disco in the late 1980s, he scratched out Ali’s face to protect him.

From the edge

A gay Iraqi, a Jewish Iranian and a Saudi feminist tell their stories

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Syed Tajammul Hussain

Al-'ilm Nur (Knowledge is Light)

Syed Tajammul Hussain’s artful approach to Qur’anic verses.

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Greening the law Illustration by: ANDREW WHEATLEY

Greening the law

The streets have traditionally been the home of environmental activism. But could campaigners be just as at home in the courtroom? Olly Zanetti considers the evidence.

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Blogs

Calling photographers!

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Budding photographers, step right this way...

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Opinion

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Anthony Dias ponders the purpose of the hunger strike.

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Currents

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Local communities fight mineral exploration and eviction in the Andes

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Regulars

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Film, Book & Music Reviews

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The reality of indigenous life in the Amazon. Directed and co-written by Marco Bechis

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Fish Tank

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Natural Selection

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Szperling's short, punchy novel paints a vivid pen-portrait of the savage and amoral nature of this stratum of Argentinean society.

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