"Western Liberal Values Are Compatible With Islam": Dr. Adis Duderija
By Dr
Adis Duderija
May 28,
2023
"There
are significant signs that Western Muslim identity is becoming a reality for
many Muslims in the West," says a senior lecturer at Griffith University
in Brisbane.
Jasmin
Alibegic in conversation with Adis Duderija ,May 2023
----
“Any kind
of religious extremism is very harmful in the modern world, as it is based on
the idea of one truth, one identity, dogmatic thinking, and often different
forms of supremacy. It is based on a narrow view of the world that does not
value participation in interreligious and intercultural dialogue and
delegitimizes any form of significant diversity of thought, culture, and
practice. Additionally, it lacks ethical and ontological beauty and is based on
a very ugly concept of God/the Divine," says Dr. Adis Duderija, a senior
lecturer in Islam and Society at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.
His
academic research is focused on contemporary Islam, with a particular emphasis
on the theory of progressive Islam, which he has written about in detail in two
monographs: Constructing Religiously Ideal 'Believer' and 'Woman' in Islam:
Neo-Traditional Salafi and Progressive Muslims' Methods of Interpretation and
The Imperatives of Progressive Islam.
A form of
Islamic theology of liberation
"Progressive
Islam denotes a cosmopolitan, future-oriented Islam that is based on
rationalistic and contextualistic approaches to theology and religious ethics.
It is an Islam that is in line with contemporary discourses on human rights and
gender justice. These are its characteristic features," he explains.
"At
the level of major institutions, progressive Islam is not present in the Muslim
world, except perhaps in some sections of Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah in
Indonesia and in some parts of Morocco and Tunisia. Progressive Islam is best
manifested in the work and values of progressive Muslim scholars-academics,
small non-governmental organizations, activists for social and gender justice,
and public intellectuals, who can be found all over the world, many of whom are
women," the interviewee says.
Speaking
about contemporary Islam in global terms, taking into account wars around the
world, he says that "generally speaking, contemporary Islam largely serves
various forms of political authoritarianism, militant fanaticism, and various
traditionalist and puritanical approaches to religion."
"What
we need today is a form of Islamic theology of liberation," Duderija
believes.
According
to him, the process of building the identity of Western Muslims has already
taken place through various forms of institutionalization of Islam in the
religious, educational, legal, and socio-cultural spheres, which began in the
1990s.
Importance
of adhering to cosmopolitan Islam
"There
are significant signs that Western Muslim identity is becoming a reality for
many Muslims in the West, especially for the majority of Muslims born in the
West, who feel very comfortable being both Muslims and Westerners," says
Duderija.
He
continues that to the extent that hatred is legitimized and based on the use of
religious language and appeals to religious symbols and history, the role of
religious leaders as well as ordinary believers is crucial.
"All
believers must be reminded that the most important messages of any authentic
religion are the respect for the dignity of every human being and that the
primary role of religions is to create conditions for human progress (justice,
peace, compassion, and equality), regardless of religious and other
differences. The best way to fight Islamophobia is to adhere to cosmopolitan
Islam, which accepts religious pluralism, multiculturalism, gender equality,
and the idea of active citizenship," the interviewee says.
He also
raised the question of whether it is really "the European Union's problem
to integrate two million Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina," which was
previously stated by Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister.
"The
vast majority of Bosnian Muslims adhere to a form of Islam that does not
represent a threat to the values of Western liberal democracies. On the
contrary, they believe that these values are not only compatible with their way
of thinking about Islam, but that they are actually 'Islamic' values. The
official religious leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina should try to integrate
and engage in regular dialogue with Bosnian Muslims who have a puritanical
approach, with the hope that they will change their approach and understand
that Western liberal values are compatible with Islamic values."
"Islamo-Christian
civilization as a historical reality"
According
to him, interreligious dialogue is important because it is the best way not
only to learn about others and learn from others, but also about one's own
tradition and oneself.
"No
religious tradition has direct access to the transcendent Truth, and all are
partial expressions of human longing for the Divine, so dialogue helps to open
up our theological horizons. Moreover, religions in the Balkans (but also
generally in relation to Islam-Western civilization interactions) have much in
common - both theologically and culturally. These similarities, particularly
among Muslims and Christians, are beautifully explored and advocated in one of
my favorite books by Richard Bulliet, who speaks of the Islamo-Christian
civilization as a historical reality when thinking about the civilizational
interweaving between Latin Christianity and Arab-Islamic civilization,"
says Duderija.
Undoubtedly,
he continues, people from the Balkans have inherited a special history of
interreligious relations, which has not always served the best interests of
all, and religion has played a role in justifying positions and beliefs that
have harmed the religious Other.
"Interreligious
dialogue offers a great opportunity and promise to respectfully and truthfully
engage with this history, including the recent one, to connect people,
appreciate the humanity of others, and acknowledge the harm done, with the
conviction that a better future is possible and desirable," says the
interviewee.
"Prevalence
of puritanical intellectual currents"
Commenting
on the position of Muslims in Australia, Duderija notes that there have been
several waves of Muslim migration to the country, and they currently make up
the second-largest religious group, representing almost 3.5 percent of the
total population (700,000). They come from at least 150 cultural and ethnic
backgrounds, so Muslims in Australia are very diverse.
"In a
recent national survey of Muslims that my colleagues and I conducted three
years ago, we found that the vast majority of Australian Muslims are well
integrated and well-educated. About two-thirds describe themselves as liberal
and/or progressive. There are many imams in Australia compared to the total
Muslim population, and most of them are conservative/traditionalist. Some have
a puritanical Salafist attitude. I think that is one of the biggest challenges
for Australian Muslims (but also for Muslims globally), which is to create
liberal and progressive imams."
"Shift
in the broader social and political context"
Furthermore,
he outlines the modern challenges facing Islam and what needs to be done in the
future.
"Among
the most significant are the continued dominance of traditionalist and
puritanical intellectual currents, especially at the level of major religious
institutions, unstable socio-political environments, economic deprivation, and
a lack of religious educational and institutional reform. Islamic theology,
Islamic ethics, and Islamic law need to undergo a significant epistemological
shift away from the emphasis on texts and methodologies that are currently
considered Islamic orthodoxy. There needs to be much stronger participation in
modern sciences, including the field of philosophy of religion, (religious)
ethics, legal philosophy, and critical historical approaches to religion,"
says Duderija.
He also
points out the need to rediscover Islamic aesthetics, rationalistic philosophy,
and cosmopolitan and gender-just presentations of Islamic mysticism.
"Yes,
this shift should be supported by institutional reforms, including the
development of new educational institutions that offer a more diverse and
critical curriculum, the promotion of gender equality and greater participation
of women in religious leadership and scientific work, and the development of
new and more inclusive models of religious authority. In addition, there needs
to be a shift in the broader social and political context, including the
promotion of greater social justice, economic development, and political
stability. This requires active Muslim participation in the public sphere, the
development of a stronger civil society, and greater interreligious and
intercultural dialogue. Finally, the transformation of Islamic thought and
practice requires a comprehensive and multidimensional approach that involves
religious and secular actors, as well as a commitment to critical thinking,
dialogue, and reform," Duderija concludes.
----
Dr Adis Duderija | Senior Lecturer in the Study
of Islam and Society, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science ;
Senior Fellow Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue. Griffith
University | Nathan | QLD 4111 | Macrossan (N16) Room 2.27
Source: "Western
liberal values are compatible with Islam"
URL: https://newageislam.com/interview/western-liberal-values-compatible/d/129883
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