Al-Jazeera Balkans interview - Western liberal values are compatible with Islam

 Translation from Bosnian -original here-here 

"Duderija: Western liberal values are compatible with Islam"

"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.