POLITICAL ISLAM & IT'S PROPONENTS

At first, these movements sought to establish Muslim rule by spreading their ideology of political Islam. When they failed in this they started taking part in the national elections in the countries where they were active. When they failed on this front too, they resorted to militancy. What had started as a pro-Islam movement in the first half of the twentieth century had turned into a reactionary movement in the second half of the century. But events have demonstrated that in spite of making every conceivable effort, Muslims have failed in their campaign against others. On every front, they have had total defeat. It is the ensuing build up of a defeatist mentality which has culminated perforce in the phenomenon of terrorism in the name of Islam. Though ostensibly aimed at re-establishing Islamic rule, these movements actually grew as a political reaction to the circumstances in which Muslims found themselves. Its inspiration and its impact were totally negative. The movement was the result of anti-western rather than pro-Islam feelings, and for precisely this reason it rapidly turned violent. A truly Islamic movement arises out of feelings of benevolence for all of humanity, its goal being neither land nor power and is always carried out through peaceful means. It never adopts violence. If Muslim movements opted for extremism, it was because they were not genuinely Islamic in nature. The truth is that these Muslim social movements, which had only the community agenda in mind, adopted the name of Islam purely as a means of selfjustification. If you read the Quran, nowhere in it will you find any mention of ‘political Islam’. The Quran contains neither information nor injunctions which could lead to the setting up of a political system or for the political domination of Islam. The eighteenth century French thinker Rousseau, who was greatly concerned with the human condition, wrote a treatise called The Social Contract (1762). He opened his book with this arresting statement: ‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’. This is the language of a political book, a book which was to contribute to the ideas and policies of the leaders of the French Revolution and which ultimately gained worldwide currency. But if you read the Quran, A truly Islamic movement arises out of feelings of benevolence for all of humanity, its goal being neither land nor power and always carried out through peaceful means.