Here is a newsflash, courtesy of Muslims: God is doing just fine. God doesn’t need any help. God doesn’t need any defenders. It is humanity that needs help, especially the oppressed, the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the all-but-forgotten who desperately needs champions and advocates.
This is to bring up to underscore that being a Muslim means self-consciously moving beyond apologetic presentations of Islam. Our apologism does God no good, and it solves none of our real problems. And it is no exaggeration to say that the overwhelming majority of writings these days that dominate Islamic centers fall into the realm of apologetics. Why do apologetic writings hold such appeal to religious folks, including Muslims?
The past few years have been a challenging time for nearly all people of faith. For Muslims, this has meant an urgent imperative to define what we stand for and, just as importantly, what we reject. For Catholics, it has meant coming to terms with the catastrophic sexual abuses in the Church. For Jews and Hindus, it has meant confronting the brutal violence committed or tolerated by nation states that claim to represent them. It has been a time of a great deal of vocal but vexing public conversation about all religions, including Islam.
Part of the challenge is to recognize that there are many ways of talking about all religions, including Islam, in the public sphere. Two of them seem to have gained prominence in the post-9/11 world. One level is the normative, theological way, when self-designated (or selected) representatives speak with the weight of authority, and feel perfectly entitled to make statements like “Catholicism states . . . .” “Judaism teaches us that. . .,” and of course, “Islam states. . . .” The other way of talking about religion is more historical and descriptive, less theological, and more people centered. The followers of this perspective are likely to say, “This Jewish group practices the following ritual, while other Jewish groups practice otherwise. . .”; “These Muslim groups hold this interpretation of jihad, while their interpretations are opposed by the following groups. . .”
Regarding many issues, the majority of Muslim scholars have formed a clear enough consensus (ijma‘) to allow us to speak of near unanimity. On other issues –precisely those that many contemporary Muslims and non-Muslims would be interested in hearing about and debating – there has been and remains a wide range of interpretations and practices among Muslim scholars and within Muslim communities.
Our task as Muslims is to begin by honestly chronicling the spectrum of Muslim practices and interpretations for society at large. We cannot and should not single out only sublime examples that are likely to be palatable to a non-Muslim public, just as we would not want the xenophobes to focus exclusively on the fanatical fringe of Muslim societies. It is imperative for all of us to demonstrate the full spectrum of interpretations, particularly in dealing with the “difficult” issues (gender constructions, violence, pluralism, etc.).
Furthermore, being less and less patient and satisfied with assertions that “Islam teaches us. . .” This seems to be an attempt to bypass the role of Muslims in articulating this thing called Islam. Let us be clear, and perhaps controversial here: “Islam” as such teaches us nothing. The Prophet Muhammad does. Interpretive communities do. I would argue that God does, through the text of the Qur’an. But in the case of texts, there are human beings who read them, interpret them, and expound their meanings. Even our encounter with the Prophet is driven by different (and competing) textual presentations of his life, teachings, and legacy. In all cases, the dissemination of Divine teachings is achieved through human agency.
Religion is always mediated. “Islam” does not get up in the morning. Islam does not brush its teeth. Islam does not take a shower. Islam eats nothing. And perhaps most importantly for our consideration, Islam says nothing. Muslims do. Muslims get up in the morning, Muslims brush their teeth, Muslims shower, Muslims eat, and Muslims speak. It is the Muslims that shows us “Islam”.
Many people simply ascribe their own (or their own community’s) interpretations of Islam to “Islam says. . .” They use such authoritative – and authoritarian – language as a way to close the door on discussion. And closing discussions is something that we cannot afford. Else the downfall of the thought and in turn the civilization is bound to happens.
No more “Pamphlet Islam” Walk into any Islamic center, and there is likely to be a table in the hallway or in the library that features a wide selection of pamphlets. The pamphlets bear titles like “The Status of Women in Islam,” “Concept of God in Islam,” “Concept of Worship in Islam.” Printed in pale yellow, pink, and green shades, they promise truth in black and white. These pamphlets teach us one thought and stops our intellectual growth. It teaches us not to go and see what other thought says about Islam.
We are in imminent danger – if we are not there already – of succumbing to “pamphlet Islam,” the serious intellectual and spiritual fallacy of thinking that complex issues can be handled in four or six glossy pages. They simply cannot. The issues involved are far too complicated, and the human beings who frame the issues are even more so.
“Islam is simple” is a slogan used all too often as an excuse to avoid discussion, disputation, and even disagreement. After all, if Islam is simple, how can reasonable and intelligent people disagree over it? Do these disagreements occur because some are deluded away from the simple truth? Not so! Islam is not simple because Muslims are not simple. Surely our identities in these virulent and turbulent post-colonial times are far from simple. Muslims are every bit – not an ounce more, and not an ounce less – as complicated as all of the other members of humanity. We argue, we discuss, we disagree, we joke, we laugh, we walk away mad, we come back, we compromise. But we do not, have not ever, and will not ever all agree on one interpretation of Islam.
We can do better than “pamphlet Islam.” We must. From time to time, of course, there is a need for concise articulation of Islam for ourselves and others. But let us do it honestly, without burying the dazzling array of interpretations that have always existed in Muslim thought and life.
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