Intellectual Traditions in Islam - 11th Essay

The Eleventh, and the last, essay "Present Day Islam Between it's tradition and globalization" by Mohammed Arkoun is the detailed analysis of globalization and its effects on today's world in general and its impact on Islamic world in particular.

He explained in detail what is globalization and how it upsets all known cultural, religious, philosophical and political and judicial traditions. How its monetary and technological forces achieve priority over ethical, spiritual and philosophical values.

After the collapse of Soviet Union, United States enjoyed the political domination and have control over global forces. Newly liberated nations faced by global forces and in danger of genocides, gave birth to the concept of humanitarian aid; which came with a baggage of languages, cultures, ecological equilibrium and customary codes and traditional solidarity of elite nations who were providing those aids, overriding the cultures, customs and codes of those nations who are receiving those aids. In other words economic, technological and monetary globalization for the desire of power and profit, stand in sharp contrast against the crisis of study of man and society. In Islamic context the rich philosophical traditions that were developed from the 8th century until the death of Ibn Rush (Averroes) have been lost.

Mohammed Arkoun raised the question of reforms in educational system in order to adapt them everywhere with the urgent needs of globalization. Other important question he asked was "Is Present Day Islam Impervious to Globalization?" He discussed the root causes of today's image of Islam and how Quranic concept of jihad was manipulated by some incomprehensible, anonymous decision makers with ethically irresponsible, murderous, physical violence supporter as a protest against structural violence of McWorld (blind forces of globalization). Promoters and manipulators of jihad and McWorld both have their own underpinning agendas. First one (jihad manipulators) want to bring back and revitalize vague religious mysteries and ruling bodies of clergy organized by the rank and traditional, historically suffocated rule. Whereas second (McWorld) wants to promote the market over the rights and spiritual aspirations of mankind.

Both those polarized notions of today's world need an alternative model which can integrate traditions and needs of globalization well. Arkoun gives a detailed account of suggestions on how this can be achieved which is worth reading.