Summary
Muslim countries gained political independence from mid 40s onwards. However, during the colonial rule, Western powers tried to replace the Muslim thought, culture and institutions with the Western thought and culture through all possible means. Muslim reaction to Western thought and civilization after liberation ranged from complete acceptance to resistance and total indifference. The dominating approach was of reconciliation which resulted in Westernization of the Muslim societies by the second half of 20th century. However, it seems necessary to review the Muslims strategy at this stage. This article is a review and proposes a new approach in this direction.
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Extract
Muslim Response to Modernity and a New Strategy of Peace in the World
1. Introduction
The political downfall of the Muslim Ummah after providing leadership to the world in every sphere for a millennium, was primarily due to two main factors Muzaffar,iqbal(2003), First, weakening of its commitment to its world view and noncompliance of Islamic injunctions, and secondly, the colonial policies of the Western nations which not only contributed to the downfall of Muslim Ummah but also occupied Muslim lands. The colonial powers destroyed Muslim institutions and values by force and thrust the Western thought, culture and institutions upon them in order to keep the Muslims under their thumb.Referring to the imperial powers' attitude, John L Esposito writes:"Europe came not only with its armies of bureaucrats and soldiers but also with its Christian missionaries. The double threat of colonialism was that of the crown and the cross. The mutual relationship between the clergy and the government and military was proclaimed by France's Marshal Bugeaud, who praised their 'grand rapports', commenting that the clergy "gain for us the hearts of the Arabs whom we have subjected to force of arms." The preachers and missionary institutions (churches, schools, hospitals, and building houses)...See the full content of this document
(Copyright 2011)
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