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Book Review
Muslim identity in the public sphere
MUJIBUR REHMAN
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MUSLIM IDENTITY AND ISLAM — Misinterpreted In The Contemporary World: M. G. Hussain — Editor; Manak Publications, Pvt. Ltd., B-7, Saraswathi Complex, Subash Chowk, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi-110092. Rs. 700.
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The unfolding of the series of terrorist strikes during the post- 9/11 period has made interpretation of Muslim identity inexorably problematic at the popular as well as the scholarly level. There is a growing perception that the words “Muslim” and “terrorist” are being used synonymously in contemporary public discourse. In fact, it was Edward Said’s Covering Islam that persuasively argued how media, particularly the Western
media, presents a skewed interpretation of Muslims as terrorists, as early as 1981. Unfortunately, Said’s book has not received as much attention as it deserves. The evidence now emerging rather consistently in the post-9/11 world is that most potential terrorists are Muslims and a well-established network like the Al Qaeda offers the required wherewithal for their projects. Fortunately, there is also an outpouring of scholarship suggesting various alternative interpretations of Muslim identity: as peace lovers and champions of a diverse society. This book presents the latter variety of argument.
Living under siege
Of the two parts of this volume, the first seeks to explain the factors behind how Muslims live under siege, and the other to explain how threat perceptions determine the view on Muslim identity. The former has six chapters that endeavour to highlight various aspects of Muslim identity in different parts of the world such as China, the U.S., Europe, Malaysia, Canada, and India. The five chapters in the remaining section deal with issues like the Islamic revival in Balkan, a comparative interpretation of Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia, and a discussion on contentious Muslim personal law in India, among others. This latter section does have two more additional chapters that are generic in nature dealing with the spiritual health of Islamic society and Islam’s potential to build a humane society. While on their own each of these two chapters has some merit, one wonders whether a convincing reason exists for their inclusion in this collection, whose primary objective is to explain the challenges of identity interpretation. On the other hand, a chapter or two on Muslims in Africa would have enhanced our understanding of the issues of interpretation of Muslim identity on a global scale.
Marginalisation
The chapter on Muslims in the U.S. offers a descriptive portrait of Muslim life, their cultural contributions and religious activities. The American Muslim community is drawn from various parts of the world like the Arab world, Asia and Africa but it remains less influential politically compared to the others like the Indian diaspora or Hispanics. According to the author, the community’s failure to articulate a “domestic political agenda” is the key factor for its marginalisation. While celebrities like Mohammed Ali or the political figure Obama, son of a Muslim father, offer a new twist to the dominant image of Muslim in the U.S., these instances are too rare. The article on Chinese Muslims, or Hui as they are called, articulates deep scepticism about the community’s future owing to the existing educational policy. The chapter on Indian Muslims, a deeply complex question for historical reasons, seeks to explain how caste, ethnic violence, regional identity and various forms of deprivations have contributed to the growing identity related problems. A separate essay offers a detailed analysis of Muslim personal law and calls for the personal law’s healthy Islamisation. Contemporary interpretation of ‘Shariah’, according to the author, must include various doctrines and principles. What is most remarkable about this collection is its comparative dimension, by virtue of which, it makes an invaluable contribution to the understanding of Muslim identity today.
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