Conceptualization of Islam as a ‘Religion’ and the Possibility of the Secularist/Islamist Binary

The history of the modern Middle East is often narrated as a story of power struggles between competing ideologies. One such set of competing ideologies is Islamism and secularism. The aim of this paper is not to explore these ideologies in the light of Middle Eastern history and argue in favor of either one of the two; instead, this essay will attempt to explore one of the factors that enables this dichotomization in the first place. The conceptualization of Islam as a “religion” creates the possibility of characterizing actors as “Islamists” in opposition to those characterized as secularists. I argue that this “religion-making” is intricately linked to the workings of the modern state which makes “religion” essential to its existence as secular. Continue reading Conceptualization of Islam as a ‘Religion’ and the Possibility of the Secularist/Islamist Binary

Sekülerizm Seküler Midir?

ın sorgulanması, tüm kültürlerde doğal ve genel olarak, kişinin kalbinde ve aklında önemli yeri işgal etmektedir. Hepimiz dünyadaki yerimizi, ailelerimiz ve arkadaşlarımızın bizim için ne ifade ettiğini ve hayatımızda ne kadar süre kalacaklarını merak ediyoruz. Kaçınılmaz olarak, hayatın fırtınalı havasına karşı elimizde tutabileceğimiz bir gerçeklik, saflık ve değişmezlik arıyoruz. Bu bitmeyen ve birbirine karışmış sorular ve cevaplar ağı benim ‘din’ olarak isimlendirdiğim şeydir. Continue reading Sekülerizm Seküler Midir?

Islam in a Post-Secular Age

Post-secular theory counters the secularization thesis, which taught that religion would wither away as modernity gets older. A post-secular awareness acknowledges the perseverance of religion in modernity. The post-secular refers to a change in consciousness attributed primarily to three phenomena: citizens’ awareness of their secularity within the global horizon, an awareness of religious influences both globally and locally, and proximity to religious people immigrating from religiously-oriented countries. [1] Continue reading Islam in a Post-Secular Age

Can European Muslims Resist Assimilation?

The Charter of Principles of French Islam declares the religion to be compatible with France’s particular brand of secularism, laïcité, and its attendant values; in other words, it represents the subjugated and heavily privatised form of the religion that President Macron wishes to see. In January, a close advisor to Macron warned that Muslim organizations which refused to sign the charter would “see their operations inspected very, very closely by our services.”[1] The French Republic cannot tolerate Muslim difference: it aims only to homogenize and assimilate. Continue reading Can European Muslims Resist Assimilation?

Horoscopes, Manifestation and Secular Religion

Manifestation ignores the will of God and reducing the human spirit to “energies” tells us enough about the extent to which we can reconcile these concepts with Islam. Some Muslims have tried to co-opt the essence of manifestation by adding in sha Allah to their self-affirmations. It is argued that, by adopting this oral practice, the remembrance of Allah as the ultimate bearer of fate is simply underlined with an extra source of motivation. In other words, “speaking things into existence” is a virtue that can be embodied with the help of God. The issue here is that God becomes secondary. Continue reading Horoscopes, Manifestation and Secular Religion

الحجاب: ليس جسدي، ليس اختياري

بدأتُ ارتداء الخمار (غطاء الرأس الإسلامي، ويعرف بالحجاب) عندما كنت في العاشرة من العمر. كنت قد تأثرت بصديقاتٍ متحجبات أكبر مني سنًا، وآمنت حينها بأنه الوقت المناسب لارتداء الحجاب أيضًا والعمل بما يقتضيه. وبعد مضي أكثر من عشر سنين مَنَّ الله تعالى عليَّ بالاستمرار في الارتقاء في مسيرتي نحو الامتثال لمقتضيات الحجاب ظاهرًا وباطنًا. إنها سير باتجاه الستر والتصرف بطريقة أؤمن أنها ترضي الله عز … Continue reading الحجاب: ليس جسدي، ليس اختياري

Islam and the Secular Age: Q&A with Dr. Khalil Abdurrashid

Traversing Tradition and Yaqeen Institute have collaborated to provide a question and answer follow-up to Yaqeen Institute’s research papers, allowing readers further engagement with the author. We had the blessed opportunity to ask Dr. Khalil Abdurrashid questions about his article, Islam and the Secular Age: Between Certainty and Uncertainty. Continue reading Islam and the Secular Age: Q&A with Dr. Khalil Abdurrashid