Module 3: Globalized Islam Paper
Al Qaeda
1.
Al-Qaeda began as a logistical organization that supported the Muslims struggle in opposition to the Soviet amalgamation during the Afghan Combat where the associates joined through the Islamic society. They combined with many other militant Islamic organizations such as Islamic Jihad and their leaders declared a spiritual war against America. These people show their violent actions through the elucidation of the Quran and Hadith according to their personal intention. For many people in the Western, they live in life that seems to have the Islamic threat. These drastic Muslims are everywhere, mentioning the societies and changing the lifestyle of the existing politics. In a successful view of this article, Roy demonstrates a different approach; political Islam is a failure (Roy, 1994). Even if the Islamic fundamentalists take control in other countries, they will not be able to change the economics and politics in the given countries based on Islamic universalism. Roy shows how the present Islamism is still the Third glossary of the 1960’s. This increases the awareness of politics and the merged economies for the rich and subventions of the poor. In Roy’s explanation, those based on the Islamic grounds experience dim probabilities of success. This description by Roy entails about Sociology of radical Islam about many ideas and assumptions of the subject (Roy, 1994).
2.
We are aware that in Islamic, there is no clergy but there is a group of lettered men, doctors of law and the Ulamas. The Ulamas fulfill many functions but they do not have domination any house of worship. The Mullahs who have increased religious preparations serve many Islamic mosques and not face any control from any power (Roy, 1994). The main need of the Ulamas and Mullahs is the engagement of the Sharia without basis of the political system. The ethical issues are at the main points of the Muslim political principles. The fundamentalists’ clergy is that the law matches to the Sharia and demands the right to criticize and not to utilize power. The ancient fundamentalism that is the main approach of the Ulamas is also the philosophy of many Mullahs (Roy, 1994).
When doing a comparison between Islamism and Jihadism, there are also several similarities. Despite their resemblance used to show the difference between both approaches of activism, jihad fundamentalists reject the notion of using state groups and politics as a way to Islamize the society (Roy, 1994). Unlike other political based Islam, they have increased their local strive to a global level as a result to the strategic approaches. This is what differentiates the political Islam from the international jihadism. Islamists try to gain the global state with all its organizations through which political power implemented. As Muslims have their say that Quran is their constitution, this illustrates their approach to politics, religion and state (Roy, 1994).
Two approaches differentiate within this fundamentalism, traditionalist and reformist. The ancient recognizes the progression between the rooting texts and other documentaries and takes its basic standard simulation (Roy, 1994). This shows the rejection to innovate which admitting to what said before. Its vision according to Sharia is fundamentally legalistic and it relates to the accepted appearances of Sufism. Reformist fundamentalism condemns the ancient beliefs, known religious faiths and false notions. The approach to fundamentalism developed due to the reaction to an outer threat. In sustaining the reformist line according to fundamentalist, it marked a difference between fundamentalism and Islamism (Roy, 1994).
In Contextualizing the Al Qaeda group, Roy uses the argument of political Islam arguing that the vision of the Muslim world is combating with the west is a dream. She continues to argue that there is no Muslim domain and the different Muslim organizations connect to the west in different approaches. Roy stated that their aim is to contextualize the violence of the Middle East while reviewing their connection to matters of egalitarianism and multiculturalism within the Western culture. Roy’s viewpoint is to show that the violence cannot explain the geostrategy of Islam or any united Islamic group. Roy in the article explains why it is also important for the West to acknowledge the nature of Islamic politics for them to have effective politics between them (Roy, 1994).
Roy goes on board on an analysis of the current Western rules towards the Middle East and the Muslim domain. Her analysis is scorching and targets the third world that was against the Iraq combat but fell on anti-imperialism that defended rebellions and moved to the European nations having unstable policies towards the Muslim settlers and their cultural involvement. Roy claims that all these concepts towards policy are mystified as they grounds on false conflicts, on a cluttered understanding of the Middle East and on ideas of different political systems. In her article, Roy suggests that it is not possible to plot war on Al Qaeda because these conflicts trenches Muslims against Muslims and their unstable relation of ideological and ethnic differences increase because of Shia-Sunni variations that are oppressed by rival nations. Roy still identifies different political approaches and organizations in the current Middle East and the Muslim domain. She argues that patriotisms such as the Islamic patriots have more power that the pan-Islamism (Roy, 1994).
3.
In the context of the Western Europe Muslim communities, the approach on whether Muslim faith and practices are changing or not in historically new approach has raised (Maitra, 2009). In a highly politicized region where changes continue to be reviewed by the approach of compatibility with the European values, this focuses on the structure of the religious life in the Europe’s Muslim community. This raises other questions on whether the Muslims are turning to Europeans through identity and whether ideas suggested by Islamic groups need to be considered by the public actors (Maitra, 2009).
Many arguments have recognized individualization of the religious faiths as the major growth in the Europe Muslim communities. Researchers consider the issue of religion authority in Islam and its inflection in the Western European approach. Al Qaeda group used religious violence movement to construct their religious authority (Maitra, 2009). The movement grounded as a moderate one forming new terrorism. Terrorist acts reflect the aspects of religions. Construction of the religious authorities by the terrorist groups highlights the role of religion in explaining religious violence showing the way religious philosophy causes violence. Roy argues that something inherent in the religious tradition lead to not only violence but also violence in a large level. Islamic terror violence grounds on religion nature and religious traditions. Religious violence therefore increases development to the contribution of the religious authority (Maitra, 2009).
Al Qaeda group takes the appearance of the violent religious ideas and reviews how they cause violence once formed. This contribution by the terror group through the principles they make, makes them fight for their purpose with violence and thinks that this will be helpful. While the terror groups fight for their religion say, they struggle to show and define the nature of their religious custom with a particular approach to the public (Maitra, 2009). The reason for the religious contribution and authority of the terror group, they demand to gain the resources to increase the public support and political supremacy. When a group is fighting for its religious ideology, they frames struggle as a violence and concentrates on convincing the public of their new strength (Maitra, 2009).
The spread of Islam globally has declined the connection between the religion, a certain society and a domain. A third of the global Muslims live as minority members. As the significance of the article by Roy shows, the settlement of the Muslims in the Western societies has influenced the western culture and social custom. The awakening of the Islam between the Muslim communities approached wrongly as a reaction against westernization rather than having its results. Neofundamentalism has been developing among young Muslim youths mainly on the second and third generations settlers in the West and this idea is causing new forms of social issues. These issues were in support of Al Qaeda to the absolute neglect of connection into the western society. Roy argues that the Islamic restoration results from their trials to put their uniqueness in a non- Muslim approach. A split has happened between the majority of Islamic movements in the Muslim domain such as the Hamas and the displaced militants who are in struggle to develop an imaginary Ummah or a Muslim society that is not entrenched in any society or domain (Maitra, 2009).
Roy shows how neofundamentalism concedes without reminiscence of the loss of the unspoiled customs. This makes them construct a widespread religious personality that spreads the ideas of the culture. Therefore, the modern construction of religious authority within Al Qaeda and the Islamic fundamentalism is not an only reaction against the western culture but an invention of the global intricate forces. Through this argument, Roy gives a profound awareness of the personal Muslim groups and understanding of the connection between theology and politics based on the Al Qaeda group (Maitra, 2009).
Roy assesses the setting of typical al-Qaeda recruits, argues that the faction is a collection of deracinated refugees, and renovates that acts more as a bloodsucker on other people’s quarrels than a force competent of creating its own arena. Al Qaeda does not move alone in the global spread. The symbol of Al Qaeda is the group that derives its members from the cynical Muslims irritated by the American support for Israel of the engagement in the Muslim World and enticed by the idea of a national religious successor to join the battle. Americans has noted much of the group’s growth in the last few years. They convince the Americans that their struggle is a constituent of Al Qaeda widening the global schema (Dienel, 2010).
Unlike other groups, Al Qaeda recruits its members from the international community of the Muslim followers and not from any single country. They focus their recruitment not on a specific society and seek to develop the Islamic society in all the domains. Their recruitment comes even from people who sacrifice their lives to what they believe to be the martyrs. The level of Al Qaeda sets the terrorist group apart from other forms of religious terrorism. As Jihadists, Al Qaeda believe to be taking their peace and struggle as faith defenders, they approach the dissension of the Muslims as the main cause of the Islamic weakness (Dienel, 2010).
References
Dienel, H.-L. (2010). Terrorism and the Internet: Threats, target groups, deradicalisation strategies. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
Maitra, G. (2009). For whom the bell tolls: America or the jihadists? Victoria, BC, Canada: Trafford Publishing.
Roy, O. (1994). The failure of political Islam. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
