What the salafi violence in Tunisia and Mali is telling us and why its important

[Bigmo]

It is never fun when you are someone like me who is outside of the mainstream. It often feels like you are always kicked out of the party. Like prophet Jeremiah in the Bible who had to live outside the walls of Jerusalem after being shunned by his people and even his family. But one thing that an outsider has is the ability to detect the future and see where things are heading. Being outside the walls of the city we are able to see whats surrounding the city. Something that those inside can not do.

The Arab revolutions is truly a turning point. A turning point in the sense that for the first time the culture of the political authority that have ruled the Muslim world since the Caliph Ali?s death in the 7th century is being challenged. Young youths are calling for social justice, dignity and political freedom. This is unprecedent in Middle East history.

For the first time the autocratic nature of governance is being challenged. Like the French revolution that paved the way for major political changes in Europe, the Tunisian revolution has paved the way for rapid and fast changing polical change in the Middle East. The speed of change of course is one major difference between the French and the Tunisian revolution. But there is another important distinction. The French revolution challenged both the political and the religious authorities of their day while the Tunisian and Arab revolutions limited itself to challenging the political authority. As in Egypt and elsewhere, the Tunisian masses convinced themelves that there is no contradiction between the calls for social justice, freedom and more transparency and Shariah law. In Egypt for instances the masses overwhelmingly supported article 2 of the constitution that stipulates that Shariah law is the main legislative authority of the state.

Many Islamic groups and some of the clerics openly claimed that Shariah law is fully compatible with democracy and equality of all citizens under the law and freedom. Secularism? What secularism? There is no need for secularism. Islamic law is the best system and secularism is not needed. For many Muslims secularism is an admittance of defeat and that something is wrong with Islam. For most Muslims Shariah law is fully integrated with their understaning of Islam since it carries the Islam brand. For people like me outside the mainstream, I have to simply watch this deception and half truths. I have no piece of the microphone. The dictator does not want my kind of Islam around. But he is gone now, and my kind will soon be appearing at a tv station and radio and book store nearby you.

What it shows is that modernity is having an enormous impact with the Muslim masses and Muslims like everybody else are attracted to modernity and democracy. It has no become a universal philosophy. It has become impossible to reverse this and many Islamic groups and authorities have joined the bandwagon. The idea here is that there is no contradiction between Shariah Law and democracy. The liberal authorities often have to walk a tight rope between their fears of an Islamic state and appearing to be against Islam to the masses. Many Islamic groups like the Tunisian Nahda party and the Muslim brotherhood have joined the democracy party. There has been no real religious debate and no real religious revision. Just like that Islam and democracy became one.

There is a reason for all this. Not having a viable alternative, Muslims have no real choice but to accept the authority of Shariah law. Many do not know what it is but are leaving that responsibility to the clerics. The clerics though are hiding for the most part. A few have spoken out but most of them are hiding. A person like me keeps a close eye on the clerics since it is them who have the power of the fatwa and enjoy the highest religious authority with the Muslim masses. Unlike the Islamic parties who only care about coming to power, the clerics have to follow the juristic teachings of their sects.

It is my belief that the clerics see a worrying future. A future where the inevitable clash between democracy and Shariah law is going to have to happen. But they are keeping it to themselves. This is why the rising violence now in Tunisia between the salafi groups and the intellectuals and Tunisian government is so important for someone like me. Because it exposes many aspect of the Islamic orthodoxies that the clerics have hidden from the masses. Unlike the Sufis who shun politics and avoid legalism in the public domian, the salafis very much are interested in the public domain. It is true that the salafi persuasion has some theological differences with the tradition Sunni orthodoxy, their legalism however is very much within the confinements of Sunni Islam.

The salafis after failing to gain votes in the election in Tunisia for example decided to take to the streets issuing death fatwas to some intellectuals, smashing magazine stalls and attacking cinemas. This is not new, it has happened in the past in many places. But whats new is unlike the past there is no political dictatorship to distract the masses. Everybody is slowly seeing that the only ones standing in the way of a free democratic society are the salafis. The salafis claim that Shariah law is the law of the land and it should be implimented. Unlike the others, they are very sincere with their dogma and believe democracy is kufr. They are labelled extremist and militants by the Arab media. In Tunisia they have now become a security concern. I think a similar situation could be happening in Libya. Why this issue is so important to me is that sooner or later it forces the clerics to come out to the open. Muslims are told that these groups are extremist and do not reflect the true spirit of Islam. They will head towards the clerics to force them to comment on the issue and issue fatwas. In the past the clerics were seen as puppets of the dictators who issued fatwas they way the dictator wanted. Now they are exposed. They will be running out of excuses. Often there will be debates between the salafis and moderate clerics. The debate will end in a stalemate with neither side winning. Two interpretation of the same Islam. Both relying on the same sources but differ on how it should be applied and by whom. The history of Islam is all about the battle for authority. Something that the Roman Chruch never had to worry about since the Romans always had authority. The Meccan dynasties in islam like Ummayids and Abbasids and Fatimids were nobodies but carried the prophet?s geneology. There only rise to fame was they were his descendants. Authority for them was a constant struggle. The emergence of the sects was a way for them to establish that authority. It will get ugly.

What will Muslims discover then?

They will discover that there is nothing the salafis are doing that is against Shariah law. They will discover that there is nothing extreme about what the salafis are saying or doing. In fact the salafis will come out as being more honest and sincere. The Shariah law is compatible with democracy bubble will burst. The clerics can not override the authorities of many Sunni clerics of the past who authroized such behaviors and attitude we see by many of these so called extremist groups.. After all the Sunni orthodoxies overwhelmingly gave authority to the ruler who is now gone. Any group or organization can claim to be the ruler and the emir now. There is nothing in Sunni or Shia Islam called elections and political parties and constitution. True there is nothing in these that contradict the Sunni or Shia Islam but there is no reason why a Sunni or Shia can not refuse such authority. The salafis can always claim democracy is kufr, and if the government does not want to apply apostasy law than they will take matters in their own hands. There is very little the clerics can do.

But shhhhh?.. Don?t say that to anyone you see. These guys are extremist and are not following true Islam. What are you saying? Islam is peace and freedom and all that. But deep down Muslim are somewhat suspicious. Why are these groups flourishing as they are? Why are they unable to be stopped? They have now reached Mali and Nigeria demanding Shariah law and in Nigeria in fact they are blowing churches. The sufi cover has blown away. The prayer beads and zikr chants and shaking of the heads has gone, and a very different face is now appearing. No doubt the clerics are feeling the heat. Shariah law after all was never designed for a democracy. It emerged during the Abbasid empire to help create a theocracy for an absolute monarchy that can compete with the Byzantinians and unify the Muslim empire under one legal authority under the Sultan. It was designed to give religious legitimacy and authority to the rulers of the Muslim Empire. All of them were dictators who rules with an iron fist.

Sooner or later Muslims will have to stop burrying their heads in the sand. They will discover that extremism is here to stay. They will discover that the extremist have their support in many aspects of Shariah law itself. Muslims will be the only people in the world unable to impliment a democracy. They will have three choices then. Either they accept the status quo and accept that there will always be challenges to a free democracy , apostate from Islam or look for an alternative interpretation of Islam that they so far do not know exist.

They can always forget about democracy altogether. This certainly will end the problem. But by the look of it and the sacrifices many youths are willing to take to bring about a free and democratic societies this is highly unlikely. In fact I think its impossible as humans are a product of their environment.

So you do the math.

Where there is a demand there will always be a supply.

[Lena]

Salaam Great analysis Bigmo! I have been thinking along the same lines. I think that what happens is people like Salafis compartmentalize their actions, beliefs and values. Even though none of these match, they don't even know that, because it is normal for them to live like that. It starts with child rearing and schooling. Just a small example from my school - the hidden curriculum of the preschool and school is pervasive. Besides indoctrination on hadith, the acceptedable method of teaching emphasises the product (what children produce) not the process. As long as it looks right it doesn't matter whether it truly represents the child's work or level of development or interests. The children have to suppress their own individual needs and desires as these are not considered to be as important as having everything on the surface look "right" and because the adults who make the decisions do not put young childrens needs first - they put their own - the children are pulled this way and that without consistency. Unmet needs and unfairness is a part of this package. Compartmentalization is one way for a child to survive these kind of experiences, though often not without a great deal of suppressed rage and anger. I have seen that in adult life, salafis can live a modern life without ever bringing their compartmentalized selves together as a whole.They keep sharia and hadith in one compartment, quran in another, modern aspects of life in another. It is very difficult for any of them to change this and reconstruct the self when it means going against parents, family, community, society - the totality of one's own upbringing. As you point out, it is only if their cognitive dissonance reaches levels to high for their psyche to tolerate, that their concepts of hadith, sharia etc blow wide open and they can begin the true journey of their soul. I have noticed that although Salafis may outwardly show the trappings of modernity this does not include an understanding of the right to freedom of thought and speech.

[A-K]

The sooner the inevitable conflict/clash within islam happens, the better - the sooner it starts, the sooner it'll finish, and that means less mindless casualties.

What are your thoughts on the slow but noticeable "salafism creep" in muslim societies traditionally not associated with this sorta thing, namely in large parts of Asia? Frankly, I find it pretty worrying.

Peace.

[unknownuser]

Malian Islamist militant even destroy the accient site without logical relation.

Azawad is now independent but now split into 2 factions.The rebellion isnt always make a country better ex Libya