Political And Political Differences In Islam: Religion And Politics

Religion and politics are one and the same in Islam. They are intertwined. We already know that Islam is a complete system of life and politics is very much a part of our collective life. Just as Islam teaches us how to say Salah, pay Zakat and undertake Hajj. So, it teaches us how to run a state, form a government, elect members of parliament, make rules and regulations and conduct business and commerce.
The Qur’an says, “As for the thief-male and female chop off their hands. It is the reward of own actions and exemplary punishment from Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise”. (Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 37). According to Islam, this order is unchangeable by any parliament or any government which claims to be Islamic. (Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 229). There
There is an ultra-conservative and radical sections of Muslims who are against reform, for them Islam is perfect and need not any change. But these Muslims who have been comfortably relying, or rather falling back, an age old interpretations for centuries are out of sync with time; this is why they feel so painful in the contemporary world, so uncomfortable with modernity. (Ramadan, Tariq (1999): “Radical Reform: Islam Ethics and Liberation”; Oxford University Press, Inc). But the reality is the Sharia or Islamic Law needs to be totally formulated. It is too deeply consolidate in medieval times and the Bedouin culture of ninth and tenth century Middle East. The relationship between Islam and the state needs to be rethought where state and the religion have come together, for example in Saudi Arabia and Iran. We need a new mechanism that separates religious authority from political power. Islam also needs to be democratize where individual Muslims must have the right to exercise their conscience, interpret the sacred texts of Islam themselves and the power of the religion authorities, the Mullah and the Ulama (religious scholar) must be curtailed. Islam like most other religions has a problem with others- women, minorities, homosexuals, which need to be addressed. So there are numerous issues within Islam that need urgent thought and reform. (Munoz, G.M. (ed) (1999): “Islam, Modernism and the West Cultural and
These challenges are unique both in their nature as well as their scope. Since the events of 9/11, Islam has increasingly been on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism. (John L. Esposito & Ibrahim Kalin (2011) “Islamophobia: The challenge of pluralism in the 21st century”, Oxford University Press.). The caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and the banning of hijab in French are just two examples of the attempts of western secular countries to actively malign Islam. This attack on Islam and Muslim however not restricted to certain Islamic thoughts and practices rather the whole concept of Sharia the Islamic legal system is ferociously being attacked. Since the demise of Islam a state level, the Sharia has ceased to the basis of legislation in the Muslim world. This has erroneously given the impression of the unsuitability in the 21st century to deal with new issues and to solve modern day-to-day problems. There has been a lot of discussion recently crying out for Islam to do more to rise up against violent extremism. The organization of the Islamic Conference or OIC which represents the majority view of 57 member nations, has repeatedly trying to ban the terrorism in all it form. If the challenges are being faced by Islam could be solved then Islam would be a unique example for the Islamic and non-Islamic countries as