Modernization of the Middle East Essay Example

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Islam in the Middle East was introduced to its greatest threat yet; modernization. Conflicts within the muslim community and the rapid development of the surrounding world, has left the muslim society in the dust. The technological/scientifically dominant Ottoman empire went through expiration and was left with the remnants of its broken empire. Western civilizations then modernized and quickly became more superior in its European trade, technological advancements, and consumerism, in result causing muslim subordination. Seemingly, the only response that this society can possibly come to is to modernize as an attempt to “rank up” in the world. It is this fact that has led to the struggle between modernization and what many experts call fundamentalism. Should they reform their society to complement the new modern world, or should they hold to their traditions? It is this resistance, this struggle between the old and the new that has led to many great conflicts within the muslim world. Though modernism has become more widespread in the muslim world today, Islamic Modernism has had more of a negative impact on the muslim society, that can be explained in three extremes: adaptation or rejection of modernism, relativism and religious fundamentalism, and modernism and fundamentalism.

Modernism can be defined as “A movement toward modifying traditional beliefs in accordance with modern ideas” (Google DIctionary). As it follows, “Islamic Fundamentalism” as described by Yevgeniya Baraz, is the modification of traditional Islamic beliefs to accommodate the modern ideas of the modern world (2010). One of the first pioneers of Islamic Modernism was Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani and his pupil Muhammad Abduh who are also known as the “catalyst of Islamic Modernization” (Baraz 2010). These two Islamic reformers blamed the subordination of muslims not on the actions of the West, but the brokenness of the Islamic society