Post date: Sep 29, 2016 4:19:55 PM
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/06/islam-politics-exceptional/485801/
Is Islam Exceptional?
In Is Islam Exceptional?, Shadi Hamid looks at how Islam interacts with the modern political world. He argues that Islam is an exceptional religion bound to a different path than Christianity or Judaism. Islam is bound to a different path because it has a different origin story and was formed in response to a different set of external circumstances. While in Christianity salvation is achieved through Christ, Hadid writes that in Islam, “Faith is often expressed through the observance of the law. The failure to follow Islamic law is a reflection of the believer’s lack of faith and unwillingness to submit to God. Salvation is impossible without law.” The connection between faith and law in Islam heavily impacts how Islamic governments have evolved to govern and directly relates to the predominance of authoritarian and religious governments currently in the Middle-East. Michael Gilsenan recognizes the same social shifts that Hamid says have given way to current conflicts in the region. The shift towards capitalism, away from agrarian societies, and the repercussions of colonialism are playing an extensive role in the current shape of the region. The social order that had existed in the region of centuries, suddenly shifted. The fall of the Ottoman Empire occurred less than a hundred years ago, and the abolishment of the Caliph by Atatürk took place only 92 years ago. Hamid does not argue that the Middle-East is doomed or that it cannot recover from the legacies implicated by imperialism. Instead, he argues that Islam is exceptional and by following its own trajectory it can once again control its narrative.