'The Quran Can Always Be Quoted Selectively'

Why do you think Islam has turned increasingly militant?

All religions of the world have gone through periods of militancy atdifferent points in time. The perceived threat posed by modernity has beenone major cause of various manifestations of restlessness and militancy byreligions. In the case of Islam and the Muslim world the crisis ofidentityoccurring due to the ascendance of rationalistic modes of thinking,freedomof expression and other liberal and lax ways of thinking and behaving hasbeen profound. Such changes threatened the totalist approach prevalent inMuslim societies of cognizing and relating to the world.

There is a view that many of the militant groups are a reaction to thedecayin their own societies and that this is because Muslims have turned awayfrom their religion.

The first observation is correct. There is a general decay in Muslimsocieties as in other Third World societies. It is not however the resultofMuslims having turned away from Islam. On the contrary it follows from nottrying to deal with issues of the present times with modern knowledge andexperience. Thus returning to Islam has meant impossible attempts torestorea pristine past which is believed to have existed in the 7th century.

Why is the Quran invoked for their violent brand of politics?

The Quran can always be quoted selectively to justify violent brand ofpolitics. There are as many or perhaps more verses in the Quran whichpreachpeace and forgiveness but these are ignored. 

Can it also be attributed to suppression of dissent in large parts ofthe muslim world?

Suppression of dissent is quite widespread in the Muslim world.Thosesilencing dissent adopt violent brand of politics and at times thisresultsin violent reaction from those suppressed. 

Why is the Muslim ire directed particularly against the US? Is itbecause the US has propped up authoritarian regimes in the Muslim world tosecureits business interests?

The anger against the US derives primarily from its one-sided support toIsrael. Of course since it prefers to deal with authoritarian regimes,democratic forces resent that policy of the US. Also, the US-ledglobalization is perceived as a threat by both fundamentalist and leftistelements, though for different reasons. 

To what extent has the Palestine Question added to the anti-USsentiment?

It is the main reason and not simply one among many others. 

There is a popular perception that Islam is resistant to change..

At the present stage of history indeed that seems to be the case. Unlikemany other religions Islam has a simple belief system and an egalitarianthrust. This can prove a resistant rather than an aid to change becausetherough justice and simple solutions can easily appeal to the sensibilitiesofordinary Muslims.

Does this resistance to change stem from the immutability of Quran, aswell as because Islam makes no distinction between personal and publicdomain?

The immutability of the Quran in a literal sense is true, but it is afallacy to infer that Muslims have always read the Quran in the same way.Various sectarian and sufi interpretations are quite different from thoseundertaken by the fundamentalists. It is however true that the way theQuranis used as an authoritative source of social morality and legalsourcemakes rapid and flexible change difficult. 

What do you think are the reasons why democracy is absent in largepartsof Muslim society? Why have most Muslim states been unable to separate theChurch from the State?

The absence of democracy is directly linked to the problem ofreligionandstate not being separated. Turkey is an exception. Turkish democracy isbacked by authoritarian practices and therefore there is no real goodexample of a Muslim state being a democracy. On the other hand, not allaredictatorships and considerable pluralism and tolerance can be found indifferent parts of the Muslim world. At present the fundamentalist wave isthe strongest. 

Why is the condition of women in Muslim societies subservient to men? Considering Quranic injunctions--and their very narrow interpretations--about polygamy, divorce, dress code, etc., what are the ways out for women?

Islamic feminists have been busy re-interpreting Quranic injunctions andhave come up with new ideas about Islam not being all that restrictive onwomen rights and equalities. It is too early to say if they will succeedinoverturning the traditional interpretations which do indeed make womensubservient to men. You could also please read my articlewhere I elaborate my thoughts on this issue.

(Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed isAssociate Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University. He specializeson the role of religion in politics with special emphasis on Islam; humanrights; ethnicity and nationalism; and political theory)