A Note On Some Recent Western Writing On Islamic Resurgence

Chapter 1 : Introduction

This article revolves around certain presuppositions, themes, and theories related to a selected number of Western writings on Islamic resurgence in the modern Arab world. In this regard, I purport to examine the following claims:

(1) Islamic resurgence is a widespread traditional, cultural, and political phenomenon in modern Islam;

(2) some Western (and even Muslim) studies of Islamic resurgence have only touched the surface, and, therefore, their methodological orientation has been inadequate;

(3) as a facet of modern Islam, Islamic resurgence has reinterpreted the Islamic tradition in a creative and unique way; and (4) although the major leaders of the Islamic movement have placed philosophy outside the pale of Islam, one is tempted to study Islamic resurgence as a philosophical expression of modern and contemporary Muslim societies. [^1]

In order to show the theoretical inadequacy of the writings on Islamic revivalism, I would like to discuss four major recent studies: (1) Emmanuel Sivan, Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics; ^2 William M. Watt, Islamic Fundamentalism and Modernity; [^3] (3) Leonard Binder, Islamic Liberalism: A Critique of Development Ideologies, [^4] and (4) Ronald Nettler, Past Trials and Present Tribulations. [^5]

Notes:

[^1]. Sayyid Qutb criticizes philosophy in general, and argues that it lacks inspiration and a sense of praxis: "We must make it clear, however, that we do not desire to seek the truths of the Islamic concept merely for the sake of academic knowledge. We have no desire to add still another book to the shelves of Islamic libraries under the heading of `Islamic philosophy'." Sayyid Qutb, The Islamic Concept and its Characteristics, tr. Mohammed M. Siddiqui (Indianapolis: American Trust Publications, 1991), p. 5.

[^2]. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990).

[^3]. (London and New York: Routledge,1988).

[^4]. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988).

[^5]. (New York: Pergamon Press, 1987).