Week 8

Popular Islam

Islam

• Before 622– Judaism & Christianity spread– Older polytheistic religion.

• Mecca & Medina– Mercantile center– Pilgrimage center.

Gap between two views

• Anthropological view of Islam: – A cultural tradition that takes many forms. – Not heterogeneous collection of beliefs and

practices

• Muslim view:– Coherent Religion, – Civilization– Social order

Muhammed• One God- Tauhid

– Equivalent to Judeo-Christian God

• Prophet– Equivalent to Biblical prophets.– Last of 124,000

• Orthopraxy: righteous actions– Proclamation of faith– Worship– Alms– Fasting– Pilgrimage

Islam-- Commonalities

• Lack of priesthood- anyone can go on path to knowledge & salvation – Direct, unmediated relationship with God.

• Egalitarian emphasis.

• Umma= community—Muslim community must remain undivided.

Muhammed

• Khalifa was his successor.• Jihad= reform, personal endeavor, or conquest

– military struggle “lesser Jihad”.– Personal struggle with faith & society “greater Jihad”.

• Ulama; learned ones– Sharia: “Ways”– Quest to obey God’s will– Sunnah & Kuran

• Sufi tradition

Ernst Gellner: Two trends in Islam

• Ulama= scholarly tradition– Literacy, – Egalitarianism.– Universalist ideal of a single deity, available to

all who care to read.

Mosque• No custom or ritual within Islamic practice for

which one needs any particular set of credentials– general rule: most knowledgeable among group

should lead prayers

• Typical function of ‘alim : Imam of mosque– leads daily prayers– delivers Friday sermon– teaches neighborhood children basics of Islamic

law • Qur'anic recitation • sometimes writing & calligraphy

Ernst Gellner: Two trends in Islam

• Associationist- Sufi tradition – Mediation – Propitiation – Ritual & devotional excess – Religious hierarchy.

Shi’a ‘Ulama

• Fifth Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (d. 733)– Founder of Shi’i law – to whom Kufans turned increasingly for

rulings on religious matters.

• Sixth Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (d. 765),– systematized Shi’i law, – body of rawis ("transmitters") of sayings of

the Shi’i Imam emerged.

Modern Political Shi’a ‘Ulama

• Shi’a ‘Ulama– Political leader within Iran

• Iran is governed on Islamic Religious Law called Governance of the faqih (wilayat-i faqih)– wilayat = rule, supremacy or sovereignty– Also: friendship, loyalty, or guardianship– Ruling guardianship of jurisprudence

• Gives religious power over the land

Madrasah• 2 common modes of study in pre-colonial

period: – tutelage with individual scholars– attendance at Madrasah

• Mustaniriyah in Baghdad, • Niiimiyah in Baghdad, • al-Azhar in Cairo

• Colonization caused radical curriculum changes – Like modern Western UniversityFatwa: applied law

• Only mufti is qualified to identify what rules apply • matter of training --not esoteric knowledge

Islam-- diversity

• Islam often associated with Middle East & Arabs.– Half of all Muslims live in Southeast Asia.– Not all Muslims speak Arabic, and not all

Arabs are Muslim.– Often, local customs defined in terms of Islam;

• “if we do it, and we are Muslim, then it is a Muslim practice.”

Kohistan-- R. Lincoln Keiser

• Thull—Kohistan; small village on Afgan-Pakistani border.

Kohistan-- R. Lincoln Keiser

• Strict code of honor:• Dushmani: men engage in blood revenge; will

kill another for slight of honor.• Special source of shame is women; if a strange

man so much as looks at wives or daughters, he has dishonored the husband/father.

• Hospitality• Give refuge to anyone asking.• Compassion for a fallen adversary.

300 years ago

• Villages organized into endogamous partilineal descent groups.

• Relationship between men and women very casual; women not secluded.

• Perhaps some wife stealing; perpetrator could pay fine.

• Revenge known, but generally against other tribes.

16th century

• Conversion to Islam; generally, no major changes in social system. – God is an imperious ruler.– God gives ghrairat—personal honor, integrity

to men; at birth.– Can easily be lost,

19th century: Under British India

• Nawabs- Pathan chief who captured region in 1888

• Britain threatened by Russia.

• Troops had to go through the region to protect India from Russian invasions.

• Policy: let Nawabs have unfettered rule; they keep roads open & maintain them.

19th century: Under British India

Imposed code of honor on people of Thull;

• Ruled by arbitrary decrees.

• The Nawabs exacerbated local disputes within the community to weaken opposition.

• Levied light fines for murder; encouraged people to take revenge rather than pay fines.

1947 independence

• Pakistani government developed region. – Schools, roads, telephone service, buses.– increased importance of potato farming;

undercut ties between herding groups.– Newfound wealth made guns more easily

available.

1947 independence

• Roads also brought fundamentalist teachings.– Saint worship considered heresy; humans

with special access to God.– Opposition to music and dancing;

• seduced women; • personalized connection between male honor and

sexual purity of women.

Java: Suzanne Brenner

Java: Suzanne Brenner

• Value restraint; concentration of inner spiritual strength through self-control.– Associated more with men; men “naturally’

have greater control than women.– Upper classes have it more than lower

classes.

• Women don’t always agree with this view.– Women have absolute control in

• Home- including household finance.• Market- Women traders

Java: Suzanne Brenner

• Often viewed in terms of Islamic values:– Men more in control of emotions; women more

irrational or sexual.– Hence, women need to be controlled by men.

• But some argue that men are less capable of controlling emotions.– Lust and greed. – Women are better at business because men will be

spend money on women—take a second wife or gamble.

Java: Suzanne Brenner

• Kebaya

• Veil– Considered “foreign”– Viewed as “modern” but not “Western.”