By Asma T. Uddin, with permission of Patheos
The compatibility of Islam and pluralism is sometimes defended byreferencing examples of Islamic "tolerance" of minorities in centuriespast. Some Muslims' interpretation of pluralism is colored by Islam'spolitical power in the past, and they define religious tolerance interms of how religious minorities were treated in the Islamic Empire --that is, as groups that were free to practice their religion as long asthey obeyed the Islamic political order and paid taxes in return forprotection by the Islamic state. As some modern Islamic thinkers argue,however, this form of religious tolerance is inadequate in light ofchanging human rights standards. Whereas the IslamicEmpire's notion of religious tolerance may have been appropriate forthat time, Muslims in the modern age must re-evaluate and realize thatthe historical approach to religious tolerance must be modified.Conditional and condescending "tolerance" must be redefined to includemutual respect, equal treatment, and robust pluralism.
Contemporary Muslims' effort to grapple with pluralism and theirpolitical position in relation to the religious "other" is in some waysanalogous to the challenge the American religious right has facedrealizing that America is not a "Christian country" -- at least not inthe sense that allows conservative Christianity to hold a privilegedposition. In both cases, a religious group that once dominated asociety is coming to terms with greater diversity and the demands ofjustice in a pluralistic context.
For Muslims, dealing with pluralism will require creativere-interpretation of their scriptural sources and re-evaluation oftheir historical experiences. This process of creative analysis isevident in Farid Esack's article, "Muslims Engaging the Other and theHumanum," which provides a new Islamic perspective on modernreligious pluralism. The question Esack seeks to address is: "How doMuslims engage the religious other in a world that increasingly defiesgeographical, political, religious, and ideological boundaries?"
Excerpted from an article originally published on Patheos.com on July 12, 2009. Read the rest of the article.
Posted July 16, 2009