The Idea Of The Muslim World: A Global Intellectual History – Book Review

Discussion

Cemil Aydin’s book entitled as “The Idea of the Muslim World- A Global Intellectual History” aims to offer a decisive genealogy of the notions surrounding the Muslim world. These notions or conceptions tend to outline tectonic modifications in perceptions of Islam as well as the imagination of a global community of believers over the 19th and 20th centuries. The story essentially narrates about the European imperialism along with its racialized formations of divergences and of the responses received from the Muslim community. Aydin in his narrative has argued that the idea concerning the Muslim world is considered to be indivisible from the assertions that Muslims primarily represent a particular contest. However such a contemporary idea of the Muslim world cannot be nearly one of the obligations of Muslim perceptions but has been stimulated in fundamental approaches by successive generations of Muslim thinkers. The purpose of this paper does not rely on offering a review list of the contents of the book but specifically focuses on evaluating the opening thesis of the book in the contextualization of the greater discourse that is taking place.

Aydin has begun by emphasizing that the idea of contemporary Muslim integration has been regarded to be more significant than an illusion of referencing the widespread conflict along with the internal strife which has its continuation within the Muslim community. Such internal conflicts have been observed between self-identified Muslim states and movements. However, there has been witnessed an inconceivable turn in Aydin’s illusion of unity when he has extended his claim from a existing perspective to the historical backdrop of inter-Muslim rivalry and politics. Furthermore, according to Aydin (2017), Aydin’s disagreement on misapprehension of union further has been observed in the dawn of the Islamic religion and ideology that was attached with an assessment of Muslim identity as being directly associated if not invented by Western colonial empires. At this juncture, Yi?ito?lu (2017) has stated that while Aydin’s statements regarding the exploitation of the Muslim world exhibits an ambiguous and generalized interpretation in contemporary times, his believed dismissal of the legitimacy of the Muslim world has posed questions which further facilitated several other readers to raise queries. Furthermore, the Aydin (2017) vague perceptive signifies that both Muslim and non-Muslim communities have used the idea of the Muslim community for a range of immoral means. Yi?ito?lu (2017) further has stated that individuals must exhibit utmost hesitance towards giving credibility to such any form of “No True Musliman’ theory as it not only lacks severe impracticability but also unsustainable. Furthermore in the view of Gingeras (2015) human history has never witnessed such a hegemonic integration whereby the totality of individualism is distinguishing with one specific religion acting or perceived in inclusive solidarity specifically when individuals have been discussing about huge population of billions claiming to be Muslim.

On the other hand it has been noted that equivalent to be detective is the declaration that due to lack of such comprehensive integration individuals are incompetent of speaking publicly of the Muslim world of significantly that because of the terminology has been appropriated by colonial entities or even captured by dogmatic or technique demagogues. These factors have being consequential for individuals to be incompetent of exploiting or reassessing the Muslim world as a viable, existing concept specifically when individuals can seek various instances of a legitimate historical Muslim world which is not only thriving but also acknowledging as well as of being operated as an indicator or symbol of religious, ethnic, national and group recognition.

At this juncture, Dalacoura (2017) has shed light on Aydin who has overturned the universalistic perception that the West and Islam are inevitably in severe opposition with each other which has been significantly highlighted in the periodic narratives of contemporary Islamic international relations. It has been argued by Aydin that the perception of an integrated global Muslim community failed to make its presence until Western imperialism along with racism compelled a defensive posture from the Muslims. However Dagtas (2018) has noted that beginning from the 18th century scholars like Aydin has exhibited the way Muslim populace often have been marginalised with European authorities in opposition to other Muslims in order to attain substantial level of local administrative objectives. Dalacoura (2017) further has drawn relevance from the discourses concerning world wars and the cold war which distinctly signifies that European powers leveraged Muslims with promises of greater self-determination value by exploiting them as alternatives in order to accomplish grand and colonial interests.

Aydin (2017)  has attributed the nineteenth century pan-Islamism as a response to a newly developed kind of European critique of Islam, in which one has been animated by factors of considering rhetoric by both Islamists and Orientalists. However, at the same time Dagtas (2018) have observed the way pan-Islamism did not necessarily involve anti-imperialism. In the view of Dalacoura (2017), regardless of the resonance of such a perspective related to contradictory Islamic solidarity in recent times, the narrative has been reminiscent to the readers by recalling some of the approaches whereby South Asian Muslim population along with Ottoman elites exploited the idea of the Muslim world in order to acknowledge the union of Ottoman-British alliance. Aydin as a consequence successfully recounts a history of the instabilities of the appeal related to the pan-Islamism through the extended twentieth century. In addition to this, Gurbanveliyev (2016) while reviewing the book of Aydin has observed a distinct as well as ardent narrative makes a significant intervention into contemporary discussion, historicizing the considerably recent elevation of the pervasive discussions on Islamic religious perceptions in contemporary geo-politics. Historians of pre-modern periods, in such a standpoint tend to pose queries regarding the claims which state that the idea of the Muslim world began to emerge in the nineteenth century. At this juncture, Ahmed (2015 ) has posed assertions in his posthumous magnum opuses What is Islam?” while supporting the substantiation of a widespread cosmopolitanism in pre-modern imperial modes of governance that it would be highly unfeasible to exaggerate the meaningfulness of the experience concerning the notion of the common community of Islam or further of Islam as universal community in the conceptualization of Islam.

Meanwhile Chen (2014) has claimed that while it is distinct that the newly developed dynamics in the creation of contemporary political conceptualizations have essentially considered imaginations of Muslim integration over the nineteenth and twentieth century. However, in navigating such an intelligent corrective course, Aydin’s focus has selectively disregarded the impediments of earlier historical eras. For instances, the ideas of the narrative has claimed that the fourteenth century North African traveller did not have the concept of an intimidating, alien and evolution. Furthermore, for the perception of Ibn Battuta there has been witnessed no theoretical conceptualization and international concept of a Muslim civilization. However, for scholars of later generations, the frustrate regarding an interrelated complex of Muslim-majority across the Eastern hemisphere was not imperial China, but rather an aggressively intensifying Western Christendom. Ali (2018) while critically analysing Aydin’s ideas shed light on the nineteenth century linkages between the Ottomans and Southeast Asia. Moreover, Aydin’s narratives have disregarded the situations of the earlier Istanbul which had been revealing unions with other sultanates surrounding the Indian Ocean littoral. These unions had further sought to reinforce opposition developed from the Muslims towards European incursions into the region whereby Giancarlo Casale has been regarded as “juridical universalism” and Ottoman considered as “soft empire” in the Indian Ocean. Mahyudi and Aziz (2017) at this stage has highlighted the way of elevating competition intensified the further expansion of Islam as well as Christianity into newly developed areas of the world during the period as the influx if Iberians cultivated the arrival of new political character to religious identity. Consequentially in industrial and crusading impulses combined and collectively strengthened each other in impelling newly developed dynamics into the re-establishment of trade routes and outlines of religious conversion across the region.

Furthermore, in the view of Verkuyten (2018) disregard of these earlier creations exhibited propensity to be detracted from the influence of Aydin’s major argument regarding transformations of the notion regarding the Muslim world, though does not discredit it as a whole. However, Sevinç and Thomas (2018) are of the perspective that some highly considerable involvement with these multifaceted earlier histories of Muslims tend to demand to the international solidarity and Western formations of an incorporated opponent in the form of global Islamic perceptions could majorly refurbish as well as reinforce claims posed by Aydin regarding the collective entanglements. These entanglements further have created perceptions of Islam along with its communities of believers as a discrete block of humanity, segregated and unknown. Furthermore, forms of racialized identity have been witnessed in varied frameworks transversely ranging Asia emerging from majoritarian Malaysia, to the socialist political conversations of India along with the state administration of ethnicized Muslim marginalized populace in the People’s Republic of China. Aydin’s narrative based on the idea of Muslim identity and its community is thus taken into consideration with great modern significance in accentuating the historical contingency and further exhibited immense competence for change in re-envisaging the contours of communal boundaries as well as conceptions of identity in the burdened and lacking world in which all individuals in contemporary days seek their own identities.

Unlike to the perspectives of de Bellaigue which managed to uphold a greater degree of nuanced understanding of the Islamic world, Aydin through his narration contested the very notion related to the existence of the Muslim community. Authors have reviewed his perspectives that stated that the “Muslim world’ have not been obtained from the Muslim sacred community. On the other hand, the identity of such a community had its occurrence during the nineteenth century and consequentially attained substantial prominence in the 1870’s. Furthermore, Aydin’s assertions further refuted the claims that Muslims were primarily integrated until nationalist ideology and European colonialism created severe oppositions among the two groups. Aydin’s book critically evaluated the way universal political unity was beyond any form of imagination for Muslims, until the rise of European domination and supremacy in the later phase of 19th century, whereby meagre colonial situation, along with European conversations of Muslim racial control as well as Muslims’ conjectures regarding their individualistic perceptible decline cultivated the primary urging for pan-Islamic harmony. In addition to this, Börzel (2015) has analysed a considerable amount of the Islamic history in Aydin’s writing whereby he highlighted a severe lack in loyalty and dedication of Muslim leaders towards their Muslim associates. The book further depicted the story of Tipu Sultan, the emperor of Mysore in the southern region of India who during the late 1790s wanted allies to lend a hand in order to deny the armed forces of the British East India Company. Chen (2014) have noted that the sincere request was sent to the Ottoman caliph Sultan Selim III from the Sultan with the purpose of creating Muslim harmony and to Napoleon in order to efficiently facilitate in creating an union in opposition to a communal rival. Furthermore, drawing relevance from these perspectives, Aydin claimed that collective religion as well as traditions and ethnicity failed to serve decisiveness to the Ottomans from their strategic welfare further linked as they had alliance with Britain and Russia in opposition to Napoleon, who had just attacked Ottoman Egypt.

Taking into consideration the period from nineteenth to the twentieth century, authors evaluating the significance of the Muslim world witnessed an entrenchment of the conception regarding the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Nash (2017) has noted that from the Muslim Brotherhood to Islamic State, Islamist visionaries reflecting an integrated caliphate failed to be restrained in attacking other Muslims. For example, such lack of integrated caliphate has been noticed in Saudi Arabia and Iran whereby they intensely challenged each other as efficient defenders of “the Muslim world”. However, Sowerwine (2017)has asserted that the chaos regarding that Syria proves that the individuals who efficiently upheld the conflict of civilisations arguments have shown high willingness to exterminate individuals involved in their empire as those devoid of any sincere communal identity. At this juncture, Aydin and Koc-Damgaci (2017) has established the assertions related to the contemporary ideas concerning the Muslim world along with the conflict among communities which reflected critical divergences from then former notions which have been identified as products of the developments explored by de Bellaigue. It is important to note that though major proportions of assertions given by Aydin related to consequence of racial speculation in generating the thought of cohesive Muslim world exhibited the propensity to pose dilemma, Chen (2014) has taken his notions into serious consideration his fundamental thesis. The book thus can be considered as highly argumentative rather than empirical. Where de Bellaigue had fundamentally merged into his narrative and facts to significantly undergird his assertions, Aydin’s narration on the other hand has been regarded to be more polemical. Aydin’s narration based on the Idea of the Muslim World has reflected a sense of feeling of a work in progress despite of illustrating a properly fleshed-out notion. It is important to note, that where Aydin and de Bellaigue demanded to restate facets of the history of the Muslim world, Sowerwine (2017) has established their notions to signify underlying aspects of Islam. In the view of authors, the core foundation of Islam relies on its diversity. However, authors have critiqued literalists and conventionalists who primarily disregard the fundamental need for the Quran along with other prophetic narratives to be comprehended in their social as well as historical context.

Conclusion

On the concluding note, the repercussions of Aydin’s effort have been considered to be considerable. The narrative fundamentally explains the way the notion of the ‘Muslim World” constitutes a distinct chronological trajectory whose materialization as a concept occurred in the later phase of the nineteenth century as a consequence of certain political and ideological incidents. However, by posing in disagreement for historical contingency, Aydin essentially confronts “Clash of Civilizations” arguments, which reveal the association between the West and Muslim widely held societies in regards of continuous conflict and struggle. Furthermore, Aydin exhibits the way his conceptualization serves explicit political interests as well as those of Islamophobes and Islamists equally, who voluntarily embrace the concept of a territorially grounded along with politically integrated “Muslim World.” The perspectives of Aydin represented in the book has not only contributed to a sensible and imperative discussion of the origins and development of contemporary politics in Muslim mainstream societies, but further revealed remarkable as well as far-reaching ‘comprehensive history’ of a thought that has addicted several religious enthusiasts.

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