The “p” word has had a tortured history with Muslims, as it does with many other religious communities. Ironically, it tends to work as a better marker to many non-Muslims of the social and political commitments of the Muslims who self-identify as progressive. For too many Muslims, the term progressive has often been a cover for overtly secular approaches, a tendency to operate outside the “tradition”, or an insufficient grounding in the legal and spiritual traditions of Islam.
This is part of the difficulty of Muslims, like myself, who simultaneously embrace the terms progressive and religious. This was one reason that many of us came together to put together a volume titled: Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism. For us, our concern for the wellbeing of the whole of humanity, and an unrelenting commitment to emancipatory movements, arises out of our religious tradition. It is the very notions of serving as God’s agents (khalifa), being held accountable for our actions, and speaking prophetically to the false gods of Market and Empire, Exclusivism and injustice, that inspire us. In another age, the false gods were made out of wood and stone. Today they are market realities and the violence of the military-industrial complex. Part of our radical monotheism is saying “no” emphatically to these false idols that ask for our ultimate commitment so that we can say “yes” to divine Unity and the oneness of humanity.
On the other hand, there is a hard secular critique from the Left that tends to distrust, fundamentally, (m)any religious voices that identify as progressive. Quite often, this center around issues of gender and sexuality. I both understand that distrust and sympathize with it, even as I point out to my secular friends the large number of emancipatory movements that have been grounded in religious traditions.
So I find that we are always moving back and forth: When speaking with our community, it is the emphasis that in fact we are and continue to be rooted in our tradition (and our community), while in speaking with more secular progressives that we are somehow legit. This going back and forth is draining, yet necessary. My concern, ultimately, is that the justifying back and forth does not take the place of what needs to be done: the doing. Ultimately love is a verb, not a sentiment. Justice is a relationship, not an ideal.
I am not a big believer in litmus tests, as ultimately the lists always shrink and expand depending on whom one is speaking with, but here are a few relationships that I always look to in navigating these tricky terrains of being religious and progressive:
· Is there an unrelenting commitment to the wellbeing and uplifting of the whole of humanity, where the wellbeing of no one community is allowed to come at the expense of another?
· Are we talking about merely being nice, or are we actually emancipating, liberating?
· Is there a recognition that one-fifth of God’s children live on a dollar a day? For us, this is not merely an economic or political problem, it is a profound moral and religious crisis.
· Is there an oppositional stance vis-à-vis colonialism and occupation? Is there a recognition of the lingering wounds of colonialism, and the fact that for millions of human beings, these wounds are fresh, on-going, and not healed?
· Are we drawing inspiration from our religious traditions, even as we object to certain practices and interpretations of those same traditions?
· Do we speak prophetically to/with our communities?
· Do we, always, always, speak against the falsest of gods, those of the Market, and the Empire?
· Do we engage in self-criticism, and listen to the criticism of those who speak out of concern and shared values?
· Is there more emphasis on doing, and not just thinking/talking/developing new “theologies”?
· Lastly, for me, there has to be a big dose of humility and compassion in our deals with one another. How we live with each other has to be as lofty and luminous as the ideals we espouse.
posted August 10, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I am very happy to read this post. Indeed, humility and compassion could stand out as the hallmark of all spiritually enlightened people, from any tradition, across time. It is these two traits alone which possess the ability to diffuse the pride and arrogance that is at the root of Empire, the worship of the Market, and all other evils.
May God bless you and strengthen you in your work to alleviate the suffering of all people, everywhere. You are wise to speak prophetically, and I pray that your community and all other communities listen keenly to your words.
Salaam!
posted August 10, 2008 at 1:23 pm
How do we address issues that the countries where the most poor live have the wealthiest as well? How do we address the American black muslims who became religious and some even fanatical in their denial of others while claiming “true” enlightment? Following our spirituality doesn’t mean discrimination and hatred of others yet many see that and fear it. We need to work hard to build bridges of peace through cooperation and understanding more than ever before. The world has changed since 9/11.
posted August 10, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
Dear Omid,
Nice article you wrote here. I also consider myself progressive and religious, and I resent the way this new wave of secularist “Muslims” calling to what they call Progressive Islam. Many are very apologetic about being Muslim. It seems as if many try to just want to “fit in” with people of other faiths.
Would you mind if I post this aricle on my blog?
Your brother in Al-Islam
Khalil Al-Puerto Rikani
http://khalilpr.blogspot.com
posted August 11, 2008 at 11:50 am
Great post! We share a common Father, so doesn’t that make us brothers and sisters? So far as 9/11 goes, I don’t know of any caring human being who isn’t horrified by the idea, but as a Christian, I grieve whenever I hear my brothers and sisters of Islaam vilified for the actions of others. So far as the terrorists are concerned, I am reminded that Jesus told his followers: “You have heard it said you shall love your friends and hate your enemies; but I say to you, ‘Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute and calumniate you.’” I believe that God speaks to all his children in words that they can understand. Let us pray that they will all listen.
posted August 11, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Dear Omid,
I am a Christian and I find your article very heartwarming and thought-provoking. I have recently been looking at the wisdom of other belief systems to deal with any hangups or prejudices I might have. I agree with some messages and disagree with others, but that is no different than how I handle my own religion. We are to “rightly divide the word of truth”. So I hope that whenever I hear truth, no matter what avenue it comes from, I will be able to acknowledge it as such.
The list of things you mentioned at the end of your message is of critical importance. I believe I hear God’s heart toward all of us and I want you to know how much I appreciate you for saying this.
In a world filled with chaos, lawlessness, greed and self-justification, we are remiss as believers in God, if we profess to love Him but fail to honor Him in all our actions, words, and interactions. If we are the cause of or contributors to the chaos, lawlessness, greed and self-justification, then we are sending the wrong signals.
We can be progressive(moving forward, improving)without compromising what is essential to right living if we keep God at the center of ALL our decisions and dealings with others. We can disagree without being disagreeable because our ultimate goal is to “find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it” — and all because we seek to please the God who made us.
posted August 12, 2008 at 1:20 am
It is a very good article, especially the ending. We all should live our in a style that we want to preach.
I feel the reason for our shifting between ideologies is lack of total education. We definitely need the general education and then we should study the basic books of religion like Quran with word by word translation. Once we develop the understanding of wolrd and religion, we shall be more firm in our ideas.
posted August 12, 2008 at 5:46 am
Alhamdulilah, thank you Uncle. Insh’allah there is no problem with progressiveness in Islam because we are encouraged in the Qur’an to attain education, everyone, male and female alike. We should be savvy of technology and contemporary moral and political issues. Why some Muslims resist this I do not know, but they make life more difficult for the rest of us.
posted August 14, 2008 at 2:34 am
Thank you, my brother, for a very thought-provoking and poignant commentary. The struggles you speak of are real and shared by many who deem themselves to be spiritual, as well as progressive. However, we are in a world now where confrontation and dogmatism seem to be taking the front seat, steering the dialogue in a way that makes it more difficult for communication to take place. Hopefully, people who believe as you will be beneficial in the struggle to redirect that dialogue and bring about a gathering of God-centered people of all religions who are about adhering to the word in fact as well as in theory. Most important of all, people of progressive spiritual thought must be prepared to take actions that demonstrate their commitment and faith. As Maulana Karenga said, “Words are marvelous, but deeds are divine.” Let us embark upon a journey of positive actions to help build the “Beloved Community” which focuses on love, compassion, and shared solutions to common problems that affect us, no matter who we pray to. One of our first actions should be to do all we can to invalidate the ideologies of conflict, and point out the dangers of those who would rather divide us, who seek power over us, who fail to respect and acknowledge the diversity of cultures on our planet in their desire to set themselves (and those who look/think like them) up in a position of power or control. That will not be an easy task, but progressively spiritual people joined together in a love of humanity and a commitment to peace and harmony can bring about a new world order rooted more firmly in the best precepts of all true religious teachings.
Good people united in truth cannot be defeated. We walk the way of the new world.
As-Salaam Alaikum
posted August 20, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Omid –
This is a brilliant, clear and insightful essay. Your write prophetically without being ponderous or pompous. I especially appreciate how you identify the _asnam_ (idols) of our day as Market and Empire. This articulation accords perfectly with one of my favorite books on Christianity: Marcus Borg and John Domonic Crossan, “The Last Week.” In that text they clarify that Jesus’s Kingdom is a seed planted and a tree growing that will finally replace the corrupt values of the Empires (Babylon & Rome). Jesus Kingdom they write will be based on compassion rather than obsession over ritual purity and its concomitant social ostracization based on class or caste.
As Greg Boyd (Minnesotan evangelist, Yale Div. School graduate) teaches, if believers really want to stop abortion, they should dig at its roots: poverty. That approach he says, would mean practicing what Christ asked, rather than setting up walls of ideology. I say such walls at best can only offer space to write graffiti.
May i suggest a third aspect of contemporary idolatry: movie stars and rock stars. The astral metaphor as stars and sometimes “icons of the silver screen” totally supports your ideas. You have brilliantly brought to life in your own way Former Catholic (and now Episcopal) priest Matthew Fox’s notion that the dominant religion in America is not Christianity — it’s consumerism. I would say also rock concerts
Thanks for the post,
Talat