A journal of political, social, and other important, possibly even somewhat related affairs, including but not limited to: Central European Society, The European Union, HC Kometa Brno, American Politics, Film, and Beer.

24 April 2010

France's "Model Imam"

This article from Der Spiegel is an intriguing read, about an imam in a northern suburb of Paris who supports, among other things, the French "burqa ban." Needless to say, he is very popular with some, and very unpopular with some others.

France is, of course, in some ways a test case for the idea of "European Islam." Its tradition of laïcité combined with its large Muslim population makes Islam a particularly salient aspect of identity in France; moreover, the relatively low level of integration of Muslims in France and the relative poverty of this population undoubtedly contributes to France's suspicion of Islam (though it's questionable whether or not that poverty is a cause or an effect of the lack of integration. Probably a little of both.) Imam Chalghoumi, according to the article, is working on a book dealing with what "a European Islam" should look like.

Indeed, it is probably not just a "European Islam" that M. Chalghoumi is searching for. When we hear about people asking, "Where are the denunciations of the Mullahs? Where is 'moderate' Islam?," these are the reformers that the West and Islam surely need. It is clear that Islam in its more violent forms must and should be defeated; however, this cannot be accomplished solely by boots on the ground and even by building democratic institutions. It is equally clear that Muslims, the vast majority of whom recoil from the idea of their faith as a closed-minded violent ideology, will have to step up and reconcile an individual freedom of conscience with broader Islamic society. In this vein, and while not writing the doctrine, imams and Muslim theologians should at least be afforded state protection and the right to speak, even when -- especially when -- their greatest opponents are their own flock.

Imam Chalghoumi is perhaps not the best spokesman for a "reform" Islam; his own past is rather checkered and unclear (the "birther" types of French Islam are having a field day with his inability to explain his past), but it's a start. He is undoubtedly controversial, but we can at least hope that he has a long future in what he describes as "European" Islam.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home