291
See also: Faith and the state 189 ■ Progressive Judaism 190–95
■ The central professions of faith 262–69O
ne of the most significant
questions faced by
Muslims today is how
to relate Islamic faith to secular,
modern life. This question becomes
more pressing when people from
Muslim countries move to the
West, bringing with them not just
their religion, but their religion as
practiced in a specific cultural
context. As a result, many Muslims
face a disconnection between what
is Islamic and what is modern,
secular, or Western.
The idea developed by Tariq
Ramadan—an Islamic scholar,
whose family went into exile from
Egypt to Switzerland because of
his father’s membership of the
Muslim Brotherhood (p.289)—is that
it is possible to be at once a Muslim
and an American or a European:
religion and national culture are
separate concepts, and it is the
duty of a Muslim not only to respect
the laws of the host country’ but to
“contribute, wherever they are, to
promoting good and equity within
and through human brotherhood.”
Ramadan encourages Muslims totake the traditional sources referred
to by Islamic scholars—the Qur’an
and Sunna—and to interpret them
in the context of their own cultural
background, taking responsibility
for their faith in the environment
they inhabit. Ramadan’s goal is to
help Muslims contextualize many
modern issues facing Islam, so that
they are able to become Western
Muslims whose culture and religion
are compatible. ■ISLAM
ISLAM CAN BE A
MODERN RELIGION
THE COMPATIBILITY OF FAITH
Tariq Ramadan advises European
governments on Muslim relations;
he is a prominent communicator
and advocate of Muslim integration.IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURE
Tariq Ramadan
WHEN AND WHERE
1960s, Switzerland
BEFORE
711 CE Muslims begin raids
on the Iberian Peninsula.
827 Muslims begin conquest
of Sicily and establish an
Emirate in 965.
15th century Islamic
Ottoman Empire expands
in the Balkans.
AFTER
1960s Large-scale Muslim
emigration begins from
Turkey and northern Africa
to Europe.
1979 The Iranian Revolution
leads to the overthrow of Iran’s
Westernizing government.
2008 Rowan Williams, the
Archbishop of Canterbury,
states that the adoption of
aspects of shari‘a law is
inevitable in the UK.