Liberalism and Freedom, and How They’ve Colored My View
In Political Islam: Justice and Governance Mbaye Lo argues that the discourse surrounding Islam’s place in the international political order is lacking in empirical evidence and multifaceted analysis. Lo starts off with defining the terms he will use in the paper, and also provides the historical context for the rise of liberalism and his claim that justice is the foundation that Islam revolves around. Next, he applies his theories in case studies to provide empirical evidence. Lastly, he concludes that political Islam as a concept needs to be explored more, and that the world order would benefit from more prioritization on justice.
This book has encouraged me to think more deeply about how my western liberalism has colored my analyses on Arab World processes. For example, during our conference today there were many times when I voiced a thought and then realized afterwards how biased it was. For example, it is very easy for me to say that Islam’s influence on Moroccan society is what keeps Morocco from having the same liberties and freedom as Tunisians. I’m attributing democracy to freedom and superiority whereas any mention of Islam and government is automatically oppressive and wrong. Just as Lo said in his book, the world is more complicated than the basic binary of freedom versus justice, liberalism vs political Islam.
This discourse is becoming more relevant as the world globalizes. We can see from our conference that the Arab World is in the midst of merging this cultural Islam with international liberalism. Witnessing Tunisia’s transition from dictatorship to republic provides a perfect opportunity to witness the evolving relationship between the Arab World and westernization.
Be First to Comment