Radical Reform

I thought Tariq Ramadan's introduction was particularly interesting in light of Qutb's writings about Islam. The idea of reforming Islam in a way that does not undermine it (i.e. not a Western way of reforming Islam) provides an insight into an alternative way of thinking. While Qutb has been so influential for extremist groups, Ramadan's writings provide another answer to modernization and the changing world.

I thought Ramadan's attention to the problems with Western (or Christian) thought being imposed on Islam was particularly striking, and significant. It is true, that Islamic reform cannot, and really should not take the form of Christian periods of reform such as the Reformation or the Vatican II (14). Ramadan's point that this is an attempt to import Christian experience on to Islamic experience is important, I feel. The rejection of these ideas by the Muslim people is only logical, as the idea of asserting Christian history onto the Muslim tradition is completely absurd.

Instead, Ramadan attempts to outline how reform itself has been present in Islamic culture. I really enjoyed how he explored how change could fit into the Muslim understanding of their own religion, without turning to Western examples. While he recognizes that Islam has been in a time of crisis (29), he also argues that Islam can revive itself by staying true to tradition. As he says, "adapting does not - or does not necessarily - mean questioning, criticizing, or challenging" (33). I find his assertion that the resistance to self-criticism and renewal stems from a lack of self-confidence (36). This seems to fit well with the psychological aspects of fundamentalism I am exploring in my paper.

In general, I thought it was interesting to see a juxtaposition to Qutb's writings. Milestones reaches such an extreme in comparison to A Child From the Village. The call to revert to traditional Islam, but a selective and specific view of traditional Islam, that Qutb holds does not seem as logical as Ramadan's call to look at reform using traditional Islamic values.