Download PowerPoint slides (Week Five)

ISLAMIC POLITICAL ETHICS
Religion Rules All
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The 8 minute YouTube clip is an insightfully raw denunciation of two worldviews:
1) The religious idealism of dawa that denies/misrepresents historical and
present realities of Islam encountering democracy because “Muhammad is
all in all”
2) The idealism & ethno-centrism of philosophy, materialism and humanism on
numerous steroids, overwhelmingly uninformed by a biblical worldview.
Resulting in an emphasis on human freedom at the level of religious fervor
which denies/glosses reason and honest historical critique of Islam, “I think
[and because I am Western and educated] therefore [you will become
what] I am”
SIMPLY PUT…
Muslims have for centuries understood and regulated private
ownership of property through law (shari’a), allowing even some of
the greatest Muslim thinkers to accept tyrannical or authoritarian
religious rule.
Al-Ghazali “If we were to decide that all wilayet [religio-political
authority] were null and void…how should the capital be
dissipated in straining after the profit?”
IN SMALL GROUPS, DEFINE: LAW,
CAPITAL, PROFIT, AND RELIGION
WORLDVIEW IS OUR LENS, OUR METHOD OF
MAKING MEANING OUT OF WHAT WE SEE
In the context of Islam--No God but Allah and Muhammad
(via the Qur’an and Hadith) the absolute authority and
model, then salaam (social peace and prosperity) is the
“capital” that can only come about through those submitted
(Muslims/true humans) to those practices that “profit”
(maintaining the boundaries of law (shari’a).
HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
A show of hands-
When violence occurs by religious people, is the
religion the major cause?
Violence in religion is the result of the followers
misinterpretation of the religion, not religion itself?
Or…some of both, depending on what the religion
actually models or teaches
RESEARCH
Younger people and those with higher levels of
educational attainment are more likely than older and less
highly educated people to attribute religious violence to
individuals who use religion to justify violent acts.
Americans’ knowledge of Islam is minimal with 30 percent
saying they do not know very much about the Muslim
religion and its practices and another 25 percent saying
they know nothing at all. Only 9 percent of Americans say
they know a great deal about Islam
HOW DO RELIGIONS DEAL WITH DEMOCRACY?
Christian in Democracy
Muslim in Democracy
Political freedom to express different views
in/through Christ
Political necessity may mean living in a
democracy but the goal is Shari’a
Identity by faith in Christ as His Body
Identity by submission Islamic law
Politics/religion – perceived separation
Politics/Religion – no ultimate separation
Honors national identity and borders
One “house” (nation)- no borders
Christian equal with unbeliever
Kafir (ingrate, non-Muslim) not equal
Boundary: Submission to Constitution where
religious practices do not deny freedom to
other religions in reciprocity
Boundary: Submission to Allah/Prophet with
allowance to live in democracy with the goal
ultimate goal of Shari’a governing
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
BAD BEHAVIOR ?
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE?
Not to decide is to decide
ARE ALL PEOPLE GIVEN EQUALITY UNDER ALL
RELIGIONS IN THE SAME WAY?
Figure it out…