How you judge reform depends upon where you are standing

``Christian science monitor publications that were freely distributed in third world countries like India and Egypt.``

Interesting. Does anyone know roughly the years when such publications were made available freely in India?

This is a good article.
Though I disagree with, ``The Muslim world has seen liberal democracies and it has seen autocracies (either royal, military or civilian). `` Muslim world and liberal democracy? do you know what you are talking about?

In reality, all these gentlemen that you mentioned and Modoudi were inspired by the revival of Christianism in the western world. Their inspiration was not Islam but Christian science monitor publications that were freely distributed in third world countries like India and Egypt.

Most of Maodoodi`s work was actually Urdu translation of several Christian Science monitor publications. he just put the Islamic names to them.

Organizations like Alqaeeda are actually a creation of parties like JI in Pakistan. In fact, there is no difference between Alqaeeda and Jamaat Islami.

I just read a news that the US is trying to get back in touch with Muslim brotherhood. I believe that only means that the old allies will be back together again.....heheheheh...

Beady

Congratulations. You are actually studying these things (which is a lot more than what `stone throwers` like me do). So please take the following unsolicited advice in your stride.

Don`t write `admiring` articles. Don`t write `critical` articles.

Your last article (A Peek Into the Past) lacked both depth and analysis. This one merely sets the stage for what`s coming next. A shaky start...but surely it will get better.

and, one last thing, I do agree on the others you mentioned, I wrote a very admiring article on Sir Syed, i believe it was published here on Chowk or you can find it on my blog, http://piquancy.blogspot.com

cheers

bd

T, please do drop me a line at bdasgupta@gmail.com.

rf786 and Nash, you are addressing the same point that i hoped to explain in my essay. You, as very many of us elsewhere outside the ambit of wahhabism, qutbism and the brotherhood, do not think of these chaps as reformers. But if you look at their work and their results, it was and is pitched as ``reform`` against colonialism, secularism, ancestor/saint worship, etc. etc. If you will, they wanted to change back, like what Martin Luther wanted to do. If you compare Martin Luther, he wasnt a howling liberal reformer, he wanted to go back before the indulgences, the corruption, the disgusting behaviour of the priests to the pure christianity. Just the same as that of qutb, banna and wahhab. But we think of martin luther as a reformer and these 3 as well, not reformers. But if we dont recognise that they did do reform and there is a vast constituency that believes in what they are doing is reform, what we say and what they say will always have a gulf.

Beady how do I contact you - I am in london (live here in a manner of speaking)!

#re 4 Naqshabandi - but they are refromers in the sense of the definition of Beady. And I think you might have put your finger on it. NOt all reform is necessaryly good....good locally but globally might be a disaster.

Re: # 3

beady sahib,

Maududi sahib has made remarkable contributions to Islamic writings and Sub-continent politics, even till this day JI supporters and many of his admirers are influenced by his writings.

Having said that, I disagree with your thesis that Wahab, Banna or Qutb were ``reformers`` a better description for them is ``restorationists`` for they wished to bring back the ideal state and discard all other philosophies/interpertations as bida or shirk.

Reformers in islam were Jamaluddin Afghani, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Allama Iqbal, Shibli Nomani to name a few. These are the intellectuals who tried to bring modernity and classical religious concepts together, unlike the nmes u have mentioned who did the exact opposite.

all three moved away from islamic orthodoxy and represented a move towards heteredoxy. all three were condemned by the traditional ulama--who have been proven right: these 3, along with ibn abdul wahab najdi are the godfathers of wahabism and islamist terrorism.

so it isn`t unfair to say they have done more to ruin islam than anyone else in the past 200 years. all the terrorist movements are ideologically linked to one of these 3 men. and all 3 of them were influenced by the wahabi from najd.

T, where the devil are you Sir? I heard you were sojourning in sunny Pakistan and India? Are you now in London? if so, do drop me a line! :)

rf786: I have been trying to write an essay on old man maududi for the past 3 years, more I read about him, the more confused I get, but you are right, I should finish him off. By the way, here`s a factoid for you, Maududi has had the greatest amount of peer researched journal articles, based upon hits!, compared to others! :)

cheers

bd

Reformists or Restorationists? Certainly not pragmatists.

Sayyid Qutb was influencd by the works of Abu Ala Maududi who was a much bigger Muslim scholar than Qutb or Banna, both political revolutionaries in their own rights.

Interesting article.

beady, next time you want to wheel around time and are lurching towards a pub give a shout(T).

Multiplicity of paths and routes, indeed but is each path time bound? Which is the quickest and fastest route? In these days when the wheel of time seems to be rotating faster and life cycles are rapid, these are the question which are upper most in peoples minds?