Origins of Islam
Founded by a militarily and politically successful tribal group in Arabia.
Originated in 7th centuary Arabia, at a time when the the two imperial blocks, Byzantium and Persia were weakening. The majority of Arabic society was nomadic. The cities were small urban islands in a vast rural sea. Islam was the product of the process of change affecting the cities of Mecca and Medina which were becoming increasingly important trading centers. From the 6th centuary the Meccan merchants, a small percentage of the population had amassed great wealth, within a few families.
"The emergence of private property disrupted social life as bedouin values bsed on collective ownership were set aside by a merchant class that had little time for the nomadic emphasis on communalism, solidarity, equality and mutual responsibility" (Phil Marshall).
This lead to hostility to the merchants from the rest of the population who did not share in the wealth of the new elite and demanded respect for the old values.
Muhammad ibn Abdallah, the founder of Islam a member of one of the most alienated groups, a powerful Meccan tribe the Quraysh.
"Though he married a wealthy women and eventually became a prosperous trader, when he began to preach in AD610 is main concern was to remedy the injustices of Meccan society"(Phil Marshall). He called on Meccans to accept one God whose prophet, Muhammad himself had been sent to convey the divine law and and who would weith mans conduct on a 'Day of Judgement'
Much of Muhammad's preachings are directed towards the Meccan princes, calling them to fulfill their traditional obligations and look after the weaker members of the tribe. Muhammad did not want to subvert commerce, he wanted to reform it. He himself was a business man and his teachings reflect a business man's perspective and interests.
Although Meccan society was falling under the domination of a new merchant class, it lacked central authority. There was no state. There was no legal system, no political of administrative apparatus.
Muhammads preachings therefore were a serious threat to the city elite, as he was propossing the establishment of a Meccan state governed by himself.
Muhammad and his followers were forced to leave Mecca and eventually moved to Medina, a city 300 miles to the north (in 622). There was tension within the community due to conflict between rival tribes. Muhammad set out to provide a unified group, establising the umma a sort of popular front, which put the status of Muslim above that of tribe loyality.
"This agreement not only brought the a community into existance but laid the foundations of a state"
The umma became wealthy following attacks on Meccan caravans, soon the umma dominated Medina. They then set out to expand and following a series of battles routed opposition from the Meccans. A sucession of Arabian towns and tribes declared themself for Muhammad.
Within eight years of their expulsion the city, Mecca had become the center of a rapidly growing islamic economy.
The empire spread at an enormous rate, within a dozen years it covered much of North Africa, Syria, Iraq and Iran. This success was due in part to the decline of Byzantine (Roman) and Persian rule, but also because the Islamic forces were often seen as liberators.
Initially the Islamic forces imposed a relatively modest tax burden on conquered terrorities. It did not occupy or take away peasants land and it did not compel them to change their religon.
As it spread it adapted to local environments and Islam diversified. Islam of Iran had a different character to Islam of India. Within countries different variations existed; the Islam of the ruling dynasty, the Islam of the local ruling group, and that of movements and sects who sought freedom for the mass of a population suffering under an imperialist yoke.
Embraces all who have accepted the faith regardless of nationality.
"Christianity, associated at its foundation with a subordinated, rebel group makes a clear distinction between state and religion"
Islam makes no such distinction. Sharia law is based on the Quran and the sunna (the sayings and doings of the prophet as recorded in the hadiths ) provides the frame work for policy and society.
Though there are and always have been disagreements over how literal the interperation of Sharia law should be. The Sunni tradition represents a more pragmatic tendency, the Shia tradition, dominant in Iran is more orthadox.
Scope of Islamic world
Islam and Fascism
Islam today; Iran
Saudi Arabia
Fundamentalist before Iran, ally of the US
Libya
Egypt
Algeria
Algeria, a former French colony won independance 30 years ago.
In December 1991 Islamic Fundalmentalists won a democratically run election. A militarily backed government, supported by many liberals in the west, over threw this election. Further elections were called off in Jan 1992 by the generals to prevent a victory by the Fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front.
Since then Muslim radicals have been fighting to overthrow and set up an Islamic republic. In the past two years more than 3,000 (official figures, actual numbers may be twice that) have died. Fundamentalists have targeted professionals, including lecturers, writers and doctors. About a dozen journalists have been killed. Hundreds have left for neighbouring Morocco or Tunsia or to Europe. More than 30 Foreigners have been killed, provoking a mass exodus. Foreign companies have cut their personal. Liberal papers have closed down.
Such is the strength of support for the GIA the armed islamic group that parts of the country, including districts of the capital have become no go areas for the police. Millitants set up road blocks mirroring those run by the police. In towns in the south of Algiers, they have in effect replaced local authorities.
Fundamentalists have threated to kill unveiled women. In the south a 17 year old who refused to wear a veil was killed as an example. Last Thursday two school girls waiting at a bus stop near Algeriers were shot dead. At least 29 women have been killed.
The word "Liberal" is given new meaning. The Organistion of Free Yound Algerians (OAJL), a militant squad of liberal youth has vowed it will kill 30 veiled women or an equal number of men supporting Islamic beards for each women killed for not wearing a veil.
Anti islamics have claimed they are setting up armed groups and self defence cells to resist the Fundamentalists, bringing a thirds force into the conflict which has pitted the security forces against the fundamentalists.
Most Algerians expect the government to fall to the fundamentalists.
Ataturk launched the secular state in 1923, seperating mosque and state. All aspects of Sharia law were eliminate and efforts were made to minimise the influence of religion on the private life of many voters. Arabic script was abolished as was the veil. Most of Turkeys 60 million people are muslims but fundamentalism is seen "as much as a bogeyman to the educated middle class there as it is in the west" Turks do not like being mistaken for Arabs or Iranians.
Liberal journalist, Ugar Mumcu was killed by Islamic millitants in a car bomb last year.
In power at the moment is the True Path Party commited to brutally supressing the Kurdish uprising and austerity packages, in coalition with the Social Democrats. (True Path Party won 22.8%). In recent municipal elections, the Islamic Fundalmentalist party, Refah won 18% of popular vote, including the mayorship in Istanbul and Ankara the capital. This was twice their previous vote attained five years ago. They now control 28 of Turkeys 76 municipalities. In the in the central city of Konya where they won nearly half the vote, alcohol has been banned and women are under pressure to wear the chandor. Believed to be funded by Libya, Iran and Saudi Arabia, they are anti NATO, anti Zionist and opposed to Turkey joining the European Union.
Refah are presenting a moderate face, refraining from openly advocating an Islamic government saying it supports only a "Fair Regime"
Why did they get support in the election?
-revulsion at corruption of established parties
-anger at poverty,
many voters poor uneducated migrants from the countryside
-defence of familly values under attack from magazines and TV
-in Kurdish south many voted as an alternative to the pro-Kurdish Democracy party who boycotted the elections.
On Thursday, thousands demonstrated outside the Supreme Electoral Board (there have been accucations of vote rigging) shouting secular slogans.
and Black Nationalism
Islam and Women
alliance with the Catholic Church
References:
Islam- oppression and revolution by Phil Marshall. Internalional Socialism 40.
The Familly by Dr John Harris. (1992) Andromeda Press
Various articles from The Gaurdian, The Independant and The European.
see
The
modern schizophrenia of Islamic integralism
To understand the ideology of Islam it is critical to understand that
the prophet-merchant Muhammad was beyond anything else the founding
father of worldly empires
Why the
Reversion to Islamic Archaism?
We reproduce a key 1981 essay on Islamic fundamentalism by the Middle
Eastern radical writer Lafif Lakhdar. This is a detailed
materialist history of the development of Islamic archaism up to the
Iranian revolution.
Diversity in Islam
for Absolute Beginners
Roughly 1 in 5 of the world's population is muslim - that's over a
billion people. Yet for all the talk about a global society with the
telecommunication revolution bringing knowledge to the masses, what
most westerners from christian backgrounds know about Islam can be
written on the back of a small postage stamp