The great religions of the world Islam, Christianity and Judaism are today undergoing a radicalisation known as fundamentalism. Nonetheless, the religion that remains most scrutinized is perhaps Islam due to the countless pessimistic portrayals in the western media.
In the view of many Muslims, Islamic fundamentalism symbolizes an attempt to preserve identity and make religion relevant resembling the past. The importation of Western values has been extremely problematic to fundamentalists in Islamic nations because modernism and secularism create a threat to the preservation of identity according to them.
Some liberal interpreters even say the word fundamentalism is not appropriate to use because in essence every Muslim is a believer of the fundamental pillars of Islam. The adversaries of Islamic movements have vigorously misinterpreted the word fundamentalism and therefore the word has lost its accuracy. Although the term “fundamentalism” is tainted, the Islamic movements to which this label has been attached always rely on their interpretation of divine book.
Dr Liaqat Takim, a scholar on Islam declares, “Islamic fundamentalism is mostly concerned with politics and the creation of an Islamic state through the governing of sharia”. Two Islamic fundamentalist movements are exceptional and deserve awareness, namely, the Jamaat e Islami of Pakistan and the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. These movements need to be understood through their social contributions, political involvements, and their approach to authority.
Since the 18th century, several Islamic movements have transpired by contributing towards a change to the social apathy displayed by the official religious establishment. In the beginning Hassan Al Banna, the founder of Muslim Brotherhood assisted families to create greater consciousness and awareness of religion in their daily lives. Matters such as personal hygiene and strong work ethic were strongly emphasized by the Muslim Brotherhood. Moreover morals were stressed as basic health clinics were opened, and schools for girls were established. He placed greater emphasis to hire more graduates of religious schools and visit mosques more frequently to unite the community. Hassan Al Banna wanted to reform the existing state and help lead it towards a proper Islamic society, which he thought would come through the efforts of individual Muslims. On the other hand Maulana Maududi, founder of Jamaat e Islami, believed that faith had become corrupt through the local distortions and innovations, hence he called for a return to pure Islam.
In essence, Maududi had a different approach from Hassan Al Banna when it came to social change. Mawdudi developed general views and ideologies to bring about a social order whereas Hassan Al Banna exercised more effort through action by advocating a greater role for Islam in public life. As a thinker, Maududi expressed that community pressures to elect a new ruler would not be a concern if societies were correctly Islamic and a shura was in progress.
While Jamaat e Islami was more focused to change the political command so the state could become a key component for the Islamization of society, the Muslim Brotherhood contrasted by emphasizing on the transformation of a primarily social locality instead of the entire state.
In the very first stages of development, the Muslim Brotherhood was mostly a social movement dedicated to religious education and promoting a greater role for Islam in public life. Banna was not much of a political thinker, and in this he differed from his contemporaries such as Maududi. The Muslim Brotherhood felt that an ideal Islamic society would not need political parties since all causes of social disagreement would vanish. His first encounter with politics was when he condemned the state’s acceptance of un-Islamic values through Western liberalism.
After a few years, Banna began to be more politically active in order to initiate an Islamic reform. As Britain established a Jewish state in Palestine, the Muslim Brotherhood felt that they had to be politically more involved due to the presence of British occupation. They supported the Palestinians by aiding soldiers fighting the Israeli troops and tensions arose between the Muslim Brotherhood group and various secular political parties within Egypt. Therefore, Banna declared an open armed struggle against the occupiers of Palestine in 1947. Maulana Maududi developed a political consciousness from the very beginning of his movement. He was in the center of politics during the push for a separate homeland for Muslims. In 1941, he established the Jama’at e Islami as a promoting political party seeking the rights of Muslims within the subcontinent. In his political views, he differed from Banna significantly because his preference was to reform politics in order for the state to become the main integral for the Islamization of society. Hassan al Banna and Sayyid Maududi each played a crucial role not only in their movements, but also as examples of activists and intellectuals who created a path for later Islamic reformist groups across the world. Likewise in 1947, Sayyid Maududi moved the Jamaat’s headquarters to Pakistan as his new origin would be more suitable Islamization of Pakistan. Even though they digressed in provisions of certain views, thoughts, and methods, they were still able to use their own implementations to reach the final purpose of their Islamic fundamentalist believe.
By analyzing both major reformists, it can be said that each played a vital role as key models for later generations of Islamic movements. Even though their implementations may have diverged, the Muslim Brotherhood and Jama’at-I Islami presented basically the same ideology. Both developed an understanding that Islam was an entire way of life, and the sharia as a moral system for an entire society. Sayyid Maududi offered thoughts that were more systematic, consistent, and better detailed than those of Hassan al Banna. However, Banna contributed more to the social change but clearly lacked in the field of politics.
The arrangements of Maududi and Banna became inspirations for new theories and practices of Islamists across numerous generations and several different settings. Recently the Muslim Brotherhood has gained power in Egypt through the ballot box and is playing a leading role in shaping the future of Egypt. By examining the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat I Islami through their social contributions, political involvements, and their humanistic approach one gets a better understanding of Islamic fundamentalism.
