RADICAL ISLAMISM CHALLENGES NOTIONS OF FREEDOM

Radical Islamism challenges notions of freedom

[Name of Supervisor]

Radical Islamism challenges notions of freedom

In the article, "Radical Islamism challenges notions of freedom," found in the electronic media The Australian, Nazir-Ali (2010) discussed the issue of radical Islamism with reference to Islamic law. According to the author of the article, radical Islamists are convinced that their specific program for society is based on fundamental Islamic sources. Therefore, they do not accept the perspectives of reformist and moderate Muslims especially regarding Sharia law. In attempts to compare radical Islamist vision of law with the Western perspective, Nazir-Ali (2010) demonstrated relevant facts. Western societies apparently adhere to the idea that the necessity of having one law for all is urgent. This concept goes back to the Judaeo-Christian tradition stating that human beings are created in God's image. On the other hand, the radical Islamic vision emerges with absolutist elements.

The article reveals that the Islamic law is applicable to every aspect of human life, such as the complex areas of politics and business as well as the law itself. It becomes clear that "the function of Muslim jurisprudence has always been, with one notable but limited exception, to tell the courts what they ought to do, rather than attempt to prophesy what they will in fact do." This prompts scholars to make differentiation between the ideal doctrine of the Islamic law and the actual practice. The author of the currently discussed article perceived the need of recognizing the aspects of Sharia law because the lack of such recognition can lead to a greater involvement with Islamic law. In order to be more convincing on this subject, Nazir-Ali (2010) mentioned the experience of some Canadian Muslim females, who started particular initiatives of preventing Islamic law to settle family issues in Ontario. It is not surprising that their intentions were appropriate because Islamic law should be perceived in quite different terms from simply relating it to an intellectual legal tradition.

Islamic law evolved in the 7th century of the Christian era in the areas of the Arabian Peninsula and in Lower Mesopotamia. It generally exists in prescriptive codes of law identified as Fiqh and refers to the ultimate path of following God's law. The term Fiqh means understanding and is associated with the persistent efforts and activities to discover and express the various facets of the Holy book of Muslims-the Qur'an. Islamic law's approach to guiding individuals in their daily matters is holistic or eclectic. According to Nazir-Ali (2010), these prescriptive codes are in conflict with one another because they differ, which implies that they would be incompatible with the notion of equality in the Western law tradition. It seems that contemporary treatment of Islamic law and radical Islam is dominated by stereotypical characterizations. The Western media is prone to take the views of a few radicals and project them onto the entire Muslim population, which is an unjust, inappropriate practice.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the newly emerging Arab ...