Thursday, 5/22/97 Religion and politics Separation of church and
state against inclusive tenets of Islam
By Masood Khan In modern Western politics, there is a clear
separation of church and state. The roots of this separation lie in
the Renaissance, an era when intellectuals stretched the bounds of
human reasoning beyond what the Church deemed permissible.
Preceding the Renaissance was a period when Galileo and Copernicus
were branded heretics, when the quest for knowledge was a sentence
to Hell. The Church was intolerant of any idea or fact that
violated or contradicted scripture. The natural outgrowth of ideas
could not flourish under oppressive church policies and it was in
this context that the intellectual progress of Europe necessitated
a separation of governance and religion. It is only logical then,
that modern Western intelligentsia view any kind of religious
involvement in government with suspicion. To understand how Islam
views politics, it is important to first understand how Islam views
the world and human nature. For the Muslim (one who follows Islam)
all aspects of existence are interrelated. There is no demarcation
of purpose in any function of one’s being. One eats, sleeps, works,
plays, prays, as a Muslim. One conducts business as a Muslim, one
speaks to others as a Muslim, one gives charity as a Muslim. For
the Muslim all of these things are equally sacred. Scientific
inquiry, and the seeking of any form of knowledge is a Muslim’s
right to better understand his place in the universe and the world
around him. As such, in Islam there has never existed a dichotomy
between religion and science nor has there been any attempt to
stifle intellectual growth. (In fact, the Renaissance, which
elevated Europe from the depths of the Dark Ages was a direct
result of knowledge of science, medicine and philosophy flowing
from the Muslim World to Europe.) Because Islam is encompassing of
all facets of human life, politics and government are no exception.
Shari’ah, or Islamic law, sets forth the modus operandi of
government and has precise measures dealing with civil and criminal
law. Everything from inheritance rights to capital punishment are
prescribed in the Shari’ah. One of the hallmarks of Islamic law,
established 1,400 years ago, was the rights and protections
guaranteed to women. Women were the given the right to own
property, to own and operate their own businesses, and to keep all
their income and property after they were married (that is, if they
chose to marry). Today this may not sound extraordinary, but
consider that even up to the 20th century in the U.S. and in Europe
women were required to surrender all property and income to their
husbands once they were married. Islam also introduced and
implemented social welfare 1,300 years before it was ever conceived
of in the West. Muslims are required to contribute a percentage of
their income to distribute wealth evenly to poor members of
society. Islam is a social and political philosophy as much as it
is a religion. It is perhaps more legitimate or viable then any
other form of government, and in fact is more tolerant, and more
humanitarian than any other form of government. What other
government is prohibited from punishing theft if it is committed
because the person does not have enough to eat? Today’s "Muslim"
governments are not governed through the auspices of Islam. They
have either adopted Western democratic structures, run by corrupt
politicians, or are ruled by monarchies or dictatorships that are
currently or were at one time supported by the United States. Islam
holds a high humanitarian standard and stands to oppose any form of
oppression anywhere in the world.