Does Islam require to work out for itself a Reformation?

Wilfrid Scawenblunt stated within his work, The Future of Islam The Future of Islam, that Islam requires to " work out for itself a Reformation," similar to that which occurred in Europe. Blunt notes it was at Al-Azhar University (his writing concerning Al-Azhar took place in 1882 and later) it was the " basis of a social and political reformation has been laid."

European Reformation witnessed Martin Luther's opposition to the traditional Catholic Church's structure. This resulted in the birth of the Protestant Movement across the continent and around the globe. Luther's reforms allowed anyone to have access to the holy text of the Catholic Church that up until the point of time was restricted to those who were within the official membership of the Catholic Church which opened the door to reinterpretation, and altering the existing power structure. The end result was that Luther was able to undermine established authority of religion and changed the dogmas of the Church that had been in place for centuries, and changed the society to something totally different.

Blunt's longing for the idea of a Muslim Martin Luther was a belief on his part that the same "Reformation" may occur in the Muslim world, where the current faith-based authority may be overturned and a fresh way of interpretation may take hold. The concept that there was an "Islamic Reformation" has been in the air and proposed by Europeans from the beginning of the 17th century. Muslim economic and political fortunes began to plummet in the face of an enormous transformation that occurred as a consequence due to"the "discovery [colonisation]of the new world" as well as shifts in economic and trade patterns that affected tariffs and taxes internal fighting as well as ineffective dynastic rulership, the loss of territory, fragmentation and the beginning of colonisation. The causes of these changes were not at the core in a challenge to the textual system and religious authorities were largely ignored in the majority of cases since the power of the executive within Muslim societies wasn't held in a clergyman, but it was dynastic and frequently tribal-based.

The idea of the necessity of "Islamic Reformation" was an external one, and was is based on establishing an European template to be"the "norm" in reading and contemplating the connection of religion and society, as well as the state's formation. In addition, the history of Europe and developments that resulted in the reformation are portrayed as an universal norm to be replicated and emulated all over the world. Based on this imitation perspective that the demand towards "Islamic reformation" was demanded and implemented. The manner in which the procedure was initiated "Islamic Reformation" was initiated is crucial and the focus of the issues discussed are crucial.

In the beginning of the 19th century, Muslim political leaders sought to reverse or slow the stagnation of the economy and politics and thus embarked on diverse initiatives to change the society. This was at the core was accepting the re-evaluation of Islam's position in society. In this way the signs of decline were interpreted as the root causes. The most important of all, an inaccurate understanding of the change taking place in the world, and a lack of internal preparedness to face these challenges due to nepotism, corruption and social fragmentation, as well as the indifference of the elites in helping the entire society. There were many issues, but access to the religious texts and the religious authorities weren't in the driver's seat as that the Catholic churches were in Europe. Sunni Islam does not have an official Vatican or central Church authority which gave it the supreme right to rule the caliph.

It is clear that Muslims across the globe face layers of conflict and huge problems that confront them in every direction; however, accessibility to the Qur'an wasn't the primary issue nor were the dynamics identical to those seen in Europe with regard towards the Clergy. In this regard, Muslims were being asked to re-create Europe's history and to establish it as the norm for all peoplewhich was ill-conceived at the very least. I'm not minimizing the issues that are present in the coming to Islamic texts of religion and the myriad of urgent issues that require only the brightest and best to take advantage of it. On the contrary, what I am proposing is the correct diagnosis of the root cause and the best solutions.

The demand to "Islamic Reformation" has accelerated in the past 20-30 years, with conferences, papers on strategic issues of think tank thinkers, government intervention directly threatening violence, movies as well as children's literature and experts all trying to birth"the "new reformed Muslim." According to me, the whole thing is aimed toward creating the creation of a Muslim subject that mirrors the of (inferior in terms of status) of the popular European person who has managed to shake off the hold of religion over society and became the master of his/her own destiny. The process of reconciling Islam with its position in relation to the secular, successful European has been at the heart of this continuous engagement and also challenging the current discourse. The assumption here is that it is a progressive and evolving interpretation of the past with Europe as the center and the highest point of the human race which must form the basis of imitation.

A lot of Muslim intellectuals work towards finding a way to reconcile Islam in a way that is compatible with "Western" thought, a broad concept that implies there exists a binary existence, and also acknowledging the fundamental division that is implied from the history in the relation. The movement to promote "Islamic Reformation" by a particular set of people have discovered a plethora of media personalities, writers and thinkers who are willing to play with the idea of writing and speaking to an audience that is attentive, thus providing a further reason for the efforts. The intellectual output has been targeted to an audience that is a specific one and has addressed certain problems that are not of importance or significance to Muslims around the globe. How many of them address militarism poverty and human rights, economic rights, dynastic rulership, corporate power, and an absence of significance to humans? "Islamic Reformation" is hollow in the absence of addressing the issues in front of you through an Islamic and spiritual perspective. Islamic worldview.

What is the reason for starting to address the significance of Islam and religion in the society? What are the distinct ways emerging from Islamic time that could help guide and inform the relation to the text, so as to be able to participate to engage in "reform", "renewal" and "innovation" that are not imitations in nature, nor are they set in a complex of inferiority or worse making the Muslim society into a product of corporate greed? When one approach the topic in the belief that Islam is inherently unworkable, unsuitable and unresponsive to fresh and new scrutiny then the result will be the same.

And more importantly to the point, why do Muslims today suffer from such deeply convictions of being inferior, which makes them act and think in the context of their "West" being the eye that they use to judge everything? What is the reason they are willing to project their "Muslimness" with a lens that is based on "double consciousness" that negates the importance of self in the search for significance?

I'm in favor of a fresh attention to Muslim self-discovery that is founded on meaning that comes by examining Islamic epistemology, which is in conversation with all culture and tradition, as we are part of the human ocean, which has produced multiple perspectives to deal with the complex issues we face. I would like to see a specific decolonial revival and reform that is also broad and international in its approach and not focused on just what is the "West" that is living in our collective brains.