Preamble: Islam is not compatible with the Modern World, or is it?

“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.”*

*Hadith, Sunan Ibn Majah 224, attributed to Mohammad

Preamble
Many decades ago, your author took courses on Islamic and Arab culture while obtaining my undergraduate degree. The professor, an Egyptian if I recall correctly, was a man of great intellect. And, at least to all appearances, a practicing Muslim of the typical English-university-trained Egyptian strain (in other words, even-tempered, cultured, and very focused). So, in the 1970’s context, I suppose you could call him a modern, moderate Muslim….of the Anwar Sadat or King Hussein of Jordan variety (Hussein actually was English-educated and English-military-trained).

This professor had a significant, positive, effect on me. I was already somewhat predisposed to having a positive view of modern Islam (of the 1970’s variety) because in that decade I had spent about 6 weeks (split into two trips) in the Islamic world, specifically Egypt, Lebanon, and the West Bank. The second Egypt trip (1977) was not a typical tourist tour. It was an almost four week street-level, FIAT 124-powered, back road blitz of the entire country. (By the way, I felt entirely safe during this trip, other than watching for your occasional Egyptian Cobra or avoiding warm milk in tea—a taste the Egyptians, unfortunately, picked up from the English; I would not feel totally safe in Egypt today.)

One thing became abundantly clear on this 1977 trip: there were three distinct populations in the largely Muslim Egypt of that time. One group, clearly—by education, ambition, and bearing—wanted to lead Egypt into the front ranks of the first world of the modern world, and they were definitely capable of doing it. They were also largely middle class, either by actualities, or aspirations. The second group clearly wanted to keep Egypt where it was—a largely agrarian society based upon traditional Egyptian values, with a strong dose of 20th Century ultra-orthodox Islam (but not, necessarily, “radical”). The third group represented the undecided’s, or the “independents,” to steal a term from American politics—they wanted to see which way the wind was going to blow. The question was in ‘77, which way was overwhelmingly Muslim Egypt going to go? To complicate matters and this discussion, in the past 30 years a new group has sprung up in Egypt: energetic, smart, radicalized, highly educated, technically proficient, frustrated young men who have rejected modernity and wish to create a new Islamic state by any means necessary (including mass murder)….of which Islamic tradition or period it is hard, historically, to determine. Mohammad Atta of 911 fame being a prime example. This is the class of young Egyptian men who also assassinated Anwar Sadat.

At that time (1977) Egypt had a population of 40 million. Today, I was shocked to learn, Egypt has a population of around 130 million, and the question remains the same: which way is largely Muslim Egypt—the largest Muslim-majority nation in the world (other than Indonesia, an entirely different Islam situation)—going to go? For that matter, which way is Islam going to go? The world wonders.

Clearly, a few quarters of Islamic culture study and six weeks of barreling around Egypt, Lebanon, and the West Bank hardly makes one an expert on Islam or Arab Islamic culture. One legitimate expert on Islam and Islamic culture, however, is one Dr Zakir Naik, an Indian-born medical doctor by training, and founder of the ironically named Peace TV (now broadcast from Dubai, after being banned in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). Naik currently resides in Malaysia, where he has permanent resident status. ^Wikipedia

To be blunt, Dr. Zakir is brilliant. Not only does he, apparently, have most of the Quran (and probably the Hadith) memorized, he seems to also have much of the Old and New Testaments at the front of his frontal lobe. Yet this modern man of great learning (including scientific) and intellect has some decidedly “problematic” views. Prime example? Well, Dr. Zakir does not believe that Muslims who fall away from the faith (apostates) should be killed; they should be counseled. On the other hand, he does believe that fallen-away Muslims who evangelize for Christianity (or another faith), or who speak against Islam, should be killed. Think of it: A 21st Century medical doctor, of tremendous learning and intellect, believes those who fall away and start preaching a different faith than Islam should be executed.

It seems impossible, a total contradiction (even to the Quran, by most interpretations) and almost insane, in a 21st Century context.

And that, friends—with Dr. Zakir very much top of mind—is where we start addressing the premise of this Chapter: “Islam is not compatible with the modern world, or is it?”