ISLAM'S POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT, THE THIRD PART!

Hi,

The Islamic revival also had political ramifications, which have manifested

themselves in two distinct ways. The first and most common is the

majoritarian way in the political mainstream, in cases where the

political center has been willing to compromise and accommodate

to populist religious sentiment (e.g., in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria,

and until recently, Turkey, as well as Morocco and Yemen).

In these countries, Islam has worked within the existing system.

In effect, it has legitimized the political status quo, even while it

worked to re-Islamize society by controlling social services, such

as health, welfare, adult literacy, and so forth.

Majoritarian-reformed Islam has also come to the fore in Egypt,

Tunisia, and Algeria, but in these cases, the political center has

chosen repression rather than accommodation. Moreover, in Algeria

and Egypt, majoritarian-reformed Islam has spawned splinter groups

of a violent nature, and these groups have monopolized newspaper

headlines worldwide.

Modern science originated in the West in the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries and the Industrial Revolution was propelled

by the technological offshoots of that scientific progress. Science

and technology are now "being done" in Asia as well as in Europe

and North America. As the phenomenon globalizes, it is beginning

to lose its original cultural roots. More precisely, these roots are

undergoing a dialectal change as different cultures meet and meld.

In the Muslim world, this has meant that while the benefits of science

are embraced, an effort is being made to found science in religious

belief. Such diverse personages as Maududi of Pakistan,

Sayyid Qutb of Egypt, Ayatollah Khomeini and a=Ali al-Shariati of Iran,

and Hasan al-Turabi of Sudan has embraced the progressive, of science.

The results of development are thought to be evident: Economic,

political, and social improvement either occurs or it does not. This is

true of course, but the underlying principles of development are

susceptible to an alternative formulation and, as a result, the objectives

of development can be changed.

The Western concept of development originated in the enlightenment

with its liberal assumptions of individualism, secularism, equality, and

materialism. Development is thought to occur when individuals seek to

maximize their own self-interests in a society in which religious values

are personal and private. Egalitarianism is believed to be the norm,

and development is thought to happen when political equality is

accompanied by a must, economic inequality based on

market competition.

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