ABU DHABI // Ending the relationship between Islam and politics was key to resolving conflicts in the Middle East, a prominent Moroccan academic has said.
In a lecture where he addressed religion and politics in Islam at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research on Wednesday, Dr Mohammed Saadi, an associate professor at the University of Mohammed the First in Oujda, Morocco, said the mobilisation of religion had led to increased in violence, divisions and extremism.
“Islam is a religion and not a state. Islam and Sharia should be far removed from politics,” Dr Saadi said.
He argued that in Islam, politics is civil by definition and words such as dawla, sultan and hukm – state, authority and rule – in the Quran were misinterpreted by those attempting to politicise Islam.
“The Quran does not refer to a regime or governance, and the message that religion is for God and the land is for the people is clear.”
With the rise of political Islamic groups after the Arab uprisings began in 2010, causing instability in the region, a concerted effort was needed to debunk their exploitation of religion to claim legitimacy.
Totalitarian religious ideologies in the region, such as those backed by ISIL, who support the idea of Sharia and propose Islam as the solution, needed to be countered with a notion of the separation of state and religion.
“Now more than ever, we need to free Islam from the guidance of these groups, in view of entering an Islamic enlightenment period,” Dr Saadi said.
After 15 years of teaching at the university level, Dr Saadi said he was still surprised students approached him with the concept that human rights began with Islam.
“As a Muslim society we are proud of our religion and our past, but we must stop viewing ourselves as the centre of the world.
“There were many great civilisations before the Islamic empire and we are just a part of a global civilisation,” said the human rights, political science and international-humanitarian law professor.
A dismantling of the ethnocentric aspects of Islamic culture was needed, he said. To stem these beliefs an overhaul of the education system in many parts of the region was needed.
“We need intellectual reform to ensure there is a spiritual security of Islam, which shields it from politics,” he said.
In agreement with Dr Saadi was Hassan Al Owais, who said Islam has never been about a long list of prohibitions.
Mr Al Owais said those most likely to be influenced by the radicalisation of religion and support the notion of an Islamic state were stateless individuals, or citizens of weak states.
When asked by Mr Al Owais if terror and extremism were limited to those marginalised in states such as Syria, Dr Saadi said the ideology had to be tackled throughout the region.
“Economic development is important in combating terrorism and extremism, but we should remember to focus on social and ideological development as well.”
tsubaihi@thenational.ae