Muslim studies too political: Islamic scholar

A pervasive bias exists in the way Islam is studied in the West, says a prominent Muslim thinker, who is calling for sweeping changes in how Islamic studies are taught in universities.

Tariq Ramadan, a visiting professor at Oxford University and one of Europe’s leading intellectuals on Islam, argues that despite a growing interest in the field, the scholarly pursuit of Islam is driven not by an interest in theology, but by fear and an obsession with the struggle against terrorism.

In the latest issue of the Canadian journal Academic Matters, Mr. Ramadan chastises universities for their "carefully orchestrated infatuation" with Islamic studies and calls for a less politicized approach to the field.

He says the current academic focus on terrorism and the struggle against radical movements is simplistic, reducing the richness of Islamic theology into political ideology.

"The study of religious thought proper (of the theology, of its premises, its internal complexities and its development) has been relegated to a subsidiary position," he writes.

"Universities in the West must seek the kind of knowledge of other civilizations and cultures — particularly that of Islam — that is driven neither by ideological agendas nor collective fears."

What’s "cruelly lacking," Mr. Ramadan argues, is an objective study of Islamic law, legal scholars and philosophers, as well as "an historical and critical approach to Islamic history and thought."

Since much of that literature is in Arabic or Urdu, scholars who want a deeper understanding of the Muslim world must master those languages, says Mr. Ramadan.

He goes on to criticize western scholars for ignoring the body of "fresh, compelling, audacious critical thought" emerging from contemporary Muslim societies, which are often eclipsed by controversies surrounding Shariah law or the role of women.

"There is a deep-down, deliberate process of evolution under way in every Islamic society in the world," writes Mr. Ramadan.

"Far from rushing to conclusions, far from populist, ideological speech, the academic world must take this process seriously, study it, and present its outlines and implications."

Mr. Ramadan lashes out at what he perceives to be a double standard in western universities that assumes religious studies professors who practise other faiths can objectively teach and do research in their field, while academics who practise Islam cannot.

According to scholars familiar with his work, Mr. Ramadan’s criticisms are consistent with his mission to bridge the chasm between Muslim orthodoxy and secular democracy.

Peter Beyer, a professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa, says Mr. Ramadan is right to point out that Islamic studies have become highly politicized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.

At U.S. universities, in particular, professors with expertise in Islam are beseiged on all sides, notes Mr. Beyer. On the one hand, their compatriots accuse them of being supporters of terrorism, and on the other, they are targets of "radically conservative Islamist scholars."

As a result, says Mr. Beyer, academic positions in Islamic studies have become hard to fill. "Why would you want to teach a subject that you get nothing but grief from?"