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The student stoops to kiss the sherif's hand: an age-old tradition, which has become a show with different meanings for the two. For the sherif, it is recognition of their ancestry, knowledge of law, ability (believed) to bring blessing' he probably sees the studen as perilously close to unbelief and certainly tainted by socialism. For the student, Islam is embodied in the Qur'an and hence has no need of sherifs, nor reverence for merchants and land owners; on the contrary, such people are obstacles to independence and linked to corruption and oppression.
Muslim societies have experienced the transformations of the past century, colonial/imperial control, development of the capitalist market; relationship between town and country has changed. What Islam means for Muslims has thus become sumgect of debate. Nationalism and anti-imperialism confront tradition - but tradition is born in strfe, it is variable. The shared elements are the five pillars, the communal experience of prayer, and the hadith (tradition ALthough the latter do address practical life, understandings till vary.
However, Islam's public image in Western media tends to be homogenous, unitary, baffling and even alarming (eg the Iranian revolution) and among Orientalists this is at least the case as regards Muslims, even if they adore Islam itself. The trough is that the majority of Muslims are not Arabs; religious scholars have been tangled up with webs of power throughout the transformation or economic and political systems. There is the influence of colonialism, mysticism, tribalism.
THe prophet died - in an attept to preserve the unquestionable truth, the hadith (tradion of the prophet and his companions) and sunna (path of the ifghy guided ocmmunity_ were recorded. BUt how to distinguish local customs from Islamic? Who's hould impart the revelation? The Prophet left no instructions regarding succession' but his descendants, the Sherifs, were respected and privileged. Men of learning who interpreted the BOok were also imprtan; astoo were men associated with the Sufi mystical tradition, who claimed descent by blessing. Obviously, depute as well as agreement can occur.
The 'Ulema are guardians/interpreters of the sacred texts. The law which they created in the past is now enshrined in four "schools". They are not, however, mediators in the way of clergy. However, the WQord itself sacred' and the huge array of commentaries the 'Ulema have created has in effect distanced the "meaning" from the non-specialist. In times of crisis, this system of textual tradition preserves "Islam" as something continuous. On the other hand, it is resistant to change" it also predispose to a aistuation where the masses need to create their own men of authority in order to access the introverted, elitist 'Ulema, who might be highly suspect in the eyes of the great schools (miracle workers, mastics). But this does not happen on a large-scale because of the existence of the 5 pillars, and the availability of the Qur'an: puls, anyone can become an 'aim, thus maintaining a borad social background within the 'ulema.
The problem is that where religious law is enforced in appropriate contexts, the wider political economy gains an ideological underpinning: ie justified, or at least placed beyond argument. And when one considers that the law does not represent an unquesitonalb etruty, but reacher a local integration of oral culture and religion, that underpinning appears fragile indeed.
The enlightenment was a huge challenge to organised religion. Its mystifying, irrational forces had to make way for the age of reason, science. Where thi did not occur (Ireland, Italy, SPain) those countries were regarded as marginal to the centres of EWNgland, Germany and later the US> In Ottomna Turkey, the same conflict occurred, under the pressure of Euorpean commercial penetration" here the 'ulema was highly institutionalised, controlling law and education, supported financially by religious endowments and tax exemption. THis religious framework was seen as a threat by Europena sand secular TUrks too. In the end, the SUltan bureaucratised much religious administration, law became codified, and new codes introduce which were based on French law. This "westernisation', it was hoped, would allow the Ottoman empire to withstand a Euorpean challenge.
Such secularisation of the stat my, however, have strengthened the Islamic character of the proletariat by allowing the 'ulema to become popular at the same time as economic reforms shook up the rural societies. Religion thus becomes a potential source of opposition, and also ceased to guarantee the legitimacy of power. Foreingers, non-believers, unfortunately became the enemy - rather than capitalism. But despite this enhancement of power, the ulema failed to realise it, and lost any effective socail/cultural role. COmpare the fluid system of 'ulema that conronted colonialism in Morocco, who were seen to be defenders of traditional society" the confrontation inspired a return to Islamic ideals, as far as religion and authority were concerned, but allowing development of capilist bureaucracy, business and industry