The Islamist challenge to secular Bangladesh: Article from Boston Review

[cricket_pagol]

I got this link from Dristipath... I really loved this article. I think its a very accurate portrayal of of the current situation in bangladesh.

http://bostonreview.net/BR32.3/schmidle.html
(The article is really long!)

[Rabz]

A very good and a very very long article.
Good read.

[Puck]

thanks for the link. it was a very interesting perspective. should we start a discussion perhaps?

below is a synopsis of my thoughts on fundamentalism. the paper it is from also takes into account the transcendence of revelation and acts, more as a critique of revelation. since i go into a lot of detail with reference to the german philosophers kant and fichte, i shall avoid speculating on that here. however, two paragraphs are directly quoted from my conference publication.
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What is religious fundamentalism? A. K. S. Lambton suggested that religious fundamentalism, whether Jewish, Christian or Islamic, consists in an assertion that the received sacred text contain a set of eternal living truths. Thus these texts claim an inbuilt guarantee of infallibility and profess an ideology of an all-encompassing guide in every condition and circumstance of life in whatever century or for whatever purpose. It often neglects transcendence and innovation of thought, and it avoids the need for a creative re-interpretation of the faith. It sees the idea of God in the light of its own concepts. Furthermore, it could be argued that such an interpretation is thoroughly non-critical, apologetic, and didactic. There is also a noticeable hostility towards historical criticism and all attempts to question the accuracy of certain events, or the validity of circumstantial prescriptions.
Generally speaking, religious fundamentalism tends to exploit a bias towards conservatism, and power in fundamentalist regimes tends to be exercised by those who have a monopoly in the interpretation and application of the sacred law. However, as Youssef M. Choueiri warns, ‘it is still important to bear in mind that fundamentalism is not simply the hallmark of a fanatic or a traditionalist. Contrary to common belief, it is an ardent endeavour that is imbued with an activist stance and an earnest determination to grapple with overwhelming odds. It is thus not to be belittled, taken lightly or derided. The ideological pronouncements of fundamentalism reveal a hostile attitude towards both traditionalism and official religious institutions.’
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[Dawah_]

As I said before, all those political parties that use Islam should be banned in Bangladesh. This will, in reality will do good to Islam in Bangladesh. Wa Allahu Alam.

[Farhad]

Yep, we Bostonians rock! Unless the author isnt from Boston, in which case...decent article

[Ganguly da]

thanks for the article.... i had an argument about this secularism in bangladesh with someone earlier..

[Pundit]

Someone, tell this author that writing about Bangladesh's "islamists" will only get him a free room in Delhi.

[Puck]

is it going to be a nice air conditioned room in one of those converted fort-hotels? if it is, i shall definitely pick up the gauntlet