Modernity and Islam

Perhaps, the concept of a "clash of civilizations" is an exaggeration, but Muslims do not regard themselves as part of a civilized world consisting of a world of Christians and Jews.

It is also a sad fact today’s global terrorists are nearly all Muslims.

This creates a general assumption that Islam and modernity can never unite because Muslims reject modernity and do not wish to live peacefully alongside people from other religions. Some people believe Islam is far away from modernity because Islam disregards modern science that has provided the soul of modernity. However, if one studies the history of Islam, one can read writings from some thinkers who contradict this.

In my mind Bediuzzaman Said Nursi is one such Islamic thinker who searched for a means to educate Islam towards modernity. Born in 1873 in Bitlis, a Kurdish populated city in the eastern Turkey, he stated early in the 20th century: "The light of conscience is religious science and the light of mind is positive science. They will create the reality. If they do not walk together, conscience alone may turn into fanaticism and the mind alone may turn into fraud."

Said Nursi openly stated the enemy of Islam was not other Godly religions and that these religions should collaborate against common enemies he defined as ignorance, poverty and conflict.

He said the holy war was against these three enemies and religions should fight together against them with weapons such as talent, art and alliance. Just as Protestant ethics did with Christianity in adjusting it to the rules of capitalism and the industrial revolution, he praised making money, creating jobs and productivity, i.e. the principals of capitalism, adding that these activities were as important as praying.

This week there is the 7th International Symposium in Istanbul on Sadi Nursi and 80 scientists of various disciplines from 30 countries will be offering their opinions of him. So far, more than 1,000 articles by foreign researchers have been written about his thoughts.

When I am asked to whom should one refer in order to witness genuine efforts to modernize Islam, I usually mention the name of Nursi.