Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature

The age of imperialism, which stretched from the second half of nineteenth to the first half of twentieth centuries, engulfed almost every Muslim country. Anguished by European domination of the Muslim world, many Muslims doubted the supremacy of Islamic civilization, and at the same time are impre...

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Main Author: Zakariya, Hafiz
Format: Proceeding Paper
Language:English
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/1/INCOH_Hafiz_Zakariya_.pdf
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author Zakariya, Hafiz
author_facet Zakariya, Hafiz
author_sort Zakariya, Hafiz
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description The age of imperialism, which stretched from the second half of nineteenth to the first half of twentieth centuries, engulfed almost every Muslim country. Anguished by European domination of the Muslim world, many Muslims doubted the supremacy of Islamic civilization, and at the same time are impressed by the advancement of the West. They are confronted by the dilemma of being able to emulate the West without compromising their religious principles. Muslims’ responses to colonialism varied from total rejection to blind imitation of the West. Another type of Muslim’s response attempted to bridge the gap between total rejection and blind imitation of the West. This attitude as epitomized by the ideas of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad ‘Abduh espoused a simultaneous admiration and rejection of the West. It emerged in the second half of the 19th century to revitalize Muslim conditions by focusing on its compatibility with modernity. Most studies on Islamic reformism have privileged the “central Islamic lands” at the expense of its “periphery” (Reid, 1993). As a result, comparatively, the development of Islamic reformism in Malaya (Malaysia) remains a marginal topic. This paper, thus, attempts to examine selected scholarly works on Islamic reformism in Malaya. In so doing, it will trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates, achievements and inadequacies.
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spelling iium-26432011-12-15T13:42:07Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/ Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature Zakariya, Hafiz DS Asia The age of imperialism, which stretched from the second half of nineteenth to the first half of twentieth centuries, engulfed almost every Muslim country. Anguished by European domination of the Muslim world, many Muslims doubted the supremacy of Islamic civilization, and at the same time are impressed by the advancement of the West. They are confronted by the dilemma of being able to emulate the West without compromising their religious principles. Muslims’ responses to colonialism varied from total rejection to blind imitation of the West. Another type of Muslim’s response attempted to bridge the gap between total rejection and blind imitation of the West. This attitude as epitomized by the ideas of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad ‘Abduh espoused a simultaneous admiration and rejection of the West. It emerged in the second half of the 19th century to revitalize Muslim conditions by focusing on its compatibility with modernity. Most studies on Islamic reformism have privileged the “central Islamic lands” at the expense of its “periphery” (Reid, 1993). As a result, comparatively, the development of Islamic reformism in Malaya (Malaysia) remains a marginal topic. This paper, thus, attempts to examine selected scholarly works on Islamic reformism in Malaya. In so doing, it will trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates, achievements and inadequacies. 2011-06-14 Proceeding Paper NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/1/INCOH_Hafiz_Zakariya_.pdf Zakariya, Hafiz (2011) Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature. In: International Conference on Humanities, 14-16 June 2011, Park Royal Hotel, Penang. (Unpublished) http://www.incoh.usm.my
spellingShingle DS Asia
Zakariya, Hafiz
Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title_full Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title_fullStr Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title_full_unstemmed Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title_short Discourse on Islamic Reformism in Colonial Malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
title_sort discourse on islamic reformism in colonial malaya: a preliminary evaluation of selected literature
topic DS Asia
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/2643/1/INCOH_Hafiz_Zakariya_.pdf