Islamic revival challenges the legitimacy of Zanzibar authorities Global trends in Islam are joining forces with global human rights discourseIn an article in Journal of Religion in Africa, (Vol 39, Issue 3, pp 237-261), Simon Turner explores the effects of Islamic revival in Zanzibar and how it interacts with global discourse on human rights to critique what is seen as a corrupt and incompetent political regime. Central to this struggle are the young men who have studied Islam abroad and who challenge the established truths of the traditional religious authorities; these authorities in turn accuse ‘the youth’ of bringing foreign, ‘Arab’ ideas and politics to Zanzibar. The government and the traditional religious authorities perceive this revivalism as a threat to the status quo and attempt therefore to politicise the struggle, accusing Islamic movements of fundamentalism and terrorism. However, the kind of Islamic revival taking place in Zanzibar is far from radical or violent, and it is not appropriate to pose the present situation in terms of global Salafism versus local Sufism. Based on fieldwork in Zanzibar, the article shows the diversity of Islamic revival, ranging from the intellectual revival of the Ansar Sunnah to the populist Tablighi Jamaat, from those who want to change society in order to become good Muslims to those who want to become good Muslims in order to change society. With a heavily restricted political field Islam can, however, be a means of critiquing society without getting involved in politics. Islamic revival critiques what is perceived as society’s moral disorder and the state’s inability to deal with new global challenges. Islamic revivalists often coin their critique of the state in terms of human rights and good governance and provide an alternative modernity that simultaneously challenges and articulates secular, liberal forms of modernity. |
Top