Journal Entries: ASR208 Contemporary Islam Discussion Questions

This document presents a student's journal entries for the ASR208 Contemporary Islam course. The entries address a series of discussion questions, providing detailed answers and analysis based on course readings. Topics covered include the portrayal of Islam, the intersection of culture and Islam, the need for reformation, the rise of global jihad, the concept of a sharia state, the impact of political inclusion, manifestations of Islam in organizations, the role of Western governments, veiling, and sectarianism. Each entry adheres to academic standards, providing evidence from the weekly readings and offering concise summaries. The student explores diverse perspectives and provides well-supported arguments on each question, providing a comprehensive overview of the complex issues surrounding contemporary Islam. This resource is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools for students.

Running head: question and answer
Running head: question and answer
Name of the student
Name of the author
Authors note

question and answer
Discussion Questions 1
Why is Islam, in spite of its diversity, regularly portrayed as
monolithic?
What countries constitute two good examples of contrasting Muslim
societies? And why?
Islam is portrayed as a monolithic religion because of its history of emergence.
After the colonialism of Muslims by colonialist, Muslims wanted to retain something for
themselves, which will turn as their identity. Therefore, the fall background was the
traditionalist point of view, which over rode on those who thought that Islamic societies
had not suddenly declined. Islamism is an united movement, thus Islamist are viewed as
monolithic.
Like any other religion, there is diversity in Islam, and the countries that home this
diversity are Malaysia, London, France and so on. The reason may vary from place to place,
where some disagree on who their leaders are and disagree based on the principles. Some
forms only exist in their regional level.
Discussion Questions 2
Can we define what ‘Islam’ or a ‘Muslim’ is?
What is the nature of the intersection between culture and Islam?
The difference between Islam and Muslim is the verbal noun of FORM iv of the root
and Muslim refers to the adherent of Islam. Islam refers to the set of ideology and whoever
follows that referred as Muslim.
Culture has a huge role to play in influencing that nature of Islam, because it is intersected
with democracy, pluralism and citizenship.

question and answer
Discussion Questions 3
Does Islam need a reformation?
Has traditionalism in Islam defeated the modernists?
Islam and Christianity are emerging out from a different cultural and historical
background. Therefore, Islam do not need reformation, but it needs to rediscover its own
heritage of pluralism, tolerance and mutual respect.
There are views regarding the ideology of Islam, and these ideologies like any other
religion parallel exist, it is just a matter of emphasis.
Discussion Questions 4
What precipitated the rise of global jihad?
What is the difference between the lesser jihad and the greater
jihad? And has the latter become the dominant narrative?
According to the principle of Jihadi’s, there needs to be violent struggle for
restoring the rule of god. When the cleric was killed in a car bombing in Pakistan 1989 an
idea emerge that is “global jihadism”.
Internal jihad is known to be greater jihad and fighting against the outer enemy is lesser
jihad.
There are varieties which exist in consideration of lesser or greater jihad however
due to the role of various institution such as social media and so on, lesser jihadis have
become the dominant form.
Discussion Questions 5
Can there be a true shari’a state?
Is shari’a able to function effectively in legally plural contexts?

question and answer
Sharia state is impossible to create in the time of globalization because no culture
can exist in pure form. Moreover, sharia law is based of theological implication and does
not have a proper codification.
In pluralist context, it will be difficult to implement such laws because sharia law
has no codification and it does not follow from a clear authority. Thus, people in power
can manipulate it and use it according to their convenience.
Discussion Questions 6
Does political inclusion lead to moderation, and if so why?
How important is ideology versus other factors in determining how
Islamists behave when in power?
Political inclusion lead to moderation because it encourages people from all the
background to participate in the process of development.
Ideology is important but again the dominant stream there is perception of Islam as
monolithic thus it is important to abridge the gap. People must be aware of other variety of
Islamic ideology. Another important thing for people in power is they should have clear
understanding of Islamic ideology lack of knowledge or expertise can result in muddled up
thinking.
Discussion Questions 7
What are the different ways that Islam manifests in Muslim
organisations and movements?

question and answer
Should Muslim movements/organisations, in Western contexts,
look to downplay their Islamic ethos? Agree/Disagree
There are different ways in which Islam manifest Muslim organization and
movements. For example, Global Deaf Muslim is an organization, which aims to
help the challenged individual to read or understand Koran, or the major principles
related to it.
I do not agree because culture in pure format do not tend to exist.
Discussion Questions:8
Should Western governments be looking for ways to
govern/control Muslim communities?
Are Muslims in the West portrayed in a generally negative light?
And if so, is this justified?
There is no reason for western government to take in charge of Islam communities.
After the terror, attacks Muslims have become synonyms and thus they are portrayed in
negative light. However, people should also consider the other nuances.
Discussion Questions:9
Is veiling a form of oppression for Muslim women?
Is it appropriate to ban Muslim women from veiling?

question and answer
Veiling can have different contextual considerations; it can serve as oppression it
can also serve as liberation. However, the consent is what which is think is essential in
order to understand the consequent of veiling.
Discussion Questions:10
Is sectarianism in Islam a relatively recent development? Or, does
it have a long history?
What are the key drivers of sectarian discord in Islam? Are they
religious, political, or both?
Sectarianism has long history and recently it has been emphasized more. The key
drivers are both religious, political and cultural.