Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh

The presence of Islamism in Muslimistan necessitates a secular age, as only in a secular age does it become possible to be for or against Islam due to the decentering of Islam as the default organizing premise of Muslim societies. Within this fundamental de-Islamization or secularization of Muslim s...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Md Ashraf Aziz Ishrak Fahim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pluto Journals 2022-11-01
Series:ReOrient
Online Access:https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.7.2.0158
_version_ 1797834059310694400
author Md Ashraf Aziz Ishrak Fahim
author_facet Md Ashraf Aziz Ishrak Fahim
author_sort Md Ashraf Aziz Ishrak Fahim
collection DOAJ
description The presence of Islamism in Muslimistan necessitates a secular age, as only in a secular age does it become possible to be for or against Islam due to the decentering of Islam as the default organizing premise of Muslim societies. Within this fundamental de-Islamization or secularization of Muslim societies, further de-Islamization is made possible by secular power’s ability to dictate and even produce Islam, which continues to perpetually shift the meanings of secularism and Islamism in accordance with the European Enlightenment’s notion of progress. The banality and universality of secularism, and markedness and provinciality of Islam(ism), ensure that only the (perceived) absence of secularism and (perceived) presence of Islamism are felt – never the other way around. Bangladesh’s recent authoritarian turn, its social engineering during secular authoritarianism, and the recent calls for democratization – all point towards the secularist politics of de-Islamization which invents Islam(ism) in de-Islamization, and which then explains the failings of secularism through the regime and Bangladesh’s “Islamist character”. The implications include a never-ending de-Islamization process, spelling the end of the post-Islamism thesis, as post-Islamism becomes an impossible state. Secular power invents in post-Islamism a new Islamism, delaying the post-Islamist moment ad infinitum .
first_indexed 2024-04-09T14:33:36Z
format Article
id doaj.art-56d2a1f835b24236be01ca16f761e170
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2055-5601
2055-561X
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T14:33:36Z
publishDate 2022-11-01
publisher Pluto Journals
record_format Article
series ReOrient
spelling doaj.art-56d2a1f835b24236be01ca16f761e1702023-05-03T14:19:06ZengPluto JournalsReOrient2055-56012055-561X2022-11-017215818110.13169/reorient.7.2.0158Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in BangladeshMd Ashraf Aziz Ishrak FahimThe presence of Islamism in Muslimistan necessitates a secular age, as only in a secular age does it become possible to be for or against Islam due to the decentering of Islam as the default organizing premise of Muslim societies. Within this fundamental de-Islamization or secularization of Muslim societies, further de-Islamization is made possible by secular power’s ability to dictate and even produce Islam, which continues to perpetually shift the meanings of secularism and Islamism in accordance with the European Enlightenment’s notion of progress. The banality and universality of secularism, and markedness and provinciality of Islam(ism), ensure that only the (perceived) absence of secularism and (perceived) presence of Islamism are felt – never the other way around. Bangladesh’s recent authoritarian turn, its social engineering during secular authoritarianism, and the recent calls for democratization – all point towards the secularist politics of de-Islamization which invents Islam(ism) in de-Islamization, and which then explains the failings of secularism through the regime and Bangladesh’s “Islamist character”. The implications include a never-ending de-Islamization process, spelling the end of the post-Islamism thesis, as post-Islamism becomes an impossible state. Secular power invents in post-Islamism a new Islamism, delaying the post-Islamist moment ad infinitum .https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.7.2.0158
spellingShingle Md Ashraf Aziz Ishrak Fahim
Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
ReOrient
title Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
title_full Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
title_fullStr Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
title_short Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh
title_sort inventing islam ism de islamization under secular authoritarianism in bangladesh
url https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.7.2.0158
work_keys_str_mv AT mdashrafazizishrakfahim inventingislamismdeislamizationundersecularauthoritarianisminbangladesh