| Today's development of militant Islamist organizations and Arab revolutions across the Maghreb and the Middle East are physical manifestations of a much longer, ongoing philosophical debate held between late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Islamic revivalists. Similar to the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment, who sought to change the existing order in Western societies, Islamic philosophers also launched Muslim societies upon a path of change to reinterpret and modernize the whole of Islam. Whether a member of a combative Islamic-state making movement, or a member of a protest for socioeconomic and political justice, Muslims are currently caught between religious traditionalism and modernism. While Western powers appear more concerned with their own notions of stability and instability in the region, Muslims are largely struggling to define Islamic societies and, thus, Islam's future in the post-modern age. |
