Over the last 40+ years, we have been bombarded with clichés about Islam. Shit media intellectuals endlessly argue for a moderate version of Islam that would sit comfortably within so-called Western ideals. Beneath all this talk, there has been a quiet consensus: an acceptable Islam fits neatly within neoliberal capitalism and keeps its populations in check and subsumed under the Western colonial order. Islamists loved this. A “green belt” against socialism.
Weber approached the question differently, long before these discussions emerged. He saw Islam as part of the prophetic Near Eastern tradition. Alongside Judaism and Christianity, Islam belonged to what he considered the Western religions. These monotheistic traditions share something structural. No, they do not possess any hidden essence, but practices shaped through centuries of political struggle over texts. Hermeneutics. Religions define their own gods. God, in turn, becomes the alibi for moral transgressions.
As progressives face mounting pressure all over, I find myself thinking more and more about the role of the intellectual in these rather fucked-up social situations. What is our responsibility now?
The ongoing war with Iran has brought many of these questions to the surface again. It reveals the hypocrisy of Western liberalism. As Sandra Harding rightly underlines, Western democracies have never been secular. They have always carried layers of religious moralism, privileging their religious orders.
Escaping these religious traps will not come from proving that one religion is better, safer, or more peaceful than another. The real task lies elsewhere. We need to rethink secular and universal principles. An updated humanism, if you will.
That work requires debate and conversation. It requires spaces where people can meet face-to-face and argue without fear of getting labeled. Agonistic spaces. Places where disagreement is possible and productive. Lines of escape.
Yes, we need modern public institutions more than ever. Academic institutions, museums, art spaces, libraries. Perhaps it is time to stop obsessing over production for a moment and start thinking together. thx.