Why are there so many “Islam’s”? Which one should I affiliate with? Why can’t everyone just be Muslim and live in harmony? Why do people divide us by spreading labels? What are the causes of sectarianism in the Muslim world? How can Muslims achieve true and long-lasting unity?
These common questions are the subject of Finding the Straight Path: Maintaining Identity without Extremism. Like it or not, Muslims actually differ among themselves regarding key aspects of their faith. The issues that have divided Muslims in the past and continue to divide Muslims in the present are real and significant issues. Advocating the “I’m just a Muslim” approach and calling to a generic Islam is either naïve ignorance of this reality or a deceptive front to co-opt people into one’s own camp.
The real question is not how to remove the differences, but rather how to accept and then deal with the differences. The goal of this course is to compare the proper and improper ways of dealing with disagreements. It will specifically delve into issues of takfir [declaring others to be outside Islam], bid’a [innovation], shirk [idolatry], the Amman Message, terrorism, and reform.
Because these issues are real issues, they cannot be ignored – the only ones who ignore them are the ignorant. Many Muslims mistakenly imagine that the way out of the vicious cycle of sectarian violence is to ignore that the issues exist. This is a mistake because it perpetuates ignorance, and decisions are made based on emotional attachments and mob mentalities. The way out of the cycle is knowledge and understanding, and then cooperation based on full knowledge of where you stand versus where the other side stands. Any Muslim who wants to understand his or her religion must understand these issues.
This course proposes a model of unity that is not based on uniformity, but rather on knowledge, understanding, and civility, modeled on the Amman Message, which was signed by over five hundred scholars from all over the Muslin world. The unity that comes out of this approach (i.e. actually understanding the issues, taking a personal stance, and treating others with respect despite their differences) is far stronger and longer-lasting than the unity that comes out of the naïve approach of simply turning a blind eye to the differences and pretending that they don’t exist.
The structure of the course is to survey the major currents in contemporary Muslim discourse: Sunnism, Shi`ism, Wahhabism, and Reform (in all of its varieties), present the issues that distinguish each current from the other currents, come to a reasoned conclusion regarding the resolution of these issues, and understand how to cooperate with other Muslims who disagree with one despite the differences. By the end of the course, you will be able to move beyond both emotional attachment to and aversion from particular labels and really understand the issues of inter-Muslim disagreement. You will learn how to wade through the maze of conflicting Muslim opinions and distinguish correct positions from incorrect positions, and how to then adopt a position without falling into sectarian intolerance. You will learn how to work with others despite the differences and appreciate the importance of inter-Muslim cooperation, especially in today’s world.
The aim of the course is to both help explain the issues and illustrate how to disagree with civility. The greatest thing that you will gain from this course is clarity amidst the confusion that engulfs every Muslim who looks around, sees a thousand conflicting positions being marketed vigorously, and finds themself helpless and hopeless in front of the confusion.
The most important thing for us to understand is our religion, and the most important confusion that we need to alleviate is confusion in our religion. By setting your own religion into its proper perspective, you are putting your entire life into its proper perspective.