So how is moderate Islam doing?
Two years ago, then-Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed gave a controversial talk at the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The gist of it was, “We Muslims must embrace modernization — so we can crush the Jews.” Two years later, current Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is preaching the first, less offensive part of that message. ...
Two years ago, then-Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed gave a controversial talk at the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The gist of it was, "We Muslims must embrace modernization -- so we can crush the Jews." Two years later, current Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is preaching the first, less offensive part of that message. The New York Times' Wayne Arnold explains:
Two years ago, then-Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed gave a controversial talk at the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The gist of it was, “We Muslims must embrace modernization — so we can crush the Jews.” Two years later, current Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is preaching the first, less offensive part of that message. The New York Times’ Wayne Arnold explains:
In the Malaysian capital, the government is using the 30th meeting of the OIC’s Islamic Development Bank to push an agenda that would give the organization a more direct role in economic integration and development. “It is economic strength which can give the OIC greater clout and secure for itself a more influential voice in international affairs,” Abdullah told delegates to a two-day OIC trade forum. Among Malaysia’s proposals are the creation of an $11 billion infrastructure fund, a master plan for developing financial services in the Muslim world and the creation of a pan-Islamic trading bloc. If approved, Malaysia’s initiatives could mark an important juncture in the life of the OIC, whose members, ranging from oil-rich Qatar to war-devastated Sierra Leone, have little in common but religious faith. In some ways, Malaysia appears to want the OIC to make the same transition that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations made a generation ago, shifting from an organization based on shared diplomatic interests into an agent for promoting development through trade and investment…. Abdullah has the kind of credentials to sell such a progressive message in the Islamic world, analysts and observers say. His father and grandfather were religious leaders, and Abdullah holds a degree in Islamic studies. Just as important, analysts say, Abdullah wants to sell a more pro-development version of Islam in the West. “He’s very strong about communicating Islam to the West in a way that is understood, because it is really being misunderstood at the moment,” said Jumaatun Azmi, managing director of Kasehdia, which publishes The Halal Journal, a trade publication for companies selling products that adhere to Islamic strictures.
Whether Abdullah is a Nixon going to China or a Mahathir in sheep’s clothing is a question I will leave to the comments…. once they’ve digested those inelegant metaphors.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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