Islamization as a Force of Global Cultural Renewal or The Relevance of the Tawhidi Episteme to Modernity

Abstract

Islamization constitutes a major force of renovation upon the contemporary
world scene. A little over a decade ago, the mid-seventies witnessed a
heightened awareness of Islamic cultural identity among the Ummah
worldwide, an awareness which was projected in the space of activities and
events which marked the fourteenth centennial of the Islamic Hijri calendar.
One of the more auspicious developments on this occasion was an emerging
trend that is distinctly novel among Muslims, namely, a growing appreciation
for the importance of coordination and organization reflected in quests for
institutionalization. The Muslims of the modern world, it seems, had at last
come of age as they sought to transform the festivities of the day into a more
enduring and effective enterprise. Islamization is a concrete expression of
these concerns. It was born as a wide-ranging cultural movement which
essentially sought to recover the vitality of the community by recovering the
vitality of its heritage. As such, it received its first sustained impetus and
its systematic articulation in the efforts to give effect to the resolutions of
the various maiden conferences of the period.
The focus of this paper will be limited to exploring one aspect of this
movement, namely the potential of Islamization as a force for cultural renewal
and direction. The context of the discussion will be more general taking the
contemporary cultural setting as its framework and making it clear from the
outset that the implications of Islamization have a universal bearing. The ...