By Sohaib Saeed [Originally published by 1st Ethical]
Sometimes we feel we are losing the war of words. As new concepts and coinages colonise the Muslim mind, we are left playing catch-up. Defining terms is a function of power, hence the feeling of helplessness in the face of familiar words being “redefined”. Wisdom is required to be flexible to genuine progress while maintaining the integrity of our religious discourse; after all, scripture-based religion necessitates a keen awareness of the meaning of words and the intent of speakers.
Unethical media/political usage of certain words has evoked a variety of strange reactions. They have mastered the art of using words laden with value judgements (connotations) yet devoid of precise meaning (denotation), such that they can even be strung together to great effect. Upon this method, “extremist radical fanatic” means no more than “bad bad baddie”. Then we have some Muslims trying to reclaim these negative terms by casting aside their baggage. On the other hand, some reject ostensibly positive labels such as “moderate” because people with problematic agendas have promoted them under this banner. If anything, these are the names we need to reclaim!
So what is a “moderate”, and what is Islam’s approach to this concept? To speak of Islam’s “approach” is to assume that its scriptures have spoken of the concept, not leaving us to react at a later time. Do we need to consider “moderation” as a RAND-y agenda, or is it the sort of lifestyle that takes a bit of Islam, but not too much (like being a “moderate drinker”)? Is the “moderate” someone who cancels any religious teaching which critics find unpalatable?
The aim of this brief article is to draw attention to some of the keywords in our Islamic tradition and contemporary discourse for both sides of this equation. By so doing, we can aspire to perfecting our individual and collective religiosity, directing it to be both faithful and sustainable, while avoiding the pitfalls of those who have gone before. More
