Everything about Islamization totally explained
Islamization (also spelt
Islamisation, see
spelling differences) or
Islamification means the process of a society's conversion to the religion of
Islam, or a
neologism meaning an increase in observance by an already Muslim society. The English
synonyms,
mohammedanisation and
muslimization, in use since before 1940 (for example, Waverly Illustrated Dictionary) convey a similar meaning.
Controversy of the Term
In light of the historically dominant
Christian attitudes; both popular and scholarly that colored the views towards
Islam; of fear and hostility and regarded it as a rival it may be considered derogatory by
Muslims in what was seen as a Muslim-Christian conflict.
Medieval Europe was building a concept of a "great enemy" in the wake of the quick fire success by the Muslims, through a
series of conquests, as well as the lack of real information in the West on a mysterious East.
Modern day
Historians such as Ira Lapidus have concluded that since the 1970s, the Islamic world has witnessed a phenomenon called "
Islamic revival" similar to a
Christian revival - often associated with
Islamic Fundamentalism,
Islamism and other forms of re-Islamization. Although one can never speak for an entire community or people, a reorientation towards Islamic values, in contrast to the
Westernization moves by various Arab and Asian governments in the 1950s and 60s, appears to be taking place. The main effect appears to be a return of the individual to Muslim values, communities, and dress codes, and a strengthened community.
Another development is that of
transnational Islam, elaborated upon by the French Islam researchers
Gilles Kepel and
Olivier Roy. It includes a feeling of a "growing universalistic Islamic identity" as often shared by Muslim immigrants and their children who live in non-Muslim countries:
"The increased integration of world societies as a result of enhanced communications, media, travel, and migration makes meaningful the concept of a single Islam practiced everywhere in similar ways, and an Islam which transcends national and ethnic customs."
This doesn't necessarily imply political or social organizations:
"Global Muslim identity doesn't necessarily or even usually imply organized group action. Even though Muslims recognize a global affiliation, the real heart of Muslim religious life remains outside politics - in local associations for worship, discussion, mutual aid, education, charity, and other communal activities."
However, some commentators have shown concern at the rapidly growing Western European Islamic population, the lack of assimilation of said migrants, and that these groups are potential breeding grounds for terrorists.
A third development is the growth and elaboration of transnational military organizations. The 1980s and 90s, with several major conflicts in the
Middle East, including the
Arab-Israeli conflict,
Afghanistan in the 1980s and 2001, and the three Gulf Wars (1980-89, 1990-91, 2003) were catalysts of a growing internationalization of local conflicts. Figures such as
Osama Bin Laden and
Abdallah Azzam have been crucial in these developments, as much as domestic and world politics.
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