Navigating Religious Authority in Muslim Societies

Asif Mohiuddin is an Academic Officer in the Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia.

• 1 Introduction: Islam, Religious Authority and Islamist Movements in the Age of Globalisation.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Globalisation, Islam and Secularism.- 1.3 Globalisation, Social Movements and Resistance: The Case of Islamist Movements.- 1.4 Islam, Religious Authority and Islamism.- 1.5 Crisis of Religious Authority: The Role of Social Media, IT and the Internet.- 1.6 Objectives and Methodology of the Book.- 1.7 Structure of the Book.- References.- 2 Globalisation, Identity and Resistance.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Conceptualising Globalisation: Issues and Implications.- 2.3 Winners, Losers and the Pluralisation of a Singular Term.- 2.4 The Shift From Globalisation to Glocalisation.- 2.5 Unpacking the Dialectics of Identity in a Globalised World.- 2.6 Social Identity Approach to Globalisation.- 2.7 Factors Influencing Group Social Comparison.- 2.8 Culture.- 2.9 Group Identity and Personal Benefit.- 2.10 Threat to Identity.- 2.11 Limitations of Social Identity and Self-CategorisationTheories.- 2.12 Globalised Western Culture: Universal Values and Exclusionary Tendencies.- 2.13 Vectors of Opposition to Globalised Western Culture.- 2.14 Particularistic Opposition.- 2.15 Universalistic Opposition.- 2.16 Power and Organised Resistance.- 2.17 Beyond Modern Globalisation: Investigating Early Ties Between Europe and the Muslim World.- 2.18 Globalisation at the Crossroads: Muslim World’s Diverse Responses and Interpretations.- 2.19 Clash or Convergence? Globalisation’s Dual Effect on Civilisational Identity Conflicts.- 2.20 Conclusion.- References.- 3 Islamist Movements: Evolution, Approaches and Contestation.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Globalisation, Social Movements and Transnational Public Sphere.- 3.3 Islamist Movements: Terminology and the Basics.- 3.4 Approaches to the Study of Islamist Movements.- 3.5 Historical Approach.- 3.6 Political Economy and Sociological Approaches.- 3.7 Towards an Integrated Approach.- 3.8 Islamist Movements and Democratic Politics.- 3.9 Islamist Movements as Social Movements.- 3.10 Islamism in Transition: Neo-Fundamentalism and Post-Islamist Politics.- 3.11 Islamism and the Ills of Globalisation.- 3.12 Islamism and Religious Authority.- 3.13 Conclusion.- References.- 4 Religious Authority in Islam: Resilient Patterns of Evolution From the Formative Period to Contemporary Times.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Authority in Sunni Islam: An Overview.- 4.3 Sources of Religious Authority in Sunni Islam.- 4.4 H adıt̄ h and Religious Authority.- 4.5 Religious Authority in Shi‘ı̄ Islam: Charisma and Hereditary Succession.- 4.6 Religious Authority and the Imams in Shi‘ı̄ Islam.- 4.7 The Heirs of the Prophet.- 4.8 Authority in the First Centuries of Islam.- 4.9 Decline of the Caliphate.- 4.10 The Role of Qadis in Upholding Islamic Law and Ethics.- 4.11 Qur’an̄ , Models of Authority and the Caliphate.- 4.12 Religious Authority, Traditional Society and Religious Movement.- 4.13 Sunni Legacy, Shia Lineage: Unravelling the Origins of Al-Azhar University.- 4.14 Reimagining Islamic Authority: Metamorphosis and Continuity in a Globalised World.- 4.15 Strategies for Establishing Authority: The Case of International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS).- 4.16 Conclusion.- References.- 5 Mapping the Terrain of Islamism and Religious Authority: Insights from the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Asia.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Islamism, State and Politics.- 5.3 Globalisation and the Revival of the Muslim Ummah.- 5.4 Reasserting Authority in the Middle East: Traditional Islamic Institutions in Response to Crisis.- 5.5 Egypt.- 5.6 Tunisia.- 5.7 Saudi Arabia and Qatar.- 5.8 Turkey.- 5.9 Southeast Asia.- 5.10 Indonesia.- 5.11 Malaysia.- 5.12 South Asia.- 5.13 Religious Pluralism and the Paradox of Sufism in South Asia.- 5.14 Rise of the ‘Ulamā.- 5.15 The Rise of Religio-Political Leaders.- 5.16 Conclusion.- References.- 6 Islamism in the Digital Age: The Role of Cyberspace in Transforming Religious Authority.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Islam, Social Media and Technology.- 6.3 Religious Authority and Digital Cyberspace.- 6.4 The Internet, Digital Communication and New Religious Authority Figures.- 6.5 Islamism and Decentralisation of Religious Authority: The Case of ISIS or ISIL.- 6.6 ISIS, Salafism and Islamist Claims to Religious Authority.- 6.7 Changing Digital Spaces: ISIS or ISIL, the Cyber Caliphate and the Internet.- 6.8 Countering Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS or Daesh) Online.- 6.9 The Proliferation of Interpretations: Media, Education and the Marginalisation of Traditional Scholars.- 6.10 Navigating the Digital Divide: The Intersection of the Internet and Radicalisation.- 6.11 Conclusion.- References.- 7 Conclusion: Globalisation, Islamism and People’s Participation in Religious Discourse and Expression.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Challenges to Religious Authority.- 7.3 The Future of Islamist Movements.- 7.4 One Islamism or Many?.- 7.5 Beyond the Uniformity.- 7.6 Political Systems and Authoritarian Regimes in the Muslim World.- 7.7 The Global Power Structure and US Foreign Policy.- 7.8 Islam in the Digital Age.- 7.9 Countering the Crisis of Authority: The Possibilities for Change.- References.