The Shaping of an American Islamic Discourse

Earle H. Waugh

Islamic identity is a key element in the debate that constitutes the current study of Islam. As it has developed, the issue of identity for Muslims is not just a matter of affirming certain abiding traditional values; it has involved relationships with and critiques of and from the West. The recriminations by orientalists, the strictures of colonialism, and religious exclusivity have all exacerbated the matter, adding a conspicuous “foreign” dimension to Islamic self-awareness. One result of this situation is that the chasm between Islam and the West becomes almost mythic, reminiscent of Scylla and Kharybdis. Navigating beyond the clamor requires virtually the same kind of epic voyage.

It is generally acknowledged that Muslims who live in the West must face additional problems of self-definition, including the suspicion of being less than true “Muslims” by their confreres in Muslim lands. Moreover, large numbers of Muslims in the West undermine the mentality of “them against us” so explicit in ideological debates. These factors make the cultural divide between the West and Islam even more complicated than in the early part of this century. Even if there are areas where the problematic seems less significant, as, for example, among the Hui of China, factoring in the West means that no doctrinal or traditional definition of being Muslim will encompass the experience that contemporary Muslims have of themselves.

The Muslim intelligentsia is particularly open to these issues. Nevertheless, arguing for a more balanced view of relations between Islam and the West, as the Muslim intellectual might do on academic grounds, is regarded suspiciously by many believers. To some the stance towards the West becomes a loyalty test set by fellow Muslims. This is particularly so regarding Western scholarship on Islam; not a few Muslim academic colleagues would demand uniform condemnation of Western scholarship on Islam. Rather than being of minor importance, then, the West has become a critical ingredient in the present-day debate over the nature of Islam. For the non-specialist, such twists and turns make Islamic identity even more difficult to comprehend.