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Bridging Islam and the West
An Interview with Professor John L. Esposito

The noted scholar of Middle East and Islamic Studies discusses contemporary experiences and perceptions of Islam in an interview with the Civil Service College on 19 October 2006.

What is your personal peeve regarding the situation of Muslims in the world?
My personal peeve is that non-Muslims, in particular the non-Muslim West, are not getting their act together. They ought to know better—certainly in the non-Muslim West that sees itself as highly educated, and certainly in a culture like America where we have a sense that we can do anything. My personal peeve is that for the last 30 years, I have been asked the same question: Is Islam a particularly violent religion? Is Islam compatible with modernity?

It is as if there is some form of Islamic exceptionalism; as if Islam, unlike all other religions, is not going to be able to go through a process of change and reform. In fact, all the other religions have gone through that process. Islam has certainly developed over time.

In recent centuries, it has perhaps not developed as much in terms of engaging modernity but there are factors for this: If you live under colonialism for three centuries, were colonisers about empowering Muslims? No. If you lived then under authoritarian regimes, which restrict free speech, is it easy for you to develop civil society or learn to democratise? No.

What are the current developments among the thought leaders of Islam? Is there a consensus or disparity of views?
Within the mainstream majority, there is always going to be diversity. This diversity can at times be divisive within the community, as we have seen in the history of all religious faiths and ideologies. Disparities can come from differing interpretations, the way people apply ideas, as well as the quality of leadership and competition between leaders—this is certainly true in Islam. While the majority of Muslims can be described as mainstream and moderate, theologically, there still can be incredible variations from fundamentalists and conservatives on the one hand, to the more liberal and progressive on the other.

So there is a certain disparity between the extremist and reformist elements which exists even within the mainstream. Given the right conditions, the extremists can make inroads; for instance, if a majority of people in the mainstream feel marginalised and alienated.

In terms of reform, it will take several generations, as it does in any religious tradition, where there is tension between conservatives and the moderates. Reformists will always be the exception. When reform takes place in a religion or in society, the reformers are usually a minority compared to the broader society.

The question is whether, over time, the reform catches on. The question is how long does it take and in what ways do these reformist ideals become transformed and implemented; to what extent are they integrated into the training of religious leaders and so on. That takes generations.

Taking the example of Tariq Ramadan: he clearly has a significant following, but it is still limited, relative to the size of the Muslim community. He certainly is a major voice of reform among Muslims in Europe, and he is also known in other parts of the Muslim World. There are other kinds of reformers who aren’t the same as Tariq but who also have their followers. Amr Khaled is not a theologian or an intellectual but a popular preacher, who now runs NGOs and who probably has a much larger following. In fact, Tariq once said that Amr Khalid could fill a stadium.¹

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