I have been interested for some time as to why Middle Eastern Muslim countries over the last 40-50 years became more conservative and less tolerant and Judeo-Christian Western countries became more liberal and tolerant.
It is a puzzling paradox as conventional thinking suggests that as societies age and mature they tend to become more progressive. For example, they advance from a primitive, barbaric system of justice to a system that recognizes individual rights and equal justice. They become less authoritarian and more flexible.
Why did Islam move towards the 10th century in the last 50 years but in the West we even see Christian institutions "progressing" so far that it is hard to recognize the existence of any traditional or core values at all?
I have written before of the stunning transformation of countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Egypt over my lifetime. In years past, we looked like we were living in the same world. That is certainly not the case today.
For example, this is a picture of a female soldier in the Iranian Army in 1979.
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| Credit: Pakistan Defence |
These are female soldiers in the Iranian Army in 2011.
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| Credit: Pakistan Defence |
For perspective, consider this image of over 100,000 Iranian women in 1979 protesting a law requiring that they wear a hijab in public.
How did that work out?
Here is a helpful graphic that explains the various headgear that might be worn by Muslim women.
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| Source: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/IslamWomen/DressCode |
Iranian women have been living under the hijab for almost 50 years now.
However, the last few years have seen increasing defiance of the Iranian regime and wearing of the hijab.
The strict law on wearing the hijab is still in place but more and more women are not complying as a symbol of protest against the state and as a claim for personal freedom.
A new law imposing even harsher penalties was deferred in the face of protests.
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| Source: https://www.euronews.com/2024/12/18/iran-pauses-implementation-of-stricter-hijab-law-for-women |
These are Afghanistan women in the 1950's compared to 2014.
These are Egyptian students at Cairo University in two different eras.
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| 1959 |
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| 2012 |
As we approach the anniversary of 9/11 next week a related question is what causes young men to fly aircraft into skyscrapers killing thousands of innocent people or strapping on a suicide vest in a crowded market to kill or maim dozens while shouting "Allahu Akbar"?
A few years ago I came across an interesting paper by Dr. Tawfik Hamid, "The Cause of Jihadist Terrorism and How to Combat It" in a publication by the Air Force Research Laboratory (credit to Viable Opposition for pointing me to this) that attempts to explain this question.
Dr. Hamid knows something about this subject because at one time he was an Islamic extremist himself in his native Egypt.
The radical Islam we see today has its roots in what is called the "Salafi Movement" within Islam. Its followers believe in taking a very fundamental approach to Islam. They believe that Islam has strayed from its roots and has become decadent over the years.
They reject any religious innovation and support the implementation of sharia law. One of the key signs of spreading Salafism is for the women to wear the hijab, a key part in the imposition of sharia law.
Interestingly, Hamid sees the wearing of the hijab as an important indicator of increased radicalism in a Muslim community. This is how he describes how this takes hold.
The process begins with the propagation of Salafi jihadist ideology within a community. Increasing numbers of women begin to wear the hijab, which is both a symptom of Salafi proliferation and a catalyst for Islamism (see, e.g.,Mahmood, 2005). In turn, the proliferation of militant Salafism and the hijab contribute to the idea of passive terrorism, which occurs when moderate segments of the population decline to speak against or actively resist terrorism.
The chart below shows the process of radicalization as well as the reinforcing cycle that continues to make the problem worse as times goes on. Hamid makes the point that while only a small percentage of Muslims become active terrorists, there are a very large number of what he calls "passive terrorists" who support the ideals of the cause but will never become violent.
However, it is a numbers game. The more adherents of Islam who follow the fundamentalist view of Salafism, the greater chance that a few more will become violent extremists. The first step in combating jihadist terrorism is to reduce the number of "passive terrorists" as Hamid calls them.
The solution to all of this is exceedingly complex. "No single, magical solution for defeating Islamism" exists according to Hamid.
However, Hamid sees a critical first step that can be taken is to weaken what he calls the "hijab phenomenon" .
Weakening the hijab phenomenon is pivotal to stopping the growth of Islamism at the ideological level. Wearing the hijab is discussed as a cultural phenomenon, rather than an individual choice, as many Muslim women are peaceful people (Hamid, 2007, pp.120-121). I have observed that, over the last few decades, terrorism was preceded by an increase in the prevalence of the hijab. In Sunni Muslim areas such as Kurdistan in Iraq, most women did not wear the hijab; these areas experienced fewer acts of terrorism than areas where the hijab was common, such as Al-Anbar Province.
If more hijabs start coming off there may be hope in Iran and elsewhere for more tolerance and less terrorism.
We can only hope.
I was in Turkey and Egypt two years ago.
In Egypt most of the women were wearing hijabs although there is no law mandating it. Burqas and Niqabs were also worn by a number of women.
In the parts of Turkey I was in (principally Istanbul and Kusadasi) almost no women wore hijabs or anything else.
Turkey is actually more Muslim (99% of the population) than Egypt (91%)
A local in Istanbul told me that women do not like to wear the hijab there. He told me that if I see a hijab on a woman she is not from the area.
Does this suggest that we are likely to see more terrorists come out of Egypt than Turkey based solely on the "hijab factor"?
That remains to be seen but Hamid's theory is worth considering.
I am still looking for an explanation of why Islam has become the retrograde force that it is today at the same time that Christianity has become so liberal and tolerant.
Calling many Christian denominations progressive is using a term that is much too mild.
However, I have a better understanding of why all of the hijabs have appeared over the last 50 years...and what it tells us.
And what it tells us is not encouraging.
As is also the case with taking over the streets to pray.
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| Link: https://x.com/JakeCan72/status/1954277140612157696 |
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