Westernization of Egypt
A Historical Analysis of Factors leading to Westernization of Egypt
Hist 405 MODERN HISTORY OF MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES 1948-2008
FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE UNIVERSITY, LAHORE
SUBMITTED BY
SUBMITTED TO
Muhammad Umer Toor 12-10662
Mr. Khizer Jawad
INTRODUCTION
“The Muslims of the world are passing through the most critical period in their history. The western civilization called modernism has dominated over all other civilizations with the forceful hammerings of scientific advancement ... Although the Muslims of all countries are trying hard to ward off the mighty blow dealt by modernism, they are losing ground against it. Even most of the Muslims themselves have welcomed it and are now gradually being absorbed into this universal civilization.”1
What Maryam Jameelah, an American-Jewish convert to Islam, has illustrated in preceding quote is the gist of this paper. This is from where we begin and end into a world of infinite possibilities only. According to Iqbal the challenges which modernity posed to Islamic world, especially Middle Eastern countries for their leading role in Islamic world, had never been faced by it before.2 Almost all of the Muslim countries, including Middle Eastern countries, had been in a state of intellectual and political tension between two opposing internal forces, i.e., Islamic and modernized, nationalist. The struggle and tension began with the political dominance of Western nations, including France, Great Britain, etc., well in 18th century, reaching climax and subsequent withdrawl of its direct governance and/or military occupation in the beginning-half of 20th century. Muslims before Western intervention, which resulted in their global fragmentation into divided national units, were reasonably one Ummah (community or nation) which can be explained by the analogy of a strong wall made up of various kinds of rocks and stones, integrated into one unit.3 After the encounter with modernity or Western civilization4,
Hist 405 MODERN HISTORY OF MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES 1948-2008
FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE UNIVERSITY, LAHORE
SUBMITTED BY
SUBMITTED TO
Muhammad Umer Toor 12-10662
Mr. Khizer Jawad
INTRODUCTION
“The Muslims of the world are passing through the most critical period in their history. The western civilization called modernism has dominated over all other civilizations with the forceful hammerings of scientific advancement ... Although the Muslims of all countries are trying hard to ward off the mighty blow dealt by modernism, they are losing ground against it. Even most of the Muslims themselves have welcomed it and are now gradually being absorbed into this universal civilization.”1
What Maryam Jameelah, an American-Jewish convert to Islam, has illustrated in preceding quote is the gist of this paper. This is from where we begin and end into a world of infinite possibilities only. According to Iqbal the challenges which modernity posed to Islamic world, especially Middle Eastern countries for their leading role in Islamic world, had never been faced by it before.2 Almost all of the Muslim countries, including Middle Eastern countries, had been in a state of intellectual and political tension between two opposing internal forces, i.e., Islamic and modernized, nationalist. The struggle and tension began with the political dominance of Western nations, including France, Great Britain, etc., well in 18th century, reaching climax and subsequent withdrawl of its direct governance and/or military occupation in the beginning-half of 20th century. Muslims before Western intervention, which resulted in their global fragmentation into divided national units, were reasonably one Ummah (community or nation) which can be explained by the analogy of a strong wall made up of various kinds of rocks and stones, integrated into one unit.3 After the encounter with modernity or Western civilization4,
Bibliography: Books Algar, Hamid, et al., Challenge of Islam, London, 1986 Albahi, Dr M., Al-Fikar Al-Islami Al-Hadih, Cairo Asad, M, Islam at the Crossroads, Lahore, 2009 Farooqi, Dr Burhan A., Minhaj ul Quran, Lahore, 1987 Iqbal, M., Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Lahore, 2007 Jameelah, Maryam, Islam and Modernism, Lahore, Ashraf Publications, 2006 Nasr, S. Hossein, Islamic Life and Thought, Lahore, Suhail Academy, 2009 Nasser, Gamal, National Manifesto, 1962 Articles S H nasr: http://elkorg-projects.blogspot.com/2005/07/seyyed-hossein-nasr-reflections-on.html Prospects of Islamic Renaissance: http://maryamjameelah.wordpress.com/ Dr Asad Zaman: http://tribune.com.pk/story/71414/successful-development-strategies/ Videos (online and TV) Nasr, S. Hossein on This is America, 2009 Nasr, S. Hossein in Islam and Authors, Zaytuna Insitute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60_H3R36N50