the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

IIIb. islamic fundamentalism
muslim brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood, or Al Ikhwan
Al Muslimeen is a transnational Sunni
movement, with no particular ideological
adherence. It is the largest political
opposition organization in many Arab
states, particularly in Egypt where it was
founded in opposition to colonial rule
by Hassan al Banna in 1928.
Al Banna originally sought to revive
Muslim culture from its position of
exploitation under colonial rule, through
charitable and educational work, to bring
Islam into a central role in people's life.
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966 CE) was also a
leading member of the Egyptian Muslim
Brotherhood in the 50s and 60s.
sunni
shi‘a
revolutionary shi'ism
wahhabism/salafism
Wahhabism/Salafism are terms used
interchangeably to refer to a particular
brand of Islam. Salaf, meaning
predecessors, refers to the very early
practice of Islam by Muhammad and
his immediate successors. Salafism
seeks to revive the practice of Islam as
it was at the time of Muhammad and
can be critical of too much emphasis
being placed on thinkers from after this
period. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al Wahhab
(1703-1792 CE) was an important figure
in the resurrection of this ideology
therefore Salafism is often simply known
as Wahhabism.
Revolutionary Shi'ism is an ideology, based on the teachings of the late Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989 CE), which shares many similarities with Marxist
revolutionary thought. Khomeini believed that the only way to secure independence
from colonial or imperial forces was through the creation of a Shi‘a state, under the
idea of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist). This means that all politics is
subject to the opinion of the Supreme Leader who is responsible for the continued
success of the revolution. It is only practiced in Iran.
IIIc. islamic modernism
Islamic modernism is a reform movement started by politically-minded urbanites with
scant knowledge of traditional Islam. These people had witnessed and studied Western
technology and socio-political ideas, and realized that the Islamic world was being left
behind technologically by the West and had become too weak to stand up to it. They
blamed this weakness on what they saw as 'traditional Islam,' which they thought held
them back and was not 'progressive' enough. They thus called for a complete overhaul
of Islam, including—or rather in particular—Islamic law (sharia) and doctrine (aqida).
Islamic modernism remains popularly an object of derision and ridicule, and is scorned
by traditional Muslims and fundamentalists alike.
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