Islam and Modernization: A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey.

This volume provides an engaging philosophical discussion of the role of religion in the development, or modernization, process. The author takes as challenge the statement by Donald E. Smith [1, xi] that "it is widely, and correctly, assumed that religion is in general an obstacle to modernization" [p. 25]. His response takes three parts. First, such an assumption is incorrect for Islam: the teachings of that religion, correctly interpreted and followed, will foster rather than retard modernization. Second, the legal and political structure we observe in many "Islamic states" is not religious practice derived from the Qur'an, but self-serving interpretations of religion fostered by ruling elites. Third, government efforts to exclude Islamic influence from the workings of a nation-state with Muslim population will themselves alienate the population and retard development.

The author organizes his argument in two major parts. In the first four chapters he presents the logical linkages between Islam and modernization. He provides an excellent discussion of modernization as a goal of an economy, and an analysis of the role of religion in the modernization process. Islam is then examined for its similarities and differences from the religions more commonly studied in the Western tradition. The last four chapters include case studies for Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey of the "religipolitical system," as well as a concluding chapter summarizing the argument. The arguments are presented without mathematics, and in fact with little economics - the focus is upon the consistency of a religious world-view and a political system that permits modernization.

Why the focus on Islam? There is the historical record of recent years that countries with Muslim population tend to be among the least modernized. Many of these countries have in addition introduced elements of Islamic law into their political and legal structures. As the author notes [p. 46]: "Islamic societies, in the last several centuries, have themselves been the worst representative of Islam, which has given rise to the idea that Islam is antithetical to development, that it is static." The author rejects this assignment of causality, but does so by rejecting the premise that there have been Islamic societies. As he puts it [p. 47]: "Claims are made in the Muslim world by the ruling elites that their societies are Islamic, but when one critically scrutinizes these societies on the basis of the Qur'an, that is, its principles and guidelines, apart from noticing some rituals and traditions, one finds it extremely difficult to take the claims seriously." He uses the case studies of Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey to support this argument.

The author, a Pakistani, provides case studies of the inclusion (or exclusion) of Islam from the state modernization plans in his own country, in Egypt, and in Turkey. The introduction of Islamic principles into the legal, political and economic systems of these countries is examined in detail. Pakistan and Egypt introduced Islamic components to the political structure, and have been relatively unsuccessful at modernization. Since independence in 1923, Turkey has been a secular state - the fathers of the nation, notably Mustafa Kemal, believed the view that modernization required political secularization. In the author's view, this has not led to lasting modernization either. The author draws three conclusions from these cases. First, in each case the governmental stance on religion is less important to modernization than the organization of religious practice in the localities. Second, the local practice of Islam was governed in each case by principles that had little basis in the Qur'an, but favored the ruling elite in its quest to maintain control over economic resources. Third, true modernization requires that the educational systems in these (and other Islamic) countries begin to provide responsible religious instruction, so that the world-view of the population is not left in the hands of ill-educated instructors.

This will be an interesting book for those studying the process of development and modernization in the Muslim world. It places economic argument within the broader context of societal organization and evolution. The case studies provide interesting historical detail of the tension between religion and political development. The author is resolute, however, in either making general statements or limiting discussion to the three case studies. Those interested in the transferability of the logic to Algeria, Iran, or other countries with aggressive efforts to "Islamicize" secular states will be left to their own devices.

Patrick J. Conway University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Reference

1. Smith, Donald E. Religion and Political Development. Boston: Little, Brown, 1970.