The compatibility or incompatibility of Islam with modernity: Muslim responses and the way forward

• Main Author: Owoyemi, Musa Yusof
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Islamic Cultural Centre, London 2013
• Subjects: BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/12435/1/The.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/12435/; http://www.iccuk.org/page.php?section=media&page=iq

The debate between Islam and modernity continues, especially after the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York.In the Muslim world, as well as in the western world (which is championing modern ideology and trying to export its institutions to the Islamic world), the debate centres on whether these two civilisations can inter-relate and co-exist in peace.Whilst some Muslims have no problem adaptirly to the ideas of modernity and even encourage other Muslims to imbibe it as the contemporary civilisation, others are more cautious in their approach to the issue and warn Muslims not to fall into the trap of adapting modernity based on what they perceive as the danger that it poses to the Islamic religion and civilisation, which they believe could still be revived and solve all the problems of Muslim communities in the present time if Muslims were willing to return to its authentic teaching and practise it as it should be practised.These divided opinions have led to what some scholars refer to as the debate on the compatibility or incortlpatibility of Islam with modernity.