Islam as a Theory of International Relations?

Introduction

Undoubtedly, the hefty majority of mainstream International Relations Theories (IRT) have been stubbornly shaped by Western ideas, experiences and practises incorporating relatively few insights from the non-Western. However, contemporary debates among notable Muslim schoolars have expressed that Islam as a worldview, as a culture, as a religion has sought a different foundation of truth in which it could propose alternatives to Western IRT. To check if there is a base for these proposalsm we will be familirizing ourselves with the evolution of three major approaches in Islamic IR, which are the Jurisprudential/Traditional approach, the Modernity/Non-Traditional approach and the Islamized Modernity approach, respectively. In spite the existence of multiple approaches and difference of opinions, there is a unanimous consensus that the Qur'an and the Hadith (Sayings of the Prophet), the Sunnah (The conduct of the Prophet) are the only sources in which the foundational knowledge of Islamic IR is constructed. Only place the differences prevail is on Ijtihad (the method of interpretation) of the sources.

The Jurisprudential/Traditional approach

The essence of this approach is defined by the concept of Jihad. There are two separate ways that jihad is used in the Qur'an. One, a greater jihad, as an internal struggle, based on striving to understand the Qur'an itself or to follow God more closely, and a lesser jihad involving external struggle to remove obstacles to the path of God, which includes struggling against unbelievers. It was based on these two distinctions that Islamic jurists designed foreign relations in Islam, deviding the world into Dar al Islam (the realm of Islam)- the lands where Islam dominates and ruled by a true Muslim leader and the rights of Muslims are observed. The world beyond this domain is Dar al Harb (the realm of War)- the lands under the hegemony of unbelievers and considered dangerous for the Muslims living in there and targeted for conquest to spread the religion under the appropriate conditions. The contraversial point here is neither Dar al Islam nor Dar al Harb are, in fact, stated explicitly or explained in the Qur'an or in Sunnah, but were coined by Muslim jurists and schoolars in the process of the codification of Islamic law. Thus, the terms are open to various interpretations by subsequent jurisprudence. This approach to Islamic IR emerged based on the devision of the world appeared within the context of the five centuries Arab conquest of vast territories from Spain to India after the Prophet's demise when Islamic lands expanded. It was the conquests that prompted the need to codify relations with other worlds that Islamic states were conquering, or were rival to. From the time the Muslim world created its first empire during the Abbasid period (750-1258) to the height of Islamic civilization during the Ottoman period (1281-1924), this dualism was supposed to constitute the central concept of Islamic international relations. According to this view, the ultimate goal of Islam is to establish the Ummah (Muslim Community), where the Sharia rules and defines the duties of Muslims. This approach is argued to be similiar to the realist and neorealist view in international relations, which treats war and peace as instruments of policy.

The Modernity/Non-Traditional approach

By the end of the 19th century, constant confrontations with modernity and European emperialism not only caused the Ottoman empire, the last Islamic state, to become the "sick man of Europe", but the heartland of the Islamic world, the Middle East, to become, "the most penetrated international relations subsystem in today's world". As a consequence, Islamic movement known in the Arab world as the Asr al Nahda (Age of Renaissance) was born. The movement is best known through the writings of modernist al-Afghani (1839-1897) and his student and colleague, Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905). They both shared the conviction that modern rationalist methods and scientific discoveries were both true and absolute necessary and the survival of Muslim Ummah is up to the recognition of the compatibility of Islam and reason. In their view, Islam, when properly understood, was not opposed to rationality and modernity, but constituted and encouraged the rationality. They argued that the exhortation to reason about the world prevent the uncritical acceptance of taqlid (dogma) on the authority of tradition against the clear weight of sensory evidence. It can easily be realized that Afghani and Abduh's battles targeted both European rationalists and Islamic traditionalists and seek to find a way to make sense of the modern world, embrace through cautiously modernity without being subjected to a de-Islamization.
The main contribution of Modernity/Non-Traditional approach to Islamic IR is the rejection of Dar al Harb (the realm of War) and Dar al Islam (the realm of Islam) approach. Modernists argue for a mediating way, the concept of Dar al Ahd (the realm of Treaties) that can welcome changes as well as preserve the traditional culture. It is in essence a way of reconciliating Islam with modernity by offering a concept not of competing universalisms but rather coexisting ones.

Islamized Modernity approach

This formative approach considered as a postmodern response to globalization of ideas and was, according to some sources, introduced by Islmael al Faruqi in 1982 to seek synthesis of modern knowledge and Islamic legacy. The importance of this ongoing movement is seen in its emphasis on the end purpose of "good life" in terms of morality and ethics for the Islamic good, and for introducing faith in addition to rationality and materialism as a principle of knowledge. The discourse of this approach is an epistemological attempt to negotiate a path between modernists and Islamist options, "third way" using the language and tools of Western political, economic and social theory but in consideration of Islamic ends. In other worlds, this adds normativity, morality and the ultimate end to social science. To make it more clear, let us take an example of Islamic human development movement, which brough ethics in economics- the freedom and choices of people as being ultimate end goal of development, as opposed to materialism, or even to human security approach, which argues that security "should be" about the survival, well-being and dignity of people rather than of states only. This approach to Islamic IR focuses on the logic of ultimate ends, in this case, serving the cause of Islam and encourages Muslim social scientists to reconstruct a methodology to reunite the pursuit of knowledge with the "higher purposes for which creation was intended by the Creator". They argue that those who ignore the Creator are said to produce a purely positivistic understanding of knowledge which is overly preoccupied with ends, "the end of history, od civilization, of progress,  of modernity, or of humanity itself". On the other hand, those who solely rely upon revelation and ignore the sciences are also guilty of transforming religion "into something mystical that accords no value to humanity". Therefore, the ultimate objective of the Islamized Modernity approach is to "balance the three forces of local traditions, modern demands and Islamic commandments" in a way that is respectful to a dialogue between civilizations. The main upcoming challenge for this approach is said to be putting it into practice.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, it can be argued that there is a base within which the Islamic worldview for alternative ways of organizing Islamic international relations theories exists. These alternatives are build on the power of ideas such as faith, justice and striving towards the "good life" of religious morality, as opposed to the pursuit of material interests and power. Yet, the Islamic world as a region is challenged in its ability to apply Islamic theories in practice. This may not only be due to the fact that the Islamic world lacks the material independence to be able to present and adhere to an alternative worldview, but also because the discourses within the Islamic world are fragmented while being dynamic.