Not to be confused with Islam in the United States.

American Islam[a] is a pejorative political term used by advocates of political Islam to describe an allegedly inauthentic form of Islam advocating separation of religion and state and lacking in anti-Americanism. The term was reportedly first used by Sayyid Qutb in 1952, an Islamist and prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood.[1] It is widely used in the Islamic Republic of Iran where its critics describe it as a type of Islam that is, among other things, indifferent to oppression, extravagance, encroachment on the rights of the oppressed, that helps the oppressors and the powerful, and emphasizes ceremonial Islam.[1]

Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader and founder of the Islamic Republic, used the term[2][3][4][5] describing it as "fake Islam",[6][7][8] intended to deceive Muslims, preaching a separation of state and religion,[9] that stands in opposition to "pure Mohammedan Islam".[9] According to the current Supreme Leader of Iran, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, (speaking in 2010), "American Islam means ceremonial Islam, an Islam that is indifferent in the face of oppression."[2][10]

Background

At least according to the Iranian Fars News Agency, Sayyid Qutb, (Egyptian author, Islamist theorist), was the first one to use the phrase American Islam.

"Americans need Islam. They want an Islam that fights the communists in the Middle East, not an Islam that fights colonialism and autocracy. They don't want Islam to rule, because when the religion of Islam is ruled: it trains a nation for which it is obligatory to become strong and reject colonialism; Whether it is communist colonialism or American colonialism."[11][12]

American-religion (idiom)

In addition to this idiom ("American Islam"),[13][14] Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini used a similar idiom called "American-religion"; at 1989, he wrote a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev (known as Khomeini's letter to Mikhail Gorbachev). There, Khomeini mentions the expression of "American religion", and called it an "unreal religion".

On the other hand, Khomeini mostly referred to "pure and authentic Muhammadan Islam" which stood in sharp contradiction to "American Islam"; In his perception, "American-Islam" called for the separation of "religion and politics".[15]

Point of view

Khomeini

Seyed Ruhollah Khomeini called American Islam:

the Islam of capitalism, the Islam of the arrogant, the Islam of the wealthy without pain, the Islam of hypocrisy, the Islam of money and force, the Islam of the comfortable, the Islam of the opportunists, the Islam of the aristocracy, the Islam of Abu Sufyan, Islam of humiliation and misery, Islam of deception and compromise and captivity, Islam of capital and capitalists rule over the oppressed and barefoot, Islam of modern capitalism and vampire communism, Islam of prosperity and luxury, Islam of eclecticism, etc.[16][17][18][19][20][21][3][22][23][24]

Khamenei

According to Seyyed Ali Khamenei:

American Islam, although it has an Islamic appearance and name --but-- it submits to tyranny and Zionism (it does not resist them); it accepts the reign of the arrogant; and completely serves the goals of the tyranny and America.[25]

See also

  • Americanism (heresy), a similar concept in Catholicism
  • European Islam
  • Islam in the United States
  • Great Satan
  • Iran–United States relations

Notes

  1. ^ Persian: اسلام آمریکایی, Arabic: الإسلام الأمريكي

References

  1. ^ a b "Seyed Qutb" was the first person to warn about American Islam farsnews.ir
  2. ^ a b Iran's Greatest Fear: "American Islam" nationalinterest.org Retrieved 22 February 2023
  3. ^ a b American Islam aljazeera.net, retrieved 24 February 2023
  4. ^ American Islam, VOA (voanews.com) Retrieved 26 February 2023
  5. ^ Keddie, Nikki R.; Matthee, Rudolph P.; Matthee, Unidel Distinguished Professor of History Rudi (2002). Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics. University of Washington Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-295-98206-9.
  6. ^ The difference between pure Islam and American Islam should be explained by explaining the character of Imam (RA) for the young generation Tasnim News Agency retrieved 6 June 2023
  7. ^ Imam Juma Arak stated; The enemy seeks to promote American Islam / our beacon is pure Islam retrieved 6 June 2023
  8. ^ Hujjat al-Islam Dhu'alm:Velayat al-Faqih is the distinguishing line between American Islam and pure Muhammadan Islam mehrnews.com retrieved 6 June 2023
  9. ^ a b Ali, Mohammad; Fazlhashemi (2022). Shiʿite Salafism?. Springer Nature Switzerland. p. 136.
  10. ^ The difference between "American Islam" and "pure Mohammedan Islam" from Imam Khomeini's point of view IRDC (Islamic Revolution Document Center) Retrieved 26 February
  11. ^ "Syed Qutb" (سید قطب) was the first person in order to warn about "American Islam" Farsnews.ir Retrieved 22 February 2023
  12. ^ Calvert 2010, pp. 165, 166.
  13. ^ Hojjatul Islam Mahmoudi:Stateless Islam is American Islam/Students should follow the instructions of the leadership seriously imna.ir retrieved 6 June 2023
  14. ^ American Islam retrieved 6 June 2023
  15. ^ Adib-Moghaddam, Arshin (2014). A Critical Introduction to Khomeini. Cambridge University Press. p. 161.
  16. ^ American Islam and its characteristics Retrieved 25 May 2023
  17. ^ Imam Juma of Shahrbabak:Quran is the only way to distinguish pure Islam from American Islam retrieved 6 June 2023
  18. ^ The way to recognize American Islam from the perspective of Imam Khomeini (R.A.) farsnews.ir
  19. ^ Imam Khomeini: In American Islam, Saddam and Carter become Islamologists
  20. ^ The problem of the Islamic world today is American Islam avapress.com Retrieved 22 February
  21. ^ Parsi, Trita (2007). Treacherous Alliance. Yale University Press.
  22. ^ The difference between pure Islam and American Islam in the statements of the leader of the revolution retrieved 6 June 2023
  23. ^ Hojjat-e-Islam Mandazi proposed:American Islam and British Shi'a promoting global arrogant views rasanews.ir retrieved 6 June 2023
  24. ^ Imam Khomeini: In American Islam, Saddam and Carter become Islamologists retrieved 6 June 2023
  25. ^ "American Islam" with Islamic guise serves the goals of America and Zionism Retrieved 28 April 2023

Works cited

  • Calvert, John (2010). Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism. Hurst & Co / Columbia University Press.