Al-Afghani's Pan-Islamism: Merging Politics and Religion for Sovereignty and Progressiveness of Modern Muslims
Keywords:
Pan-Islamism, Anti-Colonialism, Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, Islamic Renewal/Reform, Political Unity, Islamic ModernityAbstract
This research aims to comprehensively examine Jamaluddin Al-Afghani's Pan-Islamism as a theoretical and practical framework for restoring the political independence and intellectual dignity of the Muslim ummah in the modern era. Against the backdrop of the Islamic world's decline due to Western domination and absolutist practices, Al-Afghani proposed Pan-Islamism as an essential strategy to consolidate the political power of Muslims and revitalize their civilization. The method employed is a qualitative library study, analyzing primary and secondary literature to explore Al-Afghani's central ideas, their contemporary relevance, and implications for anti-colonial resistance. The findings indicate that Al-Afghani's Pan-Islamism is not merely a call for political unity but also a foundation for religiously-based educational reform, the rejection of secularism, and the adoption of rationality and modern science. He urged Muslims to return to pure Islamic teachings, abandon fatalism, and selectively utilize Western science and technology for resurgence. Recommendations for academic advancement include curriculum reform in Islamic educational institutions, integrating religious spirituality with scientific rationality and contemporary technology, aligning with the view that modernizing Islamic educational institutions is imperative to face modern challenges.
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