Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives - Islamic Books ...

2 3 2Islam i n World Cult u r e supon by most people, including fellow Muslims. Thus, it is important to keepin mind that Islamic resurgence or revivalism is not necessarily the same thingas Islamic fundamentalism.Like religious movements elsewhere, Ethiopia’s Islamic revivalism should bestudied within the context of political change and with an eye to the presentg o v e r n m e n t ’s emphasis on ethnicity as the primary focus of political organization.In this view, Hussein’s convincing argument that the recent blossomingof Islamic publications in Ethiopia reflects Islamic revivalism as opposed to Islamicfundamentalism is salient. The distinction is important because over thelast decade many Ethiopians, including many Muslims, have feared the rise ofIslamic fundamentalism.“Luqtat al-Tarikhiyya” [Gleanings of History]As an example of one sort of document that circulated in Ethiopia’s Muslimcommunities in the 1990s, I include as an appendix to this chapter a translationof a text that I first encountered at a friend’s house in Harar and later saw atother residences there. 2 It was circulated in Arabic as a six-page computer printoutentitled “Luqtat al-Tarikhiyya” (Gleanings of History), and it consists of atreatment of the history of Christian-Muslim relations in Ethiopia and of thetwo religions’ impact on the country. This informally disseminated text was ofinterest to members of the Harari Muslim community, and an examination of itcan highlight issues that became politically important during the 1990s, includingthe politicization of Islam outside a religiously fundamentalist framework.Reading Muslim History in Contemporary HararFully unpacking the text of the “Luqtat al-Tarikhiyya,” explaining its correctclaims and exposing those that are misleading, exaggerated, or simply wrong,is far beyond the space available here and is not really necessary for our purposes.Pursuit of the ever-elusive “Truth” about the past is one thing, but moreimportant than “Truth,” in terms of shaping popular attitudes and social consciousness—whichdetermine how people act, interact, and vote, among otherthings—are the ideas espoused by perceived authorities, whether they be political,religious, or military leaders; public intellectuals; or popular documentssuch as “Luqtat al-Tarikhiyya.” Therefore, rather than analyzing degrees of historicalaccuracy, identifying larger themes and ideas in authorities’ discourse isarguably more relevant to understanding the prevailing social currents that affectthe daily lives of Muslims in contemporary Harar and the decisions theymake in social interactions and political spheres.