Nonviolent Theology in the Syrian Protests: A Critical Analysis of Jawdat Sa‘īd's Qur'anic Exegesis


Rudiger Lohlker(1*)

(1) (Scopus ID: 6506783480) University of Vienna, Austria
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


The non-violent protests in Syria against the government, before eventually being co-opted by armed forces, marked a unique resistance against the regime during that period. Jawdat Sa‘īd, a theorist, writer, and activist, inspired activists during this time by advocating for a theology of non-violence as the authentic foundation for Islamic life. The theological basis was drawn from a specific interpretation of the Quran. Sa‘īd's understanding of the Quranic revelation was analysed using the approach formulated by Shahab Ahmed, demonstrating its validity in comprehending Islamic thought deeply. The research problem addressed the non-violent characteristics of the Syrian protests, while the research goal aimed to unveil the critical role of Sa‘īd's interpretation of the Quran in shaping this movement. Through methods involving text analysis and Sa‘īd's understanding of specific verses, the research findings highlighted the impact of Sa‘īd's non-violent theology on activists and the foundation for peaceful resistance. The research conclusion emphasised the importance of contextual understanding of the Quran and a non-violent perspective in shaping social movements. This study contributes to a better understanding of contemporary Islamic thought and strategies for resistance that can be adopted in similar contexts.

Keywords


Non-Violent Protest, Quranic Interpretation, Jawdat Sa’īd, Syrian Activism

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ahmed, S. (2016). What is Islam? The importance of being Islamic. Princeton University Press.

Al-Marzūqī, A. Y. (2008). Jawdat Saʿīd: buhūth wa-maqālāt muhdāt ilayhī. Dār al-Fikr.

Benlahcene, B. (2011). The Socio-intellectual Foundations of Malek Bennabi’s Approach to Civilization. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

Campanini, M. (2011). The Qur’an: Modern Muslim Interpretations, London. Routledge.

Daneshgar, M., Riddell, P. G., & Rippin, A. (2016). The Qur’an in the Malay-Indonesian World: Context and Interpretation. Routledge.

Dziaczkowska, M., & Messina, A. V. (2020). Jews in dialogue: Jewish responses to the challenges of multicultural contemporaneity (Vol. 2). Brill.

Eivazi, M. R., & Naserkhaki, H. (2017). The Intellectual Process of the Islamic World Unity in the Thoughts of Muslim Thinkers. The Journal of Political Thought in Islam, 4(12), 7–34.

Hillier, C. (2015). Muhammad Iqbal: Essays on the Reconstruction of Modern Muslim Thought. Edinburgh University Press.

Honan, E., & Sellers, M. (2006). So how does it work?–Rhizomatic methodologies. AARE Annual Conference, Adelaide.

jawdatsaid.net. (2022a). A Week with the Intellectual World of Jawdat Saeed. Jawdatsaid.Net. https://jawdatsaid.net/index.php?title=الصفحة_الرئيسية

jawdatsaid.net. (2022b). The best visual biography, The exact birth date in the video is January 31, 1931. Jawdatsaid.Net. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iISFtEab11Y

Kahf, M. (2014). Nonviolence in Syria. Fellowship, 78(1–3), 16.

Kurtz, L. R. (2018). The warrior and the pacifist: competing motifs in Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Routledge.

Lohlker, R. (2022). Jawdat Sa “id and the Islamic Theology and Practice of Peace. Religions, 13(2).

Madany, A. S. (2021). Telah hermeneutika nirkekerasan Jawdat Said. UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta.

Majeed, J. (2020). Muhammad Iqbal: Islam, aesthetics and postcolonialism. Taylor & Francis.

Muller, J.-M. (2010). Désarmer les dieux: le christianisme et l’islam au regard de l’exigence de non-violence. Le Relié.

Murphy, C. (2002). Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience. Simon and Schuster.

Nasr, S. H., Dagli, C. K., Dakake, M. M., Lumbard, J. E. B., & Rustom, M. (2015). The Study Quran. A New Translation and Commentary, 19.

Patria, M. Y. (2021). Transforming the Post-Muwaḥḥiddūn Man: Malik Bennabi’s Critique of the Contemporary Muslim Society. Journal of Islamic World and Politics, 5(1), 55–78.

Pregill, M. (2022). The Two Sons of Adam: Rabbinic Resonances and Scriptural Virtuosity in Sūrat al-Māʾidah. Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association, 6(1), 167–224.

Rak, K. (2016). Gawdat Sa’id’s Thought within the Discourse of Muslim Revival. Hemispheres, 31(2), 33.

Riddell, P. G. (2017). Malay court religion, culture and language: Interpreting the Qurʾān in 17th century Aceh (Vol. 12). Brill.

Sa‘īd, J. (1993). Madhhab ibn Ādam al-awwal: Mushkilat al-‘unf fī ‘amal al-islāmī. Dār al-Fikr.

Sa’id, J. (1993). The Way of Adam’s Upright Son: The Problem of Violence in the Islamic Work. Qunaytara.

SAĞIR, F. (2017). Der Koran als Korrektiv. Degruyter, 1(1).

Saʽīd, J. (2022). Kun ka-Ibn Ādam! Jawdatsaid.Net. jawdatsaid.net

Said, J. (2001). Law, Religion and the Prophetic Method of Social Change. Journal of Law and Religion, 15, 83–150.

Saʿīd, J. (1993). Madhhab Ibn Ādam al-awwal: Mushkilat al-ʿunf fi ’l-ʿamal al-islāmī (Dār al-fik).

Saʿīd, J. (2022). Li-mādhā al-lā‘unf? Jawdatsaid.Net. https://jawdatsaid.net/index.php?title=لماذا_اللاعنف

Sonn, T. (1985). Carré: Mystique et politique: Lecture révolutionnaire du Coran par Sayyid Qutb, Frère musulman radical (Book Review). Middle East Journal, 39(4), 865.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15575/ijik.v14i1.33614

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Rudiger Lohlker

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

IJIK: International Journal of Islamic Khazanah has been indexed on:

Google ScholarDOAJ

 

 UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung
Abdul Haris Nasution Street No.105, Cibiru,  Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia

E-mail: IJIK@uinsgd.ac.id

Lisensi Creative Commons

IJIK are licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

 
Flag Counter
View my Stats ( Click )