ANALYSIS ON THE COLLISION OF ISLAM FUNDAMENTALISM CULTURE AND WESTERN CULTURE AS PERCEIVED BY THE CHARACTERS IN HANIF KUREISHI’S “MY SON THE FANATIC”
ANALYSIS ON THE COLLISION OF ISLAM
FUNDAMENTALISM CULTURE AND WESTERN CULTURE
AS PERCEIVED BY THE CHARACTERS IN HANIF
KUREISHI’S “MY SON THE FANATIC”
An undergraduate thesis
Presented as the Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ALDITA INTAN RAHMANIA
Student Number: 034214070
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2008
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : ALDITA INTAN RAHMANIA Nomor Mahasiswa : 034214070
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :
ANALYSIS ON THE COLLISION OF ISLAM FUNDAMENTALISM
CULTURE AND WESTERN CULTURE AS PERCEIVED BY THE
CHARACTERS IN HANIF KUREISHI’S “MY SON THE FANATIC”beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupaun memberikan royalty kepada saya selamA tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyatan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal : 15 April 2008 Yang menyatakan (ALDITA INTAN RAHMANIA)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In this wonderful moment I would like to thank God for the life and all experie nces that have been given to me. I dedicated this thesis to my family, friends, and all who support me. For my Mother who has given me the chance to see the world thank you for your care, support, and struggle that make me realize to finish this thesis soon. For my little sister Ega I promise you to buy Naruto accessories for you. For my relatives also thank you.
My deepest gratitude goes to my thesis advisor Paulus Sarwoto, S.S, M.A who has guided me and given me his precious time to correct my thesis. My gratitude also goes to Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S, M. Hum who has given me her precious time to read and give correction on my thesis before the final exam.
I want to say thank you also to my friends in English Letters 2003 and in
Arms and the Man who always give support to me. Special thanks to my best
friend Lia who always gives me support and motivation I do really appreciate that.For my friends in Kos Sekartaji: Mbak Cory, Early, Okta, and Mbak Ika thank you for your support. My special gratitude goes to person who understands me most, Bayu, thank you for the support and motivation you have given me to finish this thesis soon and also for all the time we have shared together. Thank you for everything.
Last but not least, the writer wants to say that the difference should not be debated or used as the basic reason of people having a conflict but it should be allowed to enrich our beautiful world to make world peace.
TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………….. i APPROVAL ……………………………………………….. ii ACCEPTANCE ……………………………………………….. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………….. iii TABLE OF CONTENT ……………………………………….. iv ABSTRACT ……………………………………………….. vi ABSTRAK ………………………………………….......... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ………………………………..
1 A.
1 Background of the Study ………………………………..
B. ………………………………..
4 Problem Formulation C.
4 Objective of the Study ………………………………..
D. ………………………………..
5 Definition of Terms CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW ……………………….
7 A. Review of Related Studies ………………………..
7 B. Review of Related Theories ………………………..
9 1. Theories on Characters ………………………..
9 2. Theories on Clash of Civilization ………………..
11 3. The Relation between Literature and Society ……..
12 C. Review on Socio Historical Background ………………...
13 1. Islam Fundamentalism ………………...............
13 2. Islamic Culture ………………………………...
15 3. Western Culture ………………………………...
17 D. Theoretical Framework ………………………………...
20 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY …………………………………
22 A. …………………………………
22 Object of the Study B.
23 Approach of the Study …………………………………
C. …………………………………
24 Method of the Study
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS …………………………………………
26 A.
Western Culture and Islam Fundamentalism Culture perceived by the main characters …………………………
26
1. Parvez …………………………………………
26
a. Parvez’s view on Materialism …………
27
b. Parvez’s view on Individual Freedom …
29
c. Parvez’s view on Secular Life …………
31
2. Ali …………………………………………………
33
a. Ali’s view on Western Education …………
33
b. Ali’s view on Jihad …………………………
35
c. Ali’s view on Prostitute …………………
37
B. Factors causing the collision between Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture in the story …………………
38
1. Different concept of Individual Freedom …………
39 a. Food and Drink ………………………....
39
b. Ideal of Life …………………………
41
2. Monopoly of Truth …………………………………
44
3. Attitude toward woman …………………………
50
4. Misconception …………………………………
54 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION …………………………………
57 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………
60
ABSTRACT
Aldita Intan Rahmania. Analysis on the Collision of Islam Fundamentalism
Culture and Western Culture as perceived by the characters in Hanif
Kureishi’s “My son the Fanatic”: Yogyakarta Department of English Letters,
Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2008.
“My Son the Fanatic” is a short story written by Hanif Kureishi who is a Pakistani writer; this short story is included in a collection of short stories book titled Love in Blue Time. This short story is chosen to be analyzed because the story is good and also this story talks about one of the most serious and confusing conflicts between cultures today, Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture.
In writing this thesis, the writer uses a library research method to answer the questions that are presented in the problem formulation. There are two problems that are solved in this study. The first problem is how the Western Culture and Islam Fundamentalism Culture are perceived by the characters in the story, and the second proble m is what factors causing the collision between Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture.
The approach used to analyze the short story is the Socio cultural- Historical approach; it is used to analyze the factors that cause the collision between Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture through the way of the main characters perceive them. Moreover, this approach is also used to understand the real conflict between Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture in the real time which is reflected in the story.
The result of the study shows that firstly the main characters, Parvez and Ali, adopt Western Culture and Islam Fundamentalism Culture based on their own perception. Parvez adopts Western Culture such as Materialism, Individual Freedom, and Secular life; those concepts are done based on his perception. While Ali adopts Islam Fundamentalism Culture based on his point of view as an Islam Fundamentalist which influences the way he views Western education, Jihad, and Prostitute. Secondly the writer finds some factors causing the collision between Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western Culture; they are Different concept of Individual Freedom, Monopoly of Truth, Misconception, and Attitude toward woman.
In the conclusion the writer finds that the collision in the story was actually caused by the characters themselves and not caused by the culture or the value. The way they perceive the value and culture that they adopt makes them are always in colliding situation.
ABSTRAK
Aldita Intan Rahmania. Analysis on the Collision of Islam Fundamentalism
Culture and Western Culture as perceived by the characters in Hanif
Kureishi’s “My son the Fanatic”. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas
Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2008.
“My Son the Fanatic” adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh Hanif Kureishi seorang penulis dari Pakistan, cerita pendek ini termasuk dalam sebuah buku kumpulan cerita pendek berjudul Love in Blue Time. Cerita pendek ini dipilih untuk dianalisis karena isi cerita yang bagus dan juga cerita ini membicarakan tentang salah satu konflik antar budaya yang sangat serius dan membingungkan saat ini, Budaya Islam Fundamentalisme dan Budaya Barat.
Dalam penulisan tesis ini penulis menggunakan metode pustaka untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang disampaikan dalam perumusan masalah. Terdapat dua permasalahan yang dipecahkan di dalam tesis ini. Permasalahan pertama adalah bagaimana budaya barat dan Budaya Islam Fundamentalisme dipandang oleh karakter-karakter utama di dalam cerita, dan permasalahan kedua adalah faktor-faktor apa yang menyebabkan konflik antara Budaya Islam Fundamentalisme dan budaya barat.
Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam menganalisa novel ini adalah pendekatan Sosiokultural-Historical, pendekatan ini digunakan untuk menganalisa faktor- faktor yang menyebabkan konflik antara budaya Islam Fundamentalisme dan budaya barat melalui cara karakter utama melihatnya. Selain itu pendekatan ini juga digunakan untuk memahami konflik sesungguhnya antara budaya barat dan budaya Islam Fundamentalisme pada kehidupan nyata yang dicerminkan dalam cerita ini.
Hasil dari analisis ini pertama menunjukan bahwa karakter-karakter utama, Parvez dan Ali, mengadopsi budaya barat dan budaya Islam Fundamentalisme sesuai dengan persepsi mereka sendiri. Parvez mengadopsi budaya barat seperti materialisme, kebebasan individu, dan kehidupan sekule r; konsep-konsep itu dilakukan berdasar persepsinya. Sedangkan Ali mengadopsi budaya Islam Fundamentalisme berdasar pada sudut pandangnya sebagai seorang Islam Fundamentalis yang mempengaruhi cara dia memandang pendidikan barat, Jihad, dan prostitusi. Kedua, penulis menemukan beberapa faktor yang menyebabkan konflik antara budaya barat dan budaya Islam Fundamentalisme yaitu perbedaan konsep dalam kebebasan individu, monopoli kebenaran, salah paham, dan perlakuan pada wanita.
Pada kesimpulan penulis menemukan bahwa konflik dalam cerita ini sebenarnya disebabkan oleh para karakter utama atau orang-orang sendiri dan bukan karena budaya atau nilai. Cara mereka memandang nilai dan budaya yang mereka adopsi membuat mereka selalu dalam situasi konflik.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Literary work is a media for an author to express his idea by taking the
realities which are found in his society and then mixing it with his own idea. This real condition can be the inspiration for an author to produce a literary work, through this way he can communicate his feeling, problem, or experience. In other words, we can say that literature can be understood as a presentation of real life.
The reality in the author’s society is presented in purpose to convince the reader about what really happens in history or today. The object here refers to the interesting events that happen in society such as the social, cultural, political, and economical issues or historical movements that impress most.
In the same language, Guerin states that a literary work cannot be separated from its society because first, in any event, while someone places the priority that literature is primarily art, it must be underlined that art does not exist in vacuum but it exists in certain human civilization that has produced it. Second, it is a creation by someone at sometime in history and intended to communicate some ideas or issues that have relevance to other human being (1979:21).
Since Literature is a “presentation” or portrait of reality in a particular place and time, it sometimes reveals some historical facts or states past mistakes in our life. It stands as a bridge from the previous generation to the next. Collision, for example, it happens from time to time whether it is racial collision,
2 social collision, or even cultural collision. The last one is the greatest collision between two different cultures which are always in clash. In this thesis, it will be analyzed the collision of Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture which are perceived by the characters of the story. The collision is presented by two major characters in a short story titled “My son the Fanatic”.
This thesis is going to analyze the short story by Hanif Kureishi, “My son the Fanatic”. This is a story that talks about one of the most serious and confusing conflicts between cultures today, Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture. “My son the Fanatic ” is interesting to be analyzed because the story gives different object to discuss. This story, as if, portrays the collision between the cultures of Islam and the culture of the West which is represented by each characters of a Pakistani- family. Though this short story is not very famous, like many other famous short stories from famous authors too, but it is very qualified because the conflict that happens in the story is the representation of the conflict that happens in the real life so that the reader will easily understand and imagine by comparing it with reality, therefore many critics are addressed to this story.
“My son the Fanatic ” has also been made movie by Udayan Prasad, a Pakistani director, with introducing Om Puri as Parvez, Akbar Kurtha as Ali or the son, and Rachel Griffith as Bettina. The film was a huge hit in the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, its intriguing way of combining comedy and drama earned it the Official Selection. The entire film tries to establish a dichotomy between Islam’s culture and West’s culture. The film speaks for open mindedness, showing that a
3 prostitute can be a good person and that a religious fanatic is always youngster; it offers much to think about while questioning common prejudice.
In the story of “My son the Fanatic” there are a lot of reflections of the collision of Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture especially which are presented by the main characters of this short story. Parvez, one of the main characters, is a Pakistan-born man who is very fond of Western way of life. The cultural assimilation happens in Parvez’s life from traditional Islamic value to open- minded cosmopolitanism. He feels that the West is the proper place for him since he can find liberation and there is no strict rule that forbids him to do anything. West is a tolerant country for him. This assumption makes Parvez neglects his root and religion because he can get enjoyment from his lifestyle. Parvez adopts Western Culture based on his perception. While Ali, Parvez’s son, before getting associated with Islam Fundamentalist in London he is an ordinary immigrant boy. He studies accounting, wears fashionable clothes, plays video games, and likes to go with his English girlfriend. Ali’s behavior changes after he experiences Muslim’s struggle againsts oppression in England and other countries. He throws out all of his possessions such as guitar, video games, cricket, and stops going with his English girlfriend who is, of course, a non- Muslim. He even stops studying accounting. For Ali, praying and worshipping Allah is the most important things to be done. Ali adopts Islamic value based on his perception.
This short story gives a clear description about the conflict between Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture which is represented by the
4 characters in the story. The clash between Western culture and Islam Fundamentalism culture is described very brilliantly. This thesis will analyze both social values as one element of the culture, and the characters that represent them based on their perception. At last, the writer wants to say that a culture cannot be blamed by other culture because of its difference since it can lead to a great cultural problem. The difference should not be debated but let the difference enriches our beautiful world to make a world peace.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to understand the collision of Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture which is represented by the characters in Kureishi’s “My son the Fanatic ” there are two questions to be answered: 1.
How are the Western Culture and Islam fundamentalism culture perceived by the Characters in the story?
2. What factors cause the collision between Islam fundamentalism culture and Western culture?
C. Objective of the Study
From the problems formulation above, it is important to state the objectives of this study. Firstly, the writer wants to depict the Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture which are perceived by the characters in the short story. After knowing it, the writer wants to show the factors that cause the collision between Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture in the story.
5
D. Definition of Terms
a. Collision According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary of Current English by
A.S. Hornby, collision is strong disagreement, conflict, or clash of opposing aims, ideas, opinions, etc.
In English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, it is stated that a collision of cultures or ideas occurs when two very different cultures or people meet and conflict.
b. Western Culture Western Culture is a term which is used to point the cultures of the people of European origin and their descendants ( Stearns, 2003).
c. Islam Fundamentalism
In the book titled Islam Today: A short Introduction to the Muslim world it is
stated that Islam Fundamentalism is a term which attempts to convey
contemporary Islamic revivalism and resurgence (Ahmed, 2001:226).d. Culture According to Longman Dictionary of English language and Culture, the word “culture” means the customs, beliefs, art, music, and all other products of human thought made by a particular group of people at a particular time (Summers, 1992:311).
6 E.B Tylor, in his book titled Primitive Culture stated that culture is complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (quoted by Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952:81).
e. Fundamentalism According to Longman Dictionary of English language and Culture, the word Fundamentalism means the practice of following the rules of a religion, such as Christianity or Islam, very strictly and exactly (Summers, 1992:527).
In Encarta Webster’s college dictionary stated that Fundamentalism means the belief that religious or political doctrine should be implemented literally, not interpreted or adapted (Soukhanov, 2005:580).
f. Character According to Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms, character is defined as the person presented in dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by the readers as being endowed with a moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say, the dialogue and by what they do the action.
Gill (1995:125) in his book Mastering English Literature, defines character as a person in a literary work who has some sort of identity which can be seen from his appearance, conversation, action, name, and so on.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review on Related Studies Only a few studies have been done by critics in this short story. But, many critics have been done toward the movie that is adapted from the short story itself. Most of the critics in the short story are much talking about clash culture and
religion. This chapter reviews some criticisms directed to “My son the Fanatic ” which are necessary to support the analysis of this study.
Work done by Tatang Iskarna in an article in Phenomenon vol. 9 No 1- June 2005, is analyzing about tracing the root of the clash between Islamic tradition and Western values.
My son the fanatic portrays the most intense conflict between two cultures, Islamic tradition and Western values. This story tries to establish a dichotomy between the values of Islam and the West. (Iskarna, 2005:71)
In the article he wrote, he stated that two values which are represented by the characters in the story, Parvez and Ali, are the basic reasons of conflict that happens in this story, he stated:
Their inability to reconcile their ideas and attitudes with each other and the outside world establishes that there is a basic substance of difference between Islamic and Western values which results in continuing conflicts. (Iskarna, 2005:72) In finding the explanation on the root of the clash between Islamic tradition and Western values, Tatang Iskarna applied what Samuel P. Huntington proposed in his monumental book The clash of civilization and the Remaking of
World Order. Iskarna argued that what happens with the main character is caused
8 by the values which exist in the place where he lives although sometimes still influenced by his old tradition. In this case he describes Parvez:
Living in England as an immigrant, Parvez experience these values, and he is able to adapt himself to these although he sometimes behaves in the way what his old tradition says. (Iskarna, 2005:69) Another study about this short story is taken from an article in website which is talking about self-discovery of the main character that is signified by his little knowledge of Islam which had been his root that he left, it is stated that:
…this is really about Parvez discovering himself, not about Islamic Fundamentalism or racism in England or love, although all of those fa ctors into his journey. (Clanton, 2000)
The critic wanted to say that, actually, the story is about a man who is in process in finding self-discovery; he undergoes some experiences which are included in discovering himself such as racism, love, or the conflict with his son who joins in Islamic Fundamentalism. Moreover, the critic also stated that the story is interesting because it is the reflection of what really happens in the real life, it awakens us to bigger issues and cultural problem.
Those are some of the works done by the experts to this work. The analysis in this thesis is different to the article which is taken from the internet because the article tells about self-discovery of the main character. While this thesis talks about the conflict between Islam Fundamentalism Culture and Western Culture which are perceived by the characters. So it can be said that the writer of this thesis can discover something new from this story.
The analysis in this thesis is more or less similar to what Tatang Iskarna stated in the article he wrote, the difference is Iskarna analyzed the conflict of the
9 main characters in the story who represent Islamic tradition and Western values while this analysis talks about the collision of Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture itself which happens in the story and also the description about the factors caused the collision. Nevertheless, this thesis does not take aside the discussion about the characters in the story.
In short, Iskarna’s main attention is on the conflict of the characters while this thesis is not only about the characters of the story but broader to the factors cause the collision between Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture. So it can be said that the analysis in this thesis develops Iskarna’s article though perhaps the result would be a little bit similar.
This thesis is spotlighting the cultural clash between Islam Fundamentalism culture and Western culture; it shows how two cultures are colliding. As we know that Islam and Western are always in colliding situation and there are many causes which create that collision. Hopefully, this thesis will give something new in understanding the story.
B. Review on Related Theories
1. Theory on character and characterization
Characters are the people who are represented in the story; they have their own characteristics that are different to one another. Every author has their own way in characterizing the character in the story they write. Character is one of the most important things in the story in a story.
10 Character or Doer participates on a story by acting that is based on the script of the story itself. Characters are differentiated in some types; they are Flat and Round character. Flat character is performed less of individualizing detail, it could be only in a single phrase. In other hand, Round character is complex in temperament, motivation, and performed with subtitle particularly. It also can be said that round character is performed in a more complicated way.
Another type of characters is major and minor character. Major character is the character who gets the fullest attention of the reader, they also as the figure to create the atmosphere of the story. Minor character or secondary character is the character who has a limited role in a story. The role of minor character in a story is as the partner of the major character, whether as a friend or as enemy.
It can be seen also to the other opinion about character in Understanding
Unseen by M. J Murphy. He states that there are many ways to the author to
describe the character and suppose the reader will understand about it, such as:
a. Personal Description The author can describe the character through his/her appearance.
b. Character as seen by another The author describes the character through the other’s opinion and his clothes in the story.
c. Speech The author describes the character through what the character say.
Whenever he speaks, including the conversation with other or gives ideas or opinion.
11 d. Past life
The character is described through his/her past life (direct comment by author, the thought of the person, conversation or from other person) e. Conversation with the other
The author describes the character through conversation of others and their sayings about him.
f. Reaction Author can describe the character through another person’s reaction toward various situations and events or the character’s reaction.
g. Direct comment The author gives the description on the person’s characteristics directly
h. Thought The author describes the character through his knowledge or his thinking and in here the author is able to do what the reader cannot do in real life. i. Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s mannerism or habits which may also tell us something about his character.
2. Theory on Clash of Civilization
Clash of Civilization is a controversial theory which defines that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post Cold War world. This theory was popularized by Samuel P. Huntington in 1993.
12 Moreover, theory Clash of Civilization got a great attention after the terrorist attacks in September 11, 2001.
Still in the book by Samuel P. Huntington titled The Clash of Civilizations , he says that the trends of global conflict after
and the remaking of World order the end of the Cold War are increasingly emerging at the divisions of civilization.
In fact, we can see the global conflict like the break up of Yugoslavia, in Chechnya, and between India and Pakistan, those are the evidences of inter- civilization conflict.
It is believed that the present global war on terror between the West and Islam is not a new result of a few existing radicals, but as a reflection of millennium plus history conflict between those two civilizations. Moreover,
st
Western – Islamic clash would represent the bloodiest conflicts of the early 21 century. So that, the tragedy of terrorist attacks in September 11 2001 including the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have been widely seen as support for this Clash theory.
3. The Relation between Literature and Society
Wellek states, in his book Theory of Literature, that literature as a work of art is a social creation. Using language as its medium, literature has a close relationship with the society. Literature ‘represents’ ‘life’; and ‘life’ is, in large measure, a social reality even though the natural world and the inner or subjective world of the individual have also been objects of literary ‘imitation’. (1956:94)
13 Most of the time, it is assumed that literature, at any given time, mirrors the current social situation ‘correctly’ or meaning to say that an author should express the life of his own time fully that he should be ‘representative’ of his age and society. But, literature is really not a reflection of the social process, but the essence, the abridgement and summary of all history or it can be said that a writer certainly expresses his experience and total conception of life (1956:95). Literary work can play its role as a document that records socia l realities which are artistically portrayed by the author (1956:102).
Langland writes that literature is an imitation of outside world (1984:4). Since society in a literary work is not ‘a faithful mirror’ that reflects what is real, the word ‘imitation’ shows the important point of the non absolute fidelity of what is pictured in a work of art with what is or was really there in the real world. As she writes: “In art alone the illusion of an outside world be created and maintained” (1984: 4, 5, 9). From the point above, it is clear that the world is the object of literature, and society is a part of a world. Langland further explains that literary research is always about the social world, sine the social matters like traditions, conventions, politics, socio- historical, or attitudes of the society are the materials which are raised in the analysis.
C. Review on Sociocultural-Historical Background
1. Islam Fundamentalism
Islam Fundamentalism has known as the West’s arch-enemy, their conflict was worse after the fall of Berlin Wall that made the West had been accused of
14 being on the lookout for a substitute rival to ensure the continuity of its political and military unity and hegemony, and Islamic Fundamentalism seemed to have the right qualification.
Until present time, Islamic Fundamentalists are known that they do indeed attack the West. They have some movements to revolt against the West and burn off all of Western’s concept in the world.
In the book of The challenge of Fundamentalism written by Bassam Tibi, it is stated that the concept of Fundamentalism can be traced back to Sayyid Qutb, the Egyptian political preacher who is seen as the intellectual father of Islamic Fundamentalism. He is furious anti- American and anti- Western Muslim, he proposed to reject the Western civilization and its replacement is Islam. Islam Fundamentalists are struggling to maintain a new order which is based on the political doctrine of Islam, certainly that it is as interpreted by them.
Islam Fundamentalist’s view about the West can be seen through Qutb’s, he argued forcefully that the West is morally bankrupt and about to crumble. In his view, only Islam is prepared to assume the world leadership that the West is about to give up.
Qutb’s basic missionary massage was that world peace can be achieved only under the banner of Islam, within the framework of Jihad as an expression of “world revolution”.
Still in Qutb’s view, man-centered cultural modernity is the cause of the deadly disease that has befallen the West and it is now approaching to infect Islam. In the Fundamentalist view, current Islamic societies are generally
15 characterized as a mix of jahiliyya (pre-Islamic age of heedlessness) and kufr. True Muslims retreat from these societies, and in doing follow the Prophet, who retreated from Mecca and set out for Medina in 622.
Still in the book by Bassam Tibi it is also said that Fundamentalism is much more than extremism or terrorism; it is rather a powerful challenge to the existing order of the international system of secular nation-states. In this case, this institution is Western in origin so the revolt against it is also a revolt against the West.
Islam Fundamentalist’s point of view and concepts can be seen through Qutb’s way of viewing religion and especially the way viewing Western that they considered as an enemy that must be destroyed.
2. Islamic Culture Today there are approximately one billion Muslims faithful worldwide.
Muslim is the name for an adherent of Islam or one who submits to the will of Allah. The religious message mystically delivered to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, is viewed from the Muslim’s perspective as the continuation, the clarification, and the conclusion of God’s reve lation to humanity (Naylor, 2000:163).
Islam does not reject the world, the Muslim ideal balances matters of the world (dunya) with ideas of religion (din), being a good Muslim should involve in both. It reflected the primary principles of balance (adl) and compassion (ihsan) in all walks of life. But, although Islam emphasizes balance and order, still, many
16 Muslim societies have moved away from the Islamic ideal which is based on the Qur’an and the life of the prophet.
The history of Islam is the history of ideas and their power to influence people’s actions. The id eas came when Islam first appeared; it was about that you could believe in God directly and yet live in here and now.
Throughout the world, Muslims accept that Islam is rooted in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims remembered and applied what he said and did both during his lifetime and throughout the following centuries. Muhammad has served as the ideal model for Muslim life, providing the pattern that all believers are to imitate. Muslims look to Muhammad’s example for guidance in all aspects of life: how to treat friends as well as enemies, what to eat and drink, and how to make love and war.
The practices of the Prophet became a material source of Islamic law alongside the Quran (Esposito, 1998:13). By Quran and the Sunnah they point to the Shariah, the Islamic path. However, culture, history, and ecology have affected how Muslims live their lives.
Muslim ness, the label of Muslim, is not a guarantee of good behavior. This is what the Qur’an tells that each individual is responsible for his or her own actions, even for parent-children relationship. In the notion of tauhid, or the oneness of God and the unity of existence that it reflects, is so critical in the understanding of Muslim’s attitude to life. In Qur’an, it is emphasized that we must walk softly on the earth and that we are tenants and not the owners of the earth, we are here only for short while.
17 For Muslims, Islam is not merely a system of belief and worship, a separate part of life, so to speak, different from other part of life which becomes the concern of non-religious authority. But, it is the whole of life and its rules include civil, criminal, and even constitutional law in Islam-based nation (Lewis, 1993:4). The difference is the emphasis each culture places on universal aspects of life, Islam emphasizes that life must be one of balance, that a person must pray but also have time for the family, eat as much as necessary, take regular physical exercise, that personal hygiene and cleanliness are important, that sexual activity is natural as long as it is done in the legal bound of marriage, and so on.
3. Western Culture
Western Culture or Western Civilization is a term which is used to point the cultures of the people of European origin and their descendants. Western culture composes the great heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs (such as religious belief), and certain artifacts and technologies as shared within the Western sphere of influence. The term “Western” itself is often used in contrast to Asian, African, and Arab nations.
The concept of Western culture is commonly related to the classical definition of Western world. Based on this definition, Western culture is a set of literary, scientific, musical, and philosophical principles which form it apart from other great civilizations. Western culture applies to countries whose history is strongly signed by Western European immigration or settlement; moreover this is not limited to Western Europe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Culture).
18 It is said that Elements of Western culture have influenced greatly on other cultures worldwide. People of many cultures, both Western and non-Western consider that “modernization” is equal to “Westernization”. Some people of the non-Western world have suggested that the link between technological progress and certain harmful Western values provides a reason why much of “modernity” should be rejected as being unsuited with their vision and the values of their societies.
In that way, various uses of Western culture’s concept have included, rightly or wrongly, such as critiques of American culture, materialism industrialism, capitalism, commercialism, hedonism, imperialism, modernism, or the teaching of Western Civilization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Western_ culture).
In the West, the spiritual power has not been functioned in a sacred social order like the Confucian state in China and the Indian caste system. The West has obtained social freedom and autonomy; consequently its activity has not been confined to the religious sphere, otherwise it has had far-reaching effects on every aspect of social and intellectual life (Dawson, 1991:16).
Western civilization unites many of local cultures, Western civilization has undergone processes of secularization and in the process it has established a separation of religion and politics in society. In secular societies, religion has a social function but no longer determines the entire character of the social system (Tibi, 1998:201). Secularization affects religion by encouraging it to develop as a
19 separate system. Consequently, religion becomes private religiously; it may express its belief but it may not force them on others (1998:203).
The secularism that appeared in Western Europe in the seventeenth century was not to establish and enforce irreligion as a new state doctrine but rather to prevent the state from any involvement in doctrine and to prevent the upholders of any doctrine from using the coercive powers of the state (Lewis, 1993:181).
The activity of the Western mind was the result of a long process of education which changed the concentration of human thought and widened the possibilities of social action. In this changing the primary factor was not the power of conquerors and capitalists, just like what most of the non-Westerners think about the West which later became the trade mark of the West, but it is because the widening of the quality of human intelligence and the development of the new types of creative genius and ability (Dawson, 1991:17). Moreover, this changing was motivated by the desire to succeed, power, and wealth which are so obvious in European country.
Western civilization has been the great excitement of change in the world because the changing of the world became an integral part of its cultural ideas.
Before the achievements of modern science and technology nowadays, Westerners had applied the idea of a magna instauration of the sciences which would open new ways for human understanding and change the fortunes of the human race. Moreover, the independence of cultural leadership and political
20 power in the West was one of the main factors that produced the freedom and the dyna mic activity of Western culture (1991:17).
In all western country, it is only in Western Europe that the whole pattern of the culture is to be found in a continuous series of free spiritual movements, so that every century of Western history shows a change in the balance of cultural elements, and the appearance of some new spiritual forces which creates new ideas to produce a further movement of social change.