Islam: A materialist analysis of the development of 'Islamic' civilization

[Rafiq]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Orientalist_studies_in_Islam

Quite interesting. We've all come to know materialist conceptions of both the development of Jewish and Christian religion, and Islam shouldn't be an exception, hiding behind the veil of theistic mystery, as if it was impenitrable from the battering ram of Marxism.

contribute what you can, discuss.

[Comrade #138672]

I know this is an old thread, but what do you think of The Historic Role of Islam by MN Roy?

http://www.marxists.org/archive/roy/1939/historical-role-islam/ch01.htm

Is it true, for example, that the Islam contributed more to the Enlightenment than other religions?

[Rafiq]

No, the renassiance took heavy influence from several different philosophers during the 'Islamic' golden age. The problem is that this was just as much an 'Islamic' golden age as the developments in Europe recently are a 'Christian' golden age. No religion in itself had an influence on enlightenment aside from the 'christian' (rhetoric) mode of thought, because religion itself was a product of previous class relations, and the ideology of a previous ruling class.

To add, Roy's was an Idealist analysis. The success of 'Islam' was a mere accident, not a result of an overempowering idea. The Islam of persia and the levant, for example, had little to do with the caravan-hun like Islam of Mohammad. As they say when they describe sex, one thing led to another, but here in a very complec and dynamic way. You should know that, to take a random example, the likes of Islamic spain was only islamic as far as rhetoric went, and the intellectual strata of the Islamic world was not bound by Islam.

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[Comrade #138672]

Thank you for your quick response.


To add, Roy's was an Idealist analysis. The success of 'Islam' was a mere accident, not a result of an overempowering idea. The Islam of persia and the levant, for example, had little to do with the caravan-hun like Islam of Mohammad. As they say when they describe sex, one thing led to another, but here in a very complec and dynamic way. You should know that, to take a random example, the likes of Islamic spain was only islamic as far as rhetoric went, and the intellectual strata of the Islamic world was not bound by Islam.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2I agree that some parts of Roy's analysis are quite Idealist, but he talks a lot about material conditions, class relations, etc. as well.