Islamization as a Force of Global Cultural Renewal or

Abstract

Islamization constitutes a major force of renovation upon the contemporary world scene. A little over a decade ago, the mid-seventies witnessed a heightened awareness of Islamic cultural identity among the Ummah worldwide, an awareness which was projected in the space of activities and events which marked the fourteenth centennial of the Islamic Hijri calendar. One of the more auspicious developments on this occasion was an emerging trend that is distinctly novel among Muslims, namely, a growing appreciation for the importance of coordination and organization reflected in quests for institutionalization. The Muslims of the modern world, it seems, had at last come of age as they sought to transform the festivities of the day into a more enduring and effective enterprise. Islamization is a concrete expression of these concerns. It was born as a wide-ranging cultural movement which essentially sought to recover the vitality of the community by recovering the vitality of its heritage. As such, it received its first sustained impetus and its systematic articulation in the efforts to give effect to the resolutions of the various maiden conferences of the period. The focus of this paper will be limited to exploring one aspect of this movement, namely the potential of Islamization as a force for cultural renewal and direction. The context of the discussion will be more general taking the contemporary cultural setting as its framework and making it clear from the outset that the implications of Islamization have a universal bearing. The ...