Islam and the cognitive study of colonialism: The case of religious and educational reform at Egypt’s al-Azhar

Abstract

This article argues that the emerging Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) provides a valuable new perspective on colonialism. CSR argues that humans are innately inclined towards certain types of religious belief (e.g., belief in spirit beings, belief in immortal souls) and certain types of non-utilitarian morality (e.g., belief in an obligation to care for kin, belief in an obligation to avoid ‘disgusting’ substances or behaviours). These innate inclinations underlie many religious and cultural traditions transformed by colonialism, including Islam. The article suggests that colonial power operates not only by suppressing traditional non-Western institutions but also by suppressing the natural inclinations underlying non-Western traditions. This claim is developed through a study of colonial efforts to transform Egypt’s al-Azhar, the world’s most influential institution of Islamic learning and scholarship. These efforts made al-Azhar into the centre of a global Islamic reform movement, which sought to integrate Islam with a colonial scientific-utilitarian worldview.

Barzanji Tradition In Muslim Society As An Manifestation of Islamic Values Faith In the Apostles For Discipline Character

“…4, December 2022: 91 -99 96 studies have shown that the faith in the apostles can have positive effects on the character of discipline, such as increasing the motivation, commitment, and perseverance of the students and teachers, as well as enhancing their moral and ethical standards [40], [41]. However, previous studies have also shown that the cultural values of making a prayer can vary depending on the social and political context, the local culture, and the personal interpretation of the students and teachers [42], [43]. These variations can affect the quality and quantity of the prayer, as well as the understanding and appreciation of its meaning and purpose.…”

Cognitive and quantitative approaches to Islamic studies: Integrating psychological, socioeconomic, and digital‐cultural statistics

“…See Anthony, 2020;de Blois, 2010;Hallaq, 2005;Motzki, 2002;Reinhart, 2010. 8 Nakissa, 2019Nakissa, 2021b. 9 Hallaq, 1984Johansen, 1998.…”

“…This has involved establishing the existence of global psychological diversity -showing that humans have a wide range of beliefs and normative values, and that Western liberal values are culturally unique rather than universal (Haidt, 2012;Heine, 2016;Henrich et al, 2010). As such, cognitive and statistical approaches offer much to humanistic scholarship which is critical of Eurocentrism (e.g., postcolonial scholarship) (see Nakissa, 2021b).…”

“…Islamic law treats Muslims as a community (umma). Furthermore, it obliges individual Muslims to protect this community (through jihād), and to preserve the community's Sharīʿa-defined way of life (through al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa-l-nahī ʿan al-munkar) (also see Nakissa, 2021b).…”

Liberalism's distinctive policy for governing Muslim populations: Human rights, religious reform, and counter‐terrorism from the colonial era until the present

“…To strengthen and maintain relationships with spirit beings (e.g., God), Islam and other traditions prescribe duties of worship and sacrifice. To strengthen and maintain a common identity and form of community (e.g., umma ), Islam and other traditions prescribe distinctive shared practices (i.e., al ‐ shaʿāʾir al‐dīniyya ) such as rituals, forms of dress, and dietary norms (see Nakissa, 2021a,b). Generally speaking, premodern religious traditions value individual freedom and equality to some extent, and eschew random violence.…”