Major Reformative Movements in Islam Since the 19th Century
Religion is often described as “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things,
that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral
community called a Church, all those who adhere to them” (Durkheim, 47). Throughout religious history,
this definition has continuously defined the actions of its followers in a major way. These actions,
methods of thinking, and religious practices they have created continue to shift as a result of the
reformative movements and standards that the followers of certain religions adopt. Islam has been one of
the religions of late that has been under the most scrutiny to adapt and evolve, and this has led to many
reform movements by members of the community. These reform movements were started in hopes of
inciting real change that paints Islam as a more fair, equitable and progressive religion in line with the
evolution of traditional western ideas like civil rights, equality, democracy, and many others (Bousmaha,
59). As such, the practices of Islam today differ from those of the past, and are continuing to change right
before our eyes. These changing practices and views of Islam are a direct result of the many reformative
movements that have shaped its practices and understanding since the 19th Century.
The unfortunate truth of today’s view on Islam is that of extreme values and beliefs, and of
course, violence, which is a view that is at the least subconsciously held as we continuously hear only
about the horrors and heinous acts committed in the name of Islam (Cordesman). Often times, these acts
are the only times people in non-Muslim majority countries are exposed to the Islamic religion, and this
has led to an assault on Islamic values, beliefs, and practices in. This selective exposure to primarily
negative stories pertaining to Islam has in many ways influenced the view that people from the United
States have towards Muslims and Islam (Bleich, 23). While this may also expose the unethical practices
and beliefs in Islam most definitely, it has arguably more seriously tainted the view of traditional widely
held Islamic beliefs that reformists are working hard to adapt to more progressive modern beliefs
(Bousmaha, 25). Many of these reformations are the logical next step in terms of crafting a more
progressive Islamic religion that can empower and bring people together.
For almost all of Islamic history, women’s rights have been a polarizing topic among
conservative Muslims that have continuously justified a limited role in public and personal life for women
via methods such as segregation and harsher punishments for women. Empowerment of women has been
something outsiders have tried to influence for many years, but it is clear that the tightly held beliefs of
conservative Muslims has prevented this progress (Bishin, 501). This situation has given way to a
movement of Islamic feminism, which its followers argue that, “at its core, [Islam] is progressive for
women and supports equal opportunities for men and women alike” (Coleman). By using the Islamic
scripture and disclosures, proclaimed Islamic feminists are able to offer cultural changes to expand
opportunities and better the treatment of women in Islamic nations. This movement has come on the back
of a progressivism that has grown within Muslim communities, in which Islam has started to adopt more
western ideas, of which feminism and women’s rights has been brought to the forefront (Coleman). While
it has been an uphill process for Islamic feminists in recent times due to the progressive ideas they tout in
comparison to the norm, the long-term prospects for Muslim women have never looked better. While
some countries may see slower progress than others, the modern feminism Islamic movement has taken
hold of a deeply held oppressive belief and has made tremendous strides thus far.
One of the more divided and ambiguous beliefs that has been at the forefront of reform in recent
years has been LGBTQ rights, and more specifically, homosexuality within Islam. In fact, under most
Islamic countries, engaging in homosexual acts is punishable by death or isolation, but it is important that
a greater distinction be made (Ahmadi, 537). This is because of the various interpretations of Islamic law
which conclude, “being a homosexual person and not publicly acting on homosexual feelings, however, is
within the bounds of the law in many Muslim countries” (Ahmadi, 551). This creates an ambiguous
standard that is not easily understood by both progressive and traditional Muslims. This has created an
opportunity for major reform and progress within the Muslim community, as homosexuality and the
punishments associated with it are by and large regarded as horrible and inhumane punishments, except
by the extreme traditional sects of Muslims who still believe these punishments to be ideal for this
behavior. With the growing community of LGBTQ throughout the world, and even within some Muslim
communities, this has led to a culture in many Muslim countries, and even some traditionally
conservative ones like Saudi Arabia, to begin adopting a more accepting LGBTQ culture (Ahmadi, 550)
This is a stark contrast to just a few decades ago where these ideas were not only still widely rejected in
the Muslim community, but also most western societies. This is particularly important to the overall
understanding of Islam as at its core, it is a religion of peace and acceptance. This movement within
Muslim communities and the similarities it has to the timing of LGBTQ movements in what popular
opinion would describe as more inclusive religions shows that Islam is a religion that can adapt to the
modern ideas of progressivism, hence why the negative light cast on Islam and not other religions may be
misplaced.
Arguably the most apparent and talked about issues surrounding the Islamic religion is the acts of
evil and terror that are conducted in its name as of recent (Cordesman). While not only attributed to Islam,
terror attacks have been an ever-growing concern not only among outsiders, but the majority of Muslims
as well as this link between Islam terror and the teachings of Islam is one that has been brough to light
and continuously dissected in attempts to limit the extremism of a small group of Muslims (Bar). While
some have argued that economic and political factors are the sole cause of this terror, it would be
disingenuous to not look into religious factors that drive Islamic ideology and influence these acts. For the
radical Islamists, their underlying worldview is “historic and dichotomist… [and] In such a worldview,
there can exist only two camps — Dar al-Islam (“The House of Islam” — i.e., the Muslim countries) and
Dar al-Harb (“The House of War” — i.e., countries ruled by any regime but Islam) — which are pitted
against each other until the final victory of Islam” (Bar). This is a fundamentally problematic
interpretation of the teachings of Islam, as it often encourages extreme followers to often use religion as a
means to gain power and rid the world of all teachings not attributed to Islam, as they believe Islam is the
only true answer to their world-view. This extremism can be traced all the way back to the 7th century,
and more recently has been brought to the attention of western societies by means of terror attacks, and
even more disturbing, the legality of Jihadist behavior on this scale is often attributed to orthodox Islam,
which poses a bigger problem to curbing this terror (Bar). As such, the war on terror has been ineffective
because although these acts have been met with strong counters, the underlying religious force that guides
these acts remain in tact and are deeply embedded withing orthodox religious teachings. This opens an
opportunity for peacefully practicing Muslims to engage in actions to reform these teachings that lead to
extremist behavior, of which strides are currently being made through various peace treaties and
reformations. However, they are also hindered by the conflict that has only of recent started to de-escalate
with no conclusive end in sight. Political extremism in Islam looks to be one of the harder issues to curb,
but as Islam and its reformers make tremendous strides in many other areas of Islam, it is thought that
through strategic reformation, this is an issue that can be resolved in hopes of reverting back to original
ideals of peaceful practices within the Islamic community.
While questionable practices and beliefs have been a staple of Islam for centuries, like all other
major religions, meaningful reform to adapt to ever-changing views on progressivism is crucial to the
survival of a religion that is so prevalent and influential on a world scale. In attempts to be an ally in this
necessary reform, it is the impervious that those who are not knowledgeable on Islamic practices be allies
in their attempts to adapt, rather than portray their religion as extreme in regards to the actions of the
minority of Muslims. As of recent, there have been meaningful strides to be a more inclusive and ethical
religion for the millions all across the world who are proclaimed Muslims, a majority of which are
working to see their religion cast in a better light and lend itself to being more inclusive, equal, and
peaceful.
Work Cited
Ahmadi, Shafiqa. “Islam and Homosexuality: Religious Dogma, Colonial Rule, and Islam and
Homosexuality: Religious Dogma, Colonial Rule, and the Quest for Belonging the Quest for
Belonging.” Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, vol. 26, no. 3, 2012, pp. 537–
63, scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1709&context=jcred.
Bar, Shmuel. “The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism.” Hoover Institution, 1 June 2004,
www.hoover.org/research/religious-sources-islamic-terrorism.
Bishin, Benjamin G., and Feryal M. Cherif. “Women, Property Rights, and Islam.” Comparative Politics,
vol. 49, no. 4, 2017, pp. 501–519. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26330985. Accessed 1 May
2021.
Bleich, Erik. “Report on Media Portrayals.” Media Portrayals of Minorities Project, 2018, pp. 1–26,
www.mediaandminorities.org/assets/media-contributions/AnnualReport2018.pdf.
Bousmaha, Farah. “THE IMPACT OF THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF ISLAM IN THE
WESTERN MEDIA AND CULTURE FROM 9/11 TO THE ARAB SPRING.” ScholarWorks,
2014, pp. 1–68. IUPUI, scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/5677.
Coleman, Isobel. “Women, Islam, and the Push for Reform in the Muslim World.” The Solutions Journal,
8 July 2020, thesolutionsjournal.com/2016/02/22/women-islam-and-the-push-for-reform-in-themuslim-world.
Cordesman, Anthony. “Islam and the Patterns in Terrorism and Violent Extremism.” Center for Strategic
and International Studies, CSIS, 17 Oct. 2017, www.csis.org/analysis/islam-and-patternsterrorism-and-violent-extremism.
Durkheim, Emile, et al. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. Abridged, Oxford University Press,
2008.