Islam in the Face of Modernity: Ferghane Azihari's Critical Diagnosis

Introduction

In a lengthy interview with the channel “Nour Al Aalam,” essayist Ferghane Azihari, author of Islam Against Modernity, offers a critical analysis of the contemporary situation of Muslim societies. Relying on statistical data and a historical reading, he presents a harsh assessment and calls for an intellectual transformation based on reason and the historico-critical approach.

An assessment based on contemporary indicators

For the analyst, it is not an ideological judgment but a diagnosis based on political, economic, and social indicators.

He first highlights a marked democratic deficit. In a group representing nearly a quarter of the world’s population, only a minority, according to him, live in political systems comparable to international democratic standards.

On the issue of human rights, he highlights the situation of certain religious minorities and the maintenance of apostasy laws in several countries. These elements are presented as indicators of structural tensions between religious norms and contemporary standards.

The condition of women constitutes another central point of his analysis. Azihari mentions international rankings in which many Muslim-majority countries hold low positions in terms of gender equality, as well as the persistence of practices such as early marriages.

Finally, he insists on what he considers a relative intellectual stagnation, highlighting the low number of international scientific distinctions originating from these regions, while noting that some emerging talents have often continued their careers outside their countries of origin.

A critical re-reading of history

One of the major axes of his intervention concerns the intellectual history of the Muslim world. Azihari challenges the idea of a civilizational rupture brought by Islam in an isolated Arabia.

He instead reminds us that Islam developed in a space already structured by ancient scholarly traditions, particularly in the Near East. In this perspective, major figures like Averroes or Ibn Khaldoun are, according to him, more heirs of a prior intellectual heritage than exclusive products of a religious system.

Mechanisms of social reproduction

The essayist also questions the factors that would explain the persistence of these structures. He mentions notably the social and legal costs of leaving the religion in certain contexts, as well as the weight of collective norms.

He also highlights the importance of identity representations, notably the idea of belonging to a valued community. However, he contrasts this discourse with contemporary migratory dynamics, noting that many individuals from these societies choose to settle in countries offering more individual freedoms.

The challenge of historical critique

For Azihari, a sustainable transformation would involve adopting the tools of modern research, notably the historico-critical analysis of religious texts.

He believes that, unlike other religious traditions, Islam has not yet experienced a phase comparable to the European Enlightenment. This absence, according to him, is an obstacle to the emergence of a fully free intellectual debate.

He also criticizes certain educational approaches that he deems insufficiently detached, calling for greater critical rigor in the teaching of religious history.

A critique of the Western perspective

Finally, Azihari takes issue with what he perceives as a form of reserve in Western societies, where Islam is sometimes less subject to critique than other systems of thought. He interprets this attitude as a form of paternalism that prevents Muslim societies from being considered as fully capable of internal transformation.

Conclusion

Through this analysis, Ferghane Azihari offers a critical reading of the relationship between Islam and modernity, emphasizing the tensions between religious heritage, social structures, and contemporary demands.

His deliberately sharp diagnosis is part of a broader debate on the evolution of Muslim societies and the conditions for a possible intellectual reform.