Representing Islamic Modernity

Abstract

Vakkom Moulavi’s appropriation of modernity cannot be read within the framework of a simple cause-and-effect trajectory in which the colonizer acted and the colonized reacted. Such a reading would take away Vakkom Moulavi’s agency and delineate him as one of the “simple-hearted victims of colonialism.”1 A closer reading of his writings would help us to understand that he evaluated, judged, and appropriated certain aspects of modernity. Such an appropriation was not a blind imitation, but an active engagement in colonial discourse.2 In fact, he challenged European modernity and argued that Islamic modernity is much more relevant, universal, and complete. He denied the accusation that Islam is responsible for the decline of Muslims and held that it was Islamic principles that made early Muslims the ideal community in human history. They created one of the best civilizations, translated the ancient wisdom of the Greeks and Romans, and contributed to the development of Mathematics, Geography, Optics, and the Medical Sciences. He admonished European scholars and Christian missionaries for their ignorance of the golden age of Muslim civilization and for misleading others about the truth of Muslim history. His criticism of the West can be analyzed within the framework of nationalists who believed in the moral decadence of the West and the spiritual superiority of the East.