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| Solving the problem of identity in the era of globalisation |
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Nationalism is in essence a pragmatic adoption and was not conceived according to profound thinking. Hence the confusion amongst the political and intellectual classes who are unable to convince the people let alone themselves; the basis is incorrect and therefore any idea built upon nationalism will always be flawed.
Therefore the consequences of nationalism conceived according to a secular conception of identity have been catastrophic. In particular the relationship between nationalism and capitalism has been particularly destructive. Nationalism creates a racist mentality, while capitalism builds a mentality of greed. Since the emergence of secular civilisation we have seen centuries of bloodshed from the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars when modern nationalism spread, to the First World War and the creation of the League of Nations when Woodrow Wilson reaffirmed the concept of the nation state, to the Second World War and the racist fascist doctrine that took inspiration from social Darwinism to the creation of the United Nations, not to mention the vicious colonisation and imperialism by the western nations. We have now reached a critical point in history, in our post Cold War globalising world the impact of nationalism and the capitalist ideology become even more extreme as Amy Chua describes in her book, 'World on Fire':
"As global markets open, ethnic conflict worsens and democracy in developing nations can turn ugly and violent…free markets have concentrated disproportionate, often spectacular wealth in the hands of resented ethnic groups - 'market-dominant minorities.' Adding democracy to this volatile mix can unleash suppressed ethnic hatred and bring power to 'ethno-nationalist' governments that pursue aggressive policies of confiscation and revenge…far from making the world a better and safer place, democracy and capitalism - at least in the raw, unrestrained form in which they are currently being exported - are intensifying ethnic resentment and global violence, with potentially catastrophic results."
Not only is the secular political culture unable to provide an identity that transcends race but also its economic system exacerbates ethnic conflict because of the misdistribution of wealth, which requires a separate discussion since this problem is a product of capitalist economics. Whether it is minorities in the west who feel that they are not given equal opportunities or whether it is the people of Zimbabwe who see that white farmers own the majority of farming land, we find that the capitalist system perpetuates nationalism rather than resolve ethnic divisions because wealth is often concentrated in minority groups who are often distinguished by their race or language, which inevitably builds resentment. This problem partly arises when nations are unable to accommodate diverse groups of people because the people cannot intellectually identify with the host nations identity. Or when minority groups have greater economic power than the host nation, as is the case in countries like Burma where the Chinese have greater economic power than the Burmese; nationalism and capitalism are interconnected which is a recipe for disaster.
Islam solves nationalism
Therefore a 'new' political culture needs to emerge if we are to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, a political culture that will bring people of different races, beliefs and languages together. If the political culture of a society cannot eliminate racial prejudice and inequality then it will struggle to survive in the era of globalisation. The Islamic political culture provides humanity with the ability to achieve such a vision. Unlike secularism which got rid of idolatry but kept nationalism, Islam removed both, and equated superstitious idol worship with nationalism, because nationalism is like the emotional belief in Christianity:
"O Muslims, remember Allah, remember Allah. Will you act as pagans while I am present with you after Allah has guided you to Islam, and honoured you thereby and made a clean break with paganism; delivered you thereby from disbelief; and made you friends thereby?"
Pre-Islamic Arabia serves as a timely parallel in how Islam can solve the destructive ethnic conflicts stirring across the world today. Arabia was paralysed by intertribal warfare, which particularly affected the tribes of the al-Aws and the al-Khazraj. These tribes looked to end their internecine fighting, and Islam offered a solution to end their conflicts. Their conception of identity had to be redefined and Islam demonstrated the irrationality of nationalism whilst also linking this concept intellectually and emotionally to the survival instinct which would neutralise feelings of pride in one's people. This is because nationalism is a raw emotion which arises when the level of thinking is low as was the case in theocratic Europe and pre-Islamic Arabia i.e. how people should solve human problems and achieve the highest standard of living. However we find that secular philosophy has shaped and strengthened these raw emotions by intellectualising nationalism, which not only creates strong nationalistic emotions but also links these destructive emotions to the capitalist emotions of utility and freedom, which is a recipe for conflict and destruction.
Therefore a political culture needs to emerge which creates emotions of brotherhood that transcends ethnicity and a system of life that manifests social cohesion, which is what the Islamic political culture achieves. That is to say Islam reshapes the raw emotions that arise from the survival instinct or the nationalist thoughts that have corrupted people's inclinations by linking the Islamic concepts of identity with how we satisfy our human needs thereby creating Islamic emotions, which will elevate human behaviour:
"He is not one us who calls for `Asabiyah, (nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for `Asabiyah or who dies for `Asabiyah."
" ...People should give up their pride in nations because this is a coal from the coals of hell-fire. If they do not give this up Allah will consider them lower than a lowly worm which pushes itself through khur (dung)."
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