Authority in Muslim Politics

Muslim politics like any other politics have their authorities. In the case of Muslim Politics, it is authorities who connects religion with politics, and it is them (authorities) who give a `colour` to these politics. 
Piscatori and Eickelman in their “Muslim Politics” write about sacred authority as a one of the most political religious authority. Sacred political authority is based on a “respect”.
This kind of authority has foundation in the Quran, in the verse talking about obeying authorities:” O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you.” (4:59)
This kind of political authority is not appointed or installed with military, or intelligence or security agencies, but rather they are based on, and they represent values and interest of their supporters. 
Sacred authorities, in Muslim political case, are not limited only as go-betweens, but they represent and defend social and economic interests as well. Authorities among some African Sufis represent the interests of the peasantry. Authorities (political) in Saudi Arabia represent interests of the bazaar merchants. 
Sacred authority in case of Saudi Arabia politics shows the variability of the meaning and the purpose of the sacred authority. In the beginning of today’s Saudi Arabia, religious and political authorities were one. They were complimented to each other and they were allied without boundaries. Later, it took place of a subtle contest between the states officials (royals) and the religious officials. Royal elite took more power in their hands, pushing religious authority’s influence on the margins of politics. Monarchies are relying ever more on king’s decrees then they are relaying on religious decrees (fatwas). 
Political leaders among sacred authorities claim their sacred authority through public appearance in religious rituals. Performance is highly and intensively publicized and covered in all media. These leaders use religious symbols to manipulate with feelings of common Muslims and to highlight their religious authority. 
All kind of sacred authority use different symbols to legitimize their authority. Saddam Hussein commissioned public pictures of himself riding a white horse. The posters were supposed to make him more authoritarian. The white colour implicates Saddam`s purity and a riding horse implicate Saddam`s courage. 
Sacred authority is contested by different Muslim groups. In the contesting for political power participate kings and presidents, officers and bureaucrats, ulama and shaykhs, intellectuals and scholars. Some of contestants are aiming for fundamental values and represent themselves as guardians of such politics. Others are pursuing traditional values and politics.  And the third kind of contestants in arena of Muslim politics are modernists. They all have one thing in common, the fact that they are “limited” by modern world and its technological developments. They, seekers of sacred authority, have different educational background, different social position, and different ideology. Again, they all have one thing in common, that is appetite for authority and power. 
Pursuing sacred authority, contestants offer alternative for current situation. Though they are impermanent, sacred authority contestants offer timeless credos and believes. 
According to Eickelman and Piscatori (Muslim Politics 1996) “…objectified understandings of Islamic beliefs and practices have irrevocably transformed Muslim relations to sacred authority.” Most important role in this transformation played `democratisation of Muslim politics`. Furthermore, importance of language standardisation, mass higher education, the mass media and migration contributed to this transformation as well.
In the mid and the late 20th century, Muslim scholars criticised Muslim societies for their non-Islamic behaviour and accused indolent religious authorities for this phenomenon. Ali Shariati discuses the idea that clergy or sacred authority should not exist in Islam. He argues the same in a way that the main Islamic sources gave no sanctity to any authority, nor does Islamic history give such authority nor the biography of the Prophet. He calls such authority `long-bearded demagogues`. He criticizes Iranian ulama especially for their official clergy and monopolistic powers.
Contemporary Muslim thinkers criticize old-fashioned scholars and authorities and point out that sacred texts can be read by individual Muslims and can be understandable directly. This led to fragmentation of sacred authority and challenged exclusivity of authority.  Fragmentation of sacred authority began with mass education. Modern educational approach and achieved perspectives gave ability to some Muslim population to understand the reality of Muslim politics and left no place for manipulation of the same. From the other side, some remained attracted to Islamist groups led by intellectuals who have not received traditional religious educations. They include Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt, ABIM (Muslim Youth Movement) in Malaysia, FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) in Algeria etc. All these groups and their leaders compete for authority with others, ulama and even with the state. 
Sufi groups and authorities among them fragmented sacred authority in a way that they claim a right for themselves to control religious knowledge and a right to speak for Islam. In some contemporary Muslim societies (West Africa) Sufi orders are taking part on a political role. In Morocco and Afghanistan, they formed organisational framework for their activism. Morocco`s pronationalist was adopted from Sufi orders. In Senegal they organized economic production and framed political action. 
We can conclude that sacred authority is surely competitive between each of contestant: governments, Islamist groups, and Sufi shaykhs. 
Sacred authority, or even in general Islamic authority exclude women from its contest. Ulama and imams are exclusively men. Women play some limited role among Sufi orders. Sufi orders have some prominent female mystics, like Rabia al-Adawiyya (717-801), Sayyida Nafisa (762-824). Their tombs became places of pilgrimage. 
Though Muslim women are excluded from sacred authority, they struggle for their influence among Muslim societies. Zaynab (1917-2005) with her writings influenced Muslim brotherhood, both man and women. 
Maryam Jameelah proved herself as renowned writer on a wide range of Muslims topics with international reader support. 
Contemporary Muslim politics recognize importance of Muslim women and their intellectual potential and potential contribution to the politics. We can expect Muslim women political activism more often and hopefully they will be able to parry dominant man Muslim politics. 
 




1.	On the sociology of Islam. Ali Shariati. Mizan Press. Berkeley 1979. (Translation form Persian)   
2.	Muslim Politics. Dale F. Eickelman and James Piscatori. Princeton University Press. New Jersey 1996.