Anti-Imperialism and the Pan-Islamic Movement

The chapter analyzes pan-Islamism as a global movement for Muslim religious reform and against European imperial domination. It focuses on anti-colonial discourse and the activities of the leading pan-Islamic proponents, most notably the triad of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad ‘Abdu, and Muhammad Rashid Rida. It examines the anti-colonial discourses and activities of these men and shows that the movement was anything but homogeneous. Although all three are usually considered to represent the same school of thought, the chapter argues that their programs differed considerably. Al-Afghani advocated revolution from above. ‘Abduh developed different ideas regarding the reformation of Islam and firmly believed in a revolution from below, brought about by a reform of religion and religious education. Rida, on the other hand, called for a pan-Islamic project on the twin basis of nostalgia for the Islamic caliphate and the reformation of Muslim activism.