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Moderate Islam/Muslim
OED Definition:
Moderate:
1. Of medium or middling quality, size, or extent; average in intensity, difficulty, or degree; fairly large or good; intermediate. Later also depreciative (esp. in very moderate): of limited extent or quality; mediocre, scanty
2. Of persons or their opinions: not strongly partisan; not radical or extreme. (Chiefly in context of politics or religion.)
Variants: Moderate Islam/Muslim
The term “Moderate Islam” – which is used as an antithesis to terms like “Radical Islam”, “Hardline Islam” and “Islamic Extremism” – is described by the academic Lorenzo Vidino as “a term that is as fashionable as it is controversial, vague and subjective.” [1] The controversy surrounding the application of the word “moderate” hinges on the assessment that it cedes the mainstream space to the likes of Daesh and Al-Qaeda. That is to say that the categorisation of some Muslims as moderates implies that the default kind of Islam is a religion of extremity.
It is vague because there is no consensus as to what constitutes Moderate Islam. Dr. Alex P. Schmid highlights the problem of defining the term in a series of questions: “What makes them [Muslims] ‘moderate’? Are they moderate because they are ‘peaceful’ and ‘opposed to terrorism’? Is ‘moderate Muslim’ an externally applied label for Westernised and pro- Western Muslims? Do Muslims themselves use moderation as a concept?” [2] Clearly, if what is meant by “moderate Muslim” is a Muslim who is opposed to terrorism then the term is rightly considered contentious.
In a faith practiced by over 1.6 billion adherents, the estimated number of terrorists is shrinkingly small. Peter Bergen and Emily Schneider found that “on the low end, an estimated 85,000 men are fighting in jihadist groups around the world; on the high end 106,000.” [3] In other words, if our criteria of what constitutes a “Moderate Muslim” is one who does not engage in terrorism then we are describing 99.99% of Muslims in terms of their difference to the remaining 0.01%, which, it is tautologically obvious, should not be the case.
If, on the other hand, what we mean by “Moderate Muslims” is Muslims who are “Westernised”, then we are implicitly accepting the superiority of Western Culture over the cultures of the East. In that case “moderate” is a political determination which forces Muslims living the West to pick a side between their religious and political identities, and to conform with the version of Islam that has been sanctioned by the state.
Other criticisms of the term that have surfaced in recent years have included:
1) That the term “Moderate Muslim” implies a lack of devoutness.
2) That the term “Moderate Muslim” implies an acceptance of liberal values.
3) That the term “Moderate Muslim” means a commitment to secularism.
4) That the term “Moderate Muslim” means someone who is willing to help surveil Muslim communities.
How this term should be used
We recommend that the term “Moderate Muslim” or “Moderate Islam” be avoided in output.
Statistical Trends
Full tables from the Worldwide and British Corpus can be found in the Appendices.
Usage in Context
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Excerpt:
And in an attempt to water down extremism and spread a more moderate view of Islam, progressive religious leaders often visit inmates, offer guidance and run prayer services.
In this first example from the MailOnline, the term “moderate” is being used in the sense of an interpretation of Islam that is non-violent. This is – as we have already discussed – a false dichotomy. It is also deeply problematic because it suggests that – rather than an aberration – those who commit violent acts in the name of Islam are somehow representative of a theological tradition. Well, if they are part of a theological tradition, it is, as we have discussed, one that is followed by less than 0.01% of all Muslims, a numerical representation that is surely so small that it does not merit them controlling the narrative over what it means to be a Muslim.
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Expanded context:
Only last month, there came his vision for a 500 billion ‘mega city’ called Neom, a latter-day Dubai on the Red Sea, with connecting bridges to Egypt and Jordan. According to the promotional video, it will be a place where women are free to jog in leotards, work and even to play musical instruments (racy, I know, but there you are). While his ideas for this sort of’ moderate‘ Islam have appalled many of Saudi’s deeply conservative imams, they have won him cautious approval overseas.
Here, the writer of the article uses the term “moderate Islam” as a borrowing from the dogma of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who has used it to mean an Islam that is more in line with liberal values. That is to say, the dichotomy implied by Muhammad bin Salman, and here reported on with a hint of irony by the Mail, is not Moderate Islam vs Islamic Extremism but Moderate Islam vs Conservative Islam.
This is – at least in principle – a better starting off point for a discussion of what constitutes Moderate Islam than the one that defines moderation in terms of global terrorism. The problem is that what might be considered Moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia is almost certainly not what would be considered Moderate Islam in Bangladesh, which in turn is unlikely to be considered Moderate Islam in Britain or France. The sheer size of the Muslim population and the diversity of cultural experiences that make up the ummah means that it is near impossible to apply the binaries of “Moderate” or “Conservative”.
