When we talk about civics—that is, co-managing our society and constructing a just and good life for all—this is not the most opportune time in history to consider its compatibility with Islam. In Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan has dismantled key features of a democratic state. He sees traitors everywhere, including in the Constitutional Court and the Central Bank, and he is suspicious of anyone who is not sufficiently grateful to him. He refuses to abide by the constitution, which requires the President to be nonpartisan, and boasts about his de facto powers. In neighbouring areas, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Yemen are consumed by civil strife, and the jury is still out for Indonesia and Tunisia. But perhaps most prominent in our current global consciousness: the world is awestruck with the barbarity of the Islamic State throughout the Middle East and beyond. So, is it a fool’s errand to search for signs and building blocks of a Muslim civics? Maybe. But maybe not.
At its core, the term civics refers to our knowledge of how to co-manage our commons. Towns and cities force diverse people into close proximity and intermix their destinies, a predicament that gave us civics, initially. The terms used for civilization and civics in Turkish and Arabic—medeniyet and medeni—are derivatives from the city of Medina. Medina had its own civic charter, and is, so to speak, the city upon the hill for devout Muslims. In this etymological sense, the just and good life is not an automatic affair, but one that needs to be constructed in unison and with deliberate intent.
Defending the rights of atheists is not only a requirement of being a democrat, but also of being a Muslim. Yet a recurrent and highly problematic issue is the use of force and coercion in the name of Islam—arguably the very opposite of civics. If the leaders of the Islamic State call themselves Muslim, then what does the term “Muslim” really mean, much less “Muslim civics”? Abdülaziz Bayındır, a respected theologian, argues that in countries where it is not absolutely free to be an atheist, being a Muslim is of little significance because the choice has to be made with free will and no fear of repercussions.
