ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF MILLAH AND RISE OF NATIONALISM: CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MUSLIM WORLD

Abstract

Millah, in Islamic tradition represents a people united in religion, in belief in and obedience to God. It brings the Ummah together under a shared spiritual and moral banner towards which all should be responsible and develop. When nationalism finally arose, it did so as a modern political movement advocating for the power of the state, ethnic consolidation, and secularism. Although nationalism allowed for anti-colonial movements in the Muslim world it weakened the Islamic community and diminished its strength bringing division instead of unity. It is within this context that Millah is being negotiated against nationalism and its historical developments and key issues are examined in this study. The methodological approach employed by the study is therefore hermeneutical and historical thematical to establish the following challenges to the unity of Islam: political sectarianism, cultural otherness and economic divergence. It also analyzes the decline of pan-Islamic bodies, as well as ethnic tensions.

To this end, the research enunciates the strategies of reconciliation; these include the restoration of solidarity within diversity, rejuvenation of pan-Islamist organizations, and economical/educational collaboration. Thus, this study fills the theoretical and empirical gaps by encompassing ideological and functional paradigms and presenting a pragmatic approach to restore the mandate of the Ummah. The loss of the Mat looking at the results der displays the applicability of Millah today to cover current global issues.