The political, economic and social effects of globalization are varied, but they certainly are indicative of our attempt as human beings to define and understand our place in the world. As regions and cultures come into contact with one another, it is often difficult for people to recognize parallel ideas, values, and institutions in other societies. It is much easier to recognize differences and to imagine that they represent an unbridgeable distance from what is familiar. Despite trends towards global interdependence, seemingly inexorable differences continue to be underlined among regions and groups through the use of signifiers that create distance. “Islamic” is a term that has been used as one such signifier. In particular, the word has often served as an adjective in everyday speech that neatly partitions off familiar terms from normalcy and transforms them into unreachable, alien concepts.
Within discourse about Islam and Muslims in the United States and abroad, the term, Islamic, is attached to a wide range of phenomena. Muslims use the term to refer to what relates to Islamic teachings or institutions, but Muslims and non-Muslims alike frequently use the adjective, Islamic, to elevate cultural expressions to the position of normative or consummate institutions or practices. Poorly nuanced use of the term, Islamic, among public commentators often fails to make any distinction between that which pertains directly to Islam and its doctrines, and actions its adherents perform in the cultural or social realm. Thus terms used to signify Islam and Muslims lack precision when used by both Muslims and others in public discourse.
To prevent the utter misunderstandings that can lead to the mischaracterization and even demonization of Muslims, these terms need to be explored and clarified. In the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001, public discourse in the United States about Islam has been especially prominent, aimed either at increasing understanding, or toward eliminating any positive associations with the world religion espoused by roughly one fifth of humanity, including at least five million Americans. Speculation and policy by pundits and politicians have targeted “Islamic education” as a possible “cause” of so-called “Islamic radicalism” or “Islamic terrorism.” Accordingly, various recommendations and measures have been contemplated to reform Islamic education in the United States and overseas. At a minimum, public discussion should build on a foundation of accuracy and differentiated discourse, since attempts to reform what is poorly understood are bound to fail or backfire.
Focusing on the American context, the purpose of this article is
