Different Paradigms: The Nation-State System And Islam

This article argues that with the intensified globalization process, the Westphalian temple which has been proposing the nation-state system as a universal political unit began to weaken. Actually the nation-state system has never been a universal political reference for non-Western states. In the wake of the Cold War and the introduction of Huntington‟s infamous thesis of the clash of civilizations, the Muslim world emerged as the other of the West. That is, the West declared the Islamic civilization as the main challenging discourse with the abolishment of the communist bloc. Islam and the West each have different political, economic and cultural paradigms. This study elaborates similarities and differences between the two paradigms. It emphasizes that “nation” and “nationalism” concepts are alien to Islam and Muslims. Therefore, expansion of these concepts in the Muslim world caused identity crises. Nationalism caused cultural insecurity and has been one of the main bases of Islamic revivalist movements against the Western world. Therefore, a conceptual evaluation of the nation-state system, ethnicity, and the Islamic approach of politics is required to understand relations between the West and the Muslim world.

Keywords:

Nation-State System , Nationalism , Cultural Insecurity , Identity Crisis , Islamic Revivalism