He pioneered sweeping reforms in the Egyptian education specifically focusing on the schooling of women. (p.90) Ali Abdal Raziq discusses he authority of the caliphs and argued that Islam can never constitute the legitimate basis of a nation state. He was criticized for reducing Islam to a purely spiritual system. Raziq stressed that an individual Muslim community were entitled to choose their own caliph if they wanted one. That meant that a decision by any authentic Islamic society was itself by definition Islamic. (p.91) Ayatollah Khomeini revealed that it was the duty of religious leaders to bring about an Islamic state and to assume legislative, executive and judicial positions within it. This particular form of government was to be referred to as "Rule of the Jurisprudent." The highest authority was to be a religious scholar who held absolute executive power and who was qualified to hold office on the basis of his unrivaled knowledge of religious law. (p.95).
Within the process of introspection, one would ask as to how receptive is Islam when it comes to change. Mernissi (1992) noted that the receptiveness of the west as seen in the practice of democracy is the key its success.
A demand for the ideals emerged in the slogans of the masses who marched in the streets of Algiers, Tunis and Rabat to protest the gulf War and bombing of Baghdad. When the masses shout their desire for democracy, fear enters the corridors of entrenched power. Those who have control over decision making will naturally try to transfer the ancestral fear of the West into the idea of democracy itself. (pp. 14-15). Another facet of Islamic reform deals with the role of civil society. Rippin (2005) cited that the strengthening of civil society within the Muslim world is seen in the increasing emphasis on education, freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Muslim nations....
Replacing in some context the word democracy, as the key goal to which Muslims should strive civil society is understood as that which lies underneath contemporary democratic principles. It suggests that there are parallel social institutions within society that act alongside the state in the public sphere and to serve and protect the interests and concerns of citizens.
Based on the discussion of Islamic reform, I can surmise that Islam has been constantly adjusting to meet the demands of a specific social context it operates into. Islam is reconfiguring itself so that its doctrines are congruent to the signs of the current times. These signs include changes with other religions, reforms implemented within the social structure by government institutions and specific advocacies of religious leaders. These reforms tell us the extent through which religions such as Islam are open to the idea of the people and society in general. What comes to fore is the issue of empowerment. Islam has been open to the notion of empowering its members, that is, by questioning the rationale of its leaders based on their more often than not unilateral decision making approach. Islamic reformism has been over the years been addressing this specific concern as some believers have their own interpretation on what Islam should be. However, the anchor of said interpretations and changes for that matter should always fall within the basic tenets of the Qur'an.
References
Rippin, a. (2005) Muslims: Their Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge
Mernissi, F. (1992) Islam and Democracy: Fear of the Modern World. Cambridge: Perseus Books Publishing.
Elias, J. (1999) Islam: Religions of the World. London: Routledge.
Lee, R. (1997) Overcoming Tradition and Modernity: The Search for Islamic Authenticity. Boulder: Westview.
