Extra Credit Bamyeh

            In the article by Mohammed Bamyeh he argues that the religion Dar al-Islam could only function as a whole if it followed three principles: partial control, free movement, and cultural heteroglossia. Past and present day attempts have been made to try and replace or reform these principles through acts such as colonialism, but each of these have proven to be unsuccessful and not as competent as some in the past.

            The principle of partial control differs from the traditional European principle with the notion that the state is the ultimate ruling power over society. Early Islam’s spread and success can be attributed to the shared religious land that created consistencies across the different acting groups.  Things such as government and public workings were open to all and if one group tried to triumph over another by forming a single state power the acting groups would engage in conflict in opposition to this idea.  The principle of free movement allowed for actors to communicate and exchange ideas, which lead to the development of a global society across many different regions.  The society acting in this differed from the sovereign state and borders were not defined according to ruler. Free movement also allowed for reliability in areas such as education and social norms.  The third principle of heteroglossia was originally used to describe a work of literature that had multiple voices representing several viewpoints. It describes the several different voices present in society and the different viewpoints that come along with those people. Heteroglossia is described as naturally invisible because actors were not competing amongst other similar voices to be heard. Because of its invisibility it was able to make advances toward universality in society. The main idea with this is that once individuals can come to a compromise and mutual understanding of religion society can become unified. Bamyeh argues that for a global society to work there can be no authoritarian government.

            If Bamyeh is arguing that these principles need to be in place for a society to function can a global society be possible beyond the religion of Islam? Similarly can societies exist if there is no competition amongst actors? If that is the driving force behind a functional society then isn’t globalization already occurring?