Religious Thought in the Age of Globalization: Between Tradition and Modernity

Dr. Ali Al-Asadi

Abstract

Cultural globalization marks a turning point in the global intellectual struggle of mankind, as it represents a broad and rapid effort to reorganize the world according to new intellectual foundations and ideologies that seek to replace previous ones. This makes preserving cultural identity a major challenge for all nations, particularly for the Islamic identity, which is also vulnerable to this challenge. The ongoing struggle within religious thought to maintain its authentic identity is both a genuine movement to protect that identity and a potential starting point for establishing an Islamic globalization that seeks to build a larger global society. Islamic thought inherently carries the idea of creating such an Islamic form of globalization through the Islamization of human thought. This article attempts to clarify the topic by using descriptive, analytical, and occasionally critical methods to demonstrate the invalidity of Western globalization and its unsuitability to govern the world. The critique argues that Western globalization serves narrow interests, seeks control by a specific group, and drives humanity towards subjugation and destruction. The study ultimately concludes that religious thought, particularly Islamic thought, holds the potential to serve as the true foundation for Islamic intellectual globalization, with the capacity to become not just globally influential thought, but a globalizing force in itself.

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)