The Impact of Takfiri Movements on the New Islamic Civilization: Consequences and Strategies for Confrontation

Abstract

Islamic civilization, as one of the most significant manifestations of intellectual, cultural, and political flourishing in human history, experienced remarkable growth during the early centuries of Islam; however, this development encountered numerous periods of decline and transformation across different historical stages. Examining the factors involved in the stagnation or flourishing of the new Islamic civilization is essential for restoring the trajectory of Islamic civilizational revival and for analyzing the function of Takfiri movements and their role in the decline of the new Islamic civilization. Using an analytical–critical approach, the present study investigates the impact of Takfiri movements on the new Islamic civilization. The findings indicate that Takfiri movements, through the rejection of rationality and ijtihad and by presenting extremist, literalist, and superficial interpretations of religious texts, have weakened the unity of the Islamic Ummah and the social capital of Muslims, destroyed cultural heritage, negated interfaith and inter-sectarian dialogue, reduced religious tolerance, coexistence, and convergence, and contributed to the spread of Islamophobia. Consequently, these movements have generated serious challenges and damages in the path toward the advancement of the new Islamic civilization. In the final section of this article, several strategies are proposed for confronting religious extremism and reviving the new Islamic civilization.