Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by McKhan (talk | contribs) at 04:57, 18 May 2012 (Let's be specific on the talk page and come up with a version which presents the information written by the Ahbash as well as its opponents objectively under the light of pertinent academic sources and Misplaced Pages's NPOV guidelines. Thank you.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Al-Ahbash
Leader	Hussam Qaraqira
Founded	1983 Beirut, Lebanon
Headquarters	Various
Religion	Conflation of different branches of Islamic theology
Website
www.aicp.org

Al-Ahbash (Arabic: الأحباش‎ al-Aḥbāš; literal meaning “the Ethiopians”), also known as Association of Islamic Charitable Projects or the Society of Islamic Philanthropic Projects (Arabic: ‏جمعية المشاريع الخيرية الإسلام‎ jam'iyyat al-mashari' al-khayriyya al-islamiyya / Ǧamʿīya al-Mašārīʿ al-Ḫairīya al-Islām) , is an Islamic sect and a Sufi religious movement from Lebanon. It follows the teachings of the Ethiopian-born Islamic law scholar Shaykh Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Hirari al-Shibi al-Abdari, alias al-Habashi, who was the group's spiritual leader from 1983 until his death in 2008. It is also a political party that occasionally runs for elections. Al-Ahbash are seen as being very controversial within Islam for its anti-Salafi religious stance as their Sufi and other beliefs are seen as heretical among several Muslim and Lebanese groups because of both its religious and political positions such as its eclectic doctrinal roots or its pro-Syrian stance. Under the name of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (AICP), the group has become a transnational movement with branches throughout the Western world, particularly in Lebanese expatriate communities in North America, Australia, Western Europe, and Ukraine . It is known for its intensive use of the internet, publishes its own monthly, Manar al-Huda and possesses a radio station by the name of Nida' al-Ma'rifa .

History

The Lebanese Association of Islamic Charitable Projects also known as Society of Islamic Philanthropic Projects was founded in the 1930s in in the suburb of Bourj Abu Haidar in Beirut, Lebanon by Ahmad al-Ajuz, but only gained attention in 1983 when it was taken over by Shaykh Habashi's followers. Born in the early 20th century in al-Hirara in Ethiopia, Shaykh Habashi - then Mufti in the Oromo tribal region - was expelled by Emperor Haile Selassie from his homecountry in 1947 for political reasons. After study stays in Damascus and Jerusalem, he settled in Beirut in 1950 where he was licensed as a Shaykh by Al-Azhar University's branch in Lebanon and emerged as a public intellectual with his main message being that of Islamic-Christian co-existence.

Al-Ahbash did not actively take part in the Lebanese Civil War but recruited many members from the ranks of Sunni militias. Its commitment to proselytization and social services made it rise to become one of Lebanon's most important Islamic movements by the end of the 1980s consisting of approximately 8,000 members, mainly from the middle classes. It has however somewhat declined in importance since then.

Doctrinal Aspects

Shaykh Habashi's syncretic teachings draw upon a conflation of different branches of Islamic theology, and thereby elude unambiguous classification. In an adress to his followers, Shaykh Habashi stated that "e are Ash'aris and Shafi'is. The Ash'ariyya is the basis of our belief, and the Shfi'iyya is our daily code."

Shaykh Habashi in his books and lectures blend elements of Sunni and Shi'a theological doctrines with Sufi spiritualism by supporting the legitimacy of Imam Ali and his descendents while condeming Mu'awiyya, the caliph and governor of Damascus, and his son Yazid as "seditious" thus adopting Shi'ite tradition whereas setting apart from all other Sunni jurists. . Although not explicitly stated, Sufism plays also an important role in al-Ahbash's doctrine as demonstrated by the practice of several Sufi traditions such as the pilgrimage to holy men's tombs (Ziyarat) and the support of three Sufi Tariqas. The contention that it is a primarily Sufi movement , however, has been disputed.

Mustafa Kabla and Haggai Erlich identify "moderation" as the key word in al-Ahbash's "necessary science of religion" and instance the group's twelve-goal platform whose second item calls for "reaching moderation and good behavior as ways of implementing religious principles, while combating extremism and zeal." . This position is also reflected in the groups's decided opposition to the Salafist movement and radical Islamist thinkers, namely Sayyid Qutb, Muhammed ibn 'Abd-al-Wahhab, and Ibn Taymiyyah. Al-Ahbash's rather progressive views on education, the role of women, and science contradict many of the above named writers' opinions. One further critical cleavage is al-Ahbash's strict rejection of any form of anthropomorphism of God which they accuse Wahhabism of . Consequently, Shaykh Habashi holds that "it does not befit God to speak like that, and his word is not a voice or letters" and that therefore, the Qu'ran contains the word of God but could be written only after "Gabriel listened to His word, understood it, and passed it on to the prophets and the angels" - a highly controversial point of view within Islam which is not fully compatible with the consensus of Sunnis. The arguably most important split, however, is the question of the relation between religion, politics, and the state. Departing from most Islamic writings on this topic, al-Ahbash advocates a separation of religion and state and thereby rejects the idea of an Islamic state. Consequently, the group repeatedly emphasized the need for Muslim-Christian co-existence and tolerance towards other religious groups in Lebanon.

Yet, this tolerant stance in Al-Ahbash's public rhetoric is doubted by some Muslim groups, orthodox Sunni in particular. They accuse the group of an excessive use of Takfir - the act of declaring another Muslim an unbeliever - and thereby of the provocation of inner-islamic tensions. According to Tariq Ramadan, Al-Ahbash"adherents carry on a permanent double discourse: to Western questioners, they claim to support the emancipation of women and laicism to oppose the "fundamentalists" (all the issues they know are sensitive and useful for getting them recognized). However, within Muslim communities, they carry on an extremely intransigent and closed discourse, usually treating most of the principal Muslim ulama as kuffar *by which they mean "unbeliever,' "impious people"). They base their teachings on interpretations recognized as deviant by all other schools of thought and all other scholars of note (for example, their singular understanding of the meaning of the name of God, or their assertion that the Qur'anic Text was interpreted by the angel Gabriel, or the practice of praying to the dead). Their approach on very specific points of doctrine (such as those we have referred to) is hostile and usually violent."

Political Positions

As a political party when al-Ahbash ran for the 1992 Lebanese parliamentary elections, this constituency enabled its candidate, Adnan Trabulsi, to win a seat in a Beirut district that he lost in the subsequent 1996 elections though.This unprecedented step at the height of its power confirmed al-Ahbash's aspirations to be a political actor. Since then, however, no Habashi has been member of the Parliament.

References

1. ^ Hamzeh, A. Nizar (1996). "A Sufi Response to Political Islamism: Al-Ahbash of Lebanon". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 28. Beirut, Lebanon: American University of Beirut: 217–229. doi:10.1017/S0020743800063145. Retrieved 2009-04-10. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "SufiResponse" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
2. ^ Kabha, Mustafa (2006). "Al-Ahbash and Wahhabiyya: Interpretations of Islam". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 38 (4). United States: Cambridge University Press: 519-538. doi:10.1017.S0020743806384024. Retrieved 2012-03-31. {{cite journal}}: Check |doi= value (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Kabha" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
3. "Syria and the Hariri assassination". The Economist (Print Edition). Oct 27th 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "BEIRUT" ignored (help)
4. ^ Ramadan, Tariq (2004). Western Muslims and the future of Islam. Oxford University Press US. p. 29, 234. ISBN 019517111X, 9780195171112. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
5. Roy, Oliver (2006). Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Columbia University Press. p. 227. ISBN 0231134991.
6. ^ Grayling, A. C. (2010). Ideas That Matter: The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century. Basic Books. p. 193. ISBN 0230623069. Cite error: The named reference "Grayling" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
7. ^ Rubin, Barry (2009). Guide to Islamist Movements. M.E. Sharpe. p. 322. ISBN 978-0765617477.
8. ^ Rougier, Bernard (2007). Everyday jihad: the rise of militant Islam among Palestinians in Lebanon. Harvard University Press. p. 113-115. ISBN 978-0674025295.
9. "Founder of Sunni Habashi Group Dies". naharnet.com. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
10. ^ Pierret, Thomas (2005). "Internet in a Sectarian Islamic Context" (PDF). ISIM Review (Spring 2005). The Netherlands: International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World: 15. Retrieved 2009-04-10. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
11. Pierret 2005
12. Sfei, Antoine (2008). The Columbia world dictionary of Islamism. Columbia University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0231146401. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
13. Sources state either 1910 or 1920 as his year of birth, cf. Hamzeh and Dekmejian 1996: 219, Pierret 2011
14. Kabha and Erlich 2006: 523
15. Hamzeh, A. Nizar (September 1997). "Islamism in Lebanon: A Guide". Middle East Quarterly. 1 (3): 47–53. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
16. al-Habashi, Shaykh 'Abdallah (1990). Sarih al-Bayan (Explicit Declaration). Beirut, Lebanon: Jam'iyyat al-Mashari'. pp. 86, 88, 90, 105('These ahadith are: "For whosoever I am master, this Ali is his master, 0 God support whosoever is"'), 111 ('Habashi does not give much importance to the Hanafi and Maliki Schools of Law'), 107, 195.
17. Manar al-Huda. Beirut, Lebanon: Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. November 1992, 32; ibid., April 1993, 37; April-May 1993, 45 http://www.manarulhudamag.com/. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
18. al-Habashi, Shaykh 'Abdallah (1994). Al-Kafil bi-'Ilm al-Din al-Daruri (The Guarantor of the Necessary Science of Faith). Beirut, Lebanon: Burj Abi Haydar Mosque. p. 46.
19. ^ al-Habashi, Shaykh 'Abdallah. Bughyat al-talib. Beirut, Lebanon: Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. p. 31.
20. ^ al-Habashi, Shaykh 'Abdallah. "Shaykh Abdalla's lecture, 26 January 2003". Beirut, Lebanon: Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Shaykh Abdalla's lecture" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
21. Rubin, Barry (2009). Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict, and Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 139. ISBN 0230623069.
22. Marshall, Paul (2011). Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 356. ISBN 0199812284. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
23. cited in Kabla and Erlich 2006: 531
24. Hamzeh and Demekjian 1996: 225; el Khazen 2003: 620, Table 2

See also

• Politics of Lebanon

External links

• Association of Islamic Charitable Projects Official US site

This article about an Islamic organization is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This article about a Lebanese political party is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Islam in Lebanon
• Islamic sects
• Political parties in Lebanon
• Islamic organization stubs
• Asian political party stubs
• Lebanon politics stubs