Gamal al-Banna

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Gamal al-Banna ( Egyptian Arabic for Jamal al-Banna , Arabic جمال البنا Jamal al-Banna , DMG Ǧamāl al-Bannā ; * December 15, 1920 in Mahmudiya ; † January 30, 2013 ) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, publicist and trade unionist. He wrote over 100 books on religious, political, and trade union topics. He lived and worked in Cairo . Gamal al-Banna was the youngest brother of Hassan al-Banna (1906–1949) and the great-uncle of the well-known Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan .

Positions

Gamal al-Banna represented a rationalist, humanist, egalitarian, feminist, anti-authoritarian, liberal and secular interpretation of Islam. As a political thinker and social reform activist, he took an anti-capitalist position and tried to combine the European principles of democracy and socialism with Islam. In his book al-barnamadj al-islami - The Islamic Program , Gamal al-Banna wrote in the introduction in 1991, when the end of the Cold War had become visible ( Eine zerrissene Welt , pp. 6–8; German by Andreas Meier):

“The collapse of Marxism does not mean that capitalism will succeed. Rather, it means that the mistakes of Marxism were bigger than the mistakes of capitalism. […] Most people forget that Islam appeared at a time when the world was divided between two great states that both imposed humble submission, class rule and the government of tyrants. Both denied the most basic principles of justice to the masses of the people, leaving them in dire poverty and ignorance; laden with the grueling burdens of forced labor, which left them neither time nor health nor opportunity for reflection and reflection. Both established Caesars and Chosroes as gods, who had the right of life and death. Then came Islam, ended these systems and destroyed them: It replaced the class system with its elite barriers and its dead ends with the general equality of the people, the highest ranks or the classes of the noble by the declaration of absolute equality between people as a whole, without Difference between black and white, male and female, rich and poor, low and noble. […] This new gift was not in what he revealed in relation to prayer or fasting, because the cultic commandments are represented in all religions. Rather, what is new is the spirit of freedom, the principles of justice and equality that Islam made shine. Islam is called today to fulfill this role a second time. "

Islamic resurrection

With his rationalistic interpretation of Islam, Gamal al-Banna wanted to explain the unadulterated Islam of the Koran and the Messenger of Mohammed . He saw this progressive interpretation of Islam in contrast to reactionary versions of Islam, which had been established or falsified by Sharia lawyers (fuqaha) over the centuries . With his call for an Islamic revival (al-ihya` al-islami / Islamic Revival), he wanted to encourage Muslims not to rely on traditional opinions, but to form their own opinions with the help of the Koran and reason . While Gamal al-Banna viewed the Koran as an authentic word of God, he criticized that many hadiths (traditions about the statements and deeds of the Messenger Mohammed) are obviously falsified and that one should therefore only trust that part of the Sunnah (prophetic tradition) that does not contradict the Koran and reason.

Humanism and social justice

An important feature in Gamal al-Banna's thinking is Quran-oriented social justice. Active for decades in the labor and trade union movement, he was a trade union official in the textile industry and in 1953 founded the Egyptian Organization for Prisoner Aid. Gamal al-Banna taught for 30 years (1963–93) at the trade union Cairo Institute of Trade-Union Studies. In 1981 he founded the International Islamic Confederation of Labor and became its first president. Typically he wore a gray suit in the Mao look, which showed his anti-capitalism and egalitarian attitude. According to Gamal al-Banna, Islam is anti-capitalist: It is not only against historical slavery , i.e. the social enslavement of people, but also against their economic enslavement, i.e. economic exploitation and servitude. Gamal al-Banna rejected harsh punishments, such as the death penalty for apostates , and campaigned against discrimination against women and religious minorities, such as the Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Egalitarianism and feminism

According to Gamal al-Banna's view, Islam gives women and men the same rights and duties, and a good Muslim regards all human beings as equal regardless of their religion. With regard to the position of women in Islam, al-Banna sees no reason why a Muslim woman should not take on the role of imam (prayer leader) in prayer, i.e. function as an imam. While the traditional Islam of lawyers severely restricts women's rights, he believes that the original Islam wanted to free women. In Egypt, al-Banna campaigned for understanding between the Muslim majority and the Coptic Christian minority.

As an anti-authoritarian thinker, Gamal al-Banna is an opponent of the religious establishment; in Egypt this meant, above all, a constant confrontation with the state owned and generally conservative al-Azhar University . Gamal al-Banna believed that every Muslim had to think for himself and that no one, neither politician nor religious leader nor any individual had the right to prescribe anything in religion to anyone else. For conservative and fundamentalist Muslims, Gamal al-Banna broke a taboo every time he did not adhere to the judgments of theologians who were considered incontestable authorities by his opponents ( e.g. Ash-Shafii and others). The Muslim ancestors could be role models, but their example need not be followed.

From a political point of view, he viewed the state as a necessary evil, whose power society must reduce as much as possible in order to keep the abuse of power as small as possible. Gamal al-Banna is occasionally assigned to a democratic socialism understood in terms of Islam .

liberalism

For Gamal al-Banna, (religious) thinking must not be subject to any restrictions. Freedom is a self-worth, and there should be no taboos in the area of ​​freedom of expression. This also includes that a Muslim may change religion. There is no compulsion in belief that is only a personal matter between oneself and God. Gamal al-Banna calls for women to be freed from the shackles of Sharia lawyers. Although Gamal al-Banna is convinced that wearing the headscarf (hidjab) is not a religious duty for women, he does not want to restrict women in their religious practice. Whoever wants to wear it should wear it.

Rejection of the concept of an Islamic state

Gamal al-Banna stood up against the Islamic state , "because religion does not obey the political rules of the game": "There cannot be a civil state with an Islamic reference ... since religion is not adept at using politics" (It cannot be a civil state give with a reference back to Islam because religion was not designed to be used in politics.)

The title of a relevant work from 2003 probably best expresses it: Islam is religion and community and not religion and state. For many native speakers, the Arabic term ´almaniyya ( secularism ) has an anti-religious connotation. Accordingly, Gamal al-Banna avoided it and regards himself as islami ("Islamic" or "Islamist"), which can lead to misunderstandings.

media

Gamal al-Banna appeared frequently on Egyptian and other Arab television programs where he raised questions and discussions. In the Egyptian media, Gamal al-Banna was seen as a lateral thinker who offended many with his opinions, which were often uncomfortable for many. In summer / Ramadan 2006, for example, he said that Islam does not prohibit smoking at all and that Muslims are even allowed to smoke during the day in Ramadan, i.e. during Lent. He justified his judgment with the fact that there were no cigarettes in the time of the prophets in the 7th century AD and that the Koran and the messenger Mohammed do not expressly prohibit smoking. In another discussion he said that kissing and hugging is not part of the fornication (zina) , which some religious people consider a criminal offense.

Fonts

  • The Islamic program, in Andreas Meier, ed .: The political mission of Islam. Programs and Criticism between Fundamentalism and Reforms. Original voices from the Islamic world. Peter Hammer Verlag , Wuppertal 1994 ISBN 3-87294-616-1 pp. 280-287
  • al-islam din wa umma wa laisa din wa daula (Islam is religion and community and not religion and state) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2003.
  • da´wa al-ihya` al-islami (call for Islamic revival) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2005.
  • ikhwani al-aqbat (My Coptic Siblings) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2006.
  • al-mar`a al-muslima baina tahrir al-qur`an wa taqjid al-fuqaha` (The Muslim woman between her liberation by the Koran and her bondage by the Sharia lawyers) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2002.
  • tathwir al-qur`an (revolutionizing the Koran) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2000.
  • matlabuna al-awwal huwa: al-hurriyya (Our first demand is: freedom) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2000.
  • tafnid da'wa hadd ar-ridda (refutation of the demand for apostasy punishment) . dar ash-shuruq. Cairo, 2008.
  • al-hijab (the headscarf) . dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2002.

literature

  • Ivesa Lübben: Gamal al-Banna: Justice for all. In: Katajun Amirpur, Ludwig Ammann: Islam at the turning point. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2006, ISBN 3-451-05665-8 , pp. 164-172.
  • About Gamal Al-Banna. from his office at 195 El Geish Street, 11271, Cairo.
  • Konstanze Gemeinhardt-Buschhardt: Gamal al-Banna and his work - A reform Islamic approach to improving the situation of Muslim women. In: Hermeneutics and Exegesis - Theory of Understanding and Interpretation of Understanding in the Regional System of Coexisting Religious Communities in the Orient. Ed. Ute Pietruschka, Hallesche Contributions to Orient Studies 43 (2007), Halle 2009, pp. 49–62 ( online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b About Gamal Al-Banna. from his office at 195 El Geish Street, 11271, Cairo.
  2. ^ Andreas Meier: The political mission of Islam. Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 1994, pp. 283-285. New edition see under works
  3. ↑ a b Gamal al-Banna: al-islam din wa umma wa laisa din wa daula. (Islam is religion and community and not religion and state). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2003, p. 202.
  4. ^ Andreas Meier: The political mission of Islam. Peter Hammer Verlag. Wuppertal, 1994. pp. 285f
  5. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: da'wa al-ihya 'al-islami . (Call for Islamic Resurrection). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2005.
  6. ^ Andreas Meier: The political mission of Islam. Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 1994, p. 282.
  7. ↑ Ivesa Lubben: Gamal al-Banna: justice for all. In: Katajun Amirpur, Ludwig Ammann: Islam at the turning point . Herder publishing house, Freiburg i. B., 2006. pp. 164-165.
  8. ^ Andreas Meier: The political mission of Islam. Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 1994, p. 283.
  9. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: tafnid da'wa hadd ar-ridda. (Refutation of the demand for the apostasy penalty). dar asch-schuruq, Cairo 2008.
  10. ↑ a b Ivesa Lübben: Gamal al-Banna: Justice for all. In: Katajun Amirpur, Ludwig Ammann: Islam at the turning point . Herder publishing house, Freiburg i. B. 2006, pp. 164-168.
  11. ↑ a b Gamal al-Banna: ikhwani al-aqbat. (My Coptic siblings). dar al-fikr al-islami. Cairo 2006.
  12. ↑ a b Gamal al-Banna: al-mar`a al-muslima baina tahrir al-qur`an wa taqjid al-fuqaha` (The Muslim woman between her liberation by the Koran and her bondage by the Sharia lawyers). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2002.
  13. ↑ Ivesa Lubben: Gamal al-Banna: justice for all. In: Katajun Amirpur, Ludwig Ammann: Islam at the turning point . Herder publishing house, Freiburg i. B. 2006. pp. 170-171.
  14. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: tathwir al-qur`an. (The revolution of the Koran). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2000, p. 65.
  15. ^ Andreas Meier: The political mission of Islam. Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 1994, p. 281.
  16. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: matlabuna al-awwal huwa: al-hurriyya. (Our first demand is: freedom). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2000.
  17. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: al-hijab. (The headscarf). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2002.
  18. ^ "Gamal al-Banna: No to civil state with Islamic reference" , in: Egypt Independent, May 16, 2011
  19. ↑ Gamal al-Banna: al-islam din wa umma wa laisa din wa daula. (Islam is religion and community and not religion and state). dar al-fikr al-islami, Cairo 2003.
  20. ↑ Anger over Ramadan smoking ruling. on: news.bbc.co.uk , September 30, 2006.
  21. ↑ Ramadan fast means hard times for Muslim smokers. In: USA Today.
  22. ↑ TV show (Arabic)
  23. ↑ This edition also as a special edition. the state center for political education North Rhine-Westphalia with the same ISBN. All of these editions are abridged versions of the first edition. Al-Banna's text is unchanged
personal data
SURNAME Banna, Gamal al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Banna, Jamal al-; جمال البنا (Arabic); Bannā, Ğamāl al- (DMG)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Egyptian scholar of Islam, publicist and trade unionist
DATE OF BIRTH December 15, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Mahmudiya
DATE OF DEATH January 30, 2013