伊斯兰教与政治传统

ISLAM RELIGION AND POLITICAL TRADITION

近年来,随着对中东国家政治研究的深入,人们逐渐对伊斯兰教在政治生活中的作用产生浓厚的兴趣。人们发现,在中东的穆斯林国家中,政治经常处于一种两难的境地,一方面,为促进经济与社会的现代化,要求政治处于一种开放和不断变革的状态;另一方面,为求得政治的稳定,又不得不考虑政治中的伊斯兰因素。在社会生活中,普通民众的态度也表现为根本对立的两种趋向,一方面,人们在享受或正追逐着现代生活所带来的乐趣,可另一方面,又不时地怀念着早期穆斯林的生活,要求恢复穆斯林早期的纯朴与社会正义。在此,我们看到了伊斯兰教传统在社会政治中的巨大影响,但这些传统究竟是什么却是一个很难回答的问题。本文的目的不是要泛泛地论述伊斯兰的所有传统,而是力图找出仍对现代政治生活产生巨大作用的政治传统,并由此来理解中东穆斯林国家复杂的政治生活。

Modern Middle East Moslem countries are confronted with a sort of political dilemma: on the one hand, they must keep up the openness of politics and constant changes for social and economic developments, on the other hand,they have to constantly endure the role played by Islam religion, for the sakeof political stability.Obviously,this has much to do with the Islamic politicaltradition,which comprises three aspects as follows: first,the idealistic tendencyof the Islam political theory; second, realism of the Islam political practice;third, Islam's tradition of restoring ancient ways. In history of Islam as well as in modern Middle East Moslem countries,Islam idealogues have tried hard to construct Islam society and polity with ide- alized theory, the Islam political practice is, however, carried out in realisticways, being subject to restraints of various elements. Thus certain tendencyof deviations has arisen between the Islam political theory and its practice,and tends to be infinite, At the momen Islam's mechanism of going back to ancients would play its role, asking for reconstruction of society with pure Islam doctrines which in effect means to return to the era of the Prophet andfour Caliphs. As a result, it has to some extent restrained or retarded thedeviations between the Islam theory and practice, achieving a balance of socie-ty in some degree.