ABSTRACT
Introduction It is frequently argued that because many Islamic countries are traditional monarchies or dictatorships, or because of those events that have taken place in these countries, Islam is not compatible with either modernity or democracy. Some would maintain that Islamic culture is itself a stumbling block to a democratic polity and modernistic society and can accommodate neither. To maintain such a position is to misunderstand not only religion, but society, history, and the operation of social forces. Nevertheless, various political stances compete for attention in these academic and media discussions. In this competition Sayyid Qutb’s writings, and in particular his concept of sovereignty, is routinely considered as a threat to an orderly international relations (Tibi 1998, p. 42; Kepel 2002, pp. 27-8, 62-3; Zimmerman 2004, pp. 224-6). In terms of defining certain issues for the Muslim intelligentsia, Qutb (d. 1966) charted the renewal of Islamic thought of which a large number of the current radical Islamic organizations are the legatees. His thought on sovereignty was constituted in such a way that is attractive to many Islamist organizations, and the potential for militants to draw strength from Qutb’s writings and influence domestic and international relations is significant. Some publications extend beyond Qutb’s writings at times and beyond the “canon” at other times; and overall they take varying approaches of which each is colored by world politics.
