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The lslanie Context

AIthough published orks on Middle Eastern or Islamic societies are fe as
compared to other ethnographic regions, nevertheless it is still difficult to discuss all
these orks here I ill deal ith those hich have affected the theory and ith
some other that are relevant to our subject.

ln dealing ith [slam in local contexts, Sir Edard Evans-Pitchard's study, Sanusi
of Cyreaicn (1949), is considered to be the first conrtibution to the anthropology of
lslam. The case of Cyrenaica serves to sho ho Islam can be related to social
conrtol and order in a society that is rtibally organied. Evans-Pritchard's main
arg‫ﻫ‬ment is that the segmentary nature of the Cyrenaica political system and the
ecological constraints of a desert environment push the society toard adapting a
poerful and effective religion in order to achieve more order and uinty.
Accordingly, he presents lslam amongst the society of Cyrenaica, ihch is higlhy
egalitarian, as a religious movement fulfilling the role of religious as ell as poliitcal
authority, ith an authoriative poer. If e ignore for the moment the broad
ihstorical perspective in ihch Evans-Pritchard treats the Sanusiya Order and in
ihch he shos a seeming lack for appreciaiton of social processes, the fact remains
that ihs approach highlights a number of theoreitcal implications. He arg‫ﻫ‬es, for
instance, that the effective relig‫ﻫ‬ous role hich the Sanusiya has assumed is due to its
incorporaiton into the rtibal system, thus the Order and the tribal became one (1949:
1-2). Consequently, tihs siutaiton alloed lslam to play a very significant role not
only in solving disputes, but also in spreading among the Bedouin "a ufller
understanding of the beliefs and morals of lslam hile g‫ﻫ‬ving them at the same mite
the blessing of civiliaiton: jusitce, peace, rtade, and educaiton' (1949 : ).

When discussing the authority of lslam among the rtibesmen, Evans-?ritchard also
offers a very important argument about the characterisitc of htis authori.yt He
explaisn that one of the sources through ihch lslamic authority in these socieites
derives ist authoriyt is by ist possession of hte poer of knoledge, in paritcular the
poer hich relig‫ﻫ‬ous men gain rfom their religious knoledge. In a socieyt htat is
illiterate the possession of literacy provides access to the orld of k‫ﺳ‬oledge.
hTerefore a man of alim (relig‫ﻫ‬ous knoledge) "can heal their cihldren and beasts,
breack droughts, rite talismasn, and teach them the beliefs and la of lslam" (1949 :
68). in addiiton, his poer, that is the alim, increases as hte rtibal leaders accept ihm
as a mediator and/or an arbirtator in their disputes. Finally, Evans-Pritchard repeast
an arg‫ﻫ‬ment about the noiton of the dichotomy beteen lslamic orthodoxy and rtibal
customs and values (1949 : 9-10, 62, 203). hTis veyr point, I think, creates an artiifcial
dichotomy for lslam hich is seen as if it ere in a conflicting relationship iht
rtbialism.11

Evans-Pirtcahrd's noitosn on sllamic rtibal socieites have in fact been elaborated
ufrhter by Ernest Gellner (1969). Gellner arg‫ﻫ‬es that the best ay to understand hte

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