The Ummah as nation: a reappraisal in the wake of the ‘Cartoons Affair’
The title is a research paper by Robert A. Saunders published in “Nation and Nationalism”, Volume14, Issue2, April 2008, Pages 303-321. The following is an excerpt from its abstract.[1]
Ummah in particular situations
In the wake of the 2006 ‘Cartoons Affair’ which saw international protests by Muslims against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, it is clear that the identity based on membership in the Islamic Ummah goes far beyond simple religious affiliation. This essay presents a novel argument for treating the Ummah (the transnational community of Muslim believers) as a nation.
Methodology and process
I begin with a theoretical treatment of the Ummah as a nation which employs historic and current interpretations of what constitutes nationhood. I then turn to the current state of the Ummah.
Findings
The findings present a potent nexus of information and communications technology (ICT), emergent elites, and Muslim migration to the West that has facilitated a hitherto impossible reification of the Ummah. I also discuss how globalisation, Western media practices, and the nature of European society allow ‘Ummahist’ elites to marginalise other voices in the transnational Muslim community.
Conclusion
Based on the global events surrounding the Danish cartoons controversy of 2005–06, the author concludes that there is a need to recognise Ummah-based identity as more than just a profession of faith – it represents a new form of postnational, political identity which is as profound as any extant nationalism.