Critical Analysis: “BEYOND WESTERN-ORIENTED COMMUNICATION THEORIES A NORMATIVE ARAB-ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE”

By Muhammad I. Ayish

Critical Analysis by Shahzaib Ikram

For the past 50 years Muslims have been following dominant Western Researches to study Communication Theories. Unfortunately, Western communication theories have been promoted around the world as they possess a strong contextual and research background. Communication, as a field of theoretical investigation, has generated a wide range of perspectives around the world. Generally, the experience over the past few decades has shown that communication field remains highly bold to Western (especially American and Europeans) concepts and methodological orientations. In this article, the author presented an Arab-Islamic perspective as a base for future communication theory building in the Arab-Islamic context in comparison with the western oriented dominant communication theories.

It is clear that Mass-Communication theory was initially proposed by western scholars or we should say, “communication research was fundamentally Western research”. Despite huge cultural differences, most of the Journalism schools and communication departments in third-world countries use American-originated educational materials for their studies and concepts. According to research by Dissanayake in 1988, he observed that 71% of the material used to teach communication theories in Asia, were as, 78% of materials used in South Asia were of American origin. On the other hand, if we observe Arabs, Arabs study communication either by using translated Western books or by using materials written by Arab scholars who seem to be under the influence of Western-oriented research agenda. In this script, the writer enlightened the fact of cultural difference between the Muslim-World and the Western-World depicting the effect of social and cultural behavior on theoretical perspective in developing a research-based communication theory. Nowadays, the Western social-science-based communication perspectives have been challenged on several issues, the most important of which is the confusing behavior of the role of culture in shaping theories about communication. The basic concept of this paper is that the living human experience may be more or less reduced to a communication experience. It is argued here that the human experience is shaped by various factors, the most important of which is the worldview. This article seeks to elaborate a normative Arab-Islamic perspective on communication by drawing on a secular-Islamic Arab worldview, that seems to have guided Arab intellectual, social, and cultural development for more than 14 centuries.

The Arab-Islamic Worldview:

The Arab-Islamic worldview is derived from two central sources,

1)     Secular socio-cultural traditions and values

2)     Religious Islamic values and attitudes

1)Secular socio-cultural traditions and values:

These traditions were adopted as a result of interactions between foreign cultures and Arab Muslims. If we study Arabs culture before the arrival of Islam, we will find out that Arabs use to worship more than one God. The role of religion in Arabian life was limited to worshipping multiple gods and superstitious beliefs and practices. The Concepts of social behavior of Arabs were well defined by their tribal laws depicting the social life and actions. The main element of these concepts of social behavior are as following:

·        Honour (Sharaf): Before Islamic period the most important thing was the honor of people. Honor at that time was more important than religion. Honour implied courage, the capacity, and the will to defend the independence of the group and the chastity and freedom of its women and dependents. It also flowed the central concept of dignity

·        Genealogy (Nasab): The Arab tribal system was based on Blood relations depending on male-line kinship. Researchers have demonstrated a deep interest in investigating the centrality of the family in blood-based Arab social structures. One of the most important concepts is that Genealogy also implies a male-dominated society, which gives priority treatment to male over female children for their permanence of family blood-based relationships. This kinship feature suggests that an Arab is submerged in the group and seems to find himself lost and powerless outside tribal arrangements.

·        Paternalism (Abawiyya): This feature was characteristic of Ancient social Arab systems at both micro and macro levels. According to this social system, the dominant people in the tribe obtained the power of making decisions for the well-being of everyone in the tribe. Nobody could object to their decisions as they were superior.

·        Eloquence (Fasaha): Throughout Arabian history, language have been central to the definition of a collective identity. Oral expression in poetry was a highly valued practice in pre-Islamic Arab tribalism. This communicative potential was instrumental not only in emphasizing the deep importance in society but also in solidifying the status of the tribe to which the poet or speaker belonged. This social behavior was very important not only in ancient times but also today.

2)Religious Islamic values and attitudes:

This is era is known to be Islamic era, although it contains several social believes of pre-Islamic era but under the influence of Islamic laws (Sharia). In this era, we will discuss the social values and attitudes under the umbrella of ISLAM. Following are its major components:

·        Tawhid: It is a belief in the oneness of Allah (SWT). He is the only one worthy of worship. No one can compare His might. There is nothing outside the power of Allah Al-Mighty and He is the creator of every being.

·        Iman: Iman involves belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and in the Day of Judgment. This is the fundamental belief which reflects the nature of Islam.

·        Umma: Islam is the religion of unity. All its teachings are based on unity and equality. During pre-Islamic times, Arabs were under the influence of the caste and creed system. Islam brought a social evolution by giving Arabs the status of the ummah(community), eliminating the division in society.

·        Ibadah: Worshiping the only God who is Great and Merciful, is the basic concept of Islam. Before Islam Arabs use to worship many gods. Islam brought a social change that eliminated Shirk (belief in more than one God) from society.

·        Item: Education can bring revolution in the social behavior of a society. Islam is the religion of Light (Education). Education was given its true status after the arrival of Islam.

A Normative Arab-Islamic Communication Perspective:

The Normative Arab Islamic Communication Perspective is a mixture of both Secular socio-cultural traditions and Religious Islamic values and attitudes. Both these conditions collectively depict the Social-cultural behavior of the Arab community. The writer introduced more points to understand the Arabs communication perspective in depth.

Ø  Individualism-conformity: In Arab society, unlike western society unifying concept that may set a limit to group involvement, individualism in Arab-Islamic cultures are composed of both, individual and group identification.

 

Ø  Transcendentalism-existentialism: Reality in the Arab-Islamic culture is conceived of as comprising two domains, one belonging to the world of idealist imagination and divine sacredness of a Power Transcendental, the other to mundane matters and the profanity of sensible existence. The first world is perfect and absolute, the second Imperfect and relative.

Ø  Rationality-intuition: Revelation is the most primary source of knowledge for Muslims because an individual attains a belief in God through the intuition of the heart. Revelation induced belief requires that a Muslim submit to the message of God by trusting in a Power Transcendental through Whom everything would become possible. To relate to God All Mighty, a believer would have to invoke a complete set of intuitive assumptions and values that conjure up images of hope and fear, reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, good and evil, or this life and the life thereafter.

Ø  Egalitarianism-hierarchy: The egalitarian message of Islam is noted in that all Muslims are equal before God, and the most favorite to God is the most pious. Sovereignty belongs exclusively to God, while social power is bestowed on institutions through a process of popular delegation.