Beyond the Sunni-Shiite Dichotomy : Rethinking al-Afghani and His Pan-Islamism

Abstract

Religious sectionalism is one of the major problems in the contemporary Islamic world, and there have been various movements that have attempted to overcome it. Pan-Islamism is one of the strongest approaches among these movements and is often attributed to al-Afghani himself. This paper begins by dealing with al- Afghani's pan-Islamism and suggests that the term "pan-Islamism" was at first coined in the West, after which he adopted it for his own cause, anti-imperialism. Secondly, it reveals his religious pan-Islamism project in the context of his home background. Finally, it brings to light the fact that his pan-Islamic heritage still remains as a reapproachement movement between Islamic schools of thought in the contemporary Islamic revival we are witnessing today.