Murabitun World Movement
[3] The main objective of the movement is to promote Islam in non-Muslim societies, strengthen its political role, and unite Muslims against perceived threats in contemporary global civilization.
"[4][5] The name of the movement is a reference to the historic Almoravid dynasty (al-Murābiṭūn), whose rise to power began with a revolt, and whose rule was characterized by the renewal of Islam in al-Andalus and West Africa.
In general, the term "Murabitun" refers to Muslims who united in frontiers (rubuṭ, plural of ribāṭ) to defend the community from enemy attacks.
[6] The founder of the Murabitun World Movement is Abdalqadir as-Sufi, a convert to Islam born Ian Dallas in Ayr, Scotland, in 1930.
A third ribāṭ was established in Johannesburg,[9] after the shaykh moved to South Africa in 2006, founded the JumuꜤa Mosque of Cape Town and got involved in setting up the Dallas College, "a 'post-madrasa' education system capable of equipping Muslims for 'leadership in the modern world'".
On the other hand, the shaykh and his followers advocated Malikism as a prototypical über-maḏhab,[19] which Abdalhaqq Bewley called "the closest possible exposition of Islam as it was actually lived by the Prophet and his Companions.
According to the Murabitun conservative approach: As their authority for this position the Murabitun cite a wide range of sources, beginning with the Qur'anic injunction to take Zakāt ("Take zakat from their wealth" Surat Tawba 9:103), the Prophetic practice of Zakāt-taking, the well-known position of the Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq,[32] and the established practice among the world Muslim community which was until relatively recently the assessment and collection of Zakāt by the Leader and his collectors.
In 2006, the minting of the gold dinar was announced in the Malaysian state of Kelantan, the project had enthusiastic supporters among local businesses, but the federal government and the Central Bank of Malaysia hindered its development.
The Murabitun advocate personal rule as the Islamic and indeed natural form of human governance,[39][40] taking authority for this position from extensive Qur'anic references.
[41] Abdalqadir's early work Jihad: A Groundplan, despite its strongly Islamist title, rather continues the Western tradition of criticising capitalism and democracy,[42] where "one can trace a remarkably diverse set of philosophical inspirations; from Nietzsche to Jünger [...] to a keen attention to Heidegger's critical theory.
[44] Thus, the Murabitun assert the absolute necessity of restoring the Caliphate, claiming that their vision is based on a clear program of economic and political unification of the Ummah, rather than romanticizing the past.
[51] Others note that in their quest to implement their social and political projects and reach a wider audience, including non-Muslims, the Murabitun, like other Western ṭarīqas, have been overshadowed by less exotic "Islamic traditionalism".
"[58] The Murabitun are a vivid example of a phenomenon described as Islamic post-secular Utopia or religious millennialism[59] — an ideological narrative aimed against Western Modernity[60] and anticipating the onset of a new golden age.
In territories such as Spain and South Africa, which are considered "frontiers" for the Murabitun, it appeals to the idealized past of these lands, where once great Islamic presence is prepared for revival.
[62] Having developed their political program in the late 1970s, the Murabitun theoretically positioned themselves as an organization whose tasks included preparation for jihad against the established socio-economic system.
[63] Abdalqadir as-Sufi has consistently identified terrorism and suicide tactics as forbidden and alien to Islam, and indeed as a phenomenon with no precursor in Muslim history.
Instead, he states that its original appearance as a tactic and a psychology was among the Isma'ili sect of Shi'a Islam, and that it later emerged among the Russian nihilists of the late 19th century.
[65] Murabitun-inspired communities and influential figures have emerged across Spanish (Umar Vadillo, communities in Granada and Seville), German (Abu Bakr Rieger and the Weimar Institute), Sulaiman Wilms and the Islamische Zeitung,[69] English (shaykh Abdalhaq Bewley, the Mosque of Norwich), American (shaykh Hamza Yusuf[70] and Zaytuna College), and Russian (Harun Sidorov and the National Organization of Russian Muslims) Islamic milieu.
[72] The most significant influence of the Murabitun has been the growing interest in classical Islamic heritage due to a series of works translated into English by authors well-known within the movement, such as Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley, Abdassamad Clarke, and Ali Laraki.
[73] Additionally, English translations of works on fiqh and Sufism by renowned scholars such as Ibn Ajiba, Ahmad al-Alawi, Usman dan Fodio, and several other classical Islamic authors were published for the first time.
This is distinct from the role of the movement's founder, Abdalqadir as-Sufi, who, while exercising an undoubted influence, is a spiritual guide rather than a political leader – an arrangement common throughout the history of Islam.
