The study attempts to determine the extent to which Arab nationalism, as expressed in the writings of Michel Aflaq, may be considered truly secular. The analysis of Aflaq's published essays and speeches focuses upon his treatment of religion in general and of Islam in particular. In order to present a valid analysis of his writlngs, the origins of Aflaq's thinking are traced to the experiences and influences he underwent. It is shown that, although Aflaq uses religious terms and concepts, he deprives them of all supra-human implications. Thus, the particularism engendered by different religious modes of worshlp loses much of its significance. Since Islam is, for Aflaq, the greatest expression of Arabism at its partlcular time, therefore, all Arabs, including Christians, can find themselves only through Islam. Arab nationalism, as expressed by Michel Aflaq, is secular only to the extent of subsuming Islam wlthin Arabism while resurrecting the philosophical and ethical principles of Islam suitable to the present time. For Aflaq, the principles suitable to the present lie in freedom, unity, and socialism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.108241 |
| Date | January 1975 |
| Creators | Babikian, N. Salem. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Institute of Islamic Studies) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 003446512, proquestno: AAIMK24260, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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