Светская природа исламских ценностей: интерпретативный потенциал мусульманского интеллектуального дискурса

Abstract

This article explores the presence of Islamic consciousness — values, ethics, and a worldview — in Kazakhstan’s secular society. Its novelty lies in the idea of the consistent, complementary, and even combinable nature of Islamic axiological guidelines with the values and characteristics of secular society. The authors proceed from the scientific premise that the categories of religiosity and secularity are not only fail to be mutually exclusive but are complementary. In this regard, a combination of principles of historicity, respect for authentic tradition, ideological and political neutrality and impartiality, a clear distinction between the spheresof religion and state institutions, and the priority of law and spiritual security appears to be most consistentwith the development of discourse on religiosity and secularity in the domestic social space. The intersectionand integration of the Islamic worldview into secular society, as well as vice versa, is facilitated by ethicalguidelines of the Islamic intellectual tradition, such as a strong emphasis on the role of reason, the possibilityand indeed the need to interpret Islamic doctrinal narratives in accordance with current social demands, andthe importance of the concepts of justice and equality, which occupy a central place in the concept of secularity. The authors conclude that, firstly, the axiological guidelines of secularism and democracy do not conflict with the Islamic worldview and philosophy. Secondly, the values of Islam in modern society are mutually complementary; the categories of “Islamicity” and “modernity” are not mutually exclusive. Thirdly, contemporary Muslim intellectualism possesses extensive potential for reinterpreting and re-actualizing the Islamic dogmatic narrative in accordance with the diverse needs and challenges of modern society.