The Shape of the Coming Global Civil Society : Suggestions For A Possible Islamic Perspective

In a world in which the degree of interdependence and interconnection among nations, cultures and civilisations is ever-increasing, the necessity of creating efficient global institutions for managing global affairs has become more urgent than ever. however, what makes the task of constructing such competent institutions rather difficult is that interconnectivity and common concerns are not the only factors responsible for shaping the future of our societies; diversity in the form of plurality of value systems/belief systems also plays an important role in this respect. the problems we are facing with are exaggerated types of the age-old universal-particular or global-local dichotomy and the apparent incommensurability of rival paradigms.to be able to create efficient global institutions, in this case a well-functioning global civil society, we ought to take into account diverse concerns and sensitivities of local communities and cultures. for muslim countries to be able to contribute meaningfully to the construction of such a global civil society, a prior condition is the establishment of effective local models of civil society which are in tune with the sensitivities of these communities. such models could play a significant role in educating and training members of the muslim communities for full and constructive participation in shaping a desirable future global civil society. the introduction of such indigenous models of civil society is of particular significance at a time when muslim societies, by and large, are suffering from acute forms of ‘identity crisis’ syndrome.the aim of the present paper is to propose the outline of a dual-purpose model of civil society which could be adopted by muslim societies and communities. this model, while would fulfil the usual standard functions of civil societies, would also prepare the ground for the participation of the societies which have adopted it in the creation of efficient global civil society.