ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islam and Nationalism Part One: A Survey of the History of Nationalism Rise of Nationalism as a Creed While some of the characteristics of nationalism may be witnessed in the tribal system of the Greek city-state many thousand years ago[^1] nationalism as a political, social and ideological school of thought took birth in the West following the French Revolution. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the greatest advocates of this creed.

He emphasized the unity, solidarity and the group spirit of the masses and insisted that one should have the highest attachment to one's home and country where one has been brought up. He believed the fatherland to be the core and center of a person's and a group's love and loyalty. He elevated this belief to a sacred religious duty, and severely condemned the idea of mankind's collective attachment or a religious societal order.

The main fabric of the school of nationalism was laid by the French Revolution, where it was first put to practice.

It was then that the stimulation of emotions towards the flag and country, the glorification and worship of national heroes, the composition of the national anthem, the emphasis on the sanctity of the French language and race, the creation of great national festivals and ceremonies in the style of religious rites, a pride in the history of France and a belief in the great mission of the French nation, emerged and displayed themselves one after another in the course of the Revolution.

But with the rise of the Jacobins to power and the disasters which followed the Revolution, the evils of nationalism evinced themselves from the very beginning. For the Jacobins, nationalism became the means to toy with the masses feelings, general mobilization, aggression upon neighboring countries, expansionism, massacre, corruption, suppression and self-interest, showing that nationalistic sentiments always result in aggression and imperialism.

To the Jacobins, French interests were their basis for decisions. With the progressive influence of the French Revolution in the West, the concept of nationalism rapidly gained popularity[^2] leavening behind the notions of freedom and democracy. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte quickened its pace in the West. Napoleon was a staunch believer in the creed of nationalism and, as we shall see, he was the first to scatter its seed in the Islamic world.