The Discourse of Takfir and its Religious and Ideological Dimensions

Takfir (accusing others of being unbelief) has theological, political and ideological characters and has mainly been used as a means of excluding some people from many areas, political, religious, etc. This exclusive configuration continued its hegemony under the titles of deviation (hizb), party, sect, school, etc. However, when the Qur’an is assessed, this exclusionism will beyond doubt be substituted by inclusionism, a good many examples of which can easily be found when its attitude towards different groups and identities are analyzed. Referring to these identities, Islam summons all as copartners to come to a common denomination and to agree on fundamentals. So we understand that the discource of takfîr is not but contrary to the basic theistic philosophy of Islam. As will be seen from the following analysis, this takfîr tradition had once been fed by cultural, political and ideological factors, but in the course of time they had been formulated into theological and dogmatic doctrines.