Letters to the Editor
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Why Islam has not had a reformation...
I think there were several good reasons why the heartland of the Midddle East did not have a reformation (yet...).
One is the low level of economic development. Capitalism took off in Europe, not the Middle East. Even the filthy rich sheiks of Saudi Arabia don't really have a fully capitalist economy. They inherited the oil as an accident. They could never have gotten to the stage where they developed a printing press until oil was discovered. If it wasn't for the oil they would have hardly anything to sell... they'd still be living in a desert. So it is partly an accident of geography.
The second is the inheritance of colonialism. The problem now is that they think 'objective' and critical thinking are somehow "western" and therefore have to be rejected. IE if the West is full of non-theocracies, are tolerant of woman, have the majority of scientists that are not doing work dictated by the Bible, etc., then that is 'imperialism' and something to be avoided.
This is reactionary 'anti-imperialism,' but is the root of how the Iranian mullahs try to get their own poor people to follow them. The key is that an internal revolution against the religious leaders and sheiks is the only thing that will bring someone other than priests into power.
Of course, the Iraq war has played into their hands, creating much more genuine anti-imperialism. Bush has just delayed a reformation in the Middle East.