The problematic of identity and belonging in the thought of Al-Messiri: A socio-intellectual study

Abstract

This study aims to examine the issue of identity and belonging in the intellectual project of Abdelwahab Al-Messiri, by analyzing his vision of Islamic civilizational identity and his critique of the Western civilizational model. Al-Messiri argues that despite the technical advancement of this model, it reproduces a vacuum of values, a loss of belonging, and a decline in ethical standards in favor of radical individualism and material gain. Thus, Al-Messiri raises a fundamental question: Can Western modernity serve as a comprehensive universal model, or does it carry structural limitations that render it incapable of encompassing profound human meaning? Al-Messiri’s comparison between the Islamic and Western models reveals a conflict between different approaches to constructing the self and social reality: a conflict between a unifying vision that anchors the human being in a transcendent value system, and a materialist vision that dissolves meaning into pragmatism and instrumentality. This conflict fundamentally reflects the crisis of modernity itself and underscores the necessity of seeking alternative models of belonging that balance technological progress with ethical dimensions, reason with values, and freedom with responsibility.