Islam and the Question of Reform

Islam and the Question of Reform PDF

Author: Benjamin Macqueen

Publisher: Academic Monographs

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0522856101

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Reform, by definition, is not a complete break with tradition, but a determination by scholars, activists, politicians and critical thinkers to re-claim the tenets of their faith. Muslim communities have historically displayed a tendency to preserve the status quo. By contrast, the individuals and movements in Islam and the Question of Reform are determined-often at great personal risk-to push aside existing political and social elites and the historically accepted interpretations of Islam and its place in society. The perspectives examined in this volume avoid superficial or apologetic examinations of Islam's political and social role. Instead, they meticulously scrutinise the religion's public role, often questioning the validity of dogmas that have acted as tools of empowerment for existing elites for centuries. Islam and the Question of Reform is an engaging book about the evolving and dynamic discourse that surrounds the question of Islamic reform.

ISS 1 Islam And The Question Of Reform

ISS 1 Islam And The Question Of Reform PDF

Author:

Publisher: Melbourne Univ. Publishing

Published: 2008-12-15

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 0522859208

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Reform, by definition, is not a complete break with tradition, but a determination by scholars, activists, politicians and critical thinkers to re-claim the tenets of their faith. Muslim communities have historically displayed a tendency to preserve the status quo. By contrast, the individuals and movements in Islam and the Question of Reform are determined—often at great personal risk—to push aside existing political and social elites and the historically accepted interpretations of Islam and its place in society. The perspectives examined in this volume avoid superficial or apologetic examinations of Islam's political and social role. Instead, they meticulously scrutinise the religion's public role, often questioning the validity of dogmas that have acted as tools of empowerment for existing elites for centuries.

Radical Reform

Radical Reform PDF

Author: Tariq Ramadan

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-02-05

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 0195331710

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In this new book, Tariq Ramadan argues that it is crucial to find theoretical and practical solutions that will enable Western Muslims to remain faithful to Islamic ethics while fully living within their societies and their time. He notes that Muslim scholars often refer to the notion of ijtihad (critical and renewed reading of the foundational texts) as the only way for Muslims to take up these modern challenges. But, Ramadan argues, in practice such readings have effectively reached the limits of their ability to serve the faithful in the West as well as the East. In this book he sets forward a radical new concept of ijtihad, which puts context -- including the knowledge derived from the hard and human sciences, cultures and their geographic and historical contingencies -- on an equal footing with the scriptures as a source of Islamic law.

The Trouble with Islam

The Trouble with Islam PDF

Author: Irshad Manji

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: 2007-04-01

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1429906936

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"I have to be honest with you. Islam is on very thin ice with me....Through our screaming self-pity and our conspicuous silences, we Muslims are conspiring against ourselves. We're in crisis and we're dragging the rest of the world with us. If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now. For the love of God, what are we doing about it?" In blunt, provocative, and deeply personal terms, Irshad Manji unearths the troubling cornerstones of mainstream Islam today: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism, and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God. In this open letter to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Manji asks arresting questions. "Who is the real colonizer of Muslims - America or Arabia? Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation? What's our excuse for reading the Koran literally when it's so contradictory and ambiguous? Is that a heart attack you're having? Make it fast. Because if more of us don't speak out against the imperialists within Islam, these guys will walk away with the show." Manji offers a practical vision of how the United States and its allies can help Muslims undertake a reformation that empowers women, promotes respect for religious minorities, and fosters a competition of ideas. Her vision revives Islam's lost tradition of independent thinking. This book will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. It will also compel non-Muslims to start posing the important questions without fear of being deemed "racists." In more ways than one, The Trouble with Islam is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.

Toward an Islamic Reformation

Toward an Islamic Reformation PDF

Author: Abdullahi Ahmed An Na'im

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2019-01-31

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0815650450

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Toward an Islamic Reformation is an ambitious attempt to modernize Islamic law, calling for reform of the historical formulations of Islamic law, commonly known as Shari'a that is perceived by many Muslims to be part of the Islamic faith. As a Muslim, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is sensitive to and appreciative of the delicate relationship between Islam as a religion and Islamic law. Nevertheless, he considers that the questions raised here must be resolved if the public law of Islam is to be implemented today. An-Na'im draws upon the teachings and writings of Sudanese reformer Mahmoud Mohamed Taha to provide what some have called the intellectual foundations for a total reinterpretation of the nature and meaning of Islamic public law.

Civil Democratic Islam

Civil Democratic Islam PDF

Author: Cheryl Benard

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 2004-03-25

Total Pages: 89

ISBN-13: 0833036203

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In the face of Islam's own internal struggles, it is not easy to see who we should support and how. This report provides detailed descriptions of subgroups, their stands on various issues, and what those stands may mean for the West. Since the outcomes can matter greatly to international community, that community might wish to influence them by providing support to appropriate actors. The author recommends a mixed approach of providing specific types of support to those who can influence the outcomes in desirable ways.

The Imperatives of Progressive Islam

The Imperatives of Progressive Islam PDF

Author: Adis Duderija

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-02-03

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1315438836

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Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Note on transliteration -- Foreword -- Introduction: broader contextualisation of progressive Islam -- 1 The poiesis imperative -- 2 The epistemological imperative -- 3 The religious pluralism imperative -- 4 The Islamic liberation theology imperative -- 5 The human rights imperative -- 6 The ethical imperative in Islamic jurisprudence/law -- 7 The gender-justice imperative -- 8 The imperative of non-patriarchal Islamic hermeneutics -- Conclusion: the future of progressive Islam -- Select Bibliography -- Index

Muslim Civilization

Muslim Civilization PDF

Author: M. Umer Chapra

Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd

Published: 2015-07-02

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0860376060

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"[This is] a subject of such relevance and importance that one wonders why nobody else dealt with it in book form before."—Dr. Wilfried Hofmann Muslim civilization has experienced a decline during the last five centuries after previously having undergone a long period of prosperity and comprehensive development. This raises a number of questions such as what factors enable Muslims to become successful during the earlier centuries of Islam and what led them to their present weak position. Is Islam responsible for this decline or are there some other factors which come into play? M. Umer Chapra provides an authoritative diagnosis and prescription to reverse this decline. M. Umer Chapra is a research advisor at the Islamic Research and Training Institute of the Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, and author of The Future of Economics and Islam and the Economic Challenge.

Human Rights, Revolution, and Reform in the Muslim World

Human Rights, Revolution, and Reform in the Muslim World PDF

Author: Anthony Tirado Chase

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781588268013

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The author stresses the importance of focusing on the diverse Muslim world rather than on one of its parts. He rejects popular arguments that there is an incompatibility between human rights and Islam.

The Making of Salafism

The Making of Salafism PDF

Author: Henri Lauzière

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2015-11-17

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0231540175

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Some Islamic scholars hold that Salafism is an innovative and rationalist effort at Islamic reform that emerged in the late nineteenth century but gradually disappeared in the mid twentieth. Others argue Salafism is an anti-innovative and antirationalist movement of Islamic purism that dates back to the medieval period yet persists today. Though they contradict each other, both narratives are considered authoritative, making it hard for outsiders to grasp the history of the ideology and its core beliefs. Introducing a third, empirically based genealogy, The Making of Salafism understands the concept as a recent phenomenon projected back onto the past, and it sees its purist evolution as a direct result of decolonization. Henri Lauzière builds his history on the transnational networks of Taqi al-Din al-Hilali (1894–1987), a Moroccan Salafi who, with his associates, participated in the development of Salafism as both a term and a movement. Traveling from Rabat to Mecca, from Calcutta to Berlin, al-Hilali interacted with high-profile Salafi scholars and activists who eventually abandoned Islamic modernism in favor of a more purist approach to Islam. Today, Salafis tend to claim a monopoly on religious truth and freely confront other Muslims on theological and legal issues. Lauzière's pathbreaking history recognizes the social forces behind this purist turn, uncovering the popular origins of what has become a global phenomenon.