Synopses & Reviews
"Liberal Islam" is not a contradiction in terms; it is a thriving tradition and undergoing a revival within the last generation. This anthology presents the work of 32 Muslims who share parallel concerns with Western liberalism. Although the West has largely ignored the liberal tradition within Islam, many of these authors are well-known in their own countries as advocates of democracy and tolerance. Among these are: Abdulkarim Soroush, a leading oppositional figure in Iran; Nurcholish Madjid, a prominent Indonesian intellectual; Mahmud Mohamed Taha, a religious reformer executed by the Sudanese government; and `Ali `Abd al-Raziq, an Egyptian religious scholar whose writings on the separation of church and state have been controversial since the 1920s. In an analytical introduction, editor Charles Kurzman discusses the history of the liberal tradition in Islam and identifies the main currents in liberal Islamic thought.
This collection will be an important resource for scholars and students of Islam, the Middle East, and international affairs, and will also help to redress the imbalance in our perceptions of the Islamic world.
Review
"This important book makes available for the first time in English a selection of writings from Muslim thinkers engaged with the issues of global modernity. Most Euro-Americans have generally had to be content with the skewed stereotypes and soundbites provided by the media, which portray all Muslims as anti-Western fanatics. Thoughtful readers here have access to the alternative voices of 20th-century Muslim intellectual life. The breadth and sophistication of this collection make it the indispensable sourcebook for anyone concerned with modern Islamic reflections on democracy, politics, and religion."--Carl W. Ernst, University of North Carolina
"This book provides a valuable introduction to many significant Muslim thinkers whose importance is ignored by headline hunters who miss the major historical trends. It must become the standard sourcebook for anyone seriously interested in modern and contemporary Muslim thought."--John Voll, Georgetown University
Review
"A useful source of ideas by Muslims on current developments in the Muslim world. The book brings together many important issues that lie at the heart of Islam's encounter with modernism."--Lamin Sanneh,
Yale University"This book provides a range of voices on modern Islam by presenting the views of leading Muslim thinkers of this century. The selection is quite wide and representative and therefore enables the reader to have a glimpse of the evolution of Islamic thought."--Abdin Chande, St. Mary's State College of Maryland
"A very useful and important work. It provides very valuable and significant information by Muslim thinkers. I commend it highly for scholars and students of Islam."--Anees Zaka, Biblical Institute for Islamic Studies
Synopsis
This book contends that "Liberal Islam" is not a contradiciton in terms, but rather a thriving tradition more than a century old and undergoing a revival within the last generation. This anthology presents the translated work of 32 Muslims who are concerned with the separation of church and state, democracy, the condiditon of women, the rights of minorities, freedom of thought, and the future of human progress. The collection will be an important resource for scholars and students of Islam, the Middle East, and international affairs, and will serve the larger purpose of redressing the imbalance in our perceptions of the Islamic world.