Toward Islamic Anthropology

I. Introduction A. The Science of Anthropology This study is speculative and concerns a difficult and complex subject. Its task is made more difficult as it defends a metaphysical position, advances an ideological argument, and serves a moral cause. It will therefore remain an incomplete part of an...

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Autor principal: Akbar S. Ahmed
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: International Institute of Islamic Thought 1986
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:294b720fb2674ebeb1090c52fa13cb562021-12-02T17:47:12ZToward Islamic Anthropology10.35632/ajis.v3i2.28932690-37332690-3741https://doaj.org/article/294b720fb2674ebeb1090c52fa13cb561986-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/2893https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3733https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3741 I. Introduction A. The Science of Anthropology This study is speculative and concerns a difficult and complex subject. Its task is made more difficult as it defends a metaphysical position, advances an ideological argument, and serves a moral cause. It will therefore remain an incomplete part of an on-going process in the debate on key issues in contemporary Muslim society. The major task of anthropology' -the study of man-is to enable us to understand ourselves through understanding other cultures. Anthropology makes us aware of the essential oneness of man and therefore allows us to appreciate each other. It is only quite recently in history that it has come to be widely accepted that human beings are fundamentally alike; that they share basic interests, and so have certain common obligations to one another. This belief is either explicit or implicit in most of the great world religions, but it is by no means acceptable today to many people even in "advanced" societies, and it would make no sense at all in many of the less-developed cultures. Among some of the indigenous tribes of Australia, a stranger who cannot prove that he is a kinsman, far from being welcomed hospitably, is regarded as a dangerous outsider and may be speared without compunction. Members of the Lugbara tribe of northwestern Uganda used to think that all foreigners were witches, dangerous, and scarcely human creatures who walked about upside-down and killed people by magic. The ancient Greeks believed that all non-Hellenic peoples were barbarians and uncivilized savages whom it would be quite inappropriate to treat as real people. Many citizens of modem states today think of people of other races, nations, or cultures in ways not very different from these, especially if their skin is differently colored or if ... Akbar S. AhmedInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtarticleIslamBP1-253ENAmerican Journal of Islam and Society, Vol 3, Iss 2 (1986)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Islam
BP1-253
spellingShingle Islam
BP1-253
Akbar S. Ahmed
Toward Islamic Anthropology
description I. Introduction A. The Science of Anthropology This study is speculative and concerns a difficult and complex subject. Its task is made more difficult as it defends a metaphysical position, advances an ideological argument, and serves a moral cause. It will therefore remain an incomplete part of an on-going process in the debate on key issues in contemporary Muslim society. The major task of anthropology' -the study of man-is to enable us to understand ourselves through understanding other cultures. Anthropology makes us aware of the essential oneness of man and therefore allows us to appreciate each other. It is only quite recently in history that it has come to be widely accepted that human beings are fundamentally alike; that they share basic interests, and so have certain common obligations to one another. This belief is either explicit or implicit in most of the great world religions, but it is by no means acceptable today to many people even in "advanced" societies, and it would make no sense at all in many of the less-developed cultures. Among some of the indigenous tribes of Australia, a stranger who cannot prove that he is a kinsman, far from being welcomed hospitably, is regarded as a dangerous outsider and may be speared without compunction. Members of the Lugbara tribe of northwestern Uganda used to think that all foreigners were witches, dangerous, and scarcely human creatures who walked about upside-down and killed people by magic. The ancient Greeks believed that all non-Hellenic peoples were barbarians and uncivilized savages whom it would be quite inappropriate to treat as real people. Many citizens of modem states today think of people of other races, nations, or cultures in ways not very different from these, especially if their skin is differently colored or if ...
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author Akbar S. Ahmed
author_facet Akbar S. Ahmed
author_sort Akbar S. Ahmed
title Toward Islamic Anthropology
title_short Toward Islamic Anthropology
title_full Toward Islamic Anthropology
title_fullStr Toward Islamic Anthropology
title_full_unstemmed Toward Islamic Anthropology
title_sort toward islamic anthropology
publisher International Institute of Islamic Thought
publishDate 1986
url https://doaj.org/article/294b720fb2674ebeb1090c52fa13cb56
work_keys_str_mv AT akbarsahmed towardislamicanthropology
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