Taking Back Islam

This book is divided into nine sections: an opening section with intro ductory essays, followed by eight chapters that discuss the writers' views on certain issues. Each section contains several essays of anywhere from between three to six pages. Given the number of authors, I will mention onl...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Jay Willoughby
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: International Institute of Islamic Thought 2003
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/d04dd294c64d4c68a2ac1da2548c4787
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:d04dd294c64d4c68a2ac1da2548c4787
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:d04dd294c64d4c68a2ac1da2548c47872021-12-02T17:49:44ZTaking Back Islam10.35632/ajis.v20i3-4.18422690-37332690-3741https://doaj.org/article/d04dd294c64d4c68a2ac1da2548c47872003-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/1842https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3733https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3741 This book is divided into nine sections: an opening section with intro ductory essays, followed by eight chapters that discuss the writers' views on certain issues. Each section contains several essays of anywhere from between three to six pages. Given the number of authors, I will mention only some of the points made in each section. In his introduction, Michael Wolfe lays out the book's general premise: Maybe it is time to stop looking to the "motherland" for our understandings of Islam and Islamic tradition. Maybe it is time to grow up. This call is sure to find a resonance among the many Muslims who are tired of imported imams and imported books that are so far removed from our own reality in the West. Farid Esack brings up an interesting point: Historically, Muslims have known only two paradigms: oppression (Makkah) and governing (Madinah). However, given current realities, they must adopt a third kind: peaceful coexistence in a state of equality, as done by those Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia. In "Violence," Khaled Abou El Fadl notes that Islam is concerned with building and creating, and that ruining and destroying life is "an ultimate act of blasphemy against God." He writes that war is defensive and a last resort, that trade and technology are preferred, and that political discourses have displaced moral discourses. Aasma Khan discusses her small group (Muslims against Terrorism), which was set up in the days following 9/11 to educate people "about the incompatibility oflslam with terrorist activities, hatred, and violence." In "Democracy," Karen Armstrong reminds us of several important facts: modernity/democracy is a process; that in the Muslim world, modernity was imposed from above and has close ties with colonial subjugation/ dependence, instead of independence; and that is imitation and not inno­ vation. Religion, she asserts, can help people through the transition to modernity. Alex Kronemer states that "the greatest obstacle to democracy in the Muslim world is not 'Islam,' it is poverty, the lack of education, and corrupt and repressive regimes, many of which - and this is the important point - are supported by the democracies of the West." This raises the question of whether the West really wants democracy in the Muslim world ... Jay WilloughbyInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtarticleIslamBP1-253ENAmerican Journal of Islam and Society, Vol 20, Iss 3-4 (2003)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Islam
BP1-253
spellingShingle Islam
BP1-253
Jay Willoughby
Taking Back Islam
description This book is divided into nine sections: an opening section with intro ductory essays, followed by eight chapters that discuss the writers' views on certain issues. Each section contains several essays of anywhere from between three to six pages. Given the number of authors, I will mention only some of the points made in each section. In his introduction, Michael Wolfe lays out the book's general premise: Maybe it is time to stop looking to the "motherland" for our understandings of Islam and Islamic tradition. Maybe it is time to grow up. This call is sure to find a resonance among the many Muslims who are tired of imported imams and imported books that are so far removed from our own reality in the West. Farid Esack brings up an interesting point: Historically, Muslims have known only two paradigms: oppression (Makkah) and governing (Madinah). However, given current realities, they must adopt a third kind: peaceful coexistence in a state of equality, as done by those Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia. In "Violence," Khaled Abou El Fadl notes that Islam is concerned with building and creating, and that ruining and destroying life is "an ultimate act of blasphemy against God." He writes that war is defensive and a last resort, that trade and technology are preferred, and that political discourses have displaced moral discourses. Aasma Khan discusses her small group (Muslims against Terrorism), which was set up in the days following 9/11 to educate people "about the incompatibility oflslam with terrorist activities, hatred, and violence." In "Democracy," Karen Armstrong reminds us of several important facts: modernity/democracy is a process; that in the Muslim world, modernity was imposed from above and has close ties with colonial subjugation/ dependence, instead of independence; and that is imitation and not inno­ vation. Religion, she asserts, can help people through the transition to modernity. Alex Kronemer states that "the greatest obstacle to democracy in the Muslim world is not 'Islam,' it is poverty, the lack of education, and corrupt and repressive regimes, many of which - and this is the important point - are supported by the democracies of the West." This raises the question of whether the West really wants democracy in the Muslim world ...
format article
author Jay Willoughby
author_facet Jay Willoughby
author_sort Jay Willoughby
title Taking Back Islam
title_short Taking Back Islam
title_full Taking Back Islam
title_fullStr Taking Back Islam
title_full_unstemmed Taking Back Islam
title_sort taking back islam
publisher International Institute of Islamic Thought
publishDate 2003
url https://doaj.org/article/d04dd294c64d4c68a2ac1da2548c4787
work_keys_str_mv AT jaywilloughby takingbackislam
_version_ 1718379375742681088