Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism

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Summary: Road map to a new discourse on Islam?
Review: During recent years Islam has been put increasingly on the defensive. In response to the flurry of sensationalist publications many Muslims have felt a need to take their recourse to apologetic counter reactions. Not the people involved in the Progressive Muslims Project, who are behind this collection of essays. Instead they have chosen for an assertive stance. But from that position they express some very surprising viewpoints.
In the future the present publication is going to be recognized as one of the watershed books on Islam written in the early post-9/11 period, and is bound to become a core reference for the new direction in which independently-minded Muslims will steer the debate on what it means to be Muslim in the 21st century. All contributors to this volume are Muslim scholars of religion with solid academic credentials and respectable track records as publicists, whose roots lie in the United States, Iran, Kuwayt, Pakistan, Malaysia, and South Africa.
Some of the essays are highly personal reflections on Muslim identity, including two courageous pieces on highly contentious issues concerning gender and sexuality. This review, however, focuses on a few contributions that will certainly reset the boundary marks of discourse on Islam; not only for academic research but also for the more activist engagement with the Muslim legacy.
The tone for these pioneering efforts is set in the introduction by the volume's editor, Dr. Omid Safi, who deserves credit for being one of the driving forces behind the Progressive Muslims Project. His essay "The Times They are A-Changing" can be read as a blueprint for a new, more assertive, approach to the debate on things Islamic in the contemporary world. Who would have thought quotes from the Holy Quran and Bob Dylan lyrics would ever feature together in the heading of a scholarly work?
Safi starts with what he calls a 'multiple critique', in which he underscores the need for univocal commitment to a universal notion of justice, based on the explicit recognition that all mankind shares in a common humanity deserving unreserved respect. This is definitely a progressive stand, but at the same time Omid Safi warns against the overeasy equation of progress with modernity: proponents of the latter are often as arrogant as the authoritarian Muslim 'literalists-exclusivists' and their views should not be uncritically embraced. Instead the author calls for genuine engagement with Muslim tradition, whereby pluralism, social justice, and gender equality shall serve as benchmarks.
The introduction contains a number of statements heralding this innovative approach: progressive Muslims are not to be automatically labeled as 'liberal Muslims'-- many of whom are too enamored with modernity; the new discourse should be less normative and theological, and more people-centered, "chronicling the spectrum of Muslim practices and interpretations" with a sense for historical context. More provocative is his call to move beyond mere tolerance of fellow man and toward actively engaging the other on what makes us all human. The same applies to his observation that the phrase 'Islam is a religion of peace' has become hollow, if it means the mere absence of war instead of the more positive struggle for justice. This is one of the clearest rejections of the "minimal ethics" that characterizes liberal ideology.
Many of these elements are further elaborated by Farid Esack, a prominent South-African Muslim scholar and activist, in an essay that takes the document "Progressive Islam - A Definition and Declaration" as its point of departure. Esack is very critical of the views expressed by many liberal Muslims, whom he accuses of suffering from the same myopia as their fundamentalist adversaries: presenting themselves as 'authentic' interpreters of Islam and canonizing certain statements in the sacred scriptures without regard for the context. He is equally dismayed by liberal Muslims' failure to challenge that other form of fundamentalism: that US interests represent the axis around which the earth rotates.
Another outstanding contribution is Khaled Abou El Fadl's "The Ugly Modern and the Modern Ugly: Reclaiming the Beautiful in Islam." This essay is a classic example of what a critical examination of one's own tradition is all about. Because El Fadl takes on the phenomenon of 'supremacist puritanism' taking hold of a religion. He observes that "when it comes to the issue of self-critical appraisals, Muslim discourses [..] remain captive to the post-colonial experience. These discourses are politicized and polarized to the extent that the Muslim intellectual who takes a critical approach to the Islamic tradition often feels that he is stepping into a minefield." Nowhere is that better exemplified than by the extraordinary dominance of the stern interpretations made by Wahhabism. Originating with the Central-Arabian 'evangelist' Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1792) it became the state ideology of the Al Saud dynasty, which has dominated politics on the Arabian Peninsula since the 1750s and started to actively export this doctrine beyond their kingdom in the late 20th century. This only became possible due to a unique convergence of social-political trends and money, which is lucidly explained by Abou el Fadl and illustrated with ample historical data.
Another important intellectual genealogy is provided by Ebrahim Moosa, an eminent scholar from Duke University, in his essay on a 'Critical Islam.' For this he draws on the work of literary figures like the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk and philosophers such as Muhammad Iqbal. But he also refers to the text-critical approaches of Islamic studies by Muhammad Arkoun and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, and his own fellow-authors, Farid Esack and Khaled Abou El Fadl.
Before closing, the essay by Amin Wadud on "American Muslim Identity" deserves also to be mentioned explicitly. For a non-American and non-Muslim like myself, Wadud draws a most revealing portrait of the complexity of Islam in the United States, where it is not only tied up with concepts of religious experience, but closely entwined with notions of race and ethnicity.
Omid Safi and his colleagues have done a great service to the field of religious studies with what will hopefully become a visionary book on 21st-century Islam.

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Summary: progressive minds
Review: i have been meaning to write a little "review" on this for the book lovers ever since i read it a while back. the book brings some intelligent, progressive muslim minds from all over the world-- or so it seems.

the subjects in the book -- from women's own interpretation on the qur'an to compassionate theology towards queer muslims and all in between -- are all, well, lets just say some of us have been waiting for them for so long :-)

i'm glad to have a book that i can now recommend to friends and family about progressive discussions in the muslim community.

in the mean time, i hope some of the non-Muslims who are dying to define us will just let us define who and what progressive muslim is... all by ourselves. thank you.





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Summary: A very broad, diverse group of authors...
Review: I was quite pleased reading this collection of essays. And contrary to the editorial reveiw I liked that Safi qouted so many diverse people, it just showed to me that he was open-minded to many different things. I like how this book did not use a singular viewpoint to define what a "progressive muslim" is, rather the editor let many people tell us in their own voices. This diversity and plurality is what is beautiful about religion and the world in general. To many of us forget that and fall into narrow stereotypes of people.This just happens to be the time for muslims to fall into that category. I believe though, if you read this book you will find that the authors might have you questioning some of those seterotypes...

Anyway, to sum up, my favorite essays were written by Amina Wadud (she is always a favorite)on American Muslim Identity, Tazim Kassam on being a scholar in Islam, and Sa'diyya Shaikh on transforming feminism.Once again, excellently done and put together!

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Summary: Progressive Muslims
Review: Progressive Muslims is a wonderful compilation of essays written by a variety of scholars on Islam. Explored within this text are issues such as the women's movement within the Islamic world and misconceptions of Islam in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in Islamic scholarship.

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Summary: must read for contemporary Muslims
Review: There is so much trash being published about Islam that it is liberating to see a book about how Muslims engage their own tradition with such honesty and openness. I was delighted to see the conversations that engage human rights, gender equality, and democracy so openly and honestly. I would recommend this volume to everyone, especially Muslims who are looking for resources within their own tradition. I would also suggest it to people who want to get a sense of how Muslims are constructively going about dealing with their own challenges. Great book!

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Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to Progressive Islam
Review: This brilliantly edited collection of essays is a must read for anyone interested in learning a bit about some of the more socially progressive avenues being explored by Islamic scholars. Contrary to the media's portrayal of this vibrant religious practice, Islam is not a religion of bigotry and hate. The essays in thie book demonstrate a number of hermeneutic moves being made in order to use Islam to reform various repressive and oppressive social practices such as misogyny. This book is no paeon to the West, however; the essays are equally aware of the dangers presented by globalization and wreckless capitalism as they are of patriarchal social structures. In my opinion, the fact that this book contains elements of third world criticism is what makes it so extraordinary. In summary, for anyone looking for a book elucidating a few of the ways in which people are using Islam to advance a progressive, compassionate social agenda this is the book for you!

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Summary: Alyssa A. Lappen's reviews
Review: This is to show my appreciation for the excellent reviews of Alyssa A. Lappen on matters relating to Muslim theology and the Israeli-Arab conflict. With the current review of Omid Safi's book, she again hits the nail right on its head. The one star rating in this review is my rating of Mr. Safi's book, not Ms Lappen's reviews. Ms Lappen's reviews deserve a rating of 5 stars or better.

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Summary: Not progressive
Review: Unfortunately, Omid Safi does not truly promote Progressive Islam in this book. Following his introduction, 14 independent essays divide into two sections, the first on supposed progressives within contemporary Islam. None is as moderate as one might hope.

The opening essay by Khaled Abou El Fadl remarks that excising Islam's "ugliness" ignores the "beautiful in the vast and rich [Islamic] tradition" (p. 62). This I cannot judge. He then focuses on placing "the primary responsibility for the vast majority of extreme acts of ugliness that are witnessed today in the Islamic world" (p. 43), which he identifies as a supremacist and puritanical orientation. This seems correct and true, so far as it goes.

Alas, El Fadl discredits his analysis by restricting his discussion to limited historical periods and blaming the "ugliness" entirely upon the Salafi'i and Wahhabi groups, whose theology he labels "Salafabism." To the untutored, this may sound reform-minded. Unfortunately, neither El Fadl's coined term, nor factors he claims to isolate, reflect the depth or breadth of the "problem" scholars commonly associate with Islam. A more truthful analysis might admit that a supremacist and puritanical streak pervades much of Islam's 1,400-year history, and certainly all schools of Islamic law, and propose some means of amendment.

In Pakistan, for example, both civil and religious judges impose Islamic law (Shari'a, the only kind of justice available), and generally prohibit non-Muslims from testifying against Muslims. In certain cases, the law itself prohibits non-Muslim testimony. Such thinking is traditional to "tolerant" prescriptions outlined by the medieval Islamic jurist Al-Mawardi (d. 1058) in The Laws of Islamic Governance, which remains a standard of Islamic law today, even among some moderate Muslim thinkers. Perhaps El Fadl would not admit this Shafi'i jurist to his definition of "moderate."

Even disqualifying Shafi'i laws completely, however, would leave El Fadl to contend with the Maliki, Hanbali and Hanafi schools of Islamic jurisprudence, which he does not do either. All require Muslims to engage in jihad war to subjugate non-Muslim peoples. For example, Maliki jurist Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (d. 996) argues, "Jihad is a precept of Divine institution." Sure, he excuses certain Malikis and proscribes wars before Muslims invite their enemies "to embrace the religion of Allah except where the enemy attacks first." But al-Qayrawani requires formal discrimination against infidels. "They have the alternative of either converting to Islam or paying the poll tax (jizya), short of which war will be declared against them."

The Hanafi Hidayah (cited in Hughes' 19th century Dictionary of Islam, pp. 244-248), also demands jihad by divine ordinance: "War is permanently established until the day of judgment," necessitating bloody discrimination against non-Muslims. Hanafis recognize war as "murderous and destructive" by nature, enjoined only for "advancing the true faith or repelling evil." But it is only the impossibility of outfitting all Muslim warriors at once that lets "any single tribe or party of Muslims," by engaging in jihad war, render "the obligation ...no longer binding upon the rest." Wahhabis for their part favor Hanbali jurist Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328). Even a brief review of Islamic law concerning non-Muslims, then, exposes the disingenuously superficial nature of El Fadl's discussion of Islamic "ugliness."

This is worrisome, considering his approval of a U.S. foundation's school curriculum that, in one exercise, asks students to advocate for institution of a blasphemy amendment in the U.S. constitution.

Farid Esack's essay on 9/11 likewise misses the mark. He tries and fails to define and distinguish progressive and liberal Islam from one another. He offers the perfunctory condemnation of the September 11 attacks and criticism of fundamentalism. But strangely, Esack next criticizes acceptance of peace and the status quo. This sounds very like traditional jihad ideology, which is neither liberal nor progressive, however he may define them. A true progressive should rather generate constructive proposals by which Islamic legal foundations could be amended, within accepted Islamic norms, among other things so as to accept non-Muslims as equals. Unfortunately, Esack falls into a blame game, and by refusing to accept any Islamic responsibility whatever again appears decidedly illiberal and unprogressive.

Then there is Safi's assignment of two thirds of this book (its introduction and chapters 1 through 10) to students in his Islam and Modernity course at Colgate (syllabus online). As we see, Safi's book is not progressive, but quite traditional. The course evidently isn't progressive either, for it requires that students write three pages on 24 serious thinkers, scholars and political commentators whom Safi describes as "Islamophobes, or folks whose political views and/or scholarship shape how Islam is presented today." As author Robert Spencer suggests online, it's unclear why a progressive professor would think labeling a group of people conducive to intelligent debate.

But most startling is the suggestion that students scrutinize two men born as Muslims, and a convert known widely to praise Islamic tolerance and democratic traditions, excepting only Wahhabi brand extremism. For anyone familiar with Islam, this appears to be a search for apostasy, a crime for which the Sharia demands death.

It is up to Muslims to determine how they might best reform their faith. But so far as any "ugliness" affects ex- or non-Muslims, the rest of us should certainly not accept a "progressive" label for views that appear decidedly reactionary. From that standpoint, nope, this book is not progressive.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Rating:
Summary: Lousy, and misleading
Review: When you see a book claiming that there are such people as progressive Muslims, like this one it accuses the U.S. of "curtailment... of civil liberties such as freedom of inquiry and the expression of dissenting opinions" after September 11, beware. Who's kidding whom?

I was fooled, and I am very sorry. Indeed, this book offers nothing like the claimed prescription for moderation that so many would like to see in Islam.

Now, it's true, the U.S. is expelling people like fake Saudi diplomats, and so-called activists like Amer Jubran, who in reality foment hatred of the U.S. and sedition, but U.S. "curtailment...of civil liberties" post-911 is nothing compared to the perennial lack of civil liberties in places like Pakistan (once secular, now radical), Indonesia (fast-fading into the radical maw), and Malaysia (where the supposed moderate Mahathir recently showed his anti-Western mettle like the good Moslem always does). Let's ask the Christians in Pakistan how pluralistic Islamic law is; generally speaking, they cannot testify in court, because the testimonies of non-Muslims are not allowed under the Sharia. See Patrick Sookhdeo on this score.

The fact is, there is no reformation afoot in Islam, and there is not even a mechanism by which to implement one. What this book does not explain, more's the pity, is that the Sharia has not changed one iota since its inception. Compare the pronouncements of the jurist Al-Mawardi with someone like Abou El Fadl, and you will find, they are pretty much the same. Don't let all the PC psychobabble fool you. It's nonsense.

They both want the universal imposition of Sharia, which by Western standards is not moderate, never was and never will be. Because it cannot be changed. It is immutable, like the Koran. Let's not kid ourselves, please. Try Ibn Warraq's Why I am not a Muslim, or Leaving Islam, for a true look at what Islam has to offer anyone truly progressive and truly moderate.