Liberal movements within Islam

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Progressive Muslims have produced a considerable body of liberal thoughts within Islam^[1][2] (الإسلام التقدمي or "progressive Islam"; but some consider progressive Islam and liberal Islam as two distinct movements ^[3]). The methodology of reform can be classified into two groups, one depending on re-interpreting the traditional texts which constitutes Islamic law (ijtihad)^[4]; this varies widely from little deviation from the traditional interpretation, to the more liberal which considers only the meaning of Quran as a divine inspiration, while the wording is believed to be from the prophet Muhammad intended by him to suit his time and situation, therefore interpreting the problematic verses in modern times allegorically or even not considering it. The second is questioning the authentic status applied to texts by the Traditional Islamic Scholars, resulting in the most liberal case as of the Quran Alone Muslims in rejecting the islamic narratives of the sayings of Muhammad (Hadith) completely.

The most liberal muslim intellectuals who focused on religious reform include Sayyid al-Qimni, Nasr Abu Zayd, Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammed Arkoun, Mohammed Shahrour, Ahmed Subhy Mansour, Edip Yuksel, Gamal al-Banna, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, Ahmed Al-Gubbanchi, Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, and Faraj Foda, the last two were killed after Apostasy claims which most of them have been accused of by traditional islamic scholars.

Liberal Muslims generally claim that they are returning to the principles of the early Ummah and to the ethical and pluralistic intent of their scripture, the Qur'an.^[5] They distance themselves from some traditional and less liberal interpretations of Islamic law, as they consider these to be culturally based and without universal applicability. The reform movement uses monotheism (tawhid) "as an organizing principle for human society and the basis of religious knowledge, history, metaphysics, aesthetics, and ethics, as well as social, economic and world order."^[6]

Contents 1 Reform 2 Central tenets 3 Contemporary and controversial issues 3.1 Ijtihad 3.2 Human rights 3.3 Feminism 3.4 Secularism 3.5 Tolerance and non-violence 3.6 Reliance on secular scholarship 4 Movements 4.1 Anarchist 4.2 Quranist 4.3 North America 4.4 Russia and CIS 4.5 Europe 5 See also 5.1 Thinkers and activists 5.2 Ideologies and institutions 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

[edit] Reform

These are movements within Islam, rather than an attempt at schism. As such, they believe in the basic tenets of Islam, such as the Six Elements of Belief and the Five Pillars of Islam. They consider their views to be fully compatible with the teachings of Islam. Their main differences with more conservative Islamic opinion are two, the first is, in differences of interpretation of how to apply the core Islamic values to modern life ^[7], the second includes a more reactionary dialectic which criticizes traditional narratives or even rejects them, hence, denying any obligation to follow them while also allowing greater freedoms in interpreting Quran regadless of the hadith.

Muslim liberals focus on individual autonomy in the interpretation of the Qur'an and ethics rather than focusing on the literal interpretation of the Qur'an. This thinking may have a precedent in the traditions of Sufi and Islamic mysticism ^[8] although different in many ways, including the purpose of interpretation.

[edit] Central tenets

Several generally accepted tenets have emerged:

• The autonomy of the individual in interpreting the Qur'an and Hadith.^[9] (more liberal trends include rejecting Hadiths completely (like Quran Alone muslims) or partially (including hadiths considered authentic (Sahih) by traditionalists) like Gamal Al-Banna.
• A more critical and diverse examination of religious texts, as well as traditional Islamic precedents.
• Complete gender equality in all aspects, including ritual prayer and observance.
• A more open view on modern culture in relation to customs, dress, and common practices. Certain rules on modesty amongst men and women are still self-enforced in response to the Qur'an's injunction against immodest dress.
• The individual use of ijtihad (interpretation) and fitrah (natural sense of right and wrong) is advocated.

[edit] Contemporary and controversial issues

Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, in accordance with their increasingly modern societies and outlooks, liberal Muslims have tended to reinterpret many aspects of the application of their religion in their life in an attempt to reconnect with the original message, untouched by harmful cultural influences. This is particularly true of Muslims who now find themselves living in non-Muslim countries^[10].

Such people may describe themselves variously as liberal, progressive, or reformist (in application but not in the tenets of the faith); but rather than implying a specific agenda, these terms tend to incorporate a broad spectrum of views which contest conservative, traditional interpretations of Islam in many different ways. Although there is no full consensus amongst liberal Muslims on their views, they tend to agree on some or all of the following beliefs:

[edit] Ijtihad

This means that liberal Muslims often drop traditional interpretations of the Qur'an which they find too culturally conservative and relative, preferring instead readings which are more adaptable to modern society (see ijtihad). Most liberal Muslims reject derivation of Islamic laws from literal readings of single Qur'anic verses. They generally claim that a holistic view which takes into account the 7th century Arabian cultural context allows deeper insight into the manner in which the commands of God (Allah) are carried out.

[edit] Human rights

• Most liberal Muslims believe that Islam promotes the notion of absolute equality of all humanity, and that it is one of its central concepts. Therefore, a breach of human rights has become a source of great concern to most liberal Muslims ^[11]. Though Human Rights is perceived to be of the utmost concern of all devoted adherents to the Islamic faith, liberal Muslims differ with their culturally conservative counterparts in that they believe that all humanity is represented under the umbrella of Human Rights. Many Muslim majority countries have signed international human rights treaties, but the impact of these largely remains to be seen in local legal system ^[12].

• Muslim liberals often reject traditional interpretations of Islamic law, which allows Ma malakat aymanukum and Slavery. They see that Slavery opposed Islamic principles which they believe to be based on justice and equality and verses relating to slavery or "Ma malakat aymanukum" now can not be applied due to the fact that the world has changed ^[13][14].

[edit] Feminism

The place of women in Islam, traditional gender roles in Islam and Islamic feminism are likewise major issues. For this reason, liberal Muslims are often critical of traditional Islamic law interpretations which allow polygyny for men but not polyandry for women, as well as the traditional Islamic law of inheritance under which daughters receive less than sons. Traditional Muslims believe this is balanced by the right of a wife to her husband's money, whereas the husband does not have a right to his wife's money.

It is also accepted by most liberal Muslims that a woman may lead the state, and that women should not be segregated from men in society or in mosques. Some traditional Muslims also accept a woman as a leader of state so long as it does not conflict with her obligation to family. A small minority of liberal Muslims accept that a woman may lead a mixed group in prayers, despite the established custom for women to pray behind or in a separate space. However, this issue remains controversial; see women as imams. Some Muslim feminists are also opposed to the traditional dress requirements for women (commonly called hijab), claiming that any modest clothing is sufficiently Islamic for both men and women.

However, other Muslim feminists embrace hijab, pointing out its tendency to de-sexualize women and therefore assist them in being treated less as an object and more as a person. Furthermore, some Muslim feminists prefer to wear the hijab as an obvious sign that they are indeed Muslim, while also feminists. Most -but not all- schools of Islamic law require women to cover all but the hands and the face, while men are only required to cover from the navel to the knee. That said, the Qur'an does require women to dress modestly and cover their hair and bosom as had been custom amongst the Jews and early Christians (see: Qur'an 24:31), although some would point out that while the words "bosom" and "modest" are found in this aya, the word "hair" is absent. However in the same verse woman are prevented from showing their "adornment" towards non-related man. Some conservative muslims follows the wearing of the hijab but did not prevent the woman from showing their adornment. Thus, one of the liberal view for the verse was intended for that time. And a general meaning of the verse for modesty can also be found from this.

[edit] Secularism

Some liberal Muslims favor the idea of modern secular democracy with separation of church and state, and thus oppose Islam as a political movement.

The existence or applicability of Islamic law is questioned by many liberals. Their argument often involves variants of the Mu'tazili theory that the Qur'an is created by God for the particular circumstances of the early Muslim community, and reason must be used to apply it to new contexts.

[edit] Tolerance and non-violence

Tolerance is another key tenet of Liberal Muslims, who are generally open to interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution with such communities as Jews, Christians, Hindus, and the numerous factions within Islam.

Liberal Muslims are more likely to reflect the idea of jihad in terms of the widely accepted "internal spiritual struggle" rather than an "armed struggle." The ideals of non-violence are prevalent in Liberal Muslim ideology and backed by Qu'ranic text; "permission to fight is given only to those who have been oppressed... who have been driven from their homes for saying,'God is our Lord'" (22:39)

[edit] Reliance on secular scholarship

Liberal Muslims^[who?] tend to be skeptical about the validity of Islamization of knowledge^{[citation needed]} (including Islamic economics, Islamic science, Islamic history and Islamic philosophy) as separate from mainstream fields of inquiry. This is usually due to the often secular outlook of Muslim liberals, which makes them more disposed to trust mainstream secular scholarship. They may also regard the propagation of these fields as merely a propaganda move by Muslim conservatives.^[15]

Liberals are also more likely to accept scientific ideas such as evolution and the results of secular history and archaeology.

[edit] Movements

[edit] Anarchist

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Quranist

This section requires expansion.

[edit] North America

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Russia and CIS

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Europe

This section requires expansion.

[edit] See also

Divisions of Islam European Islam Islamic feminism Islam Hadhari Criticism of Islam Reform Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism Liberal Christianity Al-Mawrid [edit] Thinkers and activists Rashad Khalifa Tarek Heggy Fethullah Gülen Mohammad Khatami Louay Safi Shirin Ebadi Muhammad Ali of Egypt Tahir Abbas Khaled Abou Al-Fadl Alireza Alavitabar Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri Mehdi Bazargan Luthfi Assyaukanie Ahmad Ghabel Ghulam Ahmed Pervez Syed Ahmed Khan Muhammad Ali Jinnah Dr Shabbir Ahmed Mohsen Kadivar Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Irshad Manji Edip Yuksel M. A. Muqtedar Khan Fazlur Rahman Malik Ziauddin Sardar Abdolkarim Soroush Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari Yousef Sanei Ali Shariati Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im Irfan Habib Javed Ahmed Ghamdi Morad El Hattab (France) Pervez Hoodbhoy Mostafa Malekian Raquel Evita Saraswati Mahmoud Taleghani Mahmoud Mohamed Taha Ahmed Al-Gubbanchi Iyad Jamal Al-Din Bassam Tibi Amina Wadud Chekannur Maulavi Hameed Chennamangaloor Sayyid al-Qimni Khaleel Mohammed Tashbih Sayyed Tawfik Hamid Reza Aslan Khalil Abdel-Karim Zuhdi Jasser

[edit] Ideologies and institutions Modern Islamic philosophy Islam and modernity Woman imam Al-Fatiha Foundation 99 Precepts Qur'an-Alone Islam Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights Progressive British Muslims Jaringan Islam Liberal Tolu-e-Islam LGBT topics and Islam American Islamic Forum for Democracy

[edit] References

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[edit] Further reading

• Qur'an and Woman by Amina Wadud.
• American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom by M. A. Muqtedar Khan.
• Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook Edited by Charles Kurzman.
• Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism edited by Omid Safi.
• "Debating Moderate Islam" edited by M. A. Muqtedar Khan.
• Qur'an, Liberation and Pluralism by Farid Esack.
• Revival and Reform in Islam by Fazlur Rahman Malik.
• The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought, by Mohammed Arkoun.
• Unveiling Traditions: Postcolonial Islam in a Polycentric World by Anouar Majid.
• Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality by Pervez Hoodbhoy
• The Viability of Islamic Science by S. Irfan Habib, Economic and Political Weekly, June 5, 2004.
• The Reformist Islamic Thinker Muhammad Shahrur:In the Footsteps of Averroes

[edit] External links

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive and inappropriate external links or by converting links into footnote references. (July 2009)

• Charles Kurzman's Liberal Islam links compiled by the author of Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook (published 1998 by Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-511622-4).
• "Can Islam change?", Ziauddin Sardar, New Statesman, 13 September 2004
• http://www.interrel.de/m_sing.htm#engl, on the Lebanese thinker Abdallah al-Alayili (1914-1996).
• In the Footsteps of Averroes - The Reformist Islamic Thinker Muhammad Shahrur by Loay Mudhoon - Qantara
• Martha Nussbaum on Islamic liberalism under fire in India, published in the Boston Review