Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism [Paperback]

Omid Safi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 2003

Confronting such key contemporary issues as racism, justice, sexuality, and gender, this book offers a revealing insight into the real challenges faced by Muslims of both sexes in Western society.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Safi, a Colgate University professor, assembles a diverse set of essays by and about "progressive" Muslims. The essays vary in topic and in effectiveness, but generally seek to challenge the images of Islam held by both xenophobic Westerners and extremist Muslims. Safi's introduction, though showing insight into many problems today's Muslims face but rarely discuss publicly, is clunky, citing sources from Gandhi to Bob Dylan. Part I offers hard-hitting essays that are sure to be controversial in their discussion of what scholar Tazim Kassam claims is a "curtailment... of civil liberties such as freedom of inquiry and the expression of dissenting opinions" in the U.S. after September 11. There are also some triumphant essays. Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle superbly analyzes Islam's categorization of homosexuality as a sin in an essay that is long overdue and probably the only scholarly work of its kind. Gwendolyn Simmons's piece demands the establishment of feminism as Islamic in a touching essay-cum-memoir that connects her growth as a Muslim female to her experience as a young African-American during the Civil Rights era. The incomparable Amina Wadud offers an excellent article on racial tensions between immigrant and indigenous Muslims, while Marcia Hermansen pens the volume's bravest and most honest contribution, addressing the increasing conservatism of her American Muslim students-a topic previously not discussed outside the Muslim community. This collection is recommended for those who yearn for realistic information about Muslims, and for Muslims who are disgruntled with current Islamic leadership.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A significant and welcome effort providing an analytic overview by some contemporary progressive Muslim scholars. The book offers a very incisive critique and highlights the compelling need for a wholesome and rational approach to the issues. -- Islamic Studies Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld (April 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185168316X
• ISBN-13: 978-1851683161
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 5.7 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Omid Safi is one of the leading American Muslim public intellectuals.

He is a professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, and for the past seven years has led the Study of Islam Section at the American Academy of Religion. He is the author of Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters, as well as Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam. In addition, he edited the Progressive Muslims: On Gender, Justice, and Pluralism collection.

Omid draws on the Sufi tradition of Islam, connected to social justice traditions of liberation to articulate a dynamic vision of Islam rooted in mysticism and striving for a life of dignity for all.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The coming Islamic Reformation!! May 6, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Living in this age dominated, seemingly, by Islamophobes in the West (B. Lewis, Huntington, Pipes, etc.) and Muslim extremists (Wahhabis, Jama'at Islami, etc.), it is a breath of fresh air to see Muslims take on the task of reforming Islam along the lines of social justice and gender equality. I was tired of hearing about Muslims, and wanted to see them speak for themselves. This book does that.

The essays in this book are clear without being superficial, strong without being dogmatic. I have already recommended it to many friends and family members who want to see a more humane side of Muslims.

Great read...Wonderful to see so many female authors in this collection, and also the range of geographical and philosophical backgrounds: there are sunni, shi'a, and Sufi authors. Some are American, others from South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Lebanon, etc.

Great, great work on pluralistic and humane interpretation of Islam. It goes well beyond the old cliches of "Islam vs. West", "Us and Them". Inspiring to see Muslim views that are inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, feminists, etc.

You'll enjoy it...

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy read November 8, 2006

By Fred Fenster

Format:Paperback

It seems that the book has polarised opinion. I would say that those who criticise the nature of the articles should practice what they preach; they should prioritise Seera and try and understand how things happened during the Prophet's times - certain facts bear repeating, such as the Shariah as we know it emanated from Shafi, a couple of centuries after the Prophet, that scholars were not given authority in the way they have now (how many scholars existed in the Prophet's times?) and Islam actually was a very liberal, people-sensitive religion - the Prophet always wished to avoid hud punishments wherever possible (and concubinage, slavery, polygamy were accepted norms of society albeit with restrictions). Even if you don't agree with the articles, it opens up a methodology of thinking about Islam which relies on re-analysis of scripture, hadith, historical reappraisal in order to contextualise hadith/scripture and sidestepping the supposed authoritativeness of scholarly rulings which have absolutely no deserved claim to be the 'right' interpretation, in fact the book highlights the fact that most Islamic scholars are nothing more tham memorisers of hadith/scripture and orthodox tafseer, without being versed in history, theology, philosophy, science, sociology, psychology and so on, knowledge one would expect to bear some influence in making scholarly rulings. The other facet of general human nature it brings out, is the tendency to render authentic and powerful religious norms simply because they are the more restrictive; it is a human urge to see rules requiring more sacrifice as being more worthy, and hence the absolute refusal to even enter into a debate as to whether homosexuality was really prohibited, for example. I would urge sincere Muslims to first open your mind, read scripture, allow yourself to raise ANY question, do you own historical analysis without relying on scholars, and continue and develop an independent line of thought without fear of going astray. Be brave.

25 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars must read for contemporary Muslims June 3, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

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!