Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush [Hardcover]

Abdolkarim Soroush (Author), Mahmoud Sadri (Translator), Ahmad Sadri (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 2000

In recent years Abdolkarim Soroush has emerged as one of the leading revisionist thinkers of the Muslim world. Translated into English for the first time, this book features a critical introduction by the editors and an original interview that reveals the intellectual biography of the author. It sets forth Soroush's views on such matters as the inevitability of change in religion, the necessity of freedom of belief, and the compatibility of Islam with democracy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For a clearer understanding of the enormous implications of [the modernisation of the Islamic Republic] for Iranian society, and, arguably, the Islamic world in general, one can do no better than scrutinize the writings of Abdolkarim Soroush translated and edited by Ahmad and Mahmoud Sadri Soroush has provided the reformist movement in Iran with ah intellectual depth and sophistication which have arguably allowed it to sustain, and resist, the many political pressures which have been brought to bear upon it by its opponents. Ali Ansari, Times Literary Supplement

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Persian

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195128125
• ISBN-13: 978-0195128123
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Need for a Theoretical Context, September 12, 2000

By 

Jason Alexan (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush (Hardcover)

Undoubtedly, this text constitutes an essential contribution to the discourse of ideological resistance within contemporary Iranian society. Soroush, as a phenomenally visible public intellectual, has commanded an unrivaled status among those more conservative participants in the revolutionary cause, although the extent to which his writings can potentially incite a tangible political movement remains to be seen. With respect to this particular compilation, the exercise of translation is certainly exceptional and the readability with which the inherent complexity of Soroush's fusion of Islamic theology and modern philosophy is conveyed throughout the course of the book proves admirable. Nevertheless, this text warrants one primary criticism in that it fails to provide a theoretical contextualization of Soroush's thoughts amidst the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. More precisely, there is a definite need for further elaboration on the relationship of Soroush's intellectual contributions to the socioeconomic and cultural state of Iran as we now confront it, the nation's stace vis a vis the project of modernity, and the global marginalization which the country has been compelled to endure at the hands of an authoritarian theocratic apparatus.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cogent and eloquent, January 29, 2009

By 

Amina Henriksen (New York, NY, United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush (Paperback)

Never mind the reviewer from Qom who attempted to write a critical review... He evidently never read the book.

I found Mr. Soroush's book to be well researched, cogently argued, eloquently written, and... touching comprehensively on the topics in the title. The author has spent a considerable part of his life researching not only Islamic philosophy, but also philosophy of science, and it shows. He brings rationality and science back to discussions of Islam (although he is not alone).

If you are not open to an honest discussion on these topics - particularly Islam - don't bother.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Erasmus of Islam, April 9, 2006

By 

Kashif Hasnie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush (Paperback)

This selection of Soroush's writings reveals a genuinely liberal intellect rooted in his Iranian and Islamic culture but at home with Western thought, toward which he is neither aggressive nor apologetically defensive.

Soroush, who has gained a following among Iranian students and even a few of the mullahs, cites the likes of Jalal al-Din Rumi, Muhammad Iqbal, J?rgen Habermas, and Alexis de Tocqueville as often as the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad(SAW). That might seem a recipe for a rambling, rootless philosophy, but his statements are thoughtful, penetrating and coherent. Although some observers have dubbed him the Luther of Islam, he is perhaps better seen as Islam's Erasmus, since he is carefully working within the system.