Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism | 
 enlarge | Author: Omid Safi
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.52
You Save: $10.43 (35%)
New (24) Used (20) from $17.06
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 171419
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 185168316X
Dewey Decimal Number: 297
EAN: 9781851683161
ASIN: 185168316X
Publication Date: May 25, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Developed in response to current debates on Islam, this collection of fifteen essays from leading Muslim scholars offers a frank and compelling insight into the contemporary Muslim tradition, confronting such crucial issues as pluralism, race, sexuality, and gender.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 A worthy read November 8, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
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.
 A reality that unsettles fundamentalists and islamophobes alike. May 11, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Don't expect any conservatives to welcome any kind of a progressive.
I find it interesting that the only two groups panning Mr. Safi's text are dogmatic 'Muslim' conservatives unnerved at the thought of any kind of Islamic Renaissance and right-wing Orientalist neocon and/or neocon sympathizers squirming and jerking for any way they might rationalize their Islamophobia. Both right-wing groups have and will continue to fail and cast darkness on the Islamic world.
It seems to me that Mr. Safi certainly hit the mark he was aiming for. Here's to a future of hope! Insha-Allah. =)
 A big disappointment September 18, 2005
31 out of 52 found this review helpful
1. The essays seem like they were written by those from American college who were primarily trained in approaches like deconstructionism and multiculturalism rather than schooled in Islam. Quasi-postmodern tools like deconstructionism and multiculturalism tend to be anti-rational and lead to fruitless discourse, which has been a problem in U.S. collegees in recent years, as good intentions about social injustices get lost when addressed thru half-baked intellectual tools. In fact, the information from this book on contributors shows that most are at U.S. colleges, so given the suspect "postmodern" flavor, the danger here is that Islam is being subjected to such postmodernization.
2. Little of the Quran is referenced.
3. A great deal seems not to have been thought thru. Capitalism, for example, is criticized but apart for appeals for justice, almost nothing is said about what a practical economic system informed by Islam might be.
4. Islam seems too malleable to these essayists. Although there is some appeal to early Islamic history, often in these essays you might think you were reading U.s. Green Party literature and not even realize that Islam played a part.
5. One gets no feeling for why these essayist's are Muslims: why not Jewish, Christian or Buddhist, all of which also concerns about social justice. Even humanists seem to share the significant concerns covered in this book. Pluralism may be fine, but if one has a commitment to Islam, can't one make it clear why and what Islam offers that other ways don't?
6. If you aren't familiar with Islam, you're probably better off reading an introduction to Islam first. Reading the Quran first would be a good step. You might also read a survey of Islamic history, to appreciate how powerful an influence Islam has been. But after reading some other material on Islam and/or the Quran, you may be as disappointed as I was by "Progressive Muslims", which seems to owe more to recent, ineffective and faddish Western intellectual sources.
7. Just because this book doesn't seem to well represent progressive Islamic views and provide some substance, doesn't mean that others don't. Progressive hardly needs to mean postmodern (at least in the sense these essays are postmodern). An American-based Muslim might have significant thoughts on a progressive Islam, but I'll be looking for writers from countries that have been Islamic for centuries, expecting they will have a deeper background in Islam and more constructive insights into what progressive Islam means.
8. Given that the essayists in this book seem well-intentioned, it seems likely that if they would abandon the use of unproductive postmodern forms of argumentation, they could find constructive ways to share their concerns. There has been enough exposure of the weaknesses within postmodernism in recent years that hopefully the essayists will recognize this problem.
Your better off tossing your cash onto a lit stove May 23, 2005
17 out of 75 found this review helpful
I think theres pretty much two themes in this book:
"Hey guys, we are just like you!! Please be our friends!"
Look, I was born and raised in America, and one thing these people (for the most part immigrants) fail to understand is that people here respect a person for being true to themselves. Its called being a man's man. Why do people insist on lying to the American public just out of fear that they won't be accepted? Hey there are things I beleive in that a lot Americans probably won't but it would be spineless of me to drop those beliefs just to impress other people. Come on....this isn't high school. There's a million different viewpoints in this country and thats part of what makes the American experience so great. Hey, to each his own right? I can respect it if it were a book about personal convictions, but it is trying to pass as a book related to broad Islamic acceptance of all these various viewpoints. Islam, though flexible in some respects, is very rigid in other respects (i.e. - killing civilians, homosexuality, alchahol, fornication, etc.) So what do these losers do? They attempt to change the religion (just like Osama tried) just to suit their own agenda. Islam is about GOD'S agenda and how a person who beleives should submit unconditionally to it.
Don't expect this to be a representation of the muslim community in America in general. This is just a small group of pathetic spineless, gutless, friendless people dying for acceptance. I impore the readers here to google an image of the author of this book and see for yourself.
2. "Hey, maybe we can convince people that homosexuality is permissable in Islam"
Get real. It seems that ever since September 11, Islam has been viciously attacked from all angles. Either its homosexual people trying to "reform" the religion so that it accepts homosexuality, or its terrorists finding loopholes to justify terrorism, or its the media making a quick buck off of the public paranoia over Islam. It just never ever ends with these people.
Save your hard-earned money, folks. Gas prices are going up everyday and its quite foolish to spend your money on a book that represents the thoughts of a few hundred muslims (out of the several million in America.
I would think that what the readers here really want to know is accurate, unbiased, unapolagetic information related to Islam and Terrorism. My recommendation:
"Unholy War: Terror in the name of Islam" (John Esposito)
In a nutshell, "I pity da fool" who buys this book. Adios.
progressive minds January 3, 2005
16 out of 21 found this review helpful
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.
|
|
|
