Islam, the Self-Critical Version

Reforming Islam: Progressive Voices from the Arab Muslim World is an imposing anthology of articles taken from the reformist website www.almuslih.org, composed originally in Arabic  and translated accurately into English by Stephen Ulph. It contains dozens of articles, from three to 12 pages long, by contributors from across the Arab world including Lafif Lakhdar of Tunisia, Babikir Faysal Babikir of Sudan, Mohamed al-Sanduk of Iraq, and Abd al-Hamid al-Ansari of Qatar. Editors Stephen Ulph and Patrick Sookhdeo have added section introductions that ably summarize the content of each section and the work as a whole. A number of Arabic terms and concepts are expertly explained in a substantial glossary.

The large number of articles and contributors makes the anthology somewhat disjointed, but the editors have helpfully organized the volume according to theme. Those who prefer to read the anthology by author may easily do so by using the table of contents. In the space of this brief review, I will not be able to do justice to the authors’ individual qualities, but will confine myself to the general outlook of the volume as a whole.

The editors forcefully state in their introduction the argument that prevails throughout the book: Intellectual reform of Islam must precede social or political reform. They quote Syrian contributor Hashem Saleh, who warns that “If we do not win the intellectual battle for enlightenment against the fundamentalists, we will not at any day win the political battle.” (p. 6)  It is therefore in the interest of the West to “actively, and exclusively” support reformist voices. (p. 9)

Unfortunately, many of our policymakers and intellectuals are barely aware of the existence of these voices. By presenting the work of a large number of sincere and articulate Muslim reformers to a Western audience for the first time, this anthology will contribute to better informed debate about the future of Islam. To the extent that I criticize the work, I do so only with the aim of furthering its goals.

Read here