Reason, Freedom, & Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of ʻAbdolkarim SoroushAbdolkarim Soroush has emerged as one of the leading moderate revisionist thinkers of the Muslim world. He and his contemporaries in other Muslim countries are shaping what may become Islam's equivalent of the Christian Reformation: a period of questioning traditional practices and beliefs and, ultimately, of upheaval. Presenting eleven of his essays, this volume makes Soroush's thought readily available in English for the first time. The essays set forth his views on such matters as the freedom of Muslims to interpret the Qur'an, the inevitability of change in religion, the necessity of freedom of belief, and the compatibility of Islam and democracy. Throughout, Soroush emphasizes the rights of individuals in their relationship with both government and God, explaining that the ideal Islamic state can only be defined by the beliefs and will of the majority. |
Contents
An Interview | 3 |
Theological Approaches | 26 |
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Development and Ethics | 39 |
4 The Sense and Essence of Secularism | 54 |
5 Doctrine and Justification | 69 |
6 Reason and Freedom | 88 |
7 The Ethics of the Gods | 105 |
8 The Idea of Democratic Religious Government | 122 |
A Discourse on Religion and Democracy | 131 |
10 The Three Cultures | 156 |
11 What the University Expects from the Hawzeh | 171 |
12 Let Us Learn from History | 184 |
Notes | 199 |
| 227 | |
| 230 | |
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Abdolkarim Soroush Al-Ghazzali argue arguments become belief causality causes concept consider contemporary contraction and expansion corruption criticism culture debate democracy democratic divine doctrine epistemological essence ethics event evil external extrareligious faith falsehood fiqh freedom Ghazzali gious God's Hafez Hawzeh human rights ideas identity ideology ijtihad Imam intellectual interpretation Iran Iranian Islamic Islamic philosophy issue jurisconsults jurisprudential justice language liberal Marxist Mathnavi means metaphysical method modern Mohammad moral Morteza Motahhari Moslems Motahhari Mulla Sadra nature one's path Persian Persian language philosophy political practical principles problems prophets question Qur'an rational realization reason reformers reli religious democracy religious government religious jurisprudence religious knowledge religious law religious society religious understanding revivalism revolution rules Rumi Sa'di SADRI scholars scientific secular Shahnameh shari'ah Shi'ite social Soroush Sufi Tehran theology theory thinkers thought tion traditional true truth values verse virtues Western words