Religion as Critique

October 9, 2017
Anthropologist Ahmad (Islamism and Democracy in India) argues against the common Western view that Islam is inherently opposed to reform and critique in this incisive book. Ahmad writes that Western criticism draws deeply from Protestant belief and sharply splits feelings from rationality and literature from philosophy, but that Muslim thinkers feel freer to blend revelation, emotion, and tradition. As a result, the scholarly dialogue between educated voices who seek to apply Islam to changing scenarios is often misinterpreted by non-Muslims. After this broad argument, he narrows in on Maududi, a proponent of political Islam from mid-20th-century India. By looking at Maududi’s writings and their critical reception (such as his regressive views of women’s roles and the response of Muslim feminists), Ahmad offers an example of criticism arising among Islamic viewpoints before offering case studies of recent debates among faithful Muslim scholars; the depth of specifics sometimes drags. His underdeveloped last chapter looks at proverbs as a means of everyday critique by laypeople. Scholars of religion and philosophy will find plenty of challenges to assumptions about what counts as critique and who can deploy it.