The project to reform Islam has certainly become a popular pursuit, especially of western-based think tanks and policy institutes. At its heart, this project looks to bring Islam into what is called modernity - an embrace of liberalism as a universalism and the inevitable abrogation of those aspects of Islam that have an actual impact on law, order and society. Since 9/11, this reform industry has recruited many Muslims to this venture, to somehow give authenticity to its many claims. At the same time, this project has gained currency, albeit with a minority of young educated Muslims who cannot make sense of the excesses witnessed in the dysfunctional Muslim world and legitimised in the name of Islam. It has become an easy go-to answer to a complex set of political, social and economic realities.
Today we bring together two scholars, each on either side of the reform debate. Mustafa Akyol is probably the most notable Muslim modernist and reformer, he has authored several best-selling books on the subject, most recently “Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance”. His argument, as we will hear, is certainly well-articulated and nuanced. He writes regularly for the New York Times and other publications. And his is joined with Professor Ovamir Anjum who is Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Toledo. Ovamir penned a recent piece on the need for a Caliphate and argues against the reform agenda and has written extensively about Ibn Taymiyyah, who was the subject of his research.
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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 57
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