Liberal Islam is not a contradiction in terms; it is a thriving tradition and undergoing a revival within the last generation. This anthology presents the work of 32 Muslims who share parallel concerns with Western liberalism. Although the West has largely ignored the liberal tradition within Islam; many of these authors are well-known in their own countries as advocates of democracy and tolerance. Among these are: Abdulkarim Soroush; a leading oppositional figure in Iran; Nurcholish Madjid; a prominent Indonesian intellectual; Mahmud Mohamed Taha; a religious reformer executed by the Sudanese government; and `Ali `Abd al-Raziq; an Egyptian religious scholar whose writings on the separation of church and state have been controversial since the 1920s. In an analytical introduction; editor Charles Kurzman discusses the history of the liberal tradition in Islam and identifies the main currents in liberal Islamic thought.This collection will be an important resource for scholars and students of Islam; the Middle East; and international affairs; and will also help to redress the imbalance in our perceptions of the Islamic world.
#930460 in Books 2009-01-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.50 x 1.40 x 9.30l; 1.60 #File Name: 0195094638416 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Part of America's Sad PastBy Billy LindrosI had the opportunity to get to know Peggy Pascoe before her unfortunate death. This is a very well written and researched book. I had previously read a library copy but wanted one for myself. It is hard to believe that as late as the 1960's - not the 1860's - that interracial marriages were still banned in some states and that interracial couples had to live in D.C.; could not live in Virginia. At the time I read it originally we were getting ready for my daughter's wedding. I was half way through this excellent book before I realized that since her husband's parents were from Taiwan; her marriage would have been banned in the not so distant past. The justifications of laws against interracial marriage that were given at the time; painting African American's as sub human; citing the bible as a justification of hate are breathtaking. I firmly believe that in the future a book about the fight for marriage equality will be written. Hopefully it will be as good as this excellent book. It is too sad that Ms. Pascoe will not be here to write. it.24 of 24 people found the following review helpful. The rise and fall of America's laws against interracial marriage - an engaging accountBy Eric A. IsaacsonProfessor Pascoe provides a sweeping historical and sociological review of America's laws against interracial marriage; their origins; and demise; focusing not just on Southern states' statutes targeting and limiting relationships of African Americans; but also the Western states' many laws targeting people of Chinese; Japanese; Filipino; and Hawaiian descent - with particular attention to the cultural attitudes that once sustained these laws.Professor Pascoe is a careful scholar and a brilliant author; whose book represents academic historical writing at its very finest. She provides an extensively documented and objective yet gripping; indeed often moving; account - one that personalizes the effect of the laws explored on the lives of specific individuals who found themselves caught up in a legal system that denied legitimacy to their most important familial relationships.
