Religion and State

2001-08-20 History

Author : L. Carl. Brown
Release : 2001-08-20
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 376/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Religion and State by : L. Carl. Brown

Download or read book Religion and State written by L. Carl. Brown. This book was released on 2001-08-20. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If Westerners know a single Islamic term, it is likely to be jihad, the Arabic word for "holy war." The image of Islam as an inherently aggressive and xenophobic religion has long prevailed in the West and can at times appear to be substantiated by current events. L. Carl Brown challenges this conventional wisdom with a fascinating historical overview of the relationship between religious and political life in the Muslim world ranging from Islam's early centuries to the present day. Religion and State examines the commonplace notion—held by both radical Muslim ideologues and various Western observers alike—that in Islam there is no separation between religion and politics. By placing this assertion in a broad historical context, the book reveals both the continuities between premodern and modern Islamic political thought as well as the distinctive dimensions of modern Muslim experiences. Brown shows that both the modern-day fundamentalists and their critics have it wrong when they posit an eternally militant, unchanging Islam outside of history. "They are conflating theology and history. They are confusing the oughtand the is," he writes. As the historical record shows, mainstream Muslim political thought in premodern times tended toward political quietism. Brown maintains that we can better understand present-day politics among Muslims by accepting the reality of their historical diversity while at the same time seeking to identify what may be distinctive in Muslim thought and action. In order to illuminate the distinguishing characteristics of Islam in relation to politics, Brown compares this religion with its two Semitic sisters, Judaism and Christianity, drawing striking comparisons between Islam today and Christianity during the Reformation. With a wealth of evidence, he recreates a tradition of Islamic diversity every bit as rich as that of Judaism and Christianity.

Islam and the Secular State

2010-03-30 Law

Author : Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
Release : 2010-03-30
Genre : Law
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 445/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Islam and the Secular State by : Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im

Download or read book Islam and the Secular State written by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im. This book was released on 2010-03-30. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What should be the place of Shari‘a—Islamic religious law—in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? In this ambitious and topical book, a Muslim scholar and human rights activist envisions a positive and sustainable role for Shari‘a, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state in all societies. An-Na‘im argues that the coercive enforcement of Shari‘a by the state betrays the Qur’an’s insistence on voluntary acceptance of Islam. Just as the state should be secure from the misuse of religious authority, Shari‘a should be freed from the control of the state. State policies or legislation must be based on civic reasons accessible to citizens of all religions. Showing that throughout the history of Islam, Islam and the state have normally been separate, An-Na‘im maintains that ideas of human rights and citizenship are more consistent with Islamic principles than with claims of a supposedly Islamic state to enforce Shari‘a. In fact, he suggests, the very idea of an “Islamic state” is based on European ideas of state and law, and not Shari‘a or the Islamic tradition. Bold, pragmatic, and deeply rooted in Islamic history and theology, Islam and the Secular State offers a workable future for the place of Shari‘a in Muslim societies.

Religion and State

2000 History

Author : Leon Carl Brown
Release : 2000
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 388/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Religion and State by : Leon Carl Brown

Download or read book Religion and State written by Leon Carl Brown. This book was released on 2000. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The image of Islam as an aggressive and xenophobic religion has long prevailed and can at times appear to be substantiated by current affairs. This work challenges this conventional view, with a historical overview ranging from Islam's early centuries to the present day.

Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany

2005 Political Science

Author : Joel S. Fetzer
Release : 2005
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 397/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany by : Joel S. Fetzer

Download or read book Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany written by Joel S. Fetzer. This book was released on 2005. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over ten million Muslims live in Western Europe. Since the early 1990s, and especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, vexing policy questions have emerged about the religious rights of native-born and immigrant Muslims. Britain has struggled over whether to give state funding to private Islamic schools. France has been convulsed over Muslim teenagers wearing the hijab in public schools. Germany has debated whether to grant 'public-corporation' status to Muslims. And each state is searching for policies to ensure the successful incorporation of practicing Muslims into liberal democratic society. This 2004 book analyzes state accommodation of Muslims' religious practices in Britain, France, and Germany, first examining three major theories: resource mobilization, political-opportunity structure, and ideology. It then proposes an additional explanation, arguing that each nation's approach to Muslims follows from its historically based church-state institutions.

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