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This book could easily be called 'A Guide for the Modern Muslim',
for someone to whom the sentiments of his or her ancestors resonate
but who cannot accept the canonised formulas of a stultified
education. Charfi spells out what, for him, is the essential
message of Islam, followed by a history of its unfolding through
the person of the Prophet Muhammad, who was a visionary seeking to
change the ideals, attitudes and behaviours of the society in which
he lived. The message and its history are delineated as two
separate things, conflated by tradition. Charfi's reflections cross
those horizons where few Muslim scholars have dared until now to
tread. He confronts with great lucidity those difficult questions
with which Muslims are struggling, attempting to reconsider them
from a moral and political perspective that is independent of the
frameworks produced by tradition."
This book looks at moments in world history when cosmopolitanism
pervaded Muslim societies. Cosmopolitanism is a key concept in
social and political thought, standing in opposition to closed
human group ideologies such as tribalism, nationalism and
fundamentalism. Recent discussions of it have been situated within
Western self-perceptions. Now, this volume explores it from Muslim
perspectives. These 9 essays focus on how cosmopolitan ideas and
actions have been enacted by specific Muslim societies and cultures
throughout history. The contributors explore the tensions between
regional cultures, isolated enclaves and modern nation-states. The
contributors include Felicitas Becker, Thomas Kuehn, Ariel
Salzmann, Iftikhar Dadi and Muhammed Khalid Masud. It choses models
from 4 areas: the Swahili coast, the Ottoman Empire/Turkey, Iran
and Indo-Pakistan, showing the differences and similarities between
areas. Each region is covered in 2 chapters, providing a basis for
comparison.
Current popular and academic discussions tend to make certain
assumptions regarding Islam and its lack of compatibility with
notions of pluralism. Some noted liberal thinkers have even argued
that pluralism itself is inherently antithetical to Islam. This
volume intends to address these assumptions by bringing clarity to
some of its key suppositions and conjectures. It seeks to go beyond
the parameters of political correctness by engaging in a dialogue
that refutes these postulations in a direct, frontal debate. In
this volume, as well as in the forthcoming volume, The Possibility
of Pluralism, eminent scholars from around the world explore
notions of pluralism, discussing the broad spectrum of its
relevance and application to modern day societies, from secularism
and multiculturalism to democracy, globalisation and the pivotal
role of civil society.
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