Reform and Modernity in Islam: The Philosophical, Cultural and Political Discourses Among Muslim Reformers

(Hardback)

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The debate over Islam and modernity tends to be approached from a Eurocentric perspective that presents Western norms as a template for progress - against which Islamic societies can be measured. This misses the historical development of Muslim reformist thought that actively engages with the world around it and seeks to reconfigure Islam within the diverse conditions of modernity. Safdar Ahmed paints a complex and nuanced picture that goes beyond the idea that Muslim reformers have either reproduced or reacted against Western ideas. Rather, Ahmed argues, they have reconstructed and appropriated these ideas, and so the thread of Western influence runs through modern Islamic thought on nationalism and sovereignty, femininity and gender. Ahmed uncovers new historiographical perspectives by critically examining the work of prominent intellectuals, such as Muhammad Abduh, Qasim Amin and Abdul A'la Maududi.

Reviews

'This is an excellent and thought-provoking book on an important topic. Written withelegance and style, it presents a multi-layered analysis of hw Musli intellectuals have dealt with 'modernity'. It is at once a critical review of the ways in which conceptions of modernity, although developed in historically specific circumstances, are often conceived of today as a single ideology, and a subtle and informed interpretation of Islamic reformist thought of various kinds. It cogently argues that reformism cannot be understood without relating it to changing power relationships and evolving conceptualisations of religion, literature, gender and state.' James Piscatori, Professor of International Relations in the Schol of Government and International Affairs, Durham University.

Author Bio

Safdar Ahmed is a lecturer and tutor in the Department of Islamic and Arabic Studies at the University of Sydney, where he also obtained his PhD.