Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers

In the context of a new reassertion and emergence of anti-intellectual fundamentalist groups within the fringes of Islamic thought who detest archival research and historical interpretation of Islam, Mouhammed Arkoun's contribution in seeking a new interpretation of Islam is a great achievement. Western orientalists and media-establishments have projected a badly tarnished image of Islam, essentially for their own objectives of demeaning and subjugating underdeveloped societies of the Islamic world. Powerful western governments have created a dangerous "other" in the form of Islam, which would destroy such universalist western values as democracy, liberalism and individualism. In fact, Islam is not a monolithic religion; rather it is a remarkable mosaic of diverse interpretations. Islamic societies do not comprise a unified system to pose a military, economic, political or even ideological threat to the west. So the need of the hour is to understand Islam in its totality both by the West and the Muslims themselves to seek a solution thata is not based on a zero-sum outcome. Arkoun's ideas precisely fill this need. Muslims need a rethinking of their faith, based on rationality and reason not on dogma, in order to create a progressive, modern Islamic world.

I believe this book is an excellent resource for anyone either familiar or unfamiliar with the discourse of Islam and its basic tenets. What makes it special is the 'fresh' and 'scientific' approach that Arkoun seeks to encourage for the study of Islam. As the book prgresses not only does the reader learn about Islam but is also forced to rethink their existing notions. Arkoun however suggests no solutions to the ills that he finds in Islamic thought. The best he can do is suggest his methodology and express full confidence that if followed, his suggested 'scientific' approach will lead to great conclusions from Muslim thinkers. In this sense the reader is left hanging. However, most modern dilemmas often cannot be solved in one big swoop and it would be somewhat unfair for us to expect that Arkoun should in one book, not only explain Islam, identify contentious issues and provide new methodologies but on top of that present new solutions as well. I think Arkoun still deserves credit for all that he still accomplishes within this book.