Liberal Movements in Islam

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Liberal movements in Islam , in short: liberal Islam , is a collective term for groups and individuals within Islam who represent or strive for an understanding of Islam that incorporates the principles of democracy and human rights as they are in the western world in the course of humanism and enlightenment owns. Liberal Islam is thus in contrast to the traditional currents in Islam, which reject democracy and human rights in the Western sense in whole or in part. Instead of liberal Islam, some groups prefer to speak of humanistic or enlightened Islam in order to avoid misunderstandings, for example that enlightened, modern conservatives are excluded. The terms Euro-Islam or Reform Islam or Islam reform are also frequently used to denote liberal Islam, although the term Euro-Islam was narrowly defined by Bassam Tibi and not every reform Islam has to be a liberal Islam. An Arabic self-designation isالإسلام التقدمي, al-Islām at-taqaddumī, "progressive Islam".

The Afghan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - here with Mahatma Gandhi - represented a non-violent Islam that can coexist with other religions.

The movements include a reinterpretation of the Qur'an and a questioning of the hadiths .

History of Liberal Islam

Thinking about a liberal Islam did not just begin with the immigration of Muslims to the countries of the western world in the second half of the 20th century, but much earlier with the intensive contact between the Islamic and the European world, with Napoleon's Egyptian expedition Started 1798–1801. The great spiritual movement for the reconciliation of Islam and modernity was or is the so-called Nahda movement. Your most important reformers in the 19th century were Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani (1838-1897) and Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905). The Nahda influenced the modern discourse in Arab-Islamic philosophy , but is also at the beginning of Salafism .

Note that Islamism or the Islamic Awakening Movement , also known as re-Islamization, emerged from the confrontation between Islam and modernity. Well-known thought leaders of these parallel movements are z. B. Hasan al-Bannā , Muhammad Iqbal or Ali Schariati . In some cases there is no consensus on the classification of the individual masterminds as representatives of a liberal Islam. Muhammad Iqbal e.g. B. is described by Kurzman as the “most influential liberal Muslim of the twentieth century” , while Ludwig Ammann objects: “So Iqbal is not a liberal reformer, even if he is often understood that way in this country” .

Approaches and methods of liberal Islam

There are different approaches of liberal Islam, which can be differentiated according to different aspects: Liberal Islam in Western countries is z. B. from different conditions than the liberal Islam in Islamic countries. Some argue very theoretically, others act more like political activists. The different groups and individuals also choose different methods of liberalizing Islam. The social context of the respective actors is reflected in the methods. What they all have in common is adherence to the five pillars of Islam.

In order to counter the suspicion of arbitrarily adapting the religion of Islam to Western ideas, many Islamic reformers forego the term reform and instead use terms such as renewal , English renewal . Some liberal groups reject membership of “cultural Muslims” in order to ensure their religious character.

Adaptation and theological rabidism

Some liberal Muslims in Western countries focus on adapting to their Western environment. They hardly argue theologically, but simply put the constitution of their country in the sense of a civil religion above the Sharia. In doing so, they primarily address so-called cultural Muslims or secular Muslims who hardly practice their religion. Others rely on theological rabidism by resorting to theological arguments that try to solve difficult problems in a simple way, e.g. B. the rejection of all hadith literature. Only the Koran as a revealed book is recognized as a guideline (Koranism). Or the sole recognition of the so-called Meccan suras of the Koran as normative, while the Medinan suras are rejected. One proceeds in the same way with the hadiths.

These approaches are very vulnerable theologically. These variants of liberal Islam are rarely discussed in the literature.

Reviving buried traditions

Many liberal Muslims refer to teaching traditions from the history of Islamic theology which, in their opinion, have been unjustifiably marginalized and forgotten. This includes in particular the theological direction of the Muʿtazila from the 9th century, which was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy and placed free will and rationality in the foreground of their teaching, questioned traditional traditions and was based on the composition of the Koran . The heyday of Islam also fell during this period .

Also taken up is the rationalism of Ibn Ruschd (1126–1198), also called Averroes, who was also the opponent of al-Ghazālī , who rejected philosophy and rationalism.

Liberal Muslims also recall the opinions of thought leaders from other Islamic schools, with which they partially agree. So believed z. B. Ibn Qaiyim al-Jschauzīya , who is now regarded as an early pioneer of the Salafists, that jihad only meant defensive struggle. And Ibn Taimīya , who is now regarded as the mastermind of Islamism, questioned the principle of abrogation .

Liberal Muslims oppose the closing of the so-called gates of ijschtihād in Sunni Islam, which denies individual Muslims the power to make their own judgments.

The historical-critical method

The historical-critical method contains a whole toolbox of instruments to get closer to the true meaning and meaning of old texts.

Better understanding

Before using the historical-critical method to interpret the Koran and Sunna against the previously known literal meaning, for which the historical-critical method is famous, one often experiences that the literal meaning must first be rediscovered. Often, in the historical context and on closer reading, it becomes apparent that a text meant something completely different than previously thought. So there is an interpretation error that can also be recognized as such within the framework of traditional exegesis.

Time and situation-related norms

It is almost a commonplace to recognize that certain moral precepts depend on the situation and the time in which they were developed. If the times and the situation change, then you have to change the moral rules accordingly, because otherwise they lose their meaning. Only the deeper meaning of the moral rule is preserved over time. The historical-critical method helps to research the context of that time and to recognize what the deeper meaning of moral rules is.

Questioning the Hadith

Along with the Koran, the hadiths are the most important source of the Islamic religion. The hadiths are the traditions of the life of Muhammad. This also includes Ibn Ishaq's biography of the prophets . The Koran hardly tells anything about Mohammed and Mecca, and the statements of the individual suras reveal little about the context to which they apply and are therefore highly interpretable. Only the hadith determine how the Koran is to be interpreted and how Mohammed lived, the model for all Muslims. The problem with this is that the hadiths were not written until 150 to 200 years after Muhammad's death.

From the beginning there was a dispute among Islamic scholars about which hadiths are credible traditions and which are not. Islam reformers can bring about considerable changes in the interpretation of the Koran by justifiably doubting the historicity of hadiths. So doubts z. B. Mouhanad Khorchide that the massacre of the Jewish tribe of the Banu Quraiza , which Mohammed is said to have approved, actually took place historically, as Ibn Ishaq reports.

Historical science can be of great help in the question of the credibility of hadiths. Since the so-called Revisionist School of Islamic Studies fundamentally questioned the credibility of the hadith in the 1970s and called for the consistent application of the historical-critical method, there has been an ongoing discussion about the image of science from the beginnings of Islam. In addition to historians who hold on to the traditional representation and historians who go so far as to even question the historicity of Muhammad, there are now a number of historians who paint a corrected picture of Muhammad and his time that differs from the traditional Report is clearly different.

Researching the Koran

The Koran can also be read historically and critically. On the one hand, it is becoming more and more apparent that the Koran has multiple references and similarities to the literature, theology and philosophy of the time. The Koran is also a discursive text that apparently refers to questions of its time and enters into a dialogue about them. The Koran has apparently also been editorially revised several times . In addition to a basic body of the text that could go back to Mohammed, there were also later additions and changes, including the inevitable transcription errors that can be found in all old manuscripts. In short: The basic content of the Koran can certainly go back to Mohammed, and whether Mohammed received the Koran from God is of course a matter of faith, but the Koran is a word of God, which is in many cases clothed in human words.

Positions on controversial issues

Liberal Islam represents the compatibility of democracy and human rights in the western sense with Islam, which defuses most areas of conflict. However, the opinions of the various representatives of liberal Islam differ on individual issues. Because of its complexity, the theological argumentation cannot be reproduced at this point.

Separation of state and religion

The separation of state and religion is recognized as right and valuable. A separation between his function as a religious prophet and his function as a secular statesman is also seen in Mohammed's actions and speech.

Islamic law, the Sharia , should be understood primarily as moral teaching and not as law and order. In addition, the individual traditional rules of the Sharia are questioned by liberal Islam.

Opinions differ on the question of whether the relationship between state and religion should be regulated secularly as in France or cooperatively as in Germany.

Attitude to those of different faiths

Muslims and non-Muslims have equal rights according to the liberal understanding. Liberal Muslims sometimes do not want to be perceived as Muslims first, but rather as fellow human beings regardless of their religion. An Islamization of social life is rejected.

As a result, marriages of Muslim women with non-Muslims are possible. The children of mixed marriages do not necessarily have to be raised Muslim.

gender equality

Liberal Muslims believe that men and women have the same rights, including in marriage. The patriarchy is rejected. A separation of the areas of life into men and women is largely rejected.

Opinions differ on the question of tolerance towards wearing the headscarf ( hijab ) or the niqab or burka. Some reject the headscarf, some call for bans. Some Muslim feminists point out that the headscarf tends to de- sexualise women so that they are treated less as an object and more as a person. In addition, some Muslim feminists see wearing the hijab as a visible sign that they are both feminists and Muslims.

Attitude to sexuality

Sexuality should be lived without fear and in a self-determined way. The phenomenon of honor killings is condemned, the code of honor behind it rejected. Homosexuals and other minorities are tolerated or accepted.

science

The principle of a rational, objective science that is practiced independently of religion is accepted. There is no such thing as an exclusive “Islamic Science”, just the one science in which everyone participates.

Liberal Muslims accept scientific knowledge that was still unknown to the world view of the Koran and the hadith from the 7th century, such as: B. the theory of evolution . The results of historical science and archeology are also accepted, even if they paint a different picture of Mohammed and his time than the traditional sources report, and different conclusions must be drawn from them than from the traditional accounts of the beginnings of Islam.

Islam in education

Liberal Muslims welcome the establishment of Islamic theology chairs at universities. They reject the control of the traditionalist Islamic associations over these chairs.

Islamic religious instruction in schools is welcomed. However, some liberal Muslims would prefer to have common classes for all children regardless of their religion. An influence of the traditionalist Islamic associations is also rejected for teaching Islam in schools.

Liberal Muslims embrace sex education, swimming lessons, school trips, and co-education, and reject the idea that some Muslims seek exemption from them.

Attitude to jihad

The jihad in the sense of armed struggle is only allowed as a defense struggle in the opinion of liberal Muslims. It is not a "holy war", but a question of secular martial law. In the foreground of the understanding of jihad in liberal Islam, however, is jihad as an "effort" for an ethical cause of a peaceful nature: be it the development of an inner attitude, be it a social act.

criticism

Criticism of liberal Islam comes from different quarters. Traditionally minded Muslims argue that Islam is unchangeable and does not need reforms, or that reforms are a falsification of Islam. The Pakistani-German Islamic and political scientist Muhammad Sameer Murtaza criticized on islam.de that associations of liberal Islam like the LIB or the VDEM only wanted to put a “theological label” on a life plan. Perhaps it is just a "conscious Christianization of Islam". Although they are theologically monotheists , philosophically they are dualists , and their “intellectual gimmicks” are far removed from any scientific level. Liberal Islam is accused of stirring up prejudices about Islam such as violence and misogyny and that it is not anchored in the Islamic base.

Those who are critical of Islam are also postulating that Islamic reform is not possible because Islam cannot be interpreted in a modern way.

This is countered by liberal Islam, but also by neutral Islam scholars, that Islam has always been multifaceted and has always changed.

Organizations and institutions

Germany

Austria and Switzerland

Contemporary thought leaders and activists

Germany

Austria and Switzerland

France, Belgium

USA, Canada, UK

  • Fazlur Rahman (1919–1988), Pakistani-American philosopher.
  • Khaled Abou Al-Fadl (1963-), Kuwaiti-American professor of Islamic law and human rights.
  • MA Muqtedar Khan (1966-), Indian-American political scientist.
  • Omid Safi American scholar of Islam with a focus on mysticism and activist.
  • Reza Aslan (1972-), Iranian-American religious scholar, book author.
  • Ziauddin Sardar (1951-), British publicist and political advisor.
  • Usama Hasan British astronomer and Islamic theologian.
  • Amina Wadud (1952-), American scholar of Islam, women's rights activist.
  • Shabbir Ahmed (1947-), Pakistani-American author.
  • Ahmed Subhy Mansour (1949-), Egyptian-American Islamic scholar and Koranist .
  • Edip Yüksel (1957-) Kurdish-American lawyer, philosophy lecturer and supporter of the Code 19 theory

Turkey

Arab core countries

Maghreb states

Iran

Pakistan, India

Other states

literature

Works on liberal Islam

Works by thought leaders of liberal Islam

  • Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid: God's word of man. For a humanistic understanding of the Koran . 2008, ISBN 978-3-451-29972-8 .
  • Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid: Mohammed and the signs of God . 2008, ISBN 978-3-451-29274-3 .
  • Mohammed Arkoun: Pour une critique de la Raison islamique . 1984.
  • Mohammed Arkoun: The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought . 2002.
  • Fazlur Rahman: Islam and Modernity . 1982.
  • Fazlur Rahman: Revival and Reform in Islam . 1999.
  • Yaşar Nuri Öztürk: The falsified Islam. A Critique of the History of Islamic Thought . 2007, ISBN 3-89978-062-0 (German short version of the Turkish original).
  • Mouhanad Khorchide: Islam is mercy. Basic features of a modern religion . 2012. ISBN 978-3-451-30572-6
  • Mouhanad Khorchide: Sharia - the misunderstood God. The way to a modern Islamic ethic . 2013. ISBN 978-3-451-30911-3
  • Mouhanad Khorchide: God believes in people: with Islam to a new humanism . 2015.

Works by activists of liberal Islam

  • Abdelwahab Meddeb: Between Europe and Islam. 115 counter sermons . 2007 ISBN 978-3-88423-288-0
  • Abdelwahab Meddeb: The Disease of Islam . 2002 ISBN 3-88423-201-0
  • Bassam Tibi: In the Shadow of Allah - Islam and human rights. 1994
  • Bassam Tibi: Euro-Islam: the solution to a civilizational conflict . 2009 ISBN 978-3-89678-651-7
  • Lamya Kaddor: Muslim, female, German. My way to a contemporary Islam . 2010 ISBN 978-3-406-59160-0
  • Seyran Ates: Islam needs a sexual revolution: a polemic . Ullstein 2009
  • Seyran Ates: The Multicultural Mistake Paperback . Ullstein 2007
  • Ahmad Mansour: Generation Allah. Why we need to rethink the fight against religious extremism . S. Fischer Verlag 2015
  • Omid Safi (Ed.): Progressive Muslims - On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism . 2003
  • MA Muqtedar Khan: American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom . 2002
  • Amina Wadud: Qur'an and Woman . 1992
  • Farid Esack: Qur'an, Liberation and Pluralism . 1996
  • Anouar Majid: Unveiling Traditions: Postcolonial Islam in a Polycentric World . 2001

Literary works on liberal Islam

  • Rachid Benzine: The Wrath of Cowards. Novel in letters. (Nour, pourquoi n'ai-je rien vu venir?) Translated from Regina Keil-Sagawe. Persona-Verlag, Mannheim 2017

See also

Web links

German-language pages

English language pages

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mahmoud Bassiouni: Human rights between universality and Islamic legitimacy . Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt / M. 2014. ISBN 978-3-518-29714-8 .
  2. ↑ Canan Topçu: More Color for the Islam Debate? in Qantara.de May 20, 2015: Regarding the Muslim Forum Germany, it says: In order not to be misunderstood as a move by liberal Muslims, they therefore renounced the term “liberal”. It does not appear once in the text. Nevertheless, Islam expert Lemmen and others rate the forum as an association of liberal Muslims. The founding members do not want to be reduced to that.
  3. ↑ See e.g. B. Interview with Boualem Sansal Cicero June 17, 2016: that one day an enlightened Islam will emerge and develop further, there is no basis for this ; or: Lisa Caspari: Hope for the "uprising of the headscarf girls" Die Zeit January 21, 2011: The SPD politician Lale Akgün pleads in her book for an enlightened Islam.
  4. ↑ See e.g. B. Hartmut Behr, Mathias Hildebrandt: Politics and Religion in the European Union: Between National Traditions and Europeanization Springer-Verlag 2007, p. 105: They all advocate a liberal Euro-Islam of whatever kind ; or: Werner Ende, Udo Steinbach, Renate Laut: Islam in the Present CHBeck 2005, p. 572: “Euro-Islam” often stands for a modern and liberal variant of Islam that adapts to the basic norms of Western European society. On the other hand, the term can also be used analytically, ie as an expression for the forms of Islam that are determined by the interaction with Western European society.
  5. ↑ See e.g. B. Zafer Senocak: The state cannot reform Islam Die Welt June 5, 2007: This is a long and arduous road, at the end of which something like reform Islam could emerge. Even this reform Islam will only be able to address a part of the Muslims. ; or: Till-Reimer Stoldt: This woman attacks German Islam head-on. Die Welt October 30, 2015: One can only speak of a credible reform Islam , says James, if it finds the courage to criticize the Islamic prophet and “the violence Mohammed ”no longer to be kept secret.
  6. ↑ See e.g. B. Salafism or Wahhabism
  7. ^ Charles Kurzman : Liberal Islam: A Source Book Oxford University Press. 1998. pp. 5-13
  8. ^ Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 25
  9. ↑ Ludwig Ammann: The Revival of Religious Thought Qantara.de October 14, 2005
  10. ↑ See Shireen Hunter: Reformist Voices of Islam: Mediating Islam and Modernity Routledge 2014, pp. 23–26
  11. ↑ See Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book , Oxford University Press 1998, pp. 13-18
  12. ↑ See e.g. B. Ömer Özsoy, Renewal Problems of Contemporary Muslims and the Koran, p. 16 f., In: Felix Körner SJ: Old Text - New Context. Koran hermeneutics in Turkey today. Selected texts , Herder Verlag 2006
  13. ↑ Regina Mönch: The other Muslims Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung May 17, 2010: Only the teacher Lamya Kaddor wants to be decidedly non-secular, although it is not clear what she means. In any case, Kaddor doesn't want any cultural Muslims in her association.
  14. ↑ Bassam Tibi: In the Shadow of Allah - Islam and human rights. 1994, p. 346 ff.
  15. ^ Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad , Jane I. Smith (Eds.): The Oxford Handbook of American Islam Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 152
  16. ↑ See e.g. B. Interview with Abdel-Hakim Ourghi "This Islam does not belong to Germany!" Neue Zürcher Zeitung August 25, 2016
  17. ↑ Hardly discussed, since ignored: cf. B. Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book , Oxford University Press 1998, p. 13
  18. ↑ Richard C. Martin, Mark Woodward, Dwi S. Atmaja: Defenders of Reason in Islam: Mu'tazililism from Medieval School to Modern Symbol , Oneworld Publications 2016.
  19. ↑ See e.g. B. Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book , Oxford University Press 1998, p. 297
  20. ↑ See also Gotthard Strohmaier : Reception, propagation et décadence du rationalisme grec en Islam. Essai d'une recherche des causes. In: Gotthard Strohmaier: From Democritus to Dante . Preserving ancient heritage in Arab culture. Hildesheim / Zurich / New York 1996 (= Olms Studies. Volume 43), pp. 281-296.
  21. ↑ a b Mouhanad Khorchide: God believes in people. 2015. p. 178
  22. ↑ Lenz Jacobsen: Interview with Lamya Kaddor - “The Islam Conference cannot solve everyday problems” Die Zeit July 20, 2010
  23. ↑ See e.g. B. Hartmut Bobzin: The Koran: an introduction CH Beck 6th revised edition 2006. P. 109 ff.
  24. ↑ See e.g. B. Mouhanad Khorchide: God believes in people. 2015. p. 64 f.
  25. ↑ See e.g. B. Lenz Jacobsen: Interview with Lamya Kaddor - “The Islam Conference cannot solve everyday problems” Die Zeit July 20, 2010: For example, we advocate a historicizing reading of the Koran. When exactly was the sura written? What were the social framework conditions? We need to consider and value the context of revelation. That always leads to new results. That is exactly what the Koran asks of us: to think further about our own commandments. For us the gate of ijtihad is still open.
  26. ↑ a b c cf. B. Kurt Bangert: Muhammad: A Historical-Critical Study on the Origin of Islam and its Prophet Springer-Verlag 2016
  27. ↑ Mouhanad Khorchide: God believes in people. 2015. p. 175
  28. ↑ a b cf. B. Necla Kelek: Heavenly Journey . 2010. pp. 23-25
  29. ↑ Nasr Hamit Abu-Zaid: God's word of man: for a humanistic understanding of the Koran, Herder-Verlag 2008.
  30. ↑ Hartmut Bobzin: The Koran: an introduction CH Beck 6th revised edition 2006.
  31. ^ Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book , Oxford University Press 1998, pp. 3 f.
  32. ↑ Muhammad Sameer Murtaza: Islam without a soul or everything just PR? islam.de June 27, 2012
  33. ↑ Verena Vonarburg , Bern: Muslims in Switzerland argue about the “correct” Islam, Tagesanzeiger January 22, 2011
  34. ↑ See e.g. B. Olivier Kessler : Saïda Keller-Messahli and the fairy tale of “progressive” Islam Friday commentary on “Swiss Time” from 29 August 2014
  35. ^ Charles Kurzman: Liberal Islam: A Source Book , Oxford University Press 1998, pp. 3 f.