Mohammed Arkoun

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Mohammed Arkoun (born February 1, 1928 in Beni Yenni , Kabylia , Algeria , † September 13, 2010 in Paris ) was an Algerian - French philosopher and Islamic scholar. In 1995 the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World named him one of the “most important modern Islamic thinkers” of his time.

Life

Arkoun was born in 1928 to a Berber family in the Great Kabylia in Algeria. Through his uncle he became acquainted with a mystical understanding of Islam. The encounter with Arabs and French made him aware of his minority position as a Berber. After attending a Catholic school run by the Missionary Order of the White Fathers , he studied Arabic literature in Algiers from 1950 to 1954, but also dealt with Arabic philosophy . He then studied at the Sorbonne .

In 1971 Arkoun became professor for "History of Islamic Ideas" at the Sorbonne. He was visiting professor at numerous universities and research institutes, especially at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London . In 1999 he founded the Institut d'Études des Sociétés Musulmanes in Paris .

research

For his analysis of Islam, Arkoun applied the knowledge and methods of modern social sciences and humanities, including structuralism , semiotics , structural anthropology , discourse analysis and post-structuralism . His main work is Pour une critique de la raison islamique (For a Critique of Islamic Reason). Arkoun argued that Islam has been mentally frozen since the 13th century. However, Arkoun did not negate Islam, but strove for a modern interpretation. Arkoun pursued the goal of consistently “examining Islam for all erroneous findings, legends, slogans and visions, without being condescending. On the basis of this analysis, a synthesis could take place that would make alternative thinking possible in contrast to previous Islamic thinking. "

Arkoun pleaded for a patient approach to Islam: the Muslim world cannot yet really deal with criticism. The Arabic language lacks words like “criticism” or “reason” as we understand them. “So we mustn't assume critical thinking, we have to introduce it in the first place.” “We rightly demand democracy, human rights and women's liberation. But we mustn't be discouraged if that takes time. ”After all, France didn't introduce women's suffrage until 1944. "We have to think in historical cycles - and in the interest of overarching goals sometimes keep silent or express ourselves more mildly than we would like."

Since Arkoun published mainly in French, he was hardly noticed in both the German-speaking and the Arab world.

Works

German:

  • Islam: Approaching a Religion , Palmyra-Verlag 1999.

French:

  • Aspects de la pensée musulmane [Textes et Documents 15], 1963.
  • (Transl.) Miskawayh: Traité d'Éthique , Damascus: Institut français de Damas , 1969 ( partial online view of the Paris edition, 2010, Bibliothèque des textes philosophiques )
  • Contribution à l'étude de l'humanisme arabe au IVe-Xe siècle: Miskawayh , philosophe et historien. J. Vrin, 1970.
  • L'humanisme arabe au 4e / 10e siècle , 1982.
  • Pour une critique de la Raison islamique , 1984.
  • L'Islam. Approche critique , 2002.
  • Combats pour l'Humanisme en contextes islamiques , 2002.

English:

  • The concept of revelation: From the people of the book to the societies of the book , 1988.
  • Rethinking Islam: Common questions, Uncommon answers , 1994.
  • The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought , 2002, revised edition: Islam: To Reform or to Subvert , 2006.

Honors

In 1996 Mohammed Arkoun was appointed Commander of the French Legion of Honor .

In 2003 he received the Ibn Ruschd Prize for services to democracy and freedom of expression in the Islamic world.

literature

  • Ursula Günther: Mohammed Arkoun: A modern critic of Islamic reason , Ergon-Verlag 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Burhan Schawi (translated by Helene Adjouri): A modern critic of Islamic reason Qantara.de April 4, 2005
  2. ↑ Fredy Gsteiger: "The Koran is not a weapon" , in: Die Zeit, December 23, 1994
personal data
SURNAME Arkoun, Mohammed
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Arkoun, Mohamed; ʿArqūn, Muḥammad; Arkoun, M .; Arkūn, Muḥammad; أركون ، محمد
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Algerian-French philosopher and Islamic scholar
DATE OF BIRTH February 1, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Beni Yenni, Kabylia, Algeria
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 2010
Place of death Paris