Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism

by Omid Safi

Confronting such key contemporary issues as racism, justice, sexuality, and gender, this book offers a revealing insight into the real challenges faced by Muslims of both sexes in Western society.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, Gender, Theology, Politics, Spirituality

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Omid Safi is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he specializes on Islamic mysticism (Sufism), contemporary Islamic thought, and medieval Islamic history. He received his PhD from Duke University in 2000. Before coming to UNC, he was an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Safi is the Chair for the Study of Islam at the American Academy of Religion. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. His book The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam, dealing with medieval Islamic history and politics, was published in 2006. His translation and analysis of Rumi’s biography is forthcoming from Fons Vitae, and his book Memories of Muhammad will be published in Winter of 2009 by HarperOne.

Safi has been at the forefront of the progressive Muslim debate. His book Progressive Muslims, published in 2003, contains a diverse collection of essays by and about “progressive” Muslims. He was one of the cofounders of the Progressive Muslim Union (PMU-NA). Safi resigned from PMU in 2005, but he continues to support progressive interpretations of Islam outside of PMU.

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must for any Queer Muslim, to start off with. The collection of essays are incredible and they helped me find a place within the religion.

[Sarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

“...being a progressive Muslim means not simply thinking more about the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet, but also thinking about the life we share on this planet with all human beings and all living creatures. Seen in this light, our relationship to the rest of humanity changes the way we think about God and vice versa.”

Growing up, I was raised to understand that being a Muslim is to embody the five pillars (faith, pray, charity, fasting and pilgrimage) and generally being a good person. I was trained to read Qur’an beautifully, the memorize verses/surahs, and some teachers even encouraged me to mimic the lifestyle of the Prophet (7th century Arabia) such as living in modesty (“Our Prophet used to sleep on a mat”), for men to grow beard, and many others that I found quite trivial. Perhaps I was quite lucky that my own parents do not fuss much about these things.

I don’t think it is wrong to learn about history, technicality of salah (prayer), read Qur’an well, but I do think we also need to focus on the core of Islamic ethic which is justice. Progressive Muslims is a collection of essays that aim to do so.

“Every human life, female and male, Muslim and non-Muslim, rich or poor has exactly the same intrinsic worth. The essential value of human life is God-given and is in no way connected to culture, geography, or privilege.”

Furthermore, I am glad to find the essays that discuss justice and equality in genders. In this world, Muslim or non-Muslim, women still hold unfavorable position. In Finance industry, it is inevitably dominated by white male. Further in Islam, some essays discuss women’s role in marriage, women’s right to sex/divorce, and how women’s nature to bore children is used to discourage women to pursue things outside home.

It also discusses sexuality. Referring to the idea that every human being is equal, so is homosexual and heterosexual. One essay suggests the new reading/interpretation of Lut, the verse/surah that is heavily referred as restriction on homosexuality in Islam.

The general idea of Progressive Muslims is to challenge the idea of “The Shari’ah says..” or “Islam says..” as if these abstraction actually speak. These interpretations are done by humans that are not infallible (including ones who write these essays). Hence, there must be room for an educated and sensitive dialogue on every issue especially issues that never occurred during the lives of the Prophet.

The title Progressive Muslims made me hesitate a bit. Because I feel that it suggests that Islam is not progressive and I generally dislike categorizing things into two dimension. But I feel that some terminologies/ideas need some definition hence I must say it is defined articulately.

It is worth noting that the whole essays do not necessarily answer our contemporary issues but more of a collection of thoughts that encourage further discussions.

[nonfirqtion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great start in opening up new spaces, and challenging the status quo of the larger Muslim population. Through the essays, what were frequently unheard voices are given a platform (to people who wish to listen) and difficult issues were unpacked and questions were answered beyond the common tropes/answers.

[Houssam El okda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes you rethink everything. It's exciting and amazing. It re-looks the definition of being a Muslim with a progressive outlook and urges the islamic intellectualist movement to shift towards a definition that fits the world we live in.

Less dogma more discussion. I loved it!

[Erin Crane]

I’m dnfing this book not because it’s not good, but because I’m realizing that it’s more in the weeds than I need to be. I’m not Muslim and not planning on converting, so for my own personal philosophical journey this is a little much.

I got about 100 pages in, and I found myself reflecting on the many similarities between Islam and Christianity in terms of their positions and struggles today. I’m oversimplifying, but it struck me that there are few other religions (any?) with the level of power and influence tied to state power as Islam and Christianity (in the present day). There’s a lot of common ground there in terms of the problems that follow from that.

[Nausheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When peace comes to mean the absence of conflict on the one hand, and when conflict with an unjust and racist political order is a moral imperative on the other, then it is not difficult to understand that the better class of human beings are, in fact, deeply committed to disturbing the peace and creating conflict." -- Farid Esack

[Exavidreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of writings written by a group of scholars who consider themselves progressive Muslims. As suggested by the topic of the book, issues discussed revolved around justice, gender and pluralism. The ideas brought up need not necessarily be accepted and one does question how well versed some of these scholars truly are with the Qur'an (I'm no expert myself but having read the translation of the Qur'an several times, I wonder how some of the scholars can put forth such flimsy arguments if they have done the same). Nevertheless, it is good for us to know what these progressive Muslims are thinking so that we can empathise and understand instead of condemning them outright. Moreover, rather than squashing the thoughts that are probably in the minds of many other other Muslims, it is time such issues are brought out in the open and a dialogue be started. And I think that is probably the main intention of these scholars.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came out of discussions post 9/11, which made it all the more interesting to read now - more than a decade later, with ISIS and Donald Trump's xenophobia leading the headlines. Certainly pretty much everything written in these essays still applies, which is pretty disheartening - you'd hope we'd have made some progress.

I was most interested in seeing the different methodologies the authors used to deal with Islamic history and theology - I'm not familiar with either, so it was great to get a taste of a variety of interpretations. There were also some excellent discussions of pluralism that I particularly enjoyed. A few of the essays, particularly one about Islamic political theory, went right over my head, but overall accessible and not too dense.

[Faisal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays by Muslim scholars/activists, and I'm still plugging my way through it. So far from what I've read, I particularly enjoyed engaging with the essays by Khaled Abou El Fadl & Ebrahim Moosa. Those more so than several of the others I've read are focused on the macro view & the need for critical self-analysis by the Muslim community. I'll save the rating until I'm done.

[atiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and sincere.

[Alia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muslim folk will either love it or want to "burn" it.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to opening up space.

[A. David David Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply, THE most inspiring and impressive book on Islam that I have ever read.

[Rob]

This collection explodes the assumptions held by some Westerners (Americans, Europeans, people with a western Judeo-Christian worldview). Yes, some Muslims are illiterate, violent men who keep their women in virtual slavery and live primitively. Most Muslims are not. Most are thoughtful citizens of planet earth who love their kids and hope to live prosperous lives.

Also, Islam is no monolith. Muslims come from Malaysia to Palestine to Bosnia to Dearborn, MI, Muslims and all places in between. Muslim scholars are as erudite and diverse in thought as are scholars of other traditions. This collection of essay touches on a number of topics and does so critical. This is not an apologia defending Islam. These writers are critical thinkers that scrutinize their own tradition.

This is the true spirit of progressive thought. Ask hard questions and refuse to settle for formulaic, one-dimensional, or rehearsed answers. These scholars have done the world a service in examining their own faith. A respectful response from the non-Muslim world, of which I am a part, is to take each essay seriously and to reject prejudicial caricatures. Instead, Muslims must be respected as competent conversation partners and as neighbors on planet earth.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took more than a year to read this book--parts of it I re-read. I would recommend it. The authors represent a range, some are academic. Some scholars of Islamic history and delve pretty deep in Islamic jurisprudence. Some are activists on LGBT or feminist issues. All are attempting to speak to the times of war, terrorism, extremism, Sharia law and Islamophobia.
From the Introduction by Omid Safi, it was apparent that what could be learned was more than "about Islam." In a section called "Problems with the term Progressive" was an enlightening description of labels such as progressive, liberal, left, reform, critical and progress--all very pertinent to my own doubts about these terms the way they were being used in US politics. A view from the outside of 'US hegemony' is sometimes useful.
Also in that section was the statement "Even if we take Islam in the ordinary sense of submission to the Divine, there can be no Islam without the humanity who is doing the submitting." This theme is repeated in many places, highlighting the centrality of human 'doing' of Islam in the umma or community of Muslims, the operation of shura or consultation, and the importance of Ijma or consensus amongst scholars. This process-oriented approach to their religion as recorded by the Prophet and his contemporaries--and recorded since in well-documented history--is continually ignored by Westerners seeking a 'spokesperson for Islam' - something no Muslim with an understanding of these concepts would dare declare themselves to be.
The final section of the book is Progressive Muslims and Plurality, and speaks to the concepts just mentioned, and the role of diversity within Islam, as well as how that diversity relates to the role of Muslims in the world at large. The first section is Progressive Muslims and Contemporary Islam, which covers the current state of Islam from many angles. Distinctions are made between those living in Islamic states, and those not, with an acknowledgment of the broad brush that Muslims are painted with despite the pluralism that they themselves perceive.
The middle section on Gender Justice covers feminism and LGBTQ issues, and is surprisingly candid about sexual desire on the part of women and men, temporary sexual arrangements and homosexuality. Sa'diyya Shaikh's self-description of having "an Arabic name...South African, born and raised solely on the continent of Africa...ancestry Indian...[who] first visited the Middle East at the age of nineteen" speaks to the diversity of Muslims, and also to the way that religious experience is mediated by the culture one lives in. Kecia Ali takes on Islamic jurisprudence in relation to marriage and divorce laws, challenging that the law is not solely the 'realm of conservatives.'
Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle begins his essay with a religious praise of sexual pleasure and 'play' and notes that the Prophet Mohammed "challenged his society not only in the realms of faith and ritual, but also in the realm of sexual pleasure and the complex relationships it creates." This statement is so far removed from the prudish caricature of Muslims, it's shocking. He goes on to build his argument about sexual diversity being in line with Islam being "a religion that positively assesses natural diversity in creation and in human societies," concluding that "It may not be inevitable that 'Islam' stands in opposition to 'homosexual' in a relation of contradiction."
Kugle's approach represents that of a radical re-reading of Islamic history in light of the present, seeking to unearth supportive teachings of the past to fit the present. The essay following his, by Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, takes another approach. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee US, she discusses the role of women in Islam in the context of slavery and Jim Crow. Similar to US history, she writes, "The idea that changes in law are required when there is harm caused by the law is not a new idea in Islam. Najim al Din Al-Towfi (d. 1316) wrote, 'If a text implies any damage to the general interest (maslaha) it is the latter (general interest) which should prevail.--But some say that it is against the text. On the contrary, it reinforces the text, which was revealed in order to safeguard human welfare.'"
After reading this book, I definitely have a different and deeper understanding of Islam, its history and followers. Though the legal writings were dense, it was helpful to see what Muslims who refer to jurisprudence and history mean, and why simplistic answers are not encouraged. It's also easier to see how the less-than-educated "spokespersons" and extremists, without standing in their own communities, sometimes without any understanding of Islam at all, have come to be seen as representative of the one and a half billion Muslims in the world. To read terms such as Muslim democracy and Progressive Muslim, issues such as feminism, diversity and tolerance, discussed within the context of Islamic teachings is an important counter to the voices within and outside of Islam who claim these are ideas are incompatible.
The book was written in 2003, when 9-11 was still fresh, but after the pattern had been set for the coverage of Islam in US media. Much of the book is a critique of this coverage, and the general lack of information about their religion in the West - and these are the reasons this was the perfect book for me to read, though I wish I had found it sooner. The fact that the situation has changed little in the West makes the book still extremely relevant.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book far from reflects the majority opinion of Muslims, but the contributors do make a good case for a more magnanimous form of Islam. Although some of the authors make the same mistake that Irshad Manji does in her famous treatise, i.e. fixating on certain aspects of the Quran and ignoring the parts they find inconvenient, they are from her sloppy scholarship. If only more Muslims read this instead of skeptics.

[Myles Zakariyya Vine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quality really differs upon individual essays within the book.

[Sophie]

😍

[Ibrahim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF ESSAYS

Editor Omid Safi (a Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University) wrote in the Introduction to this 2003 book, “At the heart of a progressive Muslim interpretation is a simple yet radical idea: every human life, female and male, Muslim and non-Muslim, rich or poor… has exactly the same intrinsic worth. The essential value of human life is God-given, and is in no way connected to culture, geography, or privilege… A progressive Muslim agenda is concerned with the ramifications of the premise that all members of humanity have this same intrinsic worth because, as the Quran reminds us, each of us has the breath of God breathed into our being… being a progressive Muslim means not simply thinking more about the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet, but also thinking about the life we share on this planet with all human beings and all living creatures… our relationship to the rest of humanity changes the way we think about God, and vice versa.” (Pg. 3)

He adds, “Progressive Muslims insist on a serious engagement with the full spectrum of Islamic thought and practices. There can be no progressive Muslim movement that does not engage the very ‘stuff’ (textual and material sources) of the Islamic tradition, even if some of us would wish to debate what ‘stuff’ that should be and how it should be interpreted.” (Pg. 7)

He states, “we do not, have not ever, and will not ever all agree on one interpretation of Islam. This is why I so dislike ‘pamphlet Islam’---and what seems to be taking its place now, ‘web Islam.’ I do not want to hear about Islam from an authoritarian who hides his or her own views under a grand title like ‘The Islamic Position on Jesus.’ I would prefer each author to tell me about her or his own position, identify his or her own argument and sources, and mention where they fit in a wider intellectual spectrum.” (Pg. 23)

Khaled Abou El Fadl states, “Bin Laden, although raised in a Wahhabi environment, is not strictly speaking, part of that creed. Wahhabism is distinctively introverted---although focused on power, it primarily asserts power over other Muslims…This is consistent with Wahhabism’s classic obsession with orthodoxy and correct ritualistic practice, especially as they pertain to the seclusion of women. Militant puritan groups, however, are both introverted and extroverted---they attempt to assert power over both Muslims and non-Muslims. As populist movements, they are a reaction to the disempowerment most Muslims have suffered in the modern age at the hands of harshly despotic governments, and at the hands of interventionist foreign powers... Fueled by the supremacist and puritan creed of Salafabism, these groups’ symbolic acts of power become uncompromisingly fanatic and violent.” (Pg. 61)

Sa’diyya Shaikh points out, “While some Muslims eschew the term ‘feminist,’ increasing numbers have begun to utilize the term to describe themselves. The value of retaining the term ‘feminism’ is that it enables Muslim women to situate their praxis in a global political landscape. This in turn creates grater possibilities for alliances, exchanges, and mutually enriching interaction among different groups of women. These connections enable varying groups of women to share and learn from each other’s experiences, whether this is an exchange of feminist tools of analysis, or of varying ways of implementing activist initiatives.” (Pg. 155)

Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle suggests, “For gay and lesbian Muslims, the term ‘homosexuality’ represents the acknowledgement that there is a natural diversity in sexuality in human societies… more and more thoughtful people are accepting that homosexuality is not a sickness, weakness, or sin, but rather is a natural variation in human character. This should give gay and lesbian Muslims reason to be courageous and optimistic, for terms mean what they mean as a result of discussion, debate, and struggle… It may not be inevitable that ‘Islam’ stands in opposition to ‘homosexual’ in a relation of contradiction. A basic strategy for questioning dominant Muslim interpretations of Islam is … we should return to Islam’s most basic principles, knowing that the details of dominant interpretations may not be in accord with the basic principles.” (Pg. 195)

Later, he adds, “The earliest incident in which a man was punished for same-sex relations occurred during the rule of Abu Bakr, after the death of Muhammad. It is clear from the incident that the closest Companions of the Muhammad knew of no precedent for such punishment. The Prophet had never punished anyone for same-sex relations and had not specified a method of punishment… This story is very revealing, since it shows the uncertainty of the Companions surrounding same-sex activity and confirms that the Prophet Muhammad himself had never specified a method of punishment.” (Pg. 221)

This book will be “must reading” for both progressive Muslims, and for those who want to know more about the movement.

[Hena · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you're already a feminist or are interested in these issues, you won't get much new insight i feel.

[Mel]

Selections:
- Sa'diyya Shaikh: "Transforming Feminisms: Islam, Women, and Gender Justice"
- Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle: "Sexuality, Diversity, and Ethics in the Agenda of Progressive Muslims"

[ھلال خاں · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is what a work looks like when written by Islamic academia's equivalent of scientology. Absurd, and without depth, and without much knowledge of Islamic disciplines.