Reopening Muslim Minds

by Mustafa Akyol

“Mustafa Akyol telah menulis kisah tentang perjalanan intelektual yang membuka wacana dan akan menjadi pusat perhatian teman-teman Muslimnya, serta menimbulkan harapan bagi kita non-Muslim di seluruh dunia.” - Jack Miles, Penulis Buku God: A Bioraphy dan God in the Quran, yang Memenangkan Pulitzer Prize

“Lebih dari sekadar pembelaan yang berapi-api terhadap toleransi dan nalar, Reopening Muslim Minds membawa pembaca pada perjalanan yang benar-benar menyenangkan dan mencerahkan melalui teologi dan hukum Islam. Dengan kecerdasan dan kefasihan yang brilian, Mustafa Akyol telah menulis sebuah buku yang kehadiran dan kekuatannya tak terbantahkan. Buku ini harus menjadi bacaan wajib bagi setiap pengkaji Islam dan Dunia Muslim secara serius.” - Khaled Abou El Fadl, Profesor Hukum terkemuka Fakultas Hukum UCLA dan penulis buku.

“Buku ini memikat, menarik, dan sangat terpelajar tentang konsekuensi yang ditanggung umat Islam akibat mengesampingkan nalar. Akyol menulis dengan kecerdasan intuitif, empati, cinta, dan harapan.” —Asma Barlas, Profesor Politik Emeritus Ithaca College, Penulis Buku Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur’an

“Bagi Mustafa Akyol, warisan Islam tidak boleh dianggap sebagai sekadar museum yang steril, tetapi sebuah taman hidup yang selalu dan, kapan saja bisa diolah kembali.” —Enes Kari?, Profesor Studi Al-Qur’an di Fakultas Studi Islam, Universitas Sarajevo

“Pengingat yang tepat waktu dan penuh semangat bahwa nilai-nilai universal seperti toleransi, kebebasan, dan kesetaraan harus digali dari teks-teks dasar Islam.” —Asma Afsaruddin, Profesor Studi Islam di Indiana University, Bloomington, Penulis Buku Contemporary Issues in Islam

Genres: Religion, Islam, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Philosophy, Sociology

404 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2023

About the author

Mustafa Akyol lives in Istanbul and is a columnist for the Turkish newspapers Hürriyet Daily News and Star. He has written opinion pieces for the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, and Newsweek.

Reviews

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Qur’an for the first time nearly twenty years ago, and its message of compassion, generosity, and practicing good action has guided me many times since. Before my first reading, I had studied world religions, and my studies led me to having a great affinity for Islam and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Although I grew up in the Christian tradition, my admiration for Islam has continued to grow over the last twenty years, and many verses in the Qur’an are important in my life with guiding me in understanding God and our diverse world.

Some of the verses that resonate most with me are revealed in the fifth Surah. These verses are among those that Mustafa Akyol also cites towards the end of his remarkably thoughtful and enlightening new book Reopening Muslim Minds: “We have assigned a law and path to each of you. If God had so willed, He would have made you one community, but He wanted to test you through that which He has given you, so compete in doing good. You will all return to God and He will make clear to you the matters you differed about” (Qur’an 5:45-48).

This message the Qur’an delivers to us has enlightened me with an understanding of how God acknowledges differences among religions, beliefs, ideas, and peoples because it is God who intended these differences. God did this so that we would have to learn from each other and coexist as many nations in seeking peace and understanding among each other, and in the end God will explain why He tested us with these differences. This type of universalism is what makes me so fond of Islam, and it is this universal open-mindedness that Akyol’s book explores in guiding us to see how Islam has always had at the heart of its scripture an emphasis on reason, freedom, and tolerance.

With impressive research and fascinating insight, Akyol explains how the vibrant intellectualism of early Islam sadly eroded into a legal culture of countless laws and codes that sought to regulate every aspect of life at the expense of universal human rights. However, he also documents how those who followed the Mu’tazila way of thinking embraced the need to maintain freedom and reason within their theology. They adopted a worldview whereby they saw a synchronicity between faith and rationalism with both ways serving as valuable sources of knowledge. In addition, the Mu’tazila saw the world as having a “natural moral code” that enables humans to understand values apart from revelation. They also believed that the attainment of morality is possible without absolute compliance to traditions and customs of religion.

In opposition to the open-mindedness of the Mu’tazila were those who adhered to Ash’arism. Akyol examines how Ash’arites believed in strict commitment to faith without need for any rational justification. They denied “ethical objectivism” and also rejected embracing the fairness of God’s benefaction. Instead, they chose to place exclusive reliance on what is good/bad and right/wrong based on the exactitude in Holy Scripture.

Akyol shows how this “soliderlike obedience to religious texts reflects the mainstream religious mindset in broad parts of the Muslim world.” This has emboldened Ash’arism scholars to declare their allegiance to texts only, regardless of understanding context, time period, intention, or interpretation. Contrary to what Ash’arism espouses, Akyol steers us in understanding how the Qur’an guides us to practice justice and goodness and refrain from transgression and evil. He makes clear how the Qur’an entrusts us to innately understand ethical values of sensible morality. In fact, Akyol explains how the Qur’an emphasizes great positivity towards reason while also warning us against “whimsical desires.”

Akyol’s extraordinary chronicle of Islamic history identifies the detriment of how the “divine command theory” of Ash’arism wrested the upper-hand away from the reason of the Mu’tazila open-mindedness. He then explains how after reason and ethics became marginalized, immoral acts became justified by conservatives who relied strictly on religious commandments. Even when modernity offered new and exciting knowledge, Islamic jurisprudence kept pushing for the same archaic rules and codes to be enacted.

I agree with Akyol that we must harmonize religious rules that link believers with “universal principles” because he embraces how we can “learn from other cultures who may have cultivated the same values in their own traditions.” He goes on to explain how the “majesty of the early Islamic civilization” existed with a cosmopolitanism open to learning from the diverse knowledge of other cultures. In addition, he sees how regaining universalism requires re-acknowledging how Islam—the same as all religions—developed precisely because it embraced justice and compassion.

He recognizes the challenge that universalism faces against extremists who demand subservience to divine commands by trying to crush rationalism, liberalism, feminism, and human rights as somehow evil forms of interacting with the world. I like how Akyol suggests we delve deeper into God’s commandments and connect with the intentions that can be gained therein from God’s Word.

Akyol addresses how if the Sharia is about having a path to God and leading a righteous life the way God wants us to, then we must remember how the way of God is about wisdom, welfare, justice, and mercy. To the contrary, the Sharia is not about injustice and harm. Furthermore, if we are to embrace God’s way of knowledge and wisdom, we must understand how God put science and laws in motion within nature.

One of the most interesting aspects of Akyol’s study is his showing how Islam’s history has always had a capacity to embrace science. He’s right when he observes, “The Qur’an repeatedly calls on humans to reflect on the created world and to realize the majesty of God.” The enormous challenge is to redirect popular Muslim culture, which too often places God as the sole arbiter of rewards and punishments. This narrow way of thinking prevents understanding the dynamics of the complex world and it dismisses hard work, technology, and creativity as irrelevant in producing results. Such irrational thinking perceives natural disasters as divine wrath, and likewise any human achievement as a divine reward. The hypocrisy rampant in this way of thinking is glaringly obvious in the fact that these individuals doubt science yet they want iPhones and war technology, and yet they show utter disdain for the science that created these modern advancements.

I’m with Akyol when he suggests we seek intuition alongside religion to help us embrace the truth of how to lead better lives. He shows how the Qur’an asks us to reflect on creation and created things and also to pursue knowledge because the truth of philosophy and science do not negate the truth of faith. I love how he embraces both faith and science to believe in “a more principled and intelligible God.” Furthermore, reason leads us to understand that in order for the Qur’an to be eternal, it needs to work for all people in every generation and it needs, as Akyol says, to work in accordance with “universal ethical values, and the changing circumstances of the human reality.”

Akyol goes on to point out that another challenge Islam has faced since its advent has been the ambitions of powerful states to make Islam into what they want it to be for everyone. To attain that narrow reality, they suppress valid approaches to learning and to human rights by installing the narrowness of their own draconian beliefs. Judaism and Christianity, he points out, have fared somewhat better throughout history with distancing themselves from state politics.

What Akyol ultimately advocates is “going back to the context of the Qur’an in order to understand the divine intentions behind laws, and then coming back to the modern context to formulate new laws to serve those intentions.” By doing this, we embrace the origins of how Islam has always preached monotheism, and it is Muhammad, as the final messenger, who served God as a great teacher, leader, reformer, and also, as Akyol points out, a “warner” in guiding people to do good by God. However, if some choose not to listen to the way of God’s goodness, it should not be in our human capacity to judge and punish them, for the Qur’an instructs us that everything is in God’s hands. Therefore, it is His job to decide, and it is our job to seek our own inner freedom and our own sincerity in connecting with God.

Therefore, Akyol advises us against overstepping our human capacity, and he uses reason to confront oppression: “Any attempt at religious policing is nothing other than imposition of the Islam of whomever has power in any given territory. What is imposed is not ‘God’s will,’ in other words, but the law of Wahhabi clerics, Shiite ayatollahs, or Shafi’i jurists.” He believes the embrace of reason, freedom, and tolerance is possible if we “let all Muslims follow their own traditions and persuasions, ‘postpone’ their unresolved disputes to the afterlife, and respect each as Ahl al-Qibla.” If we can reach this level of acceptance, Akyol reminds us that Islam will again resonate with “a liberating force” that has always been an eternal quality of its humane message and teachings.

Reopening Muslim Minds offers us a brilliant piece of historical scholarship and an equally compassionate and inspiring exploration of faith and the human capacity for embracing universal ethics. As someone who grew up as a Christian in America, I have also found a natural affinity for Islam’s teachings because of the universalism, humanity, and ingenuity essential within its message. Akyol’s remarkable book enables us to reconnect with the timelessness of Islam’s universalism, and his work represents the ethical approach we need to open our hearts and expand our minds.

Akyol’s book may be speaking to Muslims, but whether we are Jews, Christians, Muslims, or another faith, his advocacy for recognizing the value in diverse beliefs and for promoting the power of learning is something we can all embrace. Muhammad guided the ummah with universal ethics, and so Islam has always had an acceptance of others and their beliefs. For those who love the message of Islam that Muhammad shared with us, Akyol reminds us how we must be willing to see reason, freedom, and tolerance as forever resonant within the faith. We must also be willing to accept open-mindedness as a worthy path to fulfilling God’s goodness.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thank St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Publishers for providing me with an advance copy of this book via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review but received the book free of charge.

Islam's global reputation has suffered since 2001. Decades ago, my mother observed that in the Middle Ages, the Muslim world's mathematics were ahead of Europe's. My kids attended school with many moderate, very liberal-minded Ismaili Muslims (Shia) and I worked with moderate Sunni Muslims. In medieval, Islamic Spain, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together in relative harmony, which they might not have done so easily in Christian countries of the time.

Author and Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol, himself a Muslim, asks what happened to that tolerant, advanced, more liberal Islam. Why, he asks, are so many Muslim majority countries today among the world's worst governed, least economically advanced, least tolerant and least democratic?

It is fascinating to read Akyol's account of how the scriptures of Islam were created. The Qu'ran is supplemented by the Hadith, stories of Muhammed's life and teachings. Like the Bible, much of the Qu'ran and Hadith were written down long after the life of the Prophet. Various leaders in the war-torn, medieval Arabian Peninsula edited and redacted the Qu'ran and especially the Hadith to suit their political purposes, which led to many liberal, tolerant ideas being de-emphasized or removed.

Islamic political leaders tended to be religious leaders, a conflict of interest that persists to this day. Islam is an integrated faith and political system. There's been no Islamic reformation to separate mosque and state, as Akyol and other authors like Ayaan Hirsi Ali point out.

Akyol notes that the historical pattern of Islamic censorship and repression continued for most of the next 14 centuries, as the forces of coercion and literalism triumphed both politically and spiritually over moderate voices. He describes a brilliant, 12th century Muslim scholar, physician and jurist named Ibn Rushd, who lived in Córdoba, Spain at the same time as a noted Jewish scholar named Moses ben Maimon.

Rushd was famous for his insightful commentaries on the works of Aristotle, which inspired scholars across Europe, but Rushd fell out of favour with Islamic rulers of Spain and his books were burned. Rushd is still known and admired thanks to translations to Latin and Hebrew, but his own faith and the Islamic caliphate then ruling Spain cancelled him, mostly for being too liberal. He is sometimes called the last Muslim philosopher.

Meanwhile, ben Maimon, despite being a Jew living under that same Islamic government in Spain, became a celebrated Talmudic scholar, jurist and philosopher. In fact , ben Maimon was the physician to the sultan Saladin. Multi-talented ben Maimon was eventually driven into exile by Muslim leaders, but nobody burned his works and he is revered to this day.

Having just read several books on the rise of Postmodernist/Wokeness/Critical Theory/Identity politics to its current dominance of Western, non-Muslim culture, I was struck by similarities between today's Woke philosophy and Akyol's description of Islam, which many might perceive as the opposite of Woke.

Both Wokeness and Islam subordinate the individual to the group identity, defend a rules based doctrine that discourages reflection, show intense hostility to debate and demonstrate willingness to cancel opponents until all are either converted or cancelled.

This is relevant because criticism of powerful institutions, including governments and all religions, is absolutely vital to keep them in check. Oppression by groups, governments and religions who censor criticism is a huge and rising threat to human freedom. Authors like Mustafa Akyol, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Flemming Rose, Douglas Murray, Dr. Gad Saad and Helen Pluckrose are doing a huge service to us all by highlighting the dangers of illiberalism in media, government, academia and religion.

We know from Akyol, from other authors and from current events that Islam can be hard on its adherents, especially women and LGBTQ people. Some branches of Islam condone brutal treatment of non-Muslims.

Akyol appeals to the universal humanity of Muslims, suggesting they reconsider literal interpretations of medieval texts. He urges Muslims instead to follow their human instincts, treating others as they would wish to be treated and steering the faith back to its more tolerant, less dogmatic roots.

That seems a long shot, because while the literalist approach within the faith is not universal, it remains entrenched, as global opinion polls demonstrate.

It's vital and very brave of Muslim authors like Akyol and Hirsi Ali to call for an Islamic reformation and risk being leaders of change. This is an important book, which everyone should read.

There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, some of whom share Akyol's thirst for renewal. Many more will need to speak out for reform, if the reformers' vision is to become a reality. Let us hope that those with the most to gain from positive change, like the hundreds of millions of Muslim women, will find their voices.

[Chaunceton Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an eye-opening book. I was learning new information on every page, much of which was unsettling.

This book is a shocking reminder of how lacking the Islamic world (defined loosely as countries where Islam is widespread, and is affecting the law of the land in some material way) lacks ideological freedom. As an American, I sometimes take for granted our ability to believe what we want, express those beliefs openly, and face absolutely no retribution or consequence for doing so. This is not so in the Islamic world.

Mustafa Akyol shares an inside perspective on what it means to live in the Islamic world, and how one's mind becomes rigid with a set of ideals shared by all. Those ideals, stated simply, are that a god exists, and that that god has created strict, tedious rules for humans, and that if all humans do not exercise absolute obedience to those rules, other humans are justified in subjecting the disobedient humans to violence, imprisonment, and even death. Mr. Akyol also demonstrates throughout the book how convincing large populations of people to adhere to the Quran works to the benefit of rulers and leaders in those lands. Upsetting stuff.

Ultimately, the author encourages Muslims to accept values like free-thinking, tolerance, equality, and rationality by arguing that those values are already present in Islam's underlying texts. It is disturbing that over one billion members of humanity need convincing that freedom of thought and equality for all is something to be embraced instead of punished with death. But by meeting the Muslim world with their own beliefs and teachings, and encouraging more progressive ideals, that is exactly what Mr. Akyol attempts to do.

I received a courtesy copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. The means by which I came into possession of this book has not affected my opinion of the book.

[Safa · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative, beneficial, and simply great. a book about why Islam is living its worse era in this modern world, and how to get back in track with ancient glorious times. It highlights the fact that Islam in its golden age was universal in terms of embracing reason, freedom, and tolerance mainly. The book also included background information about the sects, and their perspectives as to how and why they practice Islam in their specific ways.. and that was quite enlightening to both muslims and non-muslims. The author also tackled the idea of the "ambiguity" of Quran and Sunna which leads to "misinterpretations", and that's those who interpreted in a way and were the majority were oppressive -throughout history- towards those who interpreted differently and were the minority.. and it's not about who got the right interpretations and who failed for that is to Allah who knows all; it's about how muslims are most of the times blind-minded about the whole picture, and how clingy they are towards a tiny part of the past, and unforgiving of anything off their traditions. and that's a huge problem indeed. Enfin, الإسلام بريء مما يفعله المسلمون, and if Allah swt and prophet Muhammed pbuh ( الصحيح مما ورد عنه) left some matters flexible to the cruelty and "changeability" of time, that says nothing other than how great Islam is, and how it's suited for everytime and every place.. and that Islam is to be sought and not memorised.
I love this book. It will definitely not be the last time i read it. an absolutely favorite book about Islam.

[Hassan Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for muslims who have felt, lived, observed, seen much of what Muslim world has become and who think about it. For those who are not conviced to renounce the truth and essence of Islam because of the current outer state of the nations and peoples who claim it, this book is a refreshing read.

"Reopening Muslim Minds" answers theoretically the central question of what factors contributed to the current state of the Islamic world and what is needed to be done in order to progress from this point, in a readable and easy-to-understand but academically sound manner.

What is the "current state" of the Islamic world that so much requires change. The author starts the book with a personal anecdote that illustrates the problem, and discusses (especially in chapters 4-7) the "current state" in depth: lack of ethical behavior, Isolationism and exceptionalism, stagnation of sharia and lack of knowledge and scientific output. Lack of critical and creative thinking, subservience to authoritarian power, and lack of curiosity to learn and adapt.

These are the results of a theological stance that permeated what later became the orthodoxy, a stance which apparently denies reason, discourages tolerance and denounces freedom. And also of politically-motivated interference in the religion and religiously-motivated politics which was common in the Islamic world in its early ages.

But it was never the only theology, or even the only accepted theology of Islam. This is the thing that the author explores throughout the book, that there clearly are resources within Islamic tradition that support reason, tolerance and freedom (Mutazilite Theology, Islamic Philosophy, Maqasidi Sharia, Raye, "Irja", to name a few) and various individual scholars that advocated these. Muslims must revisit these and relearn the assumptions, beliefs and behaviours that once made Islamic civilization great.

The book's arguments, or its discussion of alternative but also actually Islamic paths is not exhaustive. There is room for more discussion in every chapter, but what's written is sufficient to make the point clear. The aims of the author are noble and respectable. In short, a good case for Islamic Enlightenment.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. This text explores the different views that have arisen in the Muslim religion concerning various interpretations of the Quran throughout history. The author, Mustafa Akyol, has carefully researched and documented the information presented in his book.

Since I am not familiar with Islam and have not studied the history of religion, I did feel a bit overwhelmed by all the numerous religious authorities, religious leaders, and scholars’ names in the discussion and arguments presented in the book. However, this does not hinder Akyol from making his point clear and that is that not all interpretations of the Quran require Muslins to hate and wish to destroy all those who do not practice their faith.

Akyol argues that some interpretations support an ideal of religious tolerance and understanding. Akyol’s message is not just for western Christians but also for Jews and Muslims. He wants to remove the hatred from this faith and encourage a climate of understanding, and his research, presented in this text, demonstrates that his view is soundly based on the idea of religious tolerance set forth in many readings of the Quran.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Donald Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad this will fall on deaf ears....

My first reaction to this book is that the Muslims that need to read it will probably never see it. The second reaction is the title could have just as well been, with a few adjustments, "Reopening Christian Minds."

Akyol lays out a well researched discussion of just how Islam went from a religion of peace and tolerance to the current state of war and intolerance. The evolution of how fundamentalist can take over and control the mindset of believers is bad enough, but when they become the political power the progress of a once great nation moves backward.

Akyol's reasoning can be applied to any religion. When open discussion is shutdown, when questioning becomes heresy, when fundamentalist stifle theological studies, any religion can become pharisee like.
The current Muslim regimes, for the most part, take all of this to the extreme.

Any time the Quran or the Bible or any religions "scripture" is used as a rulebook as opposed to a love letter from God, the situation Akyol describes for Muslims can become the reality for any belief system.
This book is a warning for all religions.

This one gets five stars

[Sabeeha Rehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable book. True to its title, it not only opened my mind, but validated my approach towards #islam What was based on my common sense, he establishes with evidence & the power of reason. He clearly explains why Muslim nations have fallen behind. A Must-Read, particularly for Muslims. I have added this book to my gift list.

[Tahira Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

This type of writing is dangerous. The author misunderstands others and claims he knows better than them. His words are misguidance. His thinking isn't completely flawed, mostly his conclusions. His perceptions are skewed. May he be guided to all the best. Amen.

[Moha · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5 AMAZING. If you are a Muslim this is a must! if you re not it should still be a very worthwhile read.

[Reiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't expect this to be soo good!

Awalnya agak skeptis mengingat buku dengan tema wacana yang agak "berat" biasanya muncul dengan terjemahan yang njelimet alias tidak mudah dipahami. Tapi yang membuatku cukup kaget, terjemahan di buku ini mudah sekali dipahami, mudah dirunut dan tidak membuatku capek dalam membacanya (terima kasih untuk hasil terjemahannya, Prof. Nina Nurmila, PhD).

Buku ini diawali dengan pengalaman personal penulisnya, Mustafa Akyol, ketika ia ditangkap oleh polisi syariah di Malaysia karena polemik ceramahnya mengenai ayat "tidak ada paksaan dalam beragama". Penangkapan ini membuatnya berpikir mengenai kondisi umat Islam saat ini. Mustafa Akyol, yang adalah peneliti dan jurnalis, membuat riset buku ini selama dua tahun dengan menggali pemikiran-pemikiran kaum Mutazilah, Falasifah dan Murji'ah mengenai pandangan toleransi, keberagaman, serta penggunaan akal dalam Islam.

Sebuah buku yang mencerahkan, dan sejujurnya membuatku takjub dengan kekayaan intelektual dari para pemikir Islam sejak dulu hingga saat ini. Ayat-ayat yang menyuruh kita untuk menggunaan akal, melihat bukti keberadaan Tuhan lewat alam dan sekitarnya, serta memahami keberagaman pemikiran dan pandangan soal ketuhanan (yang menjadi implikasi positif dari latar belakang masyarakat dan suku bangsa yang berbeda-beda) membuatku yakin akan Tuhan yang penuh ke-Maha-an.

[Leonard Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an informative book. However, it does not carry its argument. The author traces the persistent presence through the ages of those who seek to bring Islam to a tolerant, reason based, point of view. And the author describes his own legal and critical analysis that provides that Islam at its roots is tolerant and reason based. Yet, the author does not provide any explanation as to why Islam and its followers have repeatedly chosen to reject the tolerant/reason based approach; nor does the author tell us why official Islam and its followers would be persuaded to accept his arguments. While, in a very brief discussion, the author argues that moderation has been adopted, his lack of factual detail to support that assertion does not override his own citation that there are approximately 30 countries that, as a matter of law, follow the most intolerant and rigid Islamic doctrines.

[Othman Abdul Rahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, well written and researched.

However, I doubt the mainstream Muslims can open up their minds (at least not in my life time) as most of them rely so much on the religious scholars and institutions which have been so ingrained in their blood. Being different from the mainstream is a taboo to most of them.

Keep up the good work, Mustafa Akyol. Islam, as a Deen, needs people like you to open up our minds.

[Harmen de Jong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volgens de schrijver was de Islam in de beginperiode een zeer tolerante religie die oog had voor onderdrukten, zoals vrouwen, slaven, kinderen. T/m de 11e eeuw steeg de filosofie (was toen hetzelfde als wetenschap algemeen) tot grote hoogten. Heel wat Islamitische geleerden waren een voorbeeld voor westerse collega’s, meestal veel later. Ze waren ook niet bang om van niet-moslims te leren. Maar ergens vanaf die tijd kwam er de klad in. Er was een sterke connectie tussen Islam en staat. Er waren vele stromingen, in het boek wordt een globaal onderscheid gemaakt tussen de Muta’zila (rede is belangrijk en ook noodzakelijk voor het interpreteren van de Koran) en de Ash’ariten (Koran en geloof bepalen alles, rede is fout). Aanvankelijk waren de Mutazilisten de grootste stroming, na de 11e eeuw werden dat de Asharisten. Dat verschil werd goed zichtbaar tot op de huidige dag. De Ashariten verklaren alles door de wil van God. Een appel valt niet naar beneden vanwege de zwaartekracht, maar omdat God dat doet. Je moet niet raar staan te kijken als hij een keer omhoog valt. De Koran werd letterlijk genomen, het systeem dat latere verzen eerdere konden opheffen maakte dat een bepaalde stroming dominant kon worden. Die was niet vriendelijk naar ongelovigen. Deze theologie is de dominante visie in de meeste moslimlanden. De schrijver laat zien dat de Koran heel anders gelezen dient te worden, namelijk in context en niet letterlijk. Dan zien veel zaken er anders uit. Mooier. Ongeveer dat is het thema van dit boek. Als je het gelezen hebt, heb je ook een beetje een idee waarom bv Al-Quaida, ISIS en De Taliban doen wat ze doen. Het zou voor o.a. politici verplichte kost moeten zijn.

Echter, het gevoel wat mij ook bekroop was: droom lekker verder, zo'n omwenteling gaat voorlopig niet gebeuren.

Een aanrader!

[Israa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. This book reads as a historical or political textbook, but at least it has some interesting personal connections and understandable real-life examples. Those who have watched the "Imam Ahmed" series (available on YouTube with English subtitles) would appreciate this book, as it explains the different theological discussions from the time period. The author discusses theology, politics, and history from a balanced lens. I appreciate the discussion of how Muslim societies need to "revive objective ethical values," "reconnect with the rest of humanity" and go back to being universal. The author clearly dispels misconceptions, misinterpretations, and strict mis-constructs of Islam and its teachings. I think including a graphic timeline would provide a good tool for scholars or teachers. The resources and references are well researched and cited, without being overly reliant on quoting scripture or preaching. It is easy to read without too many unexplained foreign words, and it does not need a glossary. I would recommend this book for older adults, but I don't see the younger generations being interested due to its heavy content. Those in authority to influence and make changes should definitely read this book.

[Duane Alexander Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in Spain where everyone knows about Don Quixote. Don Quixote took upon himself the role of a knight errant, searching out the damsel in distress and the unjustly oppressed to free them from the powers of sorcery and corruption. He was dreaming the impossible dream.

I wonder if Akyol is doing the same thing here. In this excellent and readable book he outlines his vision of a tolerant vision of te sharia, identifying where things went wrong in the history of Islamic jurisprudence. (Chief among them are the defeat of the Mu'tazila and the later victory of Al Ghazali over Islamic philosophy.)

Well, as a Christian who has lived many years in the Middle East, all I can say is, "Best wishes." I do hope that this vision of a more tolerant and pluralistic Islam will gain steam an succeed. But even if it doesn't happen, I suspect he'll be viewed like the hero Don Quixote, who was more remembered for his beautiful dream than for his ultimate lack of success.

[Ahmed Lary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really grand claims are introduced in the book .. pretty interesting but not supported by solid evidence and discussion .. an easy read but I believe in order to have these ideas get penetrated in hard core Muslim societies it should be based on some deeper discussions ..
To be honest I enjoyed reading a Muslim Turkish-secular point of view on Islam .. it really deals with Islam with an honest intention rather than the so-called secular writings and articles in the Gulf region that we face everyday here ..

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed, well-researched text on how Islam shifted from a religion that encouraged thought, science, and universalism to the spectrum of sects that exist today, from extremists, to those who literally interpret the Qu’ran, to those who call for a more liberal exchange of ideas, mixing modern situations, secular law, and new considerations, and those who fall elsewhere.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible book. It was compellingly written, and I learned so much.
Although I am not a Muslim, I appreciated the overall message of this book and do not think it is one only relevant to Muslims. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and convincingly argued.

[Josh Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being raised a Christian this book opened my eyes by providing more insight into many questions I always had about my faith, and the collective faith and destiny of the world.

We should all be involved in one glorious competition no matter your faith—to quietly do the most good out of anyone, however you’re able.

Bringing everyone together, regardless of religion, to compete on that field would be the ultimate win for mankind. This is Islam. This is the goal.

We are all equal players in one massive stadium with an audience of one- God. In a friendly competition to do the most good. Can you think of a better goal? Imagine how beautiful this world would become.

[San'a Sukhera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a very interesting read which provides a political and historical insight on Islam which is not often talked about in mainstream media. As someone who can see the modern American mindset objectively, there does seem to be a slight undertone of propaganda. Not necessarily in a bad way but in a 'it's hard to be American and Muslim' way. Would definitely recommend for people who are confused about the differences in what they read in the Quran and the Islam they see practiced by some in the world today.

[Darius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a Muslim who argues that Islam is compatible with modernity just as much as Christianity is. He presents the history of Islamic thought, including controversies about reason, tolerance and apostasy. He argues that interpretations and traditions adopted by Islamic scholars over the ages often have counter arguments, based on the Quran. He argues that Islam advocated for universalism and equality of human beings, but political powers morphed it into something that has intolerant practices, and undercut reason and individuality.

He wants Muslims to see that the Quran itself supports ideas that are compatible with modern ideas like the use of reason, toleration for others, and a separation of religion and State.

While well-argued, the book is probably more detailed than many lay non-muslims would be interested in. The detail would be relevant to people who are studying the details of Islamic intellectual evolution. It will also be of interest to lay Muslims who are trying to figure out the history and intellectual arguments within their own religion. Of course, for them, this book is one view and they would seek counter arguments elsewhere but it's a strongly argued view worth debating.

[Ronald J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Introduction is titled: “A Night with the Religion Police.” If that doesn’t draw you in to this book, you’re not curious. I found this book enlightening, and historically fascinating. There’s a lot of caricatures surrounding Islam, and Mustafa corrects the record. He writes that about a dozen Islamic states punish apostates with the death penalty. This despite the Quran’s phrase: “There is no compulsion in religion.” Faith is not something you can police, he says. He describes the two brands of Islam: Sunni” and “S’’hiite, 90% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are Sunni. Where they differ is in which is rightful heir to Muhammad, his first caliph (successors). He explains how Muhammad was a merchant. When he was asked to lower prices, he responded: “Fixing prices is an injustice to the merchants.” In some respects, Islam was the center of capitalism 1,000 years ago—it was the most advanced in the world. It was the leader in astronomy, physics, mathematics, medicine, optics, philosophy, law, economy, architecture, urban planning, and music. Mustafa explains its “exceptional absorptive quality”—synthesizing knowledge from many cultures. “It’s common for Muslims to long for this golden age of Islam. But there’s not enough introspection about how it came to be and why it faded away.” He explains why there’s not enough introspection. He explains the difference between voluntarism and intellectualism. The former believes God doesn’t command good actions or prohibit evil. To the contrary, these are good and evil because they are commanded by God. Alternatively, intellectualism believe there are objective moral values behind God’s commandments, which men are forced to give their assent, which led to Natural Law.

He explains in one chapter, “Why We Lost Reason, Really.” He says the real difference with Judaism and Christianity: their association with the state has not been as permanent and definitive as it was in Islam. He profiles the Towering Muslim thinker: Ibn Khaldun, born in Tunisia in 1332. He essentially explained the Laffer Curve (without drawing it on a napkin). Laffer cites Ibn as an inspiration for the Curve (see https://www.heritage.org/taxes/report...). Even Ronald Reagan, first in a press conference in 1981, and later in New York Times op-ed in 1993, quoted from Ibn: “At the beginning of the empire, the tax rates were low and the revenues were high. At the end of the empire, the tax rates were high and the revenues were low.” Here is how Ibn explained it:

"When tax assessments and imposts upon the subjects are low, the latter have the energy and desire to do things. Cultural enterprises grow and increase, because the low taxes bring satisfaction. When cultural enterprises grow, the number of individual imposts and assessments mounts. In consequence, the tax revenue, which is the sum total of (the individual assessments), increases."

Chapter 11 is titled, “Freedom Matters,” where Mustafa asks, What is freedom? And What does it mean? I asked him in our interview he agreed with these definitions: Liberty is the absence of coercion, while freedom is a choice (it my choice to follow religious edicts, diet, marriage vows, etc.). He agreed. And as Bernard Lewis wrote: “The medieval Islamic world offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors” Mustafa writes: “The big remedy we need—call it a great “reform” or “renewal”—is really having “no compulsion in religion. We would not be the first major world religion to have this transformation—although we may be the last.”

He also describe the Irja, which allows Muslims to tolerate things that they disapprove, so they leave the judgment to God. He cites Abraham Lincoln response to one of his supporters who said to him about the Civil War: “God is on our side.” Lincoln replied: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My greatest concern is to be on God’s side.” He also cites a key passage from the Qur’anic sura Ma’ida: Jews follow the Torah, Christians the Gospel. Let us compete in doing good and “You will all return to God and He will make clear to you the matters you differed about.” He also explains the famous play: Nathan the Wise, and parable of three rings, which represent the three great Abrahamic religions. Of the three valuable rings, only one was authentic. People wore them, and wouldn’t be told until the afterlife. Absolute truth was the prerogative of God alone …unattainable by man.

Rose Wilder Lane, an American libertarian writer, saw the birth of Islam as a major step forward in “man’s struggle against authority.” Islam, she wrote back in 1943, saved Arabs from “pagan gods,” only to declare, “men are equal and free.” Islam also built a “tolerant” and “humane” civilization, she added, with unmatched “religious freedom.”

This is a fantastic book from a Muslim who loves liberty. Well worth the read. We had the honor of interviewing Mustafa Akyol on The Soul of Enterprise: https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/t...

Mustafa wrote an article about China’s gulag for Muslims over two years ago. Here is the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/op...

[rara ➶ · Rating 2 out of 5]

literally read in a day! bc i have so much to disagreeeeeee on!!!!!! he makes a few valid points, but a lot of what he says is baseless, especially since he has no actual theological knowledge nor classical credentials (plus he’s a t*rk) 🙌🙌 they really think DIVERSELY on religion. interesting read, shouldn’t have read it as part of my Ramadan list

[Hosam · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب مهم
قد تختلف او تتفق معه
لكن يفتح افاق في ماذا حدث للمسلمين اليوم من تاخر وتخلف اجتماعي وعلمي وحضاري
ويبحث في كتب التراث اسباب هذا التخلف والتي اغلبها كانت اجتماعية وسياسية من تاخر المسلمين في العلم والحقوق الاجتماعية وقبول الاخر وغيرها

[lakinyaminami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mencerahkan, membuka wawasan, dan adem

[Maya Murti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini senafas dengan Kontroversi Islam Awal : Antara Mazhab Tradisionalis dan Revisionis, tetapi dengan arah yang berbeda. Berangkat dari mengapa muslim masa kini tidak semaju umat lain, baik dari sisi sains, hukum, sosial, dll. Kalau di Indonesia, beberapa orang pernah mendengar diskusi atau ceramah tentang kerinduan akan kejayaan umat muslim di masa lalu, seperti era Kesultanan Turki Usmani dll. Tetapi, apakah cara yang ditempuh adalah menjiplak mereka mentah-mentah, tanpa perlu melakukan telaah sejarah politik dan intelektual di masa itu?

Saya tidak akan menuliskan argumen penulis panjang lebar di sini, karena cukup kompleks. Tapi saya masih merekomendasikan agar buku ini banyak dibaca orang, karena ditulis dengan kerangka yang solid dan penjelasan yang ramah awam. Dan akan lebih baik lagi kalau Anda sudah pernah terekspos dengan apa itu fiqh, maqashid syariah, dsb, karena apa yang banyak muslim Sunni yakini sebagai metode penarikan hukum klasik yang telah mapan... ternyata tidak semenakjubkan itu.

Tentu Anda sebagai pembaca berhak sepakat atau tidak dengan penulis. Menurut saya, buku ini cocok untuk dijadikan koleksi pribadi dan dianotasi. Oleh-oleh yang bisa saya ambil dari buku ini adalah:
1. bisa dibilang bahwa problem utama ada pada model teologi yang dipakai (Asy'ariyah pada Sunni), mengingatkan saya pada perbedaan antara filsafat dan teologi dalam Menalar Tuhan.
2. apakah hukum sama dengan moralitas?
3. progresivitas terjadi saat suatu masyarakat terekspos dengan berbagai budaya, agama, dan karya intelektual -> kosmopolitanisme
4. pentingnya memahami ayat-ayat Qur'an sesuai konteks dan sejarah, termasuk mengkaji kembali ayat yang di-nasakh (eg mengapa ada hukum potong tangan dan kaki untuk pencuri karena tiadanya penjara dalam masyarakat Arab yang nomaden)
5. Penyebaran Islam di masa Rasulullah bersifat damai dan sukarela, namun dilakukan dengan ambisius. Terdapat ayat Qur'an yang menghina sembahan kaum kafir Quraisy Mekkah, yang bisa saja tidak menimbulkan konflik. Kaum Quraisy punya budaya menjamu dan menghormati orang lain, namun karena watak mereka yang keras dan mudah tersulut, apalagi mendengar sembahan mereka sebagai tradisi dari nenek moyang mereka dihina, maka meletuslah permusuhan itu.
6. apakah umat muslim perlu mendirikan negara Islam?
7. perspektif Abu Bakar as Shiddiq tentang Islam yang membuat dia memerangi penolak membayar zakat
8. Imam al Ghazali dengan reputasinya yang mentereng di masa kini, ternyata sosok yang cukup keras

[Jeff Koloze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lucid appeal to use reason, this book can be a tool for freeing Muslims from a despotic Islam.

While the author’s intent in writing this book was not to steer Muslims away from Islamic rules, my reading of this scholarly yet readable work concludes that Catholic evangelists have a magnificent opportunity to share the Faith with people who have suffered for 1,400 years under an aggressive and irrational system which purports to be a religion.

Akyol believes that intellectual reform is needed in Islam because it has “come to a dead end” (232) and because Islam “connotes aggression, intolerance, or patriarchy” (233). It is not surprising, therefore, that the book discusses Islam in stunningly negative terms.

Islam has committed “intellectual suicide” over the past 1,000 years by rejecting rational thought from some of its major philosophers, including ibn Rushd and Averroes (xviii and 130). Even though Averroes, like St. Thomas Aquinas in the Christian West, “argued that the findings of philosophy would not contradict the teaching of revelation” (112), al-Ghazali recommended death for philosophers (110). Muslims are instructed to abide by rules established by Quranic jurisprudence, not, as in the Jewish and Christian West, by faith informed by reason (12). The result, Akyol argues, is that, “in a long historical process, Islamic jurisprudence had become ‘a pile of rules,’ among which morality had ‘evaporated’” (46).

Moreover, Akyol’s discussion of Islam’s idea of “God” should leave rational people dumbfounded. He asserts that Islam created a god who “was not really ‘lovable’” (34). Muslims view God like a despotic ruler (152) because “God is always invisible and unreadable” (154). These ideas are difficult for Westerners to understand since we know God as personal and worthy of our intellectual effort.

With such an impersonal and quixotic view of God, it is no wonder, then, that Akyol concludes that Islam “connotes aggression, intolerance, or patriarchy.” I would replace “patriarchy”, an idea not elaborated as thoroughly beyond a few mentions of gender equality (13, 65, and 121), with “backwardness”, an idea which can be supported by numerous examples from the book.

Islamic militarism has been obvious for the past 1,400 years; one wonders if Islam’s billion or so “followers” would remain Muslim if they were freed from an Islam—which is deeply connected with the notion of adherence to the political state—if they were given the choice. Akyol’s discussions of the “Compulsionists” vs. those who believed in free will (14) and Islam’s hold on forcing people to remain Muslim lest they be executed for apostasy ([195ff]) are particularly enlightening.

What I found most memorable are the numerous instances of Islam’s backwardness and intolerance, both of ideas and people who disagree with the Sharia-sanctioned edicts of those who wield power in the system.

Islam’s backwardness is remarkable and makes one appreciate living in the Western world, informed by Jewish and Christian values. Unlike the West, where monasteries saved manuscripts from barbarian destroyers and where philosophical ideas are argued thoroughly, the rejection of philosophical debate is suggested by several accounts where manuscripts discussing the question of reason were neglected or, worse, destroyed; one manuscript lay dormant from the late fifteenth century to the 2010s (41). Similarly, Islam’s backwardness is evident in that the printing press arrived in the Ottoman Muslim world three centuries after Gutenberg (102). “’Political science’ would remain almost nonexistent in the Islamic world until the modern era”, Akyol claims, all because a political leader must be obeyed (145 and 152; internal quotes in original). As a final example, while the West abolished it in the nineteenth century, Saudi Arabia and Yemen abolished slavery in 1962, and Mauritania abolished it in 1981; Islamic scholars, however, support slavery as consistent with the Quran (63-4).

Islam’s intolerance through the centuries is common knowledge; what might not be common knowledge is that its intolerance continues in our century. Unlike the West, where divergent views are tolerated, those who espouse views which conflict with the autocratic interpretation of Quranic suras can be executed for apostasy, as in the case of Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, a 75-year-old Muslim scholar, who was hanged in 1985 in Sudan for his ideas (179). The case of Asia Bibi documents how free speech is impossible in Islam because “repeating blasphemy is also blasphemy” (204). These instances particularly illustrate what Akyol calls Muslims’ “tolerance deficit” (212).

Despite the numerous negatives which he summarizes about Islam’s irrationality, intolerance, and backwardness, Akyol hopes that Islam will adopt reason as a foundation principle. I suggest, however, that the hope is not contained either in a trust that reason will succeed or in the author’s idea that Islam needs “a new genre of art and literature” (54). Akyol hints at a better solution to the intellectual suicide of Islam when he reports that the hypocrisy of Islamic fundamentalists in Iran led to “many Iranians [who] left the religion, converting to Christianity or atheism” (193).

Leaving Islam is a good thing. Doing so enables one to think freely and to see that Christianity is not the hostile force claimed by those who hold Islamic theological power. Promoting the work of St. Thomas Aquinas may help since that thirteenth-century saint developed important ideas in Western Christianity which shaped the modern world. For example, we in the West have internalized St. Thomas Aquinas’ conclusion that “behind God’s commandments there are objective moral values”, a conclusion which “led to the concept of ‘natural law’” (30-1), a concept which Akyol says is largely ignored in Islamic thinking. Another idea familiar to Western readers, which is missing in Islam, is the importance of individual conscience; unlike the West, where countries have ancient Greek and Christian roots, “The truth is that, in mainstream classical Islam, there really was no well-defined concept of conscience” (52).

Finally, while Akyol anticipates “a brighter future” (230) for Islam, I argue it would be better for Muslims to abandon Islam and become Catholic Christians. Doing so will modernize them not only intellectually with ideas which have been around for millennia, but also spiritually with God who is not merely a lawgiver (as in Islam), but just, personal, and loving.

Note: Since Amazon collaborates with cancel culture zealots and bans conservative and pro-life books, I recommend not buying this book on Amazon. (Why give your hard-earned dollars to a company that censors books?) Instead, buy this book directly from the publisher.

[The Contented · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t disagree with the idea behind the book, but I wonder if it could have found better expression? Many of us live amongst Muslim societies that are unlike Afghanistan or an imagined ultra-Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. Some of us even live in London and have friends from all backgrounds and beliefs - quite easily. Without needing to overhaul our own faith to live pretty happily anywhere. I suspect this is the case for the vast majority of all Muslims. So a little bit more on my own lived experience would have been good.

Then - the reason I was tempted to take stars off - at the best of times, I dislike audio books. But this one was especially hard going. The narrator had, let’s call it a ‘different’ accent in English. But also in Arabic. My pronunciation of words like Qur’an (c’mon! That’s hardly a stretch) or aql is very different. It was a minor additional annoyance.

Also, did I mention how much I dislike audio books? Hours and hours and hours to get through any book

The only genre that sort of works as an audio book is a) biography narrated in the original voice (think Obama) or self help