Diversity and Pluralism in Islam : Historical and Contemporary Discourses Amongst Muslims

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Islamic Publications Ltd. For more than fourteen hundred years Muslims have held multiple and diverging views about their religious tradition. This divergence encompasses such matters as authority; ritual practice; political power; law and governance; civic life; and the form and content of individual and communal expressions of their faith. Over the centuries Muslims have regularly debated these issues amongst themselves. However, despite the remarkable diversity of the Islamic tradition, and the plurality of understandings about Islam, Muslims are regularly and erroneously portrayed as internally homogeneous and dogmatic. This important book challenges such propositions by examining the ways in which matters of common concern to Muslims have been discussed by them and examined. The volume explores the processes by which Muslims construct notions of the self, the other and community, and addresses the socio-cultural tools that they employ in so doing. Offering contributions by world-class scholars, "Diversity and Pluralism in Islam" applies insights from a range of disciplines, including anthropology, history, literature, political theory, comparative literature and Islamic studies. It will be of extensive interest to scholars and students in these fields, as well as to all those with a serious interest in Muslim societies and cultures. For more than fourteen hundred years Muslims have held multiple and diverging views about many aspects of their religious tradition including religious authority, ritual practice, political power, law and governance, civic life, and the form and content of individual and communal expressions. Muslims have regularly debated amongst themselves about these issues. Despite the diversity amongst Muslims and the plurality of understandings about Islam, Muslims are frequently portrayed as internally homogenous and monolithic. This book challenges such propositions by examining the ways in whichMuslims debate amongst themselves about matters of common concern, the processes by which they discursively construct notions of self, other and community, and the socio-cultural tools they employ in so doing. The contributions of J. W. Allan, John Bowen, Patrice Brodeur, Zulfikar Hirji, R. Kevin Jaques, Dominique-Sila khan, Roman Loimeier and Roy P. Mottahedeh examine the implicit and explicit discourses on difference amongst Muslims in Indonesia, Iran, India, the historical Middle East, Coastal East Africa, Senegal, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The studies in this volume approach the issues of Muslim plurality and pluralism from a wide range of disciplines including anthropology, history, literature, political theory, comparative religions and Islamic studies. This book will appeal to scholars and readers interested in exploring Muslim diversity, pluralism, and how human societies contend with plurality. Contents......Page 8 Editor's Note......Page 10 About the Contributors......Page 12 List of Illustrations......Page 18 1. Debating Islam from Within: Muslim Constructions of the Internal Other -- Zulfikar Hirji......Page 20 2. Pluralism and Islamic Traditions of Sectarian Divisions -- Roy P. Mottahedeh......Page 50 3. Being One and Many Among the Others: Muslim Diversity in the Context of South Asian Religious Pluralism -- Dominique-Sila Khan......Page 62 4. Religious Pluralism in the Light of American Muslim Identities -- Patrice C. Brodeur......Page 80 5. Islamic Art and Doctrinal Pluralism: Seeking Out the Visual Boundaries -- James W. Allan......Page 102 6. The Contestation and Resolution of Inter- and Intra-School Conflicts through Biography -- R. Kevin Jaques......Page 126 7. Traditions of Reform, Reformers of Tradition: Case Studies from Senegal and Zanzibar/Tanzania* -- Roman Loimeier......Page 154 8. Justifying Islamic Pluralism: Reflections from Indonesia and France -- John R. Bowen......Page 190 Notes......Page 212 Glossary......Page 248 Bibliography......Page 250 Index......Page 274 Plate Section ......Page 162 Edited By Zulfikar Hirji. This Volume Is The Result Of A Series Of Seminars On 'muslim Pluralism' Hosted At The Institute Of Ismaili Studies Between 2002 And 2003 Includes Bibliographical References (p. 223-245) And Index.