Pluralism in Contemporary Islamic Thought: The Case of Mohammed Arkoun, Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and Abdolkarim Soroush

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter engages with the issue of pluralism in contemporary Islamic thought by discussing the work of three Muslim thinkers, namely, Mohammed Arkoun, Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, and Abdolkarim Soroush. In order to address this theme, the chapter first contextualizes their work within the historical fragmentation of authority in Islam. Secondly, it elaborates on their hermeneutical project as the basis for religious pluralism in both its inward and outward dimension: inward, as the promotion of a plurality of interpretations within Islam; outward as the opening to the possibility of access to Salvation and Truth to different religious traditions. The chapter argues that although coming from different intellectual traditions, Arkoun, Abu Zayd and Soroush testify to the plurality of voices within Islam, as well as the centrality of the question of pluralism within contemporary Islamic thought. By shifting their analysis from an ontological to an epistemological exploration of religion, these thinkers challenge the monopoly of any authority over the correct interpretation of the Sacred Sources and Truth. In this process, their attention to the hermeneutics of the Sacred Sources reflects their knowledge of both Islamic theological tradition as well as theories from the humanities and the social sciences.KeywordsContemporary Islamic thoughtPluralismEpistemologyMohammed ArkounNasr Hamid Abu ZaydAbdolkarim Soroush