Critical-Progressive Muslims: On Islamic hermeneutics, Gender and Interreligious Dialogue

  The Prophets Were Visionaries, Not Scholars: Why Religious Fundamentalism Is Holding Us Back   Adis Duderija In an era of rapid scientific advancement and global interconnectedness, it's tempting to view ancient religious figures through a modern lens—as profound philosophers or rigorous theologians whose words form the bedrock of eternal truths. But this is a profound misunderstanding. The prophets of traditional religions, from Moses and Isaiah in Judaism to Muhammad in Islam and the seers of Hinduism's Vedas, were not scholars poring over texts in ivory towers. They were visionary preachers and mystics, speaking in kerygmatic bursts of proclamation and theopoetic flourishes of divine poetry. They weren't constructing systematic theologies or debating metaphysics (e.g. like Plato or Aquinas). This fundamental truth is what religious fundamentalism and traditionalism stubbornly refuse to acknowledge, ensuring their role as regressive forces in our contemporary worl...

  Feminist Tafsir: Navigating Ethical and Pragmatic Voices in Islamic Texts Feminist tafsir, a burgeoning field within Islamic studies, seeks to reinterpret traditional Islamic texts through a gender-conscious lens . One of the cornerstone distinctions made in feminist tafsir is between the ethical vision of the text and its pragmatic or legal voice. This distinction invites scholars and practitioners alike to explore not only the surface meanings of religious scriptures but also the deeper ethical ideals that can promote gender justice and equity within Islamic discourse. Understanding this differentiation begins with a closer examination of the texts themselves. Islamic scripture, primarily the Quran, comprises a complex fusion of ethical guidelines, laws, and kerygmatic narratives. On the one hand, the ethical vision encapsulates spiritual and moral imperatives that advocate justice, compassion, and equality. The Quran articulates ideals of social justice, communal responsib...

  Rethinking Divine Hiddenness: God's Accessibility in an Age of Doubt In an era where atheism and agnosticism are on the rise, the age-old question of why God remains hidden—if S/He exists at all—continues to perplex believers and skeptics alike. The "problem of divine hiddenness" argues that a loving God should make His presence unmistakably clear, especially to those earnestly seeking Him. Yet, excerpts from a forthcoming book by Michael C. Rea, the Rev. John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and Director of the Center for Philosophy of Religion, challenge this notion in profound ways. Drawing from his work on the hiddenness of God, Rea posits ideas that could reshape how we understand faith, seeking, and divine relationship. As someone fascinated by the intersection of philosophy and spirituality, I find these insights not only intellectually stimulating but potentially transformative for a world grappling with spiritual disconnec...

  Embracing Religious Pluralism in a Diverse World Adis Duderija " "True pluralism focuses on the understanding of religion within the socio-historic context of its culture. Divine Truth is not confined to the narrow understanding of human conceptualization and so cannot be limited to one truth for all nations....Thus, the immensity of ultimate reality and the trans-categoriality of the divine put into relative perspective any absolutist doctrine that claims to process the whole truth." Adrienne Nicholson In an increasingly interconnected world, the discourse surrounding religious pluralism has become more pertinent than ever. Adrienne Nicholson's assertion that "True pluralism focuses on the understanding of religion within the socio-historic context of its culture" serves as a poignant reminder that our perceptions of the divine are often shaped by the societal and historical contexts in which we find ourselves. This understanding invites us to reframe o...

  Beyond Boundaries: Mysticism, Process Thought, and the Limits of Religious Difference Adis Duderija " it should be mentioned that differences within a particular religious tradition are often as great as differences between such traditions. Hartshorne, for example, finds one strand of Vedantism in Sri Jiva Goswami more congenial than classical theistic strands in the Abrahamic religions. Or again, Jewish or Christian process thinkers might find the process thought of Mohammed Iqbal more congenial than the thought of classical theistic thinkers in their own respective religious traditions. Further, it seems to me that there is a certain unity in the reports of mystical experiences once adventitious elements from different traditions are removed from them, as Hartshorne (who was once invited to speak at a Trappist monastery) attests." D. Dombrowski, Process Mysticism, p.5 Public debates about religion often proceed as if religious traditions were internally unified, sharply ...

  The Aesthetics of Faith: Reclaiming the Richness of Islamic Civilization Adis Duderija Abdelwahab Meddeb’s exploration of Islamic civilization reveals a profound crisis at its contemporary core: a tension between the living dynamism of faith and the suffocating embrace of  textualism and literalism . At the heart of his critique is the observation that Islamic civilization flourished when it celebrated the "signifier"—the aesthetics of sound, calligraphy, and rich interpretive traditions—over the reductive "signified" of strict legalism and theological puritanicalism. This transformation resulted in a vibrant tapestry of culture, philosophy, and spirituality .. In contrast, modern "Islamists," whom Meddeb refers to as "zealots of the text," have diminished this richness; they impose a prescriptive reduction on faith that standardises belief and impoverishes the spiritual experience. Understanding this predicament requires a keen awareness of...