Progressive Muslims - Introduction

Following a request, I have decided to devote the next series of blogs onto what I term as “progressive” Muslims. There are always issues with terminology:

- some say that the term “liberal” should be used – but others dislike that term due to the connotation of the person being more lax with Islam, which is not the case here

- others prefer the term “reformist” or “revisionist” – but others dislike the term as it implies a change or reform akin to that of the Christians, which is not necessarily something that people like!

- others prefer the term “modernist” but this implies there is a different Islam in the modern age

The term that seems to work best is to call adherents of this “new” view, as “progressive Muslims”. The positive of this terminology, is that it is not taking a view on Islam but just Muslims; it is also talking about progression, which was exactly what the Prophet (SAW) did during his life. The main negative is that it might imply that those who do not subscribe to these points of view, are “regressive” or not “progressive”. However, overall, I think that this term works best (and is actually the title of a book edited by Omid Safi – “Progressive Muslims”) and it is what I will use throughout the next few blogs…


Now the questions that we are going to try and look into are:

1. What is this Islam that “progressive Muslims” consider to be the true Islam?
2. Why does there need to be a change?
3. Is there a strong grounding/methodology that provides a consistent applicable foundation to all issues or is it just bit-part

Given that (as far as I’m aware at least) there is little available which deals with this area of work in this way, I will try and just summarise the views of some of the big thinkers in these fields…after which we can try and build them all back again to answer these questions…

The thinkers that seem to be worth exploring are:
1. General:
a. Abdulkarim Soroush (I know he is massively controversial and I apologise for this but in many works by orientalists/non-Muslims, he is seen as one of the biggest thinkers in the field and is sometimes discussed before anyone else. Given that I have read some of his works, and met him, he seems to be worth discussing)
b. Fazlur Rahman
c. Muhammad Shahrur
d. Khaled Abu el-Fadl
e. Maybe Arkoun and Ebrahim Moosa
f. Would be nice to have stuff on Muhammad Iqbal, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Abduh, Ali Abd al-Razaq, Shah Wali Allah but I have not read much on them so contributions would be welcome!

2. Women-specific:
a. Fatima Mernissi
b. Amina Wadud
c. Kecia Ali
d. Leila Ahmed
e. Asma Barlas

It is important to note that I am not agreeing with them but just explaining their views/ methodology, so that we can then get these together and understand what is trying to be done, why and how…and what the missing steps/critical questions are.

Please do forward this blog to other people/add them to the list…