Progressive Muslims On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism by Omid Safi, ed. (Oxford: Oneworld, 2003. 351 pages.)

Abstract

Particularly since 9/11, students and the wider public have been asking North
American Muslim academics to comment on current events, while Muslim
students and the larger Muslim community tend to expect Muslim academics
to “defend Islam” by engaging in apologetics. Nonetheless, this book begins
by stating that its authors seek to raise the level of discourse about Islam, and
want to avoid both apologetics and simplistic answers to complex questions.
The introduction makes frank observations about the present state of
the world’s Muslims and calls for an intellectual response that seriously
engages modern realities. It is followed by fourteen chapters, which are
divided into three sections, which deal with contemporary interpretations of
Islam, gender issues, and pluralism, respectively. The book concludes with
a suggested further reading list and an index ...