In her interesting and significant book, Oweidat, a historian at Kansas State University, focuses for three reasons on the life and work of Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (1943-2010).
First, in a case that attracted international attention, a Cairo court in 1995 ruled that the writings of a mild-mannered and then-obscure professor of Arabic language and literature rendered him an apostate from Islam. For good measure, the court also nullified Abu Zayd’s marriage, forcing him and his wife to flee to Europe. As such, he personifies the “peril” in the title.
Second, Abu Zayd claimed to be “among those few who have been trying to keep the Qur’an relevant to the modern age,” and Oweidat agrees with him. She sees Abu Zayd as “a representative of modernist Islamic thought” and someone who “carved an exceptional place for himself in contemporary Islamic thought.” His work is “uniquely rich.” Indeed, “In some ways, his work is nothing short of revolutionizing the field of interpreting the Qur’an.” She expects that “Abu Zayd will continue to shape the conversation into the future” about traditional Islam and modernity.
Third, the bulk of Reform and Its Perils presents the contents of Abu Zayd’s thinking, offering a close analysis of five topics: Islamic tradition, Muslim history, Sharia, Islam-state relations, and women’s rights. Punchy quotes characterize his rich critique: “It is not Islam that is unable to accept modernization, but the contemporary Muslim.” “Contemporary Muslims live in the present, physically dependent on Europe for their material needs. However, their minds, souls, and passions are all in the past, rooted in the religious [tradition].”
The chapter on women’s rights has special resonance for Oweidat. In a 2019 talk about her “personal journey,” she tells an inspiring story of childhood book reading, long walks to school, teaching herself English, and miraculously reaching university. It is no wonder that she prizes the freedoms that Kansas offers her and promotes these to the Muslims struggling with modernization in her small Jordanian hometown. Oweidat is a talent to watch.
Daniel Pipes
Founder, Middle East Forum
