| This is an adapted version of an article entitled ‘On Muslims Knowing the “Muslim” Other: Reflections on Pluralism and Islam’ which was published in Muslims in the United States: Identity, Influence, Innovation. Proceedings of Conferences sponsored by the Division of US Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, edited by Philippa Strum, May 11, 2005. |
Abstract
In the contemporary context of societies, the contruction of identity and culture is becoming increasingly challenging, in particular because technology and communications are increasingly bringing individuals into closer contact with one another. In this article, the author argues that it is only by “recognising pluralism as an organising principle that these societies will be able to embrace positively the religious and ethnic diversity among their Muslim and non-Muslim populations”. It is to this end that Ali Asani reflects on Muslim attitudes toward religious pluralism in two related contexts: inter-religious – that is, Muslim attitudes towards non-Muslims and their religious traditions, and intra-religious – that is, attitudes toward diversity of religious beliefs amongst Muslim communities. In doing so, the essay provides an insightful overview of Qur’anic verses that speak to a pluralistic ethos and theology, one that includes all of humanity. In addition, it highlights the exclusivist use of Islam by some groups to further political ideologies, which contradict the core teachings of the faith.
Ismailimail 