This book offers insight and analyses by various thinkers, past and present, on factors that may promote or hamper the process of development and progress in society, with an emphasis on Muslim society. They are meant to provoke readers to discuss, debate and contextualize the ideas presented according to the dominant thought and conditions of the present.
Editors:
Azhar Ibrahim Alwee, Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, et. al.
Paperback:
186 pages
Published:
2006, Singapore, 1st Edition
Publisher:
The Print Lodge
ISBN:
9810555296
Price:
SGD $15.00
Available at:
Select Books
19, Tanglin Road, #03-15
Tanglin Shopping Center, Singapore 247909
www.selectbooks.com.sg
Defining the concept of progress is no easy task since there are several contending definitions and arguments. Our definition of progress implies a positive movement of ideas, not necessarily in chronological historical order, but a persistency of human search for and refinement of truth. The absence of advocating progressive religion means that we allow the status quo unchanged, which in turn could mean stagnation, if not regression of the religious thought, including its ethical system and its visions for humanity.
— Azhar Ibrahim Alwee, “The Making of Progressive Religion”
While discussing the conditions that emerged during the period of the world wars in his book In the Shadow of Tomorrow, J. Huizinga, a Dutch historian, observed what he believed was the weakening of the power of judgment amidst the proliferation of widespread information in society. The constant bombardment of information, according to him, did not bring about a corresponding heightening of understanding and awareness by its consumers. This observation is relevant to us today, particularly on the subject of Islam which has been under intense media focus in recent years. The abundance of materials on the religion in various forms that has and continues to inundate the readership market and the mass appeal for popular writings has intensified the need for the development of a strong sense of discernment that is able to sieve insightful works from the rhetorical and uncritical ones. This book, a collation of carefully selected published writings by thinkers on religion in general and Islam in particular, brought forth by The Reading Group, is a commendable effort at this direction.
— Dr. Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, in Foreword
Contents
Foreword
Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman
Preface
Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib
INTRODUCTION
The Making of Progressive Religion
Azhar Ibrahim Alwee
CHAPTER 1
Man in Society
Fazlur Rahman
CHAPTER 2
Religion and the Integration of the Social Order
Karl Mannheim
CHAPTER 3
The Rationalistic and Philosophical Spirit of Islam
Syed Ameer Ali
CHAPTER 4
Backwardness and the Will to Think
Syed Hussein Alatas
CHAPTER 5
The Danger of Incorrigible Conservatism
Amir Shakib Arslan
CHAPTER 6
Negative Attitudes Towards Religion
Shaharuddin Maaruf
CHAPTER 7
Consequences of Islamic Resurgence in Malaysia
Chandra Muzaffar
CHAPTER 8
Religion and Prejudice
Gordon W. Allport
CHAPTER 9
Why Didn’t the Scientific Revolution Happen in Islam?
Pervez Hoodbhoy
CHAPTER 10
The Rights of Women in Islam
Asghar Ali Engineer
