Reply to Islamic Scholar Hamza Yusuf: Is Reform Possible?

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[quote=Anonymous]OK, I like Yusuf. I'm not converting, but I like him. Thank you for summarizing, it looks like you put a lot of work into this.

I think what you're saying is that any group that gets power (Ottomans, IS) is liable to bend scripture to suit their own purposes, so a renovation is needed.

Is he saying that re-interpretation should be done strictly within what you call "the ambiguous nature of the the language of Arabic" (your 16th hyphen)? Or should reinterpretation be broader than that, going to the applicability of 7th century rules to the 21st century?

I do think he's already started on interpreting the Quran for himself, to the extent he disagrees with others on issues like jihad. Or maybe jihad has always been subject to interpretation.

I also worry about the limitations he puts on re-interpreting the Quran, i.e. that it should be done by scholars who have studied the Quran and who know 7th century Arabic. Given the innate conservatism of scholars in fields like this (any scholarly field, not just Islam! for example, my own completely unrelated school of research!), I wonder how much re-interpretation/reform would actually emerge.

I also wonder about giving this responsibility to sort of elite group that regular people might have trouble holding accountable. As one example, you posted your last para about bin Baya, but I think both you and I are completely unable to evaluate his conclusion. [/quote]

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