Progressive Muslims—Defining and Delineating Identities and Ways of Being a Muslim

Author: Dr. Adis Duderija

Summary / Excerpt: “This article purports to outline some major themes, ideas and values underpinning Progressive Muslim thought and Weltanschauung. The argument is based upon the premise that in defining religious identity one of the most crucial factors to be taken into consideration are the differences in methodological, ontological and epistemological assumptions as we attempt to understand the primary sources of religious knowledge. In the first part of the article, the overall heuristic and methodology of defining and delineating Muslim identities/groups or ways of being a Muslim is presented. The second section briefly outlines studies which have detected and generally described a Progressive Muslim identity among Western Muslims. The third part aims to present a discussion on some defining themes underpinning the worldview of progressive Muslims, including the principles of prophetic solidarity, speaking truth to power and their approach to conceptualizing and interpreting the Islamic tradition.”