In this book, Masooda Bano presents an in-depth analysis of a new movement that is transforming the way that young Muslims engage with their religion. Led by a network of Islamic scholars in the West, this movement seeks to revive the tradition of Islamic rationalism. Bano explains how, during the period of colonial rule, the exit of Muslim elites from madrasas, the Islamic scholarly establishments, resulted in a stagnation of Islamic scholarship. This trend is now being reversed. Exploring the threefold focus on logic, metaphysics, and deep mysticism, Bano shows how Islamic rationalism is consistent with Sunni orthodoxy and why it is so popular among young, elite, educated Muslims, who are now engaging with classical Islamic texts. One of the most tangible results of this revival is that Islamic rationalism - rather than jihadism - is emerging as one of the most influential movements in the contemporary Muslim world.

A rapidly expanding Islamic revival movement shows that Islamic rationalism and not jihadism is to define twenty-first century Islam.

About the Author
Masooda Bano is Professor of Development Studies in the Department of International Development and Senior Golding Fellow at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. She is the author and editor of several books, most recently Female Islamic Education Movements: The Re-democratisation of Islamic Knowledge (Cambridge, 2017) and Modern Islamic Authority and Social Change, Volume 1 and 2 (2018).


Book Information
ISBN 9781108485319
Author Masooda Bano
Format Hardback
Page Count 266
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 160mm * 19mm