Scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd reignites debate over religious, political and social taboos

The ailements are universal all over the Muslim world. Read this lament from Cairo where Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd delivered a lecture at AUC.

The critical approach
“My decision to leave was based on the fact that teaching in the university would not be possible. So by leaving my intention was to save the scholar; I am glad I did,” Abu Zayd told Daily News Egypt from the Netherlands in an interview prior to his current visit to Cairo.

“Had I stayed [in Egypt], I would not have been able to carry on my research. I would have been kept busy with rivalries and replying back to those who insult me, which would not have allowed me to come up with productive scientific knowledge,” he said.

Abu Zayd currently holds Ibn Rushd Chair of Islam and Humanism at the University for Humanistics, Utrecht which is the youngest university in the Netherlands nowadays.

However, the physical distance did not mean a full disengagement from his homeland. “I never left Egypt, physically I am not there but intellectually I am present,” said Abu Zayd. “Living in Holland for [13] years did not change my internal deep sense of belonging to Egypt; on the contrary, it provided me with enough distance to appreciate its positive dimension and to critically view its negative dimension.”

Abu Zayd still maintains that the study of the historical context of the injunctions of the Quran is one of the requirements to achieve genuine religious reformation. “I think it is time now to start applying a historical critical approach without being afraid of damaging the divine status of the Quran,” he said.

“Historical criticism would enable Muslims to distinguish between the ‘historical’ and the ‘universal’ in the message and to unfold the ‘universal’ dimension in the present historical context to address our concerns.”

“As long as ‘freedom of religion’ is not guaranteed we cannot really think of any progress in the issue. ‘Freedom of religion’ entails the individual freedom of making choices and making decisions concerning her/his private as well as her/his public commitment. This is not possible as long as the state claims a specific religion.”

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Scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd reignites debate over religious, political and social taboos