Religion as an analytical category doesnt lend itself readily to thereexamination and reinvention of tradition especially in Islam where thelines demarcating re... » 

Religion as an analytical category doesnt lend itself readily to thereexamination and reinvention of tradition especially in Islam where thelines demarcating religion culture civilization and politics aredeliberately ambiguous. Religion in Modern Islamic Discourse examines theplace of religion in debates and discussions from the nineteenth century to thepresent. The volume follows the transformation of Islamic discourse both inits acceptance of and resistance to modernity. Abdulkader Tayob is largelyconcerned with how intellectuals have reconciled Islam with the forces ofmodernization. He begins in Egypt and colonial India closely reading earlytreatments of the essence of religion and its social value. He then exploreskey contributions on identity state law and gender. Tayobs analysis revealsthe deep structural foundations of Islams approach to religion religiousvalues and spirituality and offers an unusually creative perspective on theevolution of modern Islamic discourse. «