Islam and the Tyranny of Authenticity: An Inquiry into Disciplinary Apologetics and Self-Deception

Abstract

Many scholars of Islam are interested in creating a liberal, inclusive, pluralistic, feminist, and modern version of the religion that they believe to be explicit in the pages of the Qur’ān, but missed by earlier interpreters. In so doing, they create “good” Islam and, in the process, seek to define what does and does not get to count as authentic. As the purveyors of what they now believe to be veritable Islam, they subsequently claim that rival presentations are bastardizations based either on Orientalism and Islamophobia (if one is a non-Muslim) or misogyny and homophobia (if one is a Muslim that disagrees with them). Instead of engaging in critical scholarship, they engage in a constructive and theological project that they deceive themselves into thinking is both analytical and empirical. This book provides a hard-hitting examination of the spiritual motivations, rhetorical moves, and political implications associated with these apologetical discourses. It argues that what is at stake is relevance, and examines the consequences of engaging in mythopoesis as opposed to scholarship.

The Case for Studying Non-Muslim Islams

“…It is important to underline that scholarly knowledge is never better than the standard of its method and epistemology, and scholars who venture into ontological debates on Islam -critical or apologetical -are not engaged with scholarship as we define it. Rather, they are engaged in production of Islam as theology, and thus, their productions of Islam constitute objects of study (Hughes 2012;2015a). This is not an argument against the legitimacy of producing theology; we merely highlight a crucial difference between disciplines.…”

“…Interestingly, Hoffmann acknowledges the popularity of Hussain's interpretation, which he explains is "in heavy-rotation on social media." Hughes (2012;2015b;2015a) has demonstrated how a segment of Muslim scholars are engaged in productions of Islams that are liberal, inclusive, feministic, and promoting peace. However, as demonstrated with Hoffmann, conflation of research epistemologies and theology is a phenomenon that can be found in a much broader scope of scholars than Hughes suggests; it is not just a phenomenon among Muslim scholars.…”

Who Defines Islam? Critical Perspectives on Islamic Studies

“…), which initially spread from the Middle East to Muslim communities in the West. However, there is a local and autonomous Muslim identity market in the West that favors a return to tradition and authenticity (Hughes 2015;Sinclair 2019, pp. 403-21).…”

Pondering the Legacy of Geo Widengren: Isolated Genius, or Uncritical Supporter of a Band of Brothers?

“…But the contemporary situation is quite different from the time when giants like Widengren walked the earth, and today religion has become a very politicized topic, not the least when it comes to my own field of specialty, namely the study of Islam (cf. Hughes 2015). However, one thing I think we should pay more attention to is the boldness of Widengren's hypotheses.…”