Muhammad Asad: Between Religion and Politics​

In April 2011 an international symposium was held in Riyadh, under the auspices of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies as well as the Austrian Embassy to Saudi Arabia, on the life and work of my father. The conference as a whole was entitled “Muhammad Asad—A Life for Dialogue,” but I was asked by the organizers to write specifically on “Muhammad Asad, Between Religion and Politics.” Unfortunately I was unable to attend the symposium so I sent in my written contribution to be read out by someone else at the meeting. What follows is a slightly elaborated version of the argument I sent.

Keywords: History of Islamic thought; Islam and modernism; Islamic politics; Muhammad Asad.

Journal of Islam & Science, Vol. 10 (Summer 2012) No. 1

Talal Asad

Talal Asad is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Anthropology & Middle Eastern Studies, The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.