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Shabbir Akhtar

April 11, 2024

Shabbir Akhtar was a British Muslim philosopher, poet, researcher, writer and multilingual scholar. He was on the Faculty of Theology and Religions at the University of Oxford. His interests included political Islam, Quranic exegesis, revival of philosophical discourse in Islam, Islamophobia, extremism, terrorism and Christian-Muslim relations as well as Islamic readings of the New Testament. Shabbir Akhtar was also a Søren Kierkegaard scholar. Akhtar's articles have appeared both in academic journals and in the UK press. Several of his books have been translated into the major Islamic languages.

Shabbir Akhtar
Born1960
Pakistan
Died(2023-07-24)July 24, 2023 (aged 63)
Oxford, England
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Cambridge
University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation(s)Philosopher
Writer
Poet
Multilingual scholar
Websitewww.shabbirakhtar.com

Early life and education edit

Shabbir Akhtar was born in Pakistan, raised in Bradford in the United Kingdom. After studying philosophy (BA and MA degrees) at University of Cambridge, Shabbir Akhtar got his PhD in philosophy of religion from University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (1984), his thesis being "Religion in the Age of Reason: Faith and the Apostasy of Humanism."[citation needed]

Career edit

Shabbir Akhtar's first book, Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith (1987), on the possibilities and complexities of upholding faith in a secular society, was described by anti-theist author Keith Parsons as "to be widely read. He argues with insight, wit, and lucidity. His arguments gain a special cogency from the scrupulous fairness with which Akhtar treats those whom he criticizes."[1]

After the publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, Akhtar represented the Bradford Council of Mosques in the ensuing media interest in the reactions of the Muslim community in the United Kingdom. On 27 February 1989 he published an article in The Guardian, in which he stated: "there is no choice in the matter. Anyone who fails to be offended by Rushdie's book ipso facto ceases to be a Muslim...Those Muslims who find it intolerable to live in a United Kingdom contaminated with the Rushdie virus need to seriously consider the Islamic alternatives of emigration (hijrah) to the House of Islam or a declaration of holy war (jihād) on the House of Rejection."[2] The article also included the much-quoted sentence: "The next time there are gas chambers in Europe, there is no doubt concerning who'll be inside them."[3]

In the mid-1990s, he taught philosophy in Malaysia but came back disillusioned of the belief that a majority Muslim society would really pursue reason in education.[4]

Recently, he has published books that are philosophical in approach and strident in presenting a certain point of view and trying to lay the foundation of modern Islamic philosophy.[5]

Publications edit

Books in English edit

  • Be Careful with Muhammad! Salman Rushdie and the Battle for Free Speech (2nd Edition), Jakarta: Bijak, 2020, 187 p.
  • The New Testament in Muslim Eyes: Paul's Letter to the Galatians, London: Routledge, 2018, 284 p.
  • Islam as Political Religion: The Future of an Imperial Faith, London: Routledge, 2010, 301 p.
  • The Quran and the Secular Mind: A Philosophy of Islam, London: Routledge, 2008, 400 p.
  • Love in the Wrong Season: Collected Poems, London: Melisende, 2000, 77 p.
  • Muslim Poetic Imagination, London: Scorpion, 1992, 87 p.
  • The Final Imperative: An Islamic Theology of Liberation, London: Bellew, 1991, 116 p.
  • A Faith for All Seasons: Islam and the Challenge of the Modern World, London: Bellew, 1990, Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1991, 251 p.
  • The Light in the Enlightenment: Christianity and the Secular Heritage, London: Grey Seal, 1990, 213 p.
  • A Season in the Ghetto: Collected Poems, London: Regency, 1989, 48 p.
  • Be Careful with Muhammad!: The Salman Rushdie Affair, London: Bellew, 1989, 136 p.
  • The Mother of Judas Iscariot and Other Poems, London: Regency, 1988, 36 p.
  • Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith, New York: Peter Lang, 1987, 281 p.

Books translated into French edit

  • Ne Touchez pas à Mahomet ! Salman Rushdie et la Bataille pour la Liberté d’Expression, Jakarta: Bijak, 2022.

Books translated into Bosnian edit

  • Oprezno S Muhammedom! Afera Salman Rushdie, Bośnia: CNS, 2020.
  • Islam Kao Politicka Religija: Buducnost Jedne Imperijalne Vjere, Bośnia: CNS, 2018.

Books translated into Indonesian edit

  • Mengungkap Kelicikan Barat Sekuler dengan Kasus Ayat-ayat Setan, Indonesia: Firdaus, 1992.
  • Islam Agama Semua Zaman, Indonesia: Pustaka Zahra, 2002.
  • Merancang Teologi Pembebasan Islam Adakah Perang Dingin Baru: Barat vs Islam, Indonesia: Nuansa Cendekia, 2002.
  • Emansipasi Kekuatan Islam: Menolak Fasisme & Totalitarianisme, Indonesia: Nuansa Cendekia, 2007.

Book Contributions edit

  • 'Prophet Warning: Justification, Retribution and Salvation in Islam – A Comparative Study’, in P. Koslowski (ed.), The Anxiety of End-Time (Munich: Wilhelm Fink, 2012).
  • ‘The Revival of Philosophy among Muslims’, in D. Cheetham and R. King (Eds.) Contemporary Practice and Method in the Philosophy of Religion (London: Continuum/T&T Clark, 2008).
  • ‘The Dialogue of Islam and the World Faiths: The Role of Speculative Philosophy’, in P. Koslowski (ed.), Philosophy Bridging the World Religions (Boston, Mass.: Kluwer Academic, 2003).
  • ‘The Limits of Internal Hermeneutics’ and ‘Critical Quranic Scholarship and Theological Puzzles’, in H. Vroom and J. Gort (eds.), Holy Scriptures in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, 1997).
  • ‘The Possibility of a Philosophy of Islam’, in O. Leaman and S.H.Nasr (eds.), The Routledge History of Islamic Philosophy (London: Routledge, 1995).
  • ‘Relationships Between Muslim Parents and Children in a Non-Muslim Country’, in M. King (ed.), God's Law versus State Law (London: Grey Seal, 1995).
  • ‘The Future of Christian-Muslim Relations’, in D. Cohn-Sherbok (ed.), The Canterbury Papers, (London: Bellew, 1992).
  • ‘The Limits of Liberalism’ in Bhikhu Parekh (ed.), Free Speech (London: Commission for Racial Equality, 1990).
  • ‘Art or Literary Terrorism?’, in D. Cohn-Sherbok (ed.), The Salman Rushdie Controversy in Interreligious Perspective (Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1990).

Book reviews edit

  • Is Islam an ethnic, ethical, or juridical religion? Reflections on revelation, reason and power, The Muslim World Book Review, 43:3, 2023.
  • Religion in the Age of Rage: The Uses and Abuses of Faith, The Muslim World Book Review, 40:3, 2020.
  • The Twin 'Terrors': Political Islam and the Shari'ah, The Muslim World Book Review, 39:1, 2018.
  • ‘At War with Modernity’ by D. Pryce-Jones, Muslim World Book Review, Vol.14, No. 1 (1993), pp. 4–5.
  • ‘Where East meets West’ by M. Abul-Fadl and ‘Cultural Schizophrenia’ by D. Shayegan, Muslim World Book Review, Vol.13, No.3 (1993), pp. 25–27.
  • ‘The Arab Christian’ by Kenneth Cragg, Muslim World Book Review, Vol.13, No.1 (1992) pp. 49–50.
  • ‘Islam in a World of Diverse Faiths’ by Rabbi D. Cohn-Sherbok, Muslim World Book Review, Vol.12, No.2 (1992), pp. 30–32.
  • ‘The Uneasy Alliance: Religion, Refugee Work, and US Foreign Policy’ by Bruce Nichols, Ethics, Vol. 100, No.1 (1989), p. 225.
  • Review of Theism by Clement Dore, The Journal of Religion, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Oct., 1986), pp. 451–452

Journal articles edit

  • "Cultivating Faithful Enthusiasm: How the Qur’an Creates Transformative Willpower,Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research (2022).
  • "A Path Straightened Out: Perspectives on Human Nature in the Qur’an", Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research (2020).
  • "Can an Islamic Natural Theology Explain God’s Silence Today?", Renovatio, Fall 2019, pp 1–14.
  • "Finding and Following Jesus: The Muslim Claim to the Messiah", Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research (2018).
  • "The Dialogue of Islam and the World Faiths: The Role of Speculative Philosophy", Philosophy Bridging the World Religions, Kluwer Academic Publishers (2003), pp 21–37.
  • "The possibility of a philosophy of Islam", History of Islamic Philosophy (Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman), Routledge (1996), pp 2065–2077.
  • "An Islamic Model of Revelation", Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Vol.2, No.1 (1991), pp. 95–105.
  • "Faust and the New Idolaters: Reflections on shirk", Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Vol.1, No.2 (1990), pp. 252–260.
  • "Miracles as Evidence for the Existence of God", Scottish Journal of Religious Studies, Vol.11, No. 1, Spring (1990), pp. 18–23.
  • "Is there an Epistemic Parity Between Faith and Rejection?", The Southern Journal of Philosophy, Vol.26, No.3 (1988), pp. 293–305.
  • "The Virtues of Fundamentalist Exegesis", Scottish Journal of Religious Studies, Vol.9, No.2 (1988), pp. 41–49.
  • "Religious Messages and Cultural Myths", Sophia, Vol.25, No.3 (1986), pp. 32–40.

Non-academic articles edit

Akhtar, Shabbir (1 October 2020). "Killing for the sake of something called Art". The Jakarta Post, Indonesia.

Akhtar, Shabbir (29 January 1994). "Faith & Reason: Islam avoids the dangers of doubt". Independent, UK.

Akhtar, Shabbir (23 January 1993). Faith and Reason: A common duty to cultivate rivalry in good works. Independent, UK.

Akhtar, Shabbir (21 August 1992). Faith and Reason: Islam's virtuous way for the wealthy man. Independent, UK.

References edit

  1. ^ Keith M. Parsons , "Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith. Shabbir Akhtar ," The Journal of Religion 69, no. 2 (Apr. 1989): 273.
  2. ^ Michael M. J. Fischer, Mehdi Abedi. Debating Muslims: Cultural Dialogues in Postmodernity and Tradition. Univ of Wisconsin Press (1990): p. 390.
  3. ^ See Malise Ruthven "Islam in the Media" in Interpreting Islam Ed. Hastings Donnan. SAGE Publications (2002): p. 74; Kenan Malik. From Fatwa to Jihad. Atlantic Books, London (2009): p. 131
  4. ^ Subki Bin Ahmad (29 September 1997). "Cooperative society". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  5. ^ Review of Shabbir Akhtar, The Quran and the Secular Mind: A Philosophy of Islam – Springer

External links edit

  • Shabbir Akhtar - Official Website

April 11, 2024
shabbir, akhtar, british, muslim, philosopher, poet, researcher, writer, multilingual, scholar, faculty, theology, religions, university, oxford, interests, included, political, islam, quranic, exegesis, revival, philosophical, discourse, islam, islamophobia, . Shabbir Akhtar was a British Muslim philosopher poet researcher writer and multilingual scholar He was on the Faculty of Theology and Religions at the University of Oxford His interests included political Islam Quranic exegesis revival of philosophical discourse in Islam Islamophobia extremism terrorism and Christian Muslim relations as well as Islamic readings of the New Testament Shabbir Akhtar was also a Soren Kierkegaard scholar Akhtar s articles have appeared both in academic journals and in the UK press Several of his books have been translated into the major Islamic languages Shabbir AkhtarBorn1960PakistanDied 2023 07 24 July 24 2023 aged 63 Oxford EnglandNationalityBritishEducationUniversity of CambridgeUniversity of Calgary Alberta CanadaOccupation s PhilosopherWriterPoetMultilingual scholarWebsitewww wbr shabbirakhtar wbr com Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Publications 3 1 Books in English 3 2 Books translated into French 3 3 Books translated into Bosnian 3 4 Books translated into Indonesian 3 5 Book Contributions 3 6 Book reviews 3 7 Journal articles 3 8 Non academic articles 4 References 5 External linksEarly life and education editShabbir Akhtar was born in Pakistan raised in Bradford in the United Kingdom After studying philosophy BA and MA degrees at University of Cambridge Shabbir Akhtar got his PhD in philosophy of religion from University of Calgary Alberta Canada 1984 his thesis being Religion in the Age of Reason Faith and the Apostasy of Humanism citation needed Career edit2012 to 2023 Associate Member of the Faculty of Theology and Religions at Oxford University UK 2002 to 2011 Associate Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University USA 1994 to 1997 Assistant Professor of Philosophy at International Islamic University MalaysiaShabbir Akhtar s first book Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith 1987 on the possibilities and complexities of upholding faith in a secular society was described by anti theist author Keith Parsons as to be widely read He argues with insight wit and lucidity His arguments gain a special cogency from the scrupulous fairness with which Akhtar treats those whom he criticizes 1 After the publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie Akhtar represented the Bradford Council of Mosques in the ensuing media interest in the reactions of the Muslim community in the United Kingdom On 27 February 1989 he published an article in The Guardian in which he stated there is no choice in the matter Anyone who fails to be offended by Rushdie s book ipso facto ceases to be a Muslim Those Muslims who find it intolerable to live in a United Kingdom contaminated with the Rushdie virus need to seriously consider the Islamic alternatives of emigration hijrah to the House of Islam or a declaration of holy war jihad on the House of Rejection 2 The article also included the much quoted sentence The next time there are gas chambers in Europe there is no doubt concerning who ll be inside them 3 In the mid 1990s he taught philosophy in Malaysia but came back disillusioned of the belief that a majority Muslim society would really pursue reason in education 4 Recently he has published books that are philosophical in approach and strident in presenting a certain point of view and trying to lay the foundation of modern Islamic philosophy 5 Publications editBooks in English edit Be Careful with Muhammad Salman Rushdie and the Battle for Free Speech 2nd Edition Jakarta Bijak 2020 187 p The New Testament in Muslim Eyes Paul s Letter to the Galatians London Routledge 2018 284 p Islam as Political Religion The Future of an Imperial Faith London Routledge 2010 301 p The Quran and the Secular Mind A Philosophy of Islam London Routledge 2008 400 p Love in the Wrong Season Collected Poems London Melisende 2000 77 p Muslim Poetic Imagination London Scorpion 1992 87 p The Final Imperative An Islamic Theology of Liberation London Bellew 1991 116 p A Faith for All Seasons Islam and the Challenge of the Modern World London Bellew 1990 Chicago Ivan R Dee 1991 251 p The Light in the Enlightenment Christianity and the Secular Heritage London Grey Seal 1990 213 p A Season in the Ghetto Collected Poems London Regency 1989 48 p Be Careful with Muhammad The Salman Rushdie Affair London Bellew 1989 136 p The Mother of Judas Iscariot and Other Poems London Regency 1988 36 p Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith New York Peter Lang 1987 281 p Books translated into French edit Ne Touchez pas a Mahomet Salman Rushdie et la Bataille pour la Liberte d Expression Jakarta Bijak 2022 Books translated into Bosnian edit Oprezno S Muhammedom Afera Salman Rushdie Bosnia CNS 2020 Islam Kao Politicka Religija Buducnost Jedne Imperijalne Vjere Bosnia CNS 2018 Books translated into Indonesian edit Mengungkap Kelicikan Barat Sekuler dengan Kasus Ayat ayat Setan Indonesia Firdaus 1992 Islam Agama Semua Zaman Indonesia Pustaka Zahra 2002 Merancang Teologi Pembebasan Islam Adakah Perang Dingin Baru Barat vs Islam Indonesia Nuansa Cendekia 2002 Emansipasi Kekuatan Islam Menolak Fasisme amp Totalitarianisme Indonesia Nuansa Cendekia 2007 Book Contributions edit Prophet Warning Justification Retribution and Salvation in Islam A Comparative Study in P Koslowski ed The Anxiety of End Time Munich Wilhelm Fink 2012 The Revival of Philosophy among Muslims in D Cheetham and R King Eds Contemporary Practice and Method in the Philosophy of Religion London Continuum T amp T Clark 2008 The Dialogue of Islam and the World Faiths The Role of Speculative Philosophy in P Koslowski ed Philosophy Bridging the World Religions Boston Mass Kluwer Academic 2003 The Limits of Internal Hermeneutics and Critical Quranic Scholarship and Theological Puzzles in H Vroom and J Gort eds Holy Scriptures in Judaism Christianity and Islam Amsterdam Atlanta Rodopi 1997 The Possibility of a Philosophy of Islam in O Leaman and S H Nasr eds The Routledge History of Islamic Philosophy London Routledge 1995 Relationships Between Muslim Parents and Children in a Non Muslim Country in M King ed God s Law versus State Law London Grey Seal 1995 The Future of Christian Muslim Relations in D Cohn Sherbok ed The Canterbury Papers London Bellew 1992 The Limits of Liberalism in Bhikhu Parekh ed Free Speech London Commission for Racial Equality 1990 Art or Literary Terrorism in D Cohn Sherbok ed The Salman Rushdie Controversy in Interreligious Perspective Lampeter The Edwin Mellen Press 1990 Book reviews edit Is Islam an ethnic ethical or juridical religion Reflections on revelation reason and power The Muslim World Book Review 43 3 2023 Religion in the Age of Rage The Uses and Abuses of Faith The Muslim World Book Review 40 3 2020 The Twin Terrors Political Islam and the Shari ah The Muslim World Book Review 39 1 2018 At War with Modernity by D Pryce Jones Muslim World Book Review Vol 14 No 1 1993 pp 4 5 Where East meets West by M Abul Fadl and Cultural Schizophrenia by D Shayegan Muslim World Book Review Vol 13 No 3 1993 pp 25 27 The Arab Christian by Kenneth Cragg Muslim World Book Review Vol 13 No 1 1992 pp 49 50 Islam in a World of Diverse Faiths by Rabbi D Cohn Sherbok Muslim World Book Review Vol 12 No 2 1992 pp 30 32 The Uneasy Alliance Religion Refugee Work and US Foreign Policy by Bruce Nichols Ethics Vol 100 No 1 1989 p 225 Review of Theism by Clement Dore The Journal of Religion Vol 66 No 4 Oct 1986 pp 451 452Journal articles edit Cultivating Faithful Enthusiasm How the Qur an Creates Transformative Willpower Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 2022 A Path Straightened Out Perspectives on Human Nature in the Qur an Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 2020 Can an Islamic Natural Theology Explain God s Silence Today Renovatio Fall 2019 pp 1 14 Finding and Following Jesus The Muslim Claim to the Messiah Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 2018 The Dialogue of Islam and the World Faiths The Role of Speculative Philosophy Philosophy Bridging the World Religions Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003 pp 21 37 The possibility of a philosophy of Islam History of Islamic Philosophy Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman Routledge 1996 pp 2065 2077 An Islamic Model of Revelation Islam and Christian Muslim Relations Vol 2 No 1 1991 pp 95 105 Faust and the New Idolaters Reflections on shirk Islam and Christian Muslim Relations Vol 1 No 2 1990 pp 252 260 Miracles as Evidence for the Existence of God Scottish Journal of Religious Studies Vol 11 No 1 Spring 1990 pp 18 23 Is there an Epistemic Parity Between Faith and Rejection The Southern Journal of Philosophy Vol 26 No 3 1988 pp 293 305 The Virtues of Fundamentalist Exegesis Scottish Journal of Religious Studies Vol 9 No 2 1988 pp 41 49 Religious Messages and Cultural Myths Sophia Vol 25 No 3 1986 pp 32 40 Non academic articles edit Akhtar Shabbir 1 October 2020 Killing for the sake of something called Art The Jakarta Post Indonesia Akhtar Shabbir 29 January 1994 Faith amp Reason Islam avoids the dangers of doubt Independent UK Akhtar Shabbir 23 January 1993 Faith and Reason A common duty to cultivate rivalry in good works Independent UK Akhtar Shabbir 21 August 1992 Faith and Reason Islam s virtuous way for the wealthy man Independent UK References edit Keith M Parsons Reason and the Radical Crisis of Faith Shabbir Akhtar The Journal of Religion 69 no 2 Apr 1989 273 Michael M J Fischer Mehdi Abedi Debating Muslims Cultural Dialogues in Postmodernity and Tradition Univ of Wisconsin Press 1990 p 390 See Malise Ruthven Islam in the Media in Interpreting Islam Ed Hastings Donnan SAGE Publications 2002 p 74 Kenan Malik From Fatwa to Jihad Atlantic Books London 2009 p 131 Subki Bin Ahmad 29 September 1997 Cooperative society Times Higher Education Retrieved 16 November 2013 Review of Shabbir Akhtar The Quran and the Secular Mind A Philosophy of Islam SpringerExternal links editShabbir Akhtar Official Website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shabbir Akhtar amp oldid 1217274305, 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