Religion and State : The Muslim Approach to Politics

如果西方人知道一個單一的伊斯蘭教術語，那麼它很可能就是聖戰，阿拉伯語為“聖戰”。伊斯蘭教作為一種內在侵略和仇外宗教的形像在西方長期盛行，有時可能被時事證實。 L.Carl Brown以對伊斯蘭教早世紀至今的穆斯林世界中宗教和政治生活之間關係的迷人歷史概述，挑戰了這一傳統智慧。

在伊斯蘭教中，宗教與政治之間沒有分離。通過將這一說法置於廣泛的歷史背景下，本書揭示了現代伊斯蘭政治思想與現代伊斯蘭政治思想之間的連續性以及現代穆斯林經驗的獨特層面。Carl Brown表明，“他們正在混淆神學和歷史，他們混淆了這個問題，”他寫道。正如歷史記錄所顯示的，現代主流的穆斯林政治思想傾向於政治平靜主義。

Carl Brown堅持認為，我們可以透過接受其歷史多樣性的現實來更好地理解穆斯林當代政治，同時尋求穆斯林思想和行動中可能與眾不同的東西。為了闡明伊斯蘭教與政治相關的顯著特徵，Carl Brown將這個宗教與其兩個閃族姐妹猶太教和基督教進行比較，在宗教改革時期將伊斯蘭教與基督教之間進行了驚人的比較。憑藉豐富的證據，他重現了猶太教和基督教的豐富伊斯蘭多樣性傳統。

If Westerners know a single Islamic term, it is likely to be jihad, the Arabic word for "holy war." The image of Islam as an inherently aggressive and xenophobic religion has long prevailed in the West and can at times appear to be substantiated by current events. L. Carl Brown challenges this conventional wisdom with a fascinating historical overview of the relationship between religious and political life in the Muslim world ranging from Islam's early centuries to the present day.

Religion and State examines the commonplace notion-held by both radical Muslim ideologues and various Western observers alike-that in Islam there is no separation between religion and politics. By placing this assertion in a broad historical context, the book reveals both the continuities between premodern and modern Islamic political thought as well as the distinctive dimensions of modern Muslim experiences. Brown shows that both the modern-day fundamentalists and their critics have it wrong when they posit an eternally militant, unchanging Islam outside of history.

"They are conflating theology and history. They are confusing the oughtand the is," he writes. As the historical record shows, mainstream Muslim political thought in premodern times tended toward political quietism.

Brown maintains that we can better understand present-day politics among Muslims by accepting the reality of their historical diversity while at the same time seeking to identify what may be distinctive in Muslim thought and action. In order to illuminate the distinguishing characteristics of Islam in relation to politics, Brown compares this religion with its two Semitic sisters, Judaism and Christianity, drawing striking comparisons between Islam today and Christianity during the Reformation. With a wealth of evidence, he recreates a tradition of Islamic diversity every bit as rich as that of Judaism and Christianity.

  L. Carl Brown  (Autor)

Publisher:Columbia University Press 

ISBN:    978-0231120395 

原價   US 20.50 台幣價 NT$780