Abdolkarim Soroush: A Neo-Mu'tazilite that Buries Classical Islamic Political Theology

The aim of this paper is to examine a leading project of reforming theology and politics for renewal and pluralism in Muslim majority societies. The ongoing debate over whether Islam can be a state religion or a mere religion within the state makes reading the (Islamic) past into the present or vice versa a controversial endeavour in prospecting future solutions. Due to this fact, engaging with theology politically and with politics theologically appears a requisite in contemporary Islamic thought. The importance of theology stems from the fact that Muslim societies are religious, and their main references for what concerns political governance and The aim of this paper is to shed light on a leading project of reforming theology and politics for renewal in Muslim majority societies. The ongoing debate over whether Islam can be a state religion or a mere religion within the state makes reading the (Islamic) past into the present or vice versa a controversial endeavour in prospecting future solutions. Due to this fact, engaging with theology politically and with politics theologically appears a requisite in contemporary Islamic thought. The importance of theology stems from the fact that Muslim societies are religious, and their main references for what concerns political governance and cultural life originate from religious texts, henceforth the relevance of political theology, or what Mohammed Arkoun calls “applied Islamology.”