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B o o k s
Islamic Thought
Through Protestant Eyes
Islamic Thought Through Protestant Eyes examines the engagement of early modern Protestant scholars with Islamic thought. Drawing on previously unstudied dissertations and disputations by primarily German Lutheran scholars, Mehmet Karabela analyzes three themes contained in these texts: religion and theology, philosophy and the liberal arts, and Muslim sects. Karabela broadens the conventional interpretation of the Reformation beyond a solely European Christian phenomenon and opens up novel directions for future research.
Mustafa Sabri Efendi
Published in Indonesia, this book concentrates on the life and thought of the Ottoman Åžeyhülislâm Mustafa Sabri Efendi (1869-1954), the chief jurisconsult of the Ottoman State and head of the religious establishment. As a leading scholar and politically active figure of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Sabri was appointed Åžeyhülislâm four times in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, lived half of his life in exile in various countries, and died in Egypt. Unlike 19th and 20th century Muslim reformers, who believed Islam needed a "Reformation" like Protestants to regain their former political glory, Sabri scorned the acquisition of earthly power at the expense of Muslim values. Although Sabri wrote on theology, philosophy, Islamic law, and the Qur’an, the merit of his thought lies in its full reflection of the economic, political, and social problems of his day. Sabri’s ideas on religion and social justice remain relevant to the critique of neo-liberalism and the "spirit" of capitalism.