Formulation of the claim
Contemporary Islamic thought regains its effectiveness only through historical and anthropological critique
Explanation
The book’s thesis revolves around the idea that the crisis of Islamic thought is not a lack of faith but a deficiency in the tools of understanding; therefore, the remedy begins with renewing Islamic thought by rebuilding the tools of reading and critique and with Arkoun’s project deconstructs the historical and institutional structures that produce meaning and authority. This trajectory extends to politics through the modern political crisis requires distinguishing religion from ideological instrumentalization and building civic legitimacy, and to Muslims’ relationship with the world through the relationship with the West and modernity requires criticism of mythologization and domination, and the construction of a local path. The project is likewise completed by the study of religion and symbol requires an open secularization and the preservation of the human dimension of meaning and the Arab-Islamic renaissance is contingent on liberating the interior and dismantling historical blockages as a human and historical horizon for a possible renaissance.