Idea
This claim warns against religion when it is separated from critical ijtihad. The absence of questioning and review makes religious discourse vulnerable to being exploited by those who mislead or oppress people. At that point, religion no longer remains a field of guidance or meaning; it becomes a means of power and domination. The idea here is that criticism protects religion from turning against its own human purposes.
Concise Formulation
Religion that neglects critical ijtihad: turns into: a dangerous tool in the hands of misleaders and oppressors
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim occupies an important place in the book’s argument because it links the vitality of religion to its capacity for ijtihad. The text does not defend freezing tradition; rather, it sees the suspension of criticism as opening the way to exploitation and repression. In this way, ijtihad becomes a condition for protecting religion from turning into a tool for producing fear and blind obedience.
Why It Matters
Its importance lies in the fact that it explains why Arkoun insists on criticism not as an adversarial stance, but as an internal safeguard for religious meaning. It also shows that the dangers of religiosity do not come only from outside, but from the blockage of mechanisms of self-review within it. This helps the reader understand the connection between epistemic reform and moral reform.
Brief Evidence
Religion that neglects critical ijtihad turns into a dangerous tool in the hands of misleaders and oppressors with the emphasis that religion that neglects critical ijtihad turns into a dangerous tool in the hands of misleaders
Reading Questions
- How does the text describe what happens to religion when critical ijtihad is neglected?
- Who benefits from disabling criticism in this framework?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear place in the book’s material.