Islam, Modernity, Violence, and Everyday Life »

Ahmad Atif Ahmad is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara, and Author of “Structural Interrelations of Theory and Practice in Islamic Law” (2006).

This book questions the logic and basis of the comparisons between “Islamic” and “Western” values and cultures in today’s public discourse in the West. The book calls attention to inadequacies in discussions about Islam and modernity, violence in Islamic law and history, and the common image of everyday life in Muslim societies. The book specifically addresses the question of the autonomy of the individual and implicit and explicit rights under Islamic law, the questions of the laws of war and the laws of apostasy in Islam, and the right to privacy.

Introduction 1

1 Theoretical Considerations 15

2 On the Cusp of Modernity: Reading Ibn 'Abidin of Damascus (1784-1836) 43

3 Egyptian Society in the Writings of Muhammad al-'Abbasi al-'Mahdi (1827-97) 65

4 Social Custom as a Source of Law in Modern Muslim Societies 83

5 War 117

6 Apostasy 147

7 The Right to Privacy 169

8 Incommensurable Values? 183

Notes 189

Bibliography 205

Index 211