Alumni Publication: "Lessons from the Protestant Reformation for Today’s Islamic World" by Hussein Solomon and Rene de Klerk
On 13 May 2023, the International Journal of Islamic Khazanah (IJIK) published NESA Center alumnus Hussein Solomon's article "Lessons from the Protestant Reformation for Today’s Islamic World", which was co-authored by Rene de Klerk.
Abstract
The Muslim world is in crisis – politically, socially and economically – and Islam is in need of a reformation. Drawing on insights from the Protestant Reformation, this article argues that two of the major reasons for the success of the Protestant Reformation lay in the fact that dissident voices such as that of Martin Luther were protected and that developments like the printing press increased literacy thereby empowering ordinary people to read the Bible on their own without the Church serving as a mediator in conveying revelation to the masses. This helped to break the monopoly of the Catholic Church. At the same time, the printing press allowed the views of reformers to be disseminated to a wider audience creating widespread sympathies for the reformers given the excesses of the Church. Whilst the Muslim world shares many objective realities of the period leading to Europe’s Reformation, the reality is that reformers are provided with little protection from Muslim political elites and widespread illiteracy prevents reformist ideas from gaining traction to a wider audience.
About the publisher
IJIK is an open-access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the scientific study of contemporary aspects of Islam. IJIK provides a forum for studying Islam and Muslim societies in their global context; encourage interdisciplinary studies of the Islamic world that are cross-country and comparative; promote the diffusion, exchange and discussion of research findings; and encourage interaction between academics from various learning traditions.
About the author
Hussein Solomon is Senior Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of the Free State in South Africa. His research interests include conflict and conflict resolution in Africa, South African Foreign Policy, international relations theory, religious fundamentalism and population movements in the developing world.
The views presented in this article are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.
