Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi: Islamic Reform and Arab Revival(Makers of the Muslim World)

Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi (1855–1902) was one of the most articulate and original proponents of reformist ideas in the Arab world, as well as a precursor of Arab nationalism. A journalist, political thinker and social activist from Aleppo, Syria, he was a sharp critic of both the scholarly and Sufi religious traditions, and of the autocratic Ottoman government of the day. Undeterred by persecution and arrest, he advocated returning to the model of the forefathers of Islam and was an overt supporter of liberty, an Arab Caliphate, and the separation of religion and state. The first full-scale biography of Kawakibi in any European language, this work combines an account of his life with a fresh look at his writings, from the newspapers he founded in Aleppo to the books he published in Cairo. Drawing on memoirs of relatives and colleagues and on archival material, Itzchak Weismann demonstrates Kawakibi’s originality and assesses his impact on the evolution of Islamic political thought and the course of Arab nationalism during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION   1 THE MAKING OF A SYRIAN ISLAMIC INTELLECTUAL Politics and Society in Late Ottoman Aleppo The Urban Religious Landscape Family Background Between Traditional and Modern Education   2 EXPERIMENTS IN JOURNALISM Official and Private Editor The Vocation of the Press The Afflictions of the Ottoman System New Hopes for Aleppo Communal Troubles   3 A PROVINCIAL OTTOMAN NOTABLE’S CAREER Facing the Hamidian Regime A Man of His Class For the Sake of the People Overtures toward a Middle Class An Exile in Egypt   4 THE CRISIS OF THE MUSLIM WORLD Kawakibi’s Oeuvre An Islamic Conference in Mecca The Degeneration of the Umma Critic of the Religious Tradition The Failings of the Tanzimat   5 A BLUEPRINT FOR REFORM Modernist Salafi Reformation The Model of the West An Association for Muslim Edification An Arab Caliphate   6 AGAINST TYRANNY A Scientific Inquiry Defining Tyranny The Politico-Religious Nexus Knowledge and Public Service Socialism and Democracy Toward Progress   7 IN THE EYES OF POSTERITY A Middle-Class Family A Mixed Legacy A Final Assessment   Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Itzchak Weismann is Professor of Islamic studies and Director of the Jewish-Arab Center at Haifa University, Israel. His research focuses on modern Islam, including Islamic movements in the Middle East and South Asia, and interfaith dialogue.