AbdolKarim Soroush Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

AbdolKarim Soroush - Essay Example A reformist movement has emerged in Iran which seeks to adopt Western and Islamic concepts to create a tolerant and pluralistic Islamic society. Abdolkarim Soroush is a reformist scholar who has challenged the concept of the hard-line clergy in Iran that the mullahs have a divine right to govern and rule society. This paper aims to study the political philosophy, ideas and views of Abdolkarim Soroush. It aims to compare his works with that of leading Islamic revivalist or reformist scholars like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Iqbal, Maulana Maududi, Sayyid Qutb, Hassan Banna, Mohmmad Abduh and Rashid Rida. Abdolkarim Soroush is a well known Islamic reformist scholar and intellectual who is affiliated with many prestigious institutions. He served in official positions until resigning in 1983. During the 1990s, Soroush became a vocal critic of the Iranian clergy. His monthly magazine, Kiyan was a platform for Iranian reformists to criticize the clergy. His philosophy is based on the system of Mowlana Jalaleddin Rumi who was a famous Sufi mystic and poet. Soroush makes a distinction between divine revelation and the interpretation of religious knowledge. The divine knowledge is beyond the comprehension of human knowledge as it is eternal and divine in nature. Soroush has â€Å"analyzed the actual process of revelation and the way in which the text† which Islamic scholars â€Å"endeavor to interpret, emerged and materialized† (Mobasser). Religious knowledge is dependant on the interpretations of scholars who might be sincere and authentic. Scholars are human beings who are l imited and prone to mistakes in their interpretation of Islam. Only a cautious and transparent form of government can create a society which compensates for the weakness of human nature. Soroush says that the basis of such a government would be reason, freedom and democracy. These values and beliefs are interlinked with the basic sources