The lived experiences of progressive Muslims : exploring the limits of individualisation

Since September 11 2001 popular discourse on Islam has come to focus on issues of fanaticism and violence. Consequently the need to present examples of a ‘moderate’ or ‘liberal’ Islam has emerged and this thesis is a response to this imperative. It is clear that progressive Islamic thought and practice has been formed as a reaction to events, religious norms, liberalism and human rights discourses. It has been argued by Abdullahi An-Na’im (2006) that following the attacks there was a need for many Muslims to seek and craft an Islam that they believed was compatible with Western values of pluralism and human rights. This thesis will investigate the lived experiences of progressive Muslim communities and organisations in North America, by exploring how their identities are presented, how and why progressive Muslim communities are formed, how authority is exercised, and how gender activism is articulated. To date there is no sociological research that investigates the social implications of progressive Islamic thought, much less its implications for social justice and equality in Muslim societies and communities. Although there is considerable literature on progressive Islamic thought and theology (Esack 1997; Safi 2003a; Duderija 2011; Wadud 2006) not much is known about its social manifestations and the implications of these materials. This thesis will focus on two organisations: Muslims for Progressive Values and El-Tawhid Juma Circle. Fieldwork was conducted though twenty in-depth interviews and observations in the United States in 2013. The data collected for this research will be used to evaluate the broader concerns of social justice, human rights, and pluralism in these two progressive Muslim movements. An important feature of most progressive Islamic movements in North America is the focus on social equality and ultimately on gender parity. The varied forms of progressive Islam all endeavour to realise social justice and equality through a critical engagement with Islamic sources and an inquiry into dominant contemporary Islamic practices. This thesis will test the extent to which progressive Muslim practice can be described as an individualised form of Islam. In connection with this it also analyses progressive Muslim practice with reference to theories of individualisation, pluralism, cosmopolitanism and everyday religion