Authority and representation in North America: the ijtihad criteria and the construction of new religious authority

摘要

Debates over who has the right to interpret Islam and who represents the Muslim communities in North America are among the most pertinent and lively within and outside the Muslim population of the continent. What these debates often overlook is the intersection of traditional criteria of authority with modern and North American ones, where new types of religious authority compete with old. What is also absent is a nuanced discussion of myriad types of authorities and representations that skirts the often blunt use of these concepts and proceeds to problematize them when needed. This article studies the notions of representation and authority as expressed in the classical qualifications of ijtihad and the emergence of new types of religious authority inspired by North American sensibilities. It uses the work of Max Weber and Hanna Pitkin for conceptual and sociological analysis and applies it to the reflections of Amina Wadud and Sherman Jackson on the status of Muslim authority in America.View full textDownload full textKeywords ijtihad , authority, representation, American Islam, reform, African American Muslims, immigrationRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1528817X.2012.693388