The work of refoundation begun by the proponents of a “new theology” in Islam remains relatively unknown in France. Constance Arminjon Hachem took a close interest in the intellectual bubbling that this expression designates, used in particular by thinkers who claim to be part of it, which originated in the 1990s in Egypt, Iran and, to a lesser extent, in Turkey. .
Arabic-speaking and Persian-speaking, this lecturer in contemporary Islam at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) is a specialist in the history of Islamic thought and the religious institutions of contemporary Islam. She has notably published Shiism and State. Clerics put to the test of modernity (CNRS Editions, 2013), Human Rights in Shi’ite Islam. Confluences and dividing line (Cerf, 2017) and A Brief History of Political Thought in Contemporary Islam (Labor and Fides, 2017). His latest work, Towards a new theology in Islam (CNRS Editions, 384 pages, 26 euros), is the result of his authorization to direct research, defended in 2020 at the EPHE.
Traditionally, what does the field of theology cover in Islam?
Constance Arminjon Hashem. As in all religious traditions, theology has God as its object. In Islam, it constitutes one of the disciplines of religious knowledge alongside Koranic exegesis (interpretation), scholarly law (fiqh), the foundations of scholarly law (usûl al-fiqh), political theology and, finally, knowledge of the Arabic language and rhetoric.
Theology became institutionalized from the 9the century. It deals with the reasons and conditions of faith, the content of dogmas, such as that of the uniqueness of God or the divine nature of the Koran, and the relationship between Islam and other religions.
Until the rise of “new theology” thinkers in the 1990s, contemporary theology had remained relatively immobile since the late 1800s.e century, fulfilling functions identical to those assumed in previous periods: exposing dogmas by attempting to demonstrate them rationally, while having an apologetic aim. In particular, it was a question of refuting the novelties – including modern scientific currents, such as Darwinism – and of proving the superiority of Islam over other religions in the face of European and American missionaries.
In what context did this “new theology” emerge?
The intellectual renewal emerged from the confluence of several trajectories. It is first of all the result of long changes within the history of educational institutions in the Muslim world. This first underwent considerable transformations with the creation of universities at the beginning of the 20th century.e century – in Istanbul (Turkey) in 1900, in Cairo (Egypt) in 1925, in Tehran (Iran) in 1934.
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