Synopses & Reviews
Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-238) and indexes.
Synopsis
Islamic Ethics of Life considers three of the most contentious ethical issues of our time-abortion, war, and euthanasia-from the Muslim perspective. Distinguished scholars of Islamic studies have collaborated to produce a volume that both integrates Muslim thinking into the field of applied ethics and introduces readers to an aspect of the religion long overlooked in the West. This collective effort sets forth the relationship between Islamic ethics and law, clearly revealing the complexity and richness of the Islamic tradition as well as its responsiveness to these controversial modern issues. The contributors analyze classical sources and survey the modern ethical landscape to identify guiding principles within Islamic ethical thought. Clarifying the importance of pragmatism in Islamic decision making, the contributors also offer case studies related to specialized topics, including "wrongful birth" claims, terrorist attacks, and brain death. The case studies elicit possible variations on common Muslim perspectives. The contributors situate Muslim ethics relative to Christian and secular accounts of the value of human life, exposing surprising similarities and differences.
Synopsis
A pioneering work on controversial issues within the Muslim world
Islamic Ethics of Life considers three of the most contentious ethical issues of our time--abortion, war, and euthanasia--from the Muslim perspective. Distinguished scholars of Islamic studies have collaborated to produce a volume that both integrates Muslim thinking into the field of applied ethics and introduces readers to an aspect of the religion long overlooked in the West. This collective effort sets forth the relationship between Islamic ethics and law, clearly revealing the complexity and richness of the Islamic tradition as well as its responsiveness to these controversial modern issues. The contributors analyze classical sources and survey the modern ethical landscape to identify guiding principles within Islamic ethical thought. Clarifying the importance of pragmatism in Islamic decision making, the contributors also offer case studies related to specialized topics, including wrongful birth claims, terrorist attacks, and brain death. The case studies elicit possible variations on common Muslim perspectives. The contributors situate Muslim ethics relative to Christian and secular accounts of the value of human life, exposing surprising similarities and differences.
In an introductory overview of the volume, Jonathan E. Brockopp underscores the steady focus on God as the one who determines the value of human life, and hence as the final arbiter of Islamic ethics. A foreword by Gene Outka places the volume in the context of general ethical studies, and an afterword by A. Kevin Reinhart suggests some significant ramifications for comparative religious ethics.
Table of Contents
Taking life and saving life : the Islamic context / Jonathan E. Brockopp -- The problem of abortion in classical Sunni fiqh / Marion Holmes Katz -- Contemporary Muslim ethics of abortion / Donna Lee Bowen -- The right not to be born / Vardit Rispler-Chaim -- Between functionalism and morality / Khaled Abou El Fadl -- Saving and taking life in war / Sohail H. Hashmi -- Discourses on Jihad in the postmodern era / Richard C. Martin -- The "good death" in Islamic theology and law / Jonathan E. Brockopp -- Brain death and Islamic traditions / Birgit Krawietz -- The past in the future of Islamic ethics / A. Kevin Reinhart.