No, not the movie. A rewrite of the second-holiest book in Islam (the Hadith) to bring it up to twenty-first century thought.
Turkey in radical revision of Islamic textsTurkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam—and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion.
The country’s powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.
The Hadith is a collection of thousands of sayings reputed to come from the Prophet Muhammad. As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the Koran and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia.
Via Making Light, which has many more quotations and commentary.
I think it's safe to say there are some very powerful groups practicing Islam who are not going to like this idea at all. The clerics in Saudi Arabia and Iran, for two.
Who'd have thought that a government run largely by a secular Islamist party would take on such a large and controversial task?
This could have monumental consequences worldwide. I wish them luck.
Posted by Linkmeister at February 26, 2008 02:28 PM | TrackBackI commented on Making Light about this article http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199901/koran which no one has responded to. Honestly, I think it is much more potentially explosive, in that the Koran is say more sensitive than the Hadith, and Yemen is not a secular place. However, I haven't heard anything else for eight years, so i don't know where this is going/has gone.
Sorry, I can't do embedded links without a cheat sheet. I also can't find my glasses this morning (Dachshunds! Kids!) , so I hope this is legible.
Posted by: Juli Thompson at March 1, 2008 05:26 AMKids plural? ;)
I probably read that when it came out and promptly forgot it. I'll have to re-read it. Thanks.
Posted by: Linkmeister at March 1, 2008 08:47 AMGood catch! That's kid singular. I did mention the glasses thing, right?
{looks again} Dachshund. One dog. Jeez, I need remedial help in counting.
Posted by: Juli Thompson at March 2, 2008 02:22 PM