| ID | 099297 |
| Title Proper | Taking people as they are |
| Other Title Information | Islam as a realistic utopia in the political theory of Sayyid Qutb |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | March, Andrew F |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article presents an interpretation of Sayyid Qutb's political theory based on a prominent feature of his thought: the claim that Islamic law and human nature (fitra) are in perfect harmony, and that the demands of Islamic law are easy and painless for ordinary human moral capacities. I argue that Qutb is not only defending Islamic law as true and obligatory, but also as a coherent "realistic utopia"-a normative theory that also contains a psychological account of that theory's feasibility. Qutb's well-known fascination with the earliest generation of Muslims (the salaf) is an integral part of this account that serves two functions: (1) as a model of the feasibility and realism of an ideal Islamic political order, and (2) as a genealogy of the political origins of moral vice in society. Qutb's project is thus an account of exactly why and how Islam requires politics, and how modern humans can be both free and governed. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol. 104, No. 1; Feb 2010: p189-207 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review Vol. 104, No. 1; Feb 2010: p189-207 |
| Key Words | Islam ; Realistic Utopia ; Political Theory ; Sayyid Qutb |