The definitive reference for Muslim liberation theologies across global contexts
Scholarship on Islamic thought has long centered abstract systems over lived Muslim agency. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Muslim Liberation Theologies shifts this paradigm by introducing Muslim Liberation Theology as a distinct analytic and a theological field of exploration. With over thirty original chapters from scholars representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, this volume maps liberative praxis across Sunni and Shi'i perspectives, minority and majority contexts.
The Companion examines theological ethics, resistance, liberatory practices, and sustainable change through conceptual essays and detailed case studies. Coverage spans prisons, grassroots movements, intellectual debates, historical and present case studies, and institutional contexts while engaging pressing issues including the War on Terror's aftermath, authoritarian rollback following the Arab Spring, Islamophobia, Gaza and Palestine, neo-colonial resurgence, racial capitalism, gendered oppression, and more.
Readers will also find:
- Systematic treatment of trusteeship (am?na) as the theological foundation for Muslim human agency and social justice activism across diverse communities
- Interdisciplinary frameworks connecting systematic theology, religious ethics, sociology of religion, political theory, and decolonial studies for cross-listed coursework
- Case studies examining Muslim civil rights movements, prison chaplaincy, faith-based NGO work, and grassroots organizing in multiple geographic regions
- Critical analysis of contemporary challenges including Islamophobia, securitization, brutalization, and authoritarian repression affecting Muslim communities worldwide
- Clear organizational structure with thematic sections designed for reference use in advanced undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level Islamic studies courses
Designed for scholars and graduate students in Islamic studies, modern Muslim thought, religious studies, political theology, ethics, practical philosophy, and decolonial studies, this Companion also serves practitioners including faith-based NGO staff, chaplains, and policy advisers. It provides the systematic reference these audiences need to engage Muslim liberation theologies rigorously.