Document Type : Research Article / Original Article
Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
This article adopts a critical approach to the contemporary crisis of Islamic identity, arguing that the simultaneous spread of takfiri discourse and the advance of secularism—two sides of the same coin—have fundamentally weakened the foundations of solidarity, legitimacy, and religious identity in Muslim societies. The central focus of the study is twofold: first, a rigorous examination of the discursive mechanisms and crisis-generating dynamics of takfiri movements; and second, an analysis of the unifying potential embedded in the thought of Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout as an effective counter-strategy.
The methodology integrates critical discourse analysis with Thomas Spragens’ four-stage model of crisis, systematically mapping the development and continuity of the present dilemma. The first stage diagnoses the crisis of identity as an outcome of the dominance of takfiri discourse and religious exclusivism, which result in the fragmentation of communal cohesion and erosion of religious legitimacy. The second stage attributes the origins of this crisis to the prevalence of dogmatic, exclusionary, and othering approaches, along with a retreat from rationality and genuine inter-sectarian engagement. The third stage foregrounds Sheikh Shaltout’s reformist orientation, which champions sectarian rapprochement, rational dialogue, recognition of jurisprudential diversity particularly the formal acceptance of Shi‘a jurisprudence as a legitimate fifth school and an emphasis on shared doctrinal foundations. Finally, the fourth stage presents Shaltout’s ideal of a tawhidi (monotheistic) community unified by core tenets of faith.
The findings demonstrate that overcoming the multifaceted crisis engendered by takfir and secularism requires a fundamental rethinking of the discourse of Islamic identity, and a genuine revival of rationality, unity, and the formal acceptance of sectarian plurality. This necessity is most compellingly articulated within the critical and reformist framework of Sheikh Shaltout’s thought.
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