Abstract
Rahemtulla argues that a key challenge of Islamic liberation theology is to articulate a radical understanding of Islam that accents the specificity of the Muslim faith and its own distinctive liberative themes. Taking the writings of the pioneering Muslim liberation theologian Farid Esack as a case study, and his centring of the Exodus as a paradigm of liberation in particular, Rahemtulla shows how the epistemic dominance of Christianity can inadvertently manifest itself in Islamic discourse. In order to counter the universalization of Christian experience, then, the Muslim liberation theologian should take into account the historical difference of Islam. After critiquing the Exodus paradigm, Rahemtulla points to a potential alternative, one squarely rooted in the distinctiveness of the Muslim faith: tawhid, or the unity of God.
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Rahemtulla, S. (2019). The Politics of Paradigms: Liberation and Difference in Islam and Christianity. In: Timani, H., Ashton, L. (eds) Post-Christian Interreligious Liberation Theology . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27308-8_3
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