This book presents the wo r k a nd ideas of the Syrian writer Muhammad Shahrur to the English-speaking wo r ld. Shahrur is at the moment the most innovative intellectual thinker in the Arab Middle East. Often described as the Martin Luther of Islam, he offers a liberal, progressive reading of Islam that aims to counter the influences of religious fundamentalism a nd radical poli This book presents the wo r k a nd ideas of the Syrian writer Muhammad Shahrur to the English-speaking wo r ld. Shahrur is at the moment the most innovative intellectual thinker in the Arab Middle East. Often described as the Martin Luther of Islam, he offers a liberal, progressive reading of Islam that aims to counter the influences of religious fundamentalism a nd radical politics. Shahrur s innovative interpretation of the Qur an offers groundbreaking new ideas, ba sed on his conviction that centuries of histo r ical Islam, including scholarship in the traditional Islamic religious sciences, have obscured o r even obliterated the Qur an s progressive a nd revolutionary message. That message is one that has endured through each period of human histo r y in which Islam has existed, encouraging Muslims to apply the most contempo r ary perspective available to interpret the Qur an s meaning.",