In this episode of Protean View, Muftah editor-in-chief Riad Alarian and senior editor Ahmed Elbenni sit down with Sherman Jackson to discuss his new book, The Islamic Secular (OUP, 2024).

Jackson’s central claim in the book is that Islam has its own version of the secular, distinct from other common understandings and applications in both Western scholarly and quotidian discourses. His book represents an attempt to theorize this form of the secular in conversation with a range of recent works in Islamic studies, philosophy, religious studies, anthropology, political theory, and secular studies.

The conversation focuses on the theoretical foundations of Jackson's argument, especially the meaning, coherence, and tenability of a so-called religious secular. Jackson also discusses how his views compare and contrast with those of other theorists wrestling with similar questions, including Rushain Abbasi, Wael Hallaq, Shahab Ahmad, and others.