Once in a while a new book in religious studies comes out with a bold thesis, challenging old assumptions and raising some eyebrows. The Islamic Secular, a thick, dense, and elaborate monograph by Sherman A. Jackson, Distinguished Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California, is one such book that deserves attention—by both Muslims and others who are interested in the destiny of Islam.
The book is notable first because of its author: Prof. Jackson, an African American who converted to Islam at a young age only to become one of the most prominent Muslim scholars in the Western world. He has also been named several times, most recently in 2023, as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan. His earlier books, including Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering and On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī’s Faysal al Tafriqa, were widely read and rightly praised.
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