The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Muslim Liberation Theologies

“The Companion is unparalleled in its scope and depth and will remain the standard reference work on Muslim liberation theologies for the foreseeable future.” —Asma Afsaruddin, Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University “This remarkable volume explores how Muslims turn the ethical resources of their faith into practices of dignity, solidarity and resistance.” —Jonathan Brown, Professor and Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization, Georgetown University “The most rigorous exploration in the topic so far. This is a must read across humanities, as well as religious studies.” —Heba Raouf Ezzat, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Ibn Haldun University The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Muslim Liberation Theologies introduces Muslim Liberation Theology as a distinct analytical and theological framework, shifting scholarly attention from abstract Islamic systems to lived Muslim agency and trusteeship. Edited by Emin Poljarević and Ivan Ejub Kostić, this reference work addresses theological ethics, resistance, and change, examining how Muslims across diverse settings engage with social justice and confront oppression. The Companion presents over thirty original chapters from scholars representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Contributors examine Sunni and Shi’i perspectives across minority and majority Muslim contexts, including prisons, grassroots movements, intellectual debates, and institutional settings. The volume engages contemporary issues including the aftermath of the War on Terror, authoritarian rollback following the Arab Spring, Islamophobia, Palestine, racial capitalism, and gendered oppression. Designed for scholars and graduate students in Islamic studies, religious studies, theology, sociology of religion, political theory, and decolonial studies, this Companion serves as the definitive reference on Muslim liberation theologies. The definitive reference for Muslim liberation theologies across global contexts Scholarship on Islamic thought has long centered abstract systems over lived Muslim agency. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Muslim Liberation Theologies shifts this paradigm by introducing Muslim Liberation Theology as a distinct analytic and a theological field of exploration. With over thirty original chapters from scholars representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, this volume maps liberative praxis across Sunni and Shi'i perspectives, minority and majority contexts. The Companion examines theological ethics, resistance, liberatory practices, and sustainable change through conceptual essays and detailed case studies. Coverage spans prisons, grassroots movements, intellectual debates, historical and present case studies, and institutional contexts while engaging pressing issues including the War on Terror's aftermath, authoritarian rollback following the Arab Spring, Islamophobia, Gaza and Palestine, neo-colonial resurgence, racial capitalism, gendered oppression, and more. Readers will also find: Systematic treatment of trusteeship (amāna) as the theological foundation for Muslim human agency and social justice activism across diverse communities Interdisciplinary frameworks connecting systematic theology, religious ethics, sociology of religion, political theory, and decolonial studies for cross-listed coursework Case studies examining Muslim civil rights movements, prison chaplaincy, faith-based NGO work, and grassroots organizing in multiple geographic regions Critical analysis of contemporary challenges including Islamophobia, securitization, brutalization, and authoritarian repression affecting Muslim communities worldwide Clear organizational structure with thematic sections designed for reference use in advanced undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level Islamic studies courses Designed for scholars and graduate students in Islamic studies, modern Muslim thought, religious studies, political theology, ethics, practical philosophy, and decolonial studies, this Companion also serves practitioners including faith-based NGO staff, chaplains, and policy advisers. It provides the systematic reference these audiences need to engage Muslim liberation theologies rigorously.