Reconciling comprehensive liberalism and islam

Abstract

I intend in this paper to determine the extent to which particular fundamental principles of Islam are compatible with some form of comprehensive liberalism based upon the primary value of individual autonomy as described by Kok-Chor Tan and justified by Immanuel Kant. On the other hand, I utilize Ahmet Davutoğlu's arguments that differing ontologico-epistemological assumptions between the Western and Islamic Weltanschauungs determine altogether alternative and incompatible axiological and socio-political systems between the two. Instead, I argue that the particular ontological assumptions Davutoğlu claims are fundamental and universal to Islam are compatible with comprehensive liberalism's value of individual autonomy. I attempt to demonstrate this by utilizing a particular tradition of Islamic philosophy Anver Emon calls Hard Islamic natural law theory (NLT). I argue that Hard Islamic NLTs not only preserve the fundamental ontological assumptions of Islam, but also, that they are compatible with the epistemological, axiological, and socio-political domains of a version of comprehensive liberalism that can be derived from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Since Hard Islamic NLTs maintain this particular fundamental Islamic ontology while also adopting these elements of the so-called Western paradigm, I conclude that they may be capable of reconciling comprehensive liberalism and Islam.