Formulation of the Claim
Arkoun holds that the use of the Qur’an and religion may turn into a tool of political manipulation.
Explanation
The author describes the use of the Qur’an and religion as a political use that does not remain neutral, but instead becomes a means of direction and influence. In this context, religion is not understood merely as a domain of spiritual meaning; rather, it enters into a network of interests and alignments.
This claim is connected to Arkoun’s critique of mixing religious reference with political practice when texts are invested in managing conflict or consolidating influence. For him, therefore, the issue is not the presence of the Qur’an in the public sphere, but its transformation into a tool that serves manipulation instead of opening a horizon of understanding.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s critique of using religion for purposes other than its cognitive and spiritual aims, a critique that recurs in more than one place in his work on the Qur’an. It approaches his broader thesis concerning the need to separate the critical study of the text from its ideological use, so that religious discourse does not become a means of domination or exploitation.
Limits of the Claim
The atom should not be burdened with a sweeping judgment on every relationship between the Qur’an and politics, nor does it mean an outright rejection of religion’s presence in the public sphere. What is intended is a warning against turning the Qur’an into a tool of manipulation and interest.