Formulation of the Claim
Arkoun rejects reading religious texts by contemporary human rights standards when those standards are projected onto historical contexts different from their own.
Explanation
For him, it is not legitimate to judge ancient religious texts and events by the logic of a present that had not yet taken shape under their conditions. Modern understanding requires taking history and context into account before passing judgment.
This means that critical reading does not merely condemn what does or does not conform to today’s sensitivities; rather, it dissects the conditions under which religious discourse itself took shape. Thus, direct projection becomes a source of misunderstanding more than a tool for understanding.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim belongs to Arkoun’s broader thesis, which calls for a critical historical reading of Islamic texts instead of treating them as immediately judgeable according to present-day standards. It is connected to what he repeatedly says in his critique of modern readings when they remain captive to moral reaction and fail to penetrate the historical and epistemic structure of the text.
Limits of the Claim
This claim does not mean suspending moral judgment on everything found in the tradition, nor does it exempt it from critique. It also does not mean accepting the past as it is; it means only rejecting its reduction to the standards of a later time.
Brief Evidence Passage
Arkoun criticizes the modern treatment of the Qur’an and Islam if it is based on projecting contemporary human rights standards onto earlier texts and events.