Progressive Islam?

I've read the book Progressive Islam, edited by Omid Safi and I've occasionally looked at the "Progressive Muslim" website called Muslim Wake Up! and I'm both encouraged, excited and concerned by the idea of "Progressive Muslims". On the one hand, especiialy after the Muslim endorsement of Bush back in 2000, which made me worry that political conservatives had hijacked Islam in America. So it was a breath of fresh air to find that there was actually a movement of Muslims who did have a progressive political vision and had a beautiful conception of Islam as a positive force for change in the world. An Islam which was opposed to sexism and racism. An Islam concerned with social justice the needs of the oppressed. A liberation theology which would reform individuals and communities to their full humanity. A slave to no one but Allah.

On the other hand, at least a few of the people who seem to wave the banner of "progressive Islam" seem to be taking some positions which have the potential to be corrosive to faith.

I think part of the difficulty in talking about these issues is that "progressive" is too big an umbrella and can't really define a unified group.

For example, it might be illuminating to distinguish between Muslims who find traditional approaches to Islam deeply flawed and in need of reform (e.g. those who want to significantly change the role of hadith or the traditional schools/madhabs) and those who find the traditional religious foundation to be basically sound but are also motivated by certain political commitments.

[It might not always be useful to make comparisons to other religions but I imagine the distinction I am trying to draw here somewhat like the distintion between Protestant "reformers" who rejected the authority of the Church and between those Catholics who basically accept traditional forms but who have a religious-inspired concerned for social justice.)

Another interesting book along these lines is: The Final Imperative: An Islamic Theology of Liberation by Shabbir Akhtar Which is more a defense of political engagement in general, than a defense of a particular perspective on the political spectrum but is a good short read nonetheless.

In any case, the important question we have is whether being a "progressive Muslim" necessarily means making compromises with orthodoxy. For the moment, I would say no, and that it is possible to combine the two consistently. But it is definitely a question which bears to be asked again from time to time.