Scholars of Islam and the Media

Since 9/11, Islamic studies scholars have been expected by the media to provide general explanations of Islam for public consumption. But, Edward Curtis, IV argues, this is often an impossible task: “The expectation that Islamic studies scholars were prepared to ‘cover’ the Islamic tradition and speak to its beliefs and practices on a normative, global basis was stressful for many of us. The idea that we could speak with authority about the practices of 1.4 billion people who speak dozens of languages and have inhabited the planet for the last 1400 years is absurd, of course.” In reflecting on this, I think that the problem would be similar if one were asked to explain what Christians think (compare fundamentalist Christians with those in the United Church of Christ) as opposed to how Christianity should be characterized. Curtis discusses how and other scholars of Islam deal with the problem over at Immanent Frame. Interesting reading.