Shaker Al Nabulsi (December 5, 1940 – January 6, 2014) was an American author and columnist of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

ian descent.

Biography

al-Nabulsi was a signatory of the St. Petersburg Declaration at the Secular Islam Summit and authored numerous books and widely cited articles on politics, religion, literature and the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. He stated that

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

laws could only be understood in the context of the period when they were written, and contested the idea that they are eternal. He also called for holding radical clerics to account for Islamic terrorism. According to al-Nabulsi, "There are individuals in the Muslim world who pose as clerics and issue death sentences against those they disagree with. These individuals give

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

a bad name and foster hatred among civilizations." In 2006, Al-Nabulsi warned that

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

was planning to establish an Islamic republic in Lebanon modeled on

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Al-Nabulsi coined the term "new liberals" for late-twentieth century liberals in the Arab world, and served as their spokesperson.

Published works (Arabic)

*''The Poetic Entanglement: An introspection into Fadwa Tuqan's Poetry'' (1961) *''Open-Ended: The works of Antoine Zhukov'' (1963) *''Doctrine of Love, Doctrine of Violence: A literary study of

Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...

'' (1985) *''Between the Blade and its Victim: the Short Stories of the Saudi Kingdom'' (1985) *''The Ubiquitous Fire: A Chronicle of Arabian life'' (1985) *''What tomorrow May Bring: A look at the Future of Saudi Arabia'' (1985) *''Light and the Doll: The Poetry of

Nizar Qabbani Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani ( ar, نزار توفيق قباني, , french: Nizar Kabbani; 21 March 1923 – 30 April 1998) was a Syrian diplomat, poet, writer and publisher. He is considered to be Syria's National Poet. His poetic style combines sim ...

'' (1986) *''The Bitter Era: Essays on Arab Politics and

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

'' (1986) *''Settlement Train: Initiatives in Palestinian Equality'' (1986) *''Abandoning the Color White: Essays on Arab Politics'' (1986) *''Loaf of Fire: A study of

Modern Arabic Poetry Arabic poetry ( ar, الشعر العربي ''ash-shi‘ru al-‘Arabīyyu'') is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry ...

'' (1986) *''Heritage Lunatic: A study of Mahmoud Darwish's Poetry'' (1987) *''Pillow of Ice: America's Middle Eastern Policy'' (1987) *''Flightless Bird: The deteriorating Educational System in Arabia'' (1988) *''The Third Culture: Exploring the Japanese Civilization'' (1988) *''Working with Sand: The Cultural Development of the Arabian Gulf'' (1988) *''Stoning with words: A study of Arab Intellectuals'' (1989) *''Unlocking the Memories of a lady: A study of Ghada Samman's works'' (1990) *''A Revolution in Heritage: A study of Khalid M Khalid's Thought'' (1991) *''Desert Tropic: A.R . Munif's Literature'' (1991) *''Harvest of Silence: A study on Modern Saudi Poetry'' (1992) *''Freedom & Joy in the Arabic Novel: Examining Arabia's most significant Novelists'' (1992) *''River East: An Analysis of Contemporary

Jordanian Culture The culture of Jordan is based on Arabic and Islamic elements. Jordan stands at the intersection of the three continents of the ancient world, lending it geographic and population diversity. Notable aspects of the culture include the traditiona ...

'' (1993) *''The Esthetics of Setting: Reviewing the literature of

Ghalib Halasa Ghalib Halasa (Arabic: غالب هلسا; December 3, 1932 – December 17, 1989) was a Jordanian novelist, short story writer, literary critic, translator, and political activist. He was a prominent literary figure in the Arabic-speaking world d ...

'' (1994) *''The Jordanian Novel and its place in

Arabic Literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

'' (1994) *''Ballads Within Dwellings: A Biography of Shiek Imam Isa'' (1998) *''The Age of Decadence & Foster: The cultural landscape under the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

'' (1999) *''Devoured by the Wolf: A Biography of Political Cartoonist Naji Elali'' (1999) *''The Sultan: A Guide to Maintaining Political Power'' (2000) *''Arab thought of the 20th Century'' (3 Volumes) (2001) *''Wealth and The Crescent: Economic Factors leading to the Advent of Islam'' (2002) *''The Arabs had Islam Never Emerged: The Counterfactual history of Arabia in the absence of *Islam'' (2002) *''The Arabian Hamlet: In Memory of Munis Arazaz'' (2003) *''Arab Street: The Middle East's Political Public Opinion'' (2003) *''Rise of the Militant Society'' (2003) *''Critical Views in Politics and Cultures'' (2004) *''The Rupture: Essays on Iraq'' (2004) *''Foolish Questions:

Islam and Politics Political aspects of Islam are derived from the Quran, ''ḥadīth'' literature, and ''sunnah'' (accounts of the sayings and living habits attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his lifetime), the history of Islam, and elements of ...

'' (2005) *''Devil's Advocate: A study of Alaffif Alakadir's Thought'' (2005) *''

Neo-Liberals Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

'' (2005) *''"Why?" Questions in the third Millennium'' (2006) *''Prisons Without Bars: The Arab World's Current Situation'' (2007) *''Bin Laden and the Arab Mind'' (2007) *''Honest Attempts to Grasp the Incomprehensible'' (2008) *''The Great Wall of Arabia'' (2009) *''The Inconsistencies of

Fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

'' (2009)

References

External links

Recent Attacks by Islamists on Arab Liberals – A Sign of Distress and Imminent Defeat

The Arabs are Still Slaves to a Medieval Mentality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nabulsi, Shaker Al- Muslim reformers 1940 births 2014 deaths