Thesis Summary
Shahrur holds that the dhimma is a historical term that is no longer suitable as a basis for the modern state. The civil state is founded on plurality and citizenship, with the separation of religion and power, not on closed historical classifications.
Foundational Atoms
- The dhimma is a historical term
- The separation of religion and power
- The civil state is based on plurality
Place of the Claim within the Book
This comes in the final section of the book, in the discussion of citizenship and good governance, where the author links the civil state to pluralism and the separation of powers.
Limits of the Reading
What is meant here is a critique of the validity of a historical concept in a contemporary context, not a denial of its value within its original historical circumstance.