Alicia Lie 
Reading the Qur’an [PDF ebook] 

Is Islam necessarily against women’s rights? Is Islam at odds with liberal ideals? Dr Alicia Lie argues that neither is true, through a carefully argued textual discussion of the Qur’an. The aim of Reading the Qur’an is to rethink Islam and to fight extremism. Dr Lie argues against literal interpretations of the Qur’an and puts forward a methodology for the interpretation of this key religious text. She argues that the main criterion for being a Muslim should be moral action rather than a confession of faith. The gist of her argument is that many of the Muslims who follow doctrines derived from the Qur’an and the Hadiths have not given enough consideration to the issues involved in interpreting these texts. She gives textual evidence that Qur’anic passages were not intended to be perfect guidance suitable for all places and all times, and argues for the importance of independent thinking in following Islam.