Edip Yüksel

Edip Yüksel
Born in 1957
Residence Tucson, Arizona, USA
Nationality Turkish
Citizenship Turkey, United States
Education Juris Doctor, College of Law, University of Arizona
Alma mater University of Arizona
Occupation Author, Activist, Professor
Organization Co-founder of MPJP Muslims for Peace, Justice and Progress
Known for involvement in the Islamic Reform movement, promoting philosophy and critical thinking, and literary works on the subject
Religion Rational Monotheism, Peacemaking, Quranist Islam
Website www.19.org

Edip Yüksel (born 1957) is a Kurdish American intellectual considered one of the prime figures in the modern Islamic reform and Quranism (Quraniyoon) movements. Author of many books on the Qur'an and Islam, he has gained much attention through his works and speeches.[1][2][3]

His main aim, as stated throughout his writings, is to spread an Islamic understanding that is rational, progressive, and humanistic, which in his eyes can only be gained through accepting the Qur'an as the only Divine authority.[4] He is also a promoter of Theistic evolution, an understanding he gets from science and the Qur'an, instead of Creationism.[5] Specifically, Yüksel is critical of Islamic creationists such as Harun Yahya.[6] Yüksel is a former member of United Submitters International.

Biography

Yüksel was born in Turkey in 1957 into a Kurdish family.[7] His father, Sadreddin Yüksel, an Islamic scholar, taught Arabic at a Turkish university. His brother Metin Yüksel, an Islamist activist, was assassinated by far-right nationalists. Yüksel says that he was an outspoken Islamist as a youth, and spent years in prison for his views. Yüksel says that he broke with Islamism in 1986 and adopted the Qur'an Alone philosophy as preached by Rashad Khalifa, the inspiration of the United Submitters International whose beliefs include: the dedication of all worship practices to God alone, upholding the Quran alone, and rejecting the Islamic traditionalist hadith and sunnah attributed to Muhammad. Because of this, Yüksel's traditionalist father, Sadreddin, declared his son an apostate, and he received many death threats from Orthodox Muslims.[8][9] In 1989, he was sponsored for immigration to the US by Khalifa. Yüksel moved to Tucson, entered college, got a legal degree, and became a prominent member of the United Submitters International.[3] He became a U.S. citizen in 1993.[10]

Professor Aisha Musa, from Florida International University, says in her book Hadith as Scripture about Yüksel:

"Edip Yüksel [..], is a prominent figure among advocates of the doctrine of Qur'an alone. His works are published in the traditional print media, and he also maintains two active websites.[..]Born and raised in Turkey, [...], Yüksel comes from a traditional Sunni background. [..] Although Yüksel initially came to his belief that the Qur'an is the only legitimate source of religious guidance in Islam, his own writings show much more independence than does the work of Kassim Ahmad. Like Khalifa and Ahmad, Yüksel rejects the Hadith using the same Qur'anic criteria. However, he differs with Khalifa in his interpretation of the Qur'an on a number of issues, [...]. Yüksel's work represent a new trend that has emerged in the modern-day Qur'anist movement in the last several years,[..]"[1]

He now teaches philosophy and logic at Pima Community College and medical ethics and criminal law courses at Brown Mackie College. He taught Turkish to high school students at a charter school, where one of his two sons attend.

Publications

Yüksel is the author of over twenty books on religion, politics, philosophy and law in Turkish. He has published many pamphlets and essays in English, most of them put out by the United Submitters press—his former congregation., and has written many articles on his own website and several press-websites.[3][11] His new publications are with Brainbowpress.[12] His official website remains banned in Turkey following complaints by Adnan Oktar (a.k.a. Harun Yahya).

English

Yüksel has published the following works in English:[13]

His translation has been praised by many well-known authors and activists as Professor Riffat Hassan, Dr. Amina Wadud, Dr. Reza Aslan and Irshad Manji.[14]
"A bold and beautiful translation that serves a timely reminder to all believers that the Qur'an is not a static scripture, but a living, breathing, ever-evolving text whose sacred words are as applicable today as when they were first uttered by the Prophet Muhammad fourteen centuries ago." Reza Aslan[14]
"A testament to the fact that faith need not suffocate reason. This is bound to be among the smartest of 'smart bombs' in the battle of ideas within Islam."Irshad Manji[14]

Turkish

Yüksel has published the following works in Turkish:[13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Aisha Y. Musa. Hadith as Scripture; Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam 2008, ISBN 978-0-230-60535-0.
  2. ↑ http://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2008-9/weekly/301008/adverts.htm
  3. 1 2 3 Jamie Glazov. From Radical to Reformed Muslim. FrontPageMag.com, December 04, 2007.
  4. ↑ http://deenrc.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/a-reformist-translation-0979671507.pdf. Page 487.
  5. ↑ http://deenrc.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/a-reformist-translation-0979671507.pdf. Page 510.
  6. ↑ Higgins, Andrew (March 17, 2009). "An Islamic Creationist Stirs a New Kind of Darwinian Struggle". Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ http://www.Yüksel.org/e/law/kurd.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.Yüksel.org/e/law/terror.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.livingislam.org/n/np_e.html
  10. ↑ Yüksel, Edip. "In The Name Of Allah: The Saga of an Islamic Dissident and Reformer". Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  11. ↑ http://www.19.org/?articles
  12. ↑ http://www.brainbowpress.com/
  13. 1 2 "Edip Yüksel's Resume (long version)". Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Quran: A Reformist Translation. Product information, Brainbow Press.com.
  15. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979671507 Amazon.com
  16. ↑ http://brainbowpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=5
  17. ↑ http://deenrc.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/exposition-on-the-manifesto-for-islamic-reform.pdf
  18. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979671574/
  19. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979671531/
  20. ↑ http://brainbowpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=4
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