ABSTRACT
With the move into the twentieth-fi rst century, the question may well be asked, what of Islam (or, indeed, religion in general) in the new millennium? Few doubt that Islam will continue to exist. Rather, it is the variety of forms in which it will be found that is of interest. Doubtless, the main trends which have already been sketched in the preceding chapters will be the most signifi cant. Islam, however, will face challenges on a variety of fronts which will likely both change it and strengthen its determination in the ongoing march of human history. Some of those challenges will come from within; others will come from without. Some of the modern thinkers within Islam, such as Fatima Mernissi, Mohammad Arkoun, and Shabbir Akhtar, who may well stimulate these new lines of thought, have already been mentioned previously in the context of discussions of Muslim sources of authority. Others, such as Farid Esack, who attempts to face human problems from his own sense of Muslim identity not constrained by traditional Islamic practices, are just starting to make their impact. Still others present a revolutionary Islam that will topple existing social structures. From the outside, it is not only the forces of creeping secularism but strident humanist and feminist voices who pose a new challenge, along with rival religious groups. Among the latter, it is groups whose origins are from within the Islamic milieu that are particularly signifi cant, since their appeal is precisely to those familiar with Muslim claims and activities. Other religions, including Hinduism and especially Christianity, play a major role as a challenge to Islam as well, of course, but they fall outside the purview of this book, although their infl uence is to be noted in many places.
