ABSTRACT
A literalist reading of the Qur’an focuses not so much on the question of whether the Qur’an contains universal and/or particular/specific verses, i.e., statements. An increasing number of male and female Muslim theologians, especially those living in democratic countries, criticize such literalist reading of the Qur’an and seek alternative readings that attempt to propose and implement values in accord with their strong attachment to democratic structures. A wide-spread reading by mainly female Muslim theologians dealing with women’s rights focuses on the differentiation between universal and particular/specific verses of the Qur’an. The Qur’an characterizes God as a being, who is in a very personal way necessarily turned toward mankind. The contrasting view understands the Qur’an as the self-disclosure of God. In the Qur’an, one is directly confronted with God’s presence. The Qur’an itself uses the term aya to think of the transcendent in the immanent.
