Franz Rosenzweig`s Criticism of Islam in the Context of Contemporary Discourse

Coming across Franz Rosenzweig`s, the modern Jewish theologian and philosopher mostly associates with his revolutionary dialogic approach to Christianity, opinions of Islam, one would probably consider him nothing more than another Islamophobe. This may explain the relatively low interest research has for this aspect of his philosophy, his radical approach considered condescending and his treatment of the subject considered superficial and patronizing. All the more when these insights are found in his life`s work, "The Star of Redemption", considered to be a treatise that opened a new era in the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, setting them as complementary and equal. However, even if disagreeing with him, one must still admit that the very fact of choosing to deal with this topic and the nature of his discourse, which was conceived during World War I, were ahead of his time. This essay is an attempt to re-explain his opinions of Islam in order to answer the question of why would Rosenzweig, a religious-existentialist deeply rooted in the European-Christian tradition, be interested in Islam?

Doing that, it will also explain what can such a radical approach, denying the title of `religion`from Islam (and dismissing offhand the religions of the far east), contribute on this topic to contemporary, post-modern, politically-correct discourse. My claim is that by a new reading, an important lesson can be learned from his insights, their provocative nature notwithstanding.