AIC Interviews Ahmad Shaban, Egyptian Quranist researcher

AIC:  Who are the Quraneen and how did they start?

Shaban:  The Quraneen are Muslims who believe that the Sharia can only be derived from the Quran, as only the Quran is divine. They do not rely on Sunna as a legitimate source of law.

AIC:  Can you give a little background information on the Quraneen?

Shaban: Quraneen was started by Ahmad Sobhy Mansour. Later, some of his initial followers, such as Shariff Hedi, broke off and started their own group.

There are now three groups within the Quraneen—there are those who reject the Sunna outright, those who accept its legitimacy, but still only study the Quran, and those who fall somewhere in the middle.

AIC: So this is a relatively new movement?

Shaban: The first group of Quraneen began about ten years ago. The second group [that branched out from the original group] is about two years old.

AIC: Is Egypt the only country to have Quraneen?

Shaban: No. In fact there is Quraneen study center in the U.S., the Global Quranic Center.

AIC: Do the Quraneen accept Ijtihad as a source of law?

Shaban: Yes. According to the Quraneen anyone can perform Ijtihad, and not just scholars.

Quraneen recognize that verses in the Quran can be interpreted in very different ways by different individuals.

AIC: How does that work? How can you have a system of law in which everyone is interpreting (and thus creating) the law differently?

Shaban: That is a complex question, beyond the scope of our discussion. There are many answers offered to this, and I can share mine with you at a later point.

AIC: Can you give an example of how the dispute over the source of law can manifest itself in a difference of opinion within Sharia?

Shaban: There are many. One example is the Shehada—the basic statement of faith that Muslims say before praying. The first Quraneen only say “There is no God except Allah.” In contrast, traditional Muslim groups say “There is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s messenger.”

AIC: Are the Quraneen discriminated against in any way for their views?

Shaban: Not at all. We enjoy complete freedom of expression and religion. Any friction between the government and Quraneen movement has been the result of personal politics, such as Ahmad Sobhy’s agenda, rather than of any religious intolerance.

AIC: So you haven’t witnessed any challenges to religious freedom in Egypt?

Shaban: There are definitely issues. For example, members of religious groups such as Ahmadi Muslims and the Bahaii have been unjustly imprisoned.

AIC: Do you support the idea of a ‘religious government’? Do you think Egypt’s government should be completely secular, more religious, or maintained?

Shaban: I believe in the idea of dawla madaneya- a civil state with protection of religious freedom.

AIC: Do you consider religious extremism in Egypt to be a fringe phenomenon, or do you think that is has or is becoming a mainstream occurrence?

Shaban: It is a fringe phenomenon. Most Egyptians still practice the same version of Islam that has existed for centuries [i.e. mainstream Islam, not Wahhabi].

AIC: Do you have more faith in religious leaders or in politicians to achieve improved religious tolerance?

Shaban: Religious leaders.

AIC: Do you consider any religion to be more tolerant or less tolerant? Why?

Shaban: No, I consider all religions to be similarly tolerant. Extremism comes from people, from leaders – not from the religion itself.

AIC: Do you believe that any religion followed by the majority has the danger to create discrimination against the minority?

Shaban: I believe that the potential will always be there. For that reason, the solution is a civil state that perceives and treats everyone the same, not based on their religion.

AIC: How do the Quraneen perceive non-Quraneen?

Shaban: They believe that it is wrong to follow the Sunna as part of Sharia, but they don’t view them badly as human beings, and certainly do not consider them to be kafir (the Islamic term for one who doesn’t believe in God).