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If we had to summarize the fifty minutes of presentation of the work of the researcher and writer Asthma Lambrabetit will be through her message “addressed to the education system” which must, according to her, play a role in “education for a human universal” which is “the product of a plural civilizational heritage and of which the religious framework of Islam must be an integral part”.
For the essayist and feminist Asma Lamrabet, “it is about teaching younger generations that values such as freedom, justice, equality, knowledge, reason, love, respect for differences etc… are not only intrinsic to Islambut also to the East, to the West, to the world… And that they are not the monopoly of any civilization, nor vested in any given culture or ideology”.
It is in this sense that Asma Lamrabet believes that the fact of “building” a “common ethical space” which includes “the great universal values as well as a meaningful, open, plural and humanist religious framework”, does not constitute a concession but rather a “need” and one “evidence”.
“Morocco as well as other Muslim societies have the human, spiritual and political potential necessary to implement this common ethical space. In any case, we hope so for generations to come,” she declared during the presentation of her latest work.Islam and fundamental freedoms: for a universal ethics”, Thursday December 12 (Editions En Tous Lettres, 184 pages, 95 DH).
And to explain the source of her conclusions, the researcher with multiple publications returns to the genesis of this work while developing her reflection around two axes: first the understanding of what the universal frames of reference mean, then what the religious references. This approach allowed him to conclude what is necessary to implement to combine the two in a common space, namely ethics.
Questioning the imagination through the prism of ethics
During the presentation of her book, Asma Lamrabet emphasized that the genesis of this work is anchored in the Moroccan context, marked by recurring debates on the fundamental freedoms and the expected reforms of Family Code. These questions, which find echoes in other Muslim societies, reveal a supposed antagonism between universal human rights and Islamic values.
For the author, this opposition arises from fixed readings of the two frames of reference, which she calls to deconstruct. She emphasizes the need to question collective imaginations and the conceptual norms that fuel this tension.
“This book is not not a definitive answer to all these questions but an attempt to highlight in a non-exhaustive way the main points of tension of this crucial theme and to propose:
- Firstly, to rethink our imaginations and all the numerous conceptual norms that haunt them, or even deconstruct both the so-called universal vision and that of religion, in order to better understand what we are talking about;
- Secondly, reread and reanalyze, in the light of a reading ethics and humanist, all the themes brought into this book which are at the heart of this referential tension such as freedom of religion, abortion, gender equality with all its ‘by-products’ like the inheritance etc…, children born out of wedlock and their status, sexual relations outside of marriage et the death penalty.
All this in order to take the risk ofopen other avenues of reconstruction and alternatives which aim to be truly universal and which take into account the founding ethical principles of the two standards. And this to calmly build, if possible, “a common place”, that is to say a place which will be that of the universalisms of the two frames of reference. A common place that is legitimate, inclusive et consistent”.
Towards an inclusive universal
Asma Lamrabet recalls that “the universal” is today increasingly criticized and called into question in its Euro-centric configuration. Citing thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur et Enrique Dusselshe recalls that there are several proposals aimed at “renaming” it.
“Let us also remember that it is not a question here of denying the essential contribution of the West to the formulation of human rights, but rather of denouncing the refusal or denial of a certain Western scholarly elite to reinscribe other traditions epistemological cultures within a common heritage which would be truly universal. What is therefore to be criticized here is not the humanist foundation of so-called universal values but their monopolization, or even their geopolitical instrumentalization by the West.“, souligne Asma Lamrabet.
The author proposes to reconnect with a truly universal vision, based on inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. She recalls that the humanist heritage of medieval Andalusiamarked by the cross-contributions of Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, offers a model inspiring co-construction of knowledge.
And added: “However, this criticism of the instrumentalization of human rights while being legitimate et necessarycan only be effective if it is done alongside a self-criticism of the Muslim tradition and the entire theological-political approach. In other words, you must first sweep your own door”.
Reconciling Muslim spirituality and universal values
Another central aspect of the book is the rereading of religious notions such as Sharia and the fiqh. Asma Lamrabet deconstructs the reductive interpretations that turn them into rigid systems. She criticizes the colonial legacy which contributed to fixing these concepts in the form of “Muslim law” which is often unsuitable for contemporary realities.
In “Islam and fundamental freedoms”, Asma Lamrabet invites us to overcome divisions and open new perspectives. His approach, both critical and constructive, proposes to reconcile universal humanist values with an ethical and inclusive Muslim spirituality.
For her, this dialogue is essential to respond to the challenges of societies seeking social justice, equality and freedom, while respecting their cultural and religious identities. An ambitious, but necessary, path towards ethics truly universal.
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