Islamic fundamentalism and the intellectuals: the case of Naguib Mahfouz

Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian Nobel Laureate in literature, was stabbed by Muslim militants in October 1994. After the publication of his novel ‘Awlad Haratina’ radical Islamists accused him of apostasy and blasphemy. In this novel Mahfouz set out to write an allegory of human history in which the principal characters paralleled the main biblical figures, but the book angered the Islamists. Most literary figures support Mahfouz in arguing that the novel is a piece of literature or art, and not a theological treatise. It deals with problems of social justice, the abuse of power by rulers, and the exploitation of the weak by the strong. It shows that reforms by various prophets have failed to ameliorate the human condition and suggests that science seems to offer a greater promise. But the metaphysical (religious) framework within which issues of social justice, science and socialism are discussed remains the most problematic and controversial aspect of this literary work, and draws attention, therefore, to the understanding of the role of religion in human affairs.