Islamic Studies in the West and the Need for an Internal Approach

The editorial article, titled Islamic Studies in the West and the Need for a New Approach, is written by Dr. Tijani Boulaouali, the Editor-in-Chief of the Ijtihad Journal for Islamic and Arabic Studies in Europe. This topic is particularly important due to the urgent need to adopt an internal approach to Islam in Europe and the West, in addition to the external Western approaches that often strip Islam of its religious, jurisprudential, and historical specificities. An objective understanding of the nature of the Islamic religion can only be achieved by studying its original sources and observing the actual religiosity of Muslims. The article is divided into three main sections. While first section addresses Islam from the perspective of external Western approaches, the second one highlights the importance of adopting an internal approach in Islamic studies in the West. The third section provides an overview of the articles and reviews included in the previous issue of the journal. KEYWORDS: Islamic Studies; Internal Approach; External Approach; Orientalism; Islamology.