Mohammed Abed al-Jabri (; 27 December 1935 – 3 May 2010) was one of the best known Moroccan and Arab philosophers; he taught philosophy, Arab philosophy, and Islamic thought in Mohammed V University in Rabat from the late 1960s until his retirement. He is considered one of the major philosophers and intellectual figures in the modern and contemporary Arab world. He is known for his academic project "Critique of Arab Reason", published in four volumes between the 1980s and 2000s. He published several influential books on the Arab philosophical tradition.Sonja Hegasy, "Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, Pioneering Figure in a New Arab Enlightenment" at Qantara.de, 06 May 2010
Biography Mohammed Abed al-Jabri was born on 27 December 1935 in Figuig to a middle-class family of Berber origin. During his childhood, he read classics of Arabic literature, memorized parts of the Quran and learnt Arabic grammar.
He contributed to at-Tahrir, official daily newspaper of the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP) and had a column called ( 'good morning'). In 1959, he responded to the phenomenon of Zionist cinema in a series of articles in his column, criticizing Zionist propaganda films depicting violence against Arabs screened in Morocco behind closed doors at functions and gatherings including weddings. He was also one of at-Tahrir's main editors.
He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Mohammed V in 1967. He also obtained a PhD in philosophy from the same university in 1970. His master's thesis was on the philosophy of history in Ibn Khaldun and his doctoral dissertation was also on Ibn Khaldun. He died in Casablanca on 3 May 2010.
Views Jabri was a "fervent advocate" for Arabization. In his eyes, both Berber languages and colloquial Arabic were inadequate as serving as a national unifier. Jabri went as far as advocating for the complete destruction of Berber languages and he advocated for their banning from schools, radio and television:
Awards The Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought for the year 2008 in Berlin.
Bibliography
Arabic
Translations
English
French La Pensée de Ibn Khaldoun: la Assabiya et l'État. Grandes lignes d'une théorie Khaldounienne de l'histoire musulmane. Paris: Édima, 1971. Pour une Vision Progressiste de nos Difficultés Intellectuelles et Éducatives. Paris: Édima, 1977. Nous et Notre Passé (Al-Marqaz al-taqafi al-arabi). Lecture contemporaine de notre patrimoine philosophique, 1980. Critique de la Raison Arabe - 3 volumes, Beyrouth, 1982.
German Kritik der arabischen Vernunft, Naqd al-'aql al-'arabi, Die Einführung, Perlen Verlag, Berlin 2009
References
Sources
Further reading Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi: Towards a Critical Arab Reason - the Contributions of Mohammed Abed al-Jabri Contemporary Arab Thought: Studies in Post-1967 Arab Intellectual History. London, Sterling, Virginia: Pluto Press, 2004. PP. 256–278. Review of German "Introduction" of "Kritik der arabischen Vernunft" (also in German) Mohammed Hashas, "Mohammed Abed al-Jabri: the Future of the Arab World?" Resetdoc, 27 December 2014, http://www.resetdoc.org/story/00000022474.
External links Official website Sonja Hegasy "Mohammed Abed al-Jabri: Pioneering Figure in a New Arab Enlightenment", 2010 Sonja Hegasy "Portrait of the Philosopher Mohammed Abed al-Jabri Critique of Arab Reason", 2009 M'hamed Hamrouch, Magress, obituary in French (published in Libération 04 - 05 - 2010) Nicola Missaglia, "Mohammed Abed al-Jabri's New Averroism"