The Times’ Islam feature ignored the ijtihad-versus-taqlid interpretive debate entirely.

Evidence

An illuminating comparison can be made between the Times’s feature coverage of “Islam” and Le Monde’s. The Times had it quickly put together by Flora Lewis; she discusses neither the great theological and moral issues debated all across the Islamic world (how can one talk about Islam today and never once mention the conflict raging between partisans of ijtihad — individual interpretation — and partisans of taqlid — reliance on the interpretation of authorities — as modes of Koranic interpretation?) nor the history and structure of the various Islamic schools fueling the “upheaval” she tries to document. — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 247

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ijtihad as individual Koranic interpretation and taqlid as reliance on authoritative interpretation — a useful framing concept.
• SHARE: The ijtihad/taqlid distinction as the core live debate of Islamic interpretation is a precise, sendable nugget to anyone studying the region.
• XREF: connects to: The Times framed peasant communists as stupid folk needing fascist remedy — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1723

Related

• The Times framed Islam solely through threat to American interests (similarity 0.79)