Re: Scholarship
Let's see what to make of this
Do you get the sense that the concept of scholarship in the muslim world is dead today?
Maybe and maybe not. The question is... what is the function of scholars. Do you want to depend on scholars or do you want to be one? Going down to the wire, a true scholar happens to be a true student. That is where you begin... seeking knowledge is not only necessary, it is ordained. Perhaps collective effort is required to sponsor studenthood and then scholarship.
Are there organizations out there that fund research in Islam?
Well there are those Saudi elements who sponsor wahaabi training :)
As well, a bit of the collected "chanda" also goes in teaching people who to read (and only read) the Quran.
A bit of the donation also goes on to the Dars-e Niami (which I have completed 8 years of)
How many people are coming out with books and papers that try and explain confusing concepts better, and maybe provide alternate interpretations to traditional age-old interpretations of Islam that may be culturally biased from a time that's passed?
:) If they do try (and they have tried since the time of the Islamic empires) they have been either flogged or killed... Much of what is considered Islam today has been peddled as such over a thousand years based on "word of mouth". People who 'converted' to Islam also seem to have brought in their ideologies and their religions into Islam (which is not a religion but a way of life/conduct).
I say this, because I see so many people writing fervently about their theories on the internet. Much of it is poorly written, and inaccurate, and not very well researched. And yet people read it and accept it to be true. I don't deny that I might have fallen into this trap as well. Its hard to figure out which interpretations to believe in when you yourself don't have a good grasp of Arabic, or of detailed Islamic history.
Well this is an age old mindset... I call it "following the sunnah/tradition" (and I am not targetting sunnis btw ... this goes to all sectarians)
Much of these traditions are alien concepts from Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastriansim, and believe it or not, Hinduism; and have no basis if you look at the Quran.
And I say this because when I last went to Pakistan, being an armchair scholar in Islam was the rage (either that or being on the other extreme being so liberalized that they make us Americans look like conservative school marms). I was handed loads of books on Islam, which I did read, and found them to be full of such fancifull and false information and information that wasn't supported with proper citations. Like these authors haven't ever heard of the concept of a "works cited page" or a "bibliography" or "footnotes" or any form of external reference/citation to support what you're saying.
typical practice...
And yet this is the scholarship that the muslim world is relying on. I'm sure there are some scholars that write very well, and properly, with full citations, and well-supported and constructed arguments. But I rarely find such works, and most of it is repeated theories re-summarized. Nothing new or novel that shows one looking into the history books and finding different perspectives on Islamic laws, sanctions, prohibitions, philosophies.
Why, and how to fix this problem?
The only way to fix it is to have an open mind and to ask questions boldly, much the same way as you have right now. Obviously there will be opposition but that's the test of how sincere you are to what you think is right.
If you are not getting the answers, you can start out by gaining knowledge in these areas and challenge the present paradigms... no one will come to fix it for you. You have to fix it yourself.