At the same time, Shariati was attacked by other non-traditional intellectuals in Iran for his appeal to Islamic traditions, which many — in particular those influenced by Marxist ideas — regarded as part of problems, rather than their solution. A similar division can be found among academics who have discussed Shariati’s works.
Those who attempt to approach him as a religious intellectual have criticised him for “theological innovation,” as though theology cannot be a work in progress and interpretations that differ from traditional wisdom must automatically be invalid. At the same time social scientists approaching his ideas have had trouble accepting the fact that, for a believer, there is ultimately a position beyond which certain propositions must be accepted a priori.
