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interview with muhammad shahrur 503MS: In 1953, I wanted to drop out of school. My father had noobjections, but my mother was opposed to it. She was illiterate,but she quarreled with my father and cried. Finally, to securepeace, he said, ‘Okay, go to school’ [laughter]. She insisted thatI continue, and he finally agreed with her.DFE: Why did you want to leave school?MS: I was attracted by money. I worked, earned money, and likedit. At the time, I considered school as a kind of confinement. Youhad to go every morning, sit on a chair all day, and then go home.I thought that working allowed more freedom.DFE: Did you have religious lessons in school?MS: Yes.DFE: What did you think of them?MS: My interest for each subject depended on the teacher. My religiousteacher was good, although he didn’t pay much attentionto prayer and fasting. He knew that he had to teach us the mainframework of Islam and he was good at that. He wore a suit likeanyone else.DFE: As you look back on your youth, would you consider yourself particularlyinterested in religious issues?MS: No [laughter]. I was not particularly interested in religiousissues. But my family is religious. In our neighborhood, we wereconsidered quite odd. Our father was strict about not fasting andpraying. He fasted and prayed himself, but considered religion asmore than this. He was more concerned with how people treatedone another and how to deliver goods or work to people. Heemphasized this all the time.DFE: After you finished primary school, did you have a choice in yourstudies?MS: We could choose between humanities and science, and I chosescience. I liked it, and think that I have a scientific disposition. Iwas good at mathematics and physics, and understood themeasily.