LAUSR

ABSTRACT This article explores the political theologies of Yusuf al-Qaradawi (d. 2022) and Rachid al-Ghannouchi (b. 1941), prominent middle-ground reformist (waṣaṭī) thinkers, focusing on their evolving ideas of citizenship, sovereignty, and political legitimacy in contemporary Muslim nation-states. Shaped by exile, political realities, and intellectual engagement, both scholars propose distinct yet interrelated Islamic ethical frameworks. Al-Ghannouchi emphasizes democratic pluralism and shura-based governance, critiquing secularism as a historically contingent construct. Al-Qaradawi's stance remains rooted in classical jurisprudence, maintaining sharia's centrality while accommodating pluralism and critiquing secular states as ideologically sacralized entities. Through textual analysis and empirical fieldwork, this study demonstrates that middle-ground reformist Islamism is a dynamic intellectual project. The comparative inquiry into their thought offers critical insights into contested notions of citizenship and political authority in Muslim-majority societies, especially under authoritarian rule in the MENA region.