Reddit mentions of Toward an Islamic Reformation: Civil Liberties, Human Rights, and International Law (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East)

I respectfully disagree with two of your arguments.

First of all, your first sentence implies that following maddhabs is needed to follow Islam correctly. This takes the agency away from lay followers and puts far too much power in the hands of the mullahs, muftis and imams.

Second, "you have to follow some guidelines" makes Islam sound like a law rather than a way of life or a framework for ethics and religious practices. This is what causes such intense intrafaith conflict and slow change in governmental policy. All of a sudden, you're not debating interpretations, you're debating the law of God which is a lot more difficult to "change" once deemed "correct" by authorities. I'm not saying there is no correct way...I'm saying the discourse you utilize to discuss maddhabs needs to accept the fact that it is ultimately an interpretation. And ultimately, your own aql is needed foremost.

Finally, in my opinion, this is phenomenal book by the Sudanese professor Al-Naim on the topic: http://www.amazon.com/Toward-Islamic-Reformation-International-Contemporary/dp/0815627068