Mu tazila Defenders of Reason in Islam
Mu tazila Defenders of Reason in Islam By Joel D. Hirst At the very beginning of Islamic theological history a group of mutakalliman (the word for theologian in Islamic tradition) in Baghdad and Basra, in an attempt to defend their new religion from external detractors and internal corruption, developed “the first systematic thought-out creed for Islam”; […]
Islam without Extremes A Muslim Case for Liberty
Islam without Extremes A Muslim Case for Liberty * A review of Mustafa Akyol’s “Islam Without Extremes” by Muhammad Ali Siddiqi A THEME now dominating new works on Islam is a forceful denunciation of its perceived takeover by the conservative — ‘traditionalist’ — school that came into being centuries after the revelation of the Holy […]
Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights
Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights Reviewed by Dr. Niaz A. Shah* Abdulaziz Sachedina has set himself the noble but challenging task of searching for a human rights system in the Islamic tradition, a system that would guarantee human dignity and which would not conflict with the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. […]
Islam and Liberty
Islam and Liberty Author: William Coley[1] “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the […]
Is Religious Liberty in the West an Historical Accident ?
Is Religious Liberty in the West an Historical Accident ? Author: Bugra Kalkan* Religious liberty emerges and survives only in the countries where the rule of law is institutionalized. And to build rule of law in a country requires a neutral government that protects rights of members of political society. Well, this is the central […]
Harmony at the Expense of Liberty
Harmony at the Expense of Liberty Author: Wan Saiful Wan Jan Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel is an Imam at the Jamae Chulia Mosque in Singapore. Last week on 3 April he was fined SGD4,000 by a Singapore court for committing an act deemed inconsistent with the maintenance of harmony between religious groups. Nalla committed the […]
Freedom of Religion and Apostasy in Islam
Freedom of Religion and Apostasy in Islam Author: Dr. Ahmed Raysouni* Translated and Abridged by Suhaib Webb This topic, as noted in the title, addresses two issues: The first relates to freedom of religion in the general sense, namely, the right to choose ones faith prior to becoming Muslim. In this scenario there is absolutely […]
Dr. Nader Hashemi – Is Liberty an Islamic Value
Dr. Nader Hashemi – Is Liberty an Islamic Value Is Liberty an Islamic Value? KUALA LUMPUR: “Freedom, in my view, is central to Islam. It is actually within Islam’s DNA. A full commitment to being a Muslim really demands you to accept the concept of freedom. To deny or reject freedom is really to fundamentally, […]
Becoming a columnist for the Istanbul Network for Liberty
Becoming a columnist for the Istanbul Network for Liberty Mohammed Amin Mohammed Amin MBE’s personal and career history and current activiti In a short article, I can only provide a high-level overview of the key ideas. Expanding on the details, including looking at social attitudes survey data, is a task for academics and for think […]
Hijab and Code of Public Sphere for Women in Islam – Sajid Hameed
In a Muslim society, the code of veil provides a basis for a separate sphere of activities for women. Since it demands some kind of segregation, it defines separate spheres for men and women and consequently generates the debate on whether women are allowed to go out of their homes and whether they can work. […]
