By Abdur Rab on 9/28/2009 8:02 PM

As promised in my opening statement on this blog, below I provide you with a 
brief summary of my book, Exploring Islam in a New Light: An Understanding from the Quranic Perspective.

 

The book is a renewed attempt to provide a new, comprehensive vision of Islam. It makes a compelling case for a reformed Islamic practice that follows only the Quran, and rejects the widely revered Hadith literature. It seeks to promote a new way of thinking about a reformed Islam—one that can reconcile all Muslims and create the civil, moral Islam the Quran dictates.

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By AY Mol on 28-9-2009 23:30

Door Oleh In de gemeenschappelijke islamitische perceptie moeten de mensenrechten worden onderworpen om de rechten van God. Daarbij zij verwaarlozing van de rechten van mensen die zijn veroordeeld als ketters of die dreigen het religieuze establishment. Is er een alternatief islamitische interpretatie? Het gesprek Novriantoni en Ramy El-Dardiry, leden van de Liberal Islam Network (JIL), had met prof. dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, hoogleraar islamitisch recht aan de UCLA, zou wat meer licht te werpen op deze kwestie. De discussie vond plaats in het Hilton Hotel in Jakarta op zaterdag 24 / 7, tijdens het bezoek van dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl's naar Indonesië.JIL: Dr Khaled, zelfmoordaanslag lijkt een trend onder islamitische radicalen tegenwoordig. Hashem Saleh, een Syrische intellectueel, zei dat moslims zich richten op 'kamikaze. Wat is uw mening over de zelfmoordaanslag in de naam van de islam? Khaled Abou El Fadl: Ten eerste, weiger ik deze trend te associëren  met het concept van de Jihad. Het concept van Jihad is...

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By AY Mol on 26-9-2009 12:19

What is Process Theology? It is a modern form of metaphysics philosophy that tries to understand God from a scientific cosmological point of view. It was first developed by the English philosopher A.N.Whitehead in the 1930's, who broke away from the traditional Jewish-Christian concept of God.

 

 

 

A small summary of the key ideas of Process Theology are:

 

God is not omnipotent in the sense of being coercive. The divine has a power of persuasion rather than coercion. Process theologians interpret the classical doctrine of omnipotence as involving force, and suggest instead a forbearance in divine power. "Persuasion" in the causal sense means that God does not exert unilateral control. Reality is not made up of material substances that endure through time, but serially-ordered events, which are experiential in nature. These events have both a physical...

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By AY Mol on 21-9-2009 22:07

Everything in the universe has submitted to the God's system; submission to

God in peace (Islam) is the law of the universe (3:83). İslam:

· is not a proper name, but a descriptive noun coming from the Arabic root of surrendering/

submission/peace, used by God to describe the system delivered by all His messengers

and prophets (5:111; 10:72; 98:5), which reached another stage with Abraham

(4:125; 22:78).

· is peacefully surrendering to God alone (2:112,131; 4:125; 6:71; 22:34; 40:66).

· is a system with universal principles, which are in harmony with nature (3:83; 33:30;

35:43).

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By Kamran Cheikh on 9/9/2009 5:49 AM

by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

 

 



Today's world is fast becoming pluralist with variety of religions, languages and cultures in one country particularly due to fast developing processes of modernization, liberalisation and globalisation. Also, feudal socio-economic and socio-political structures have either crumbled or crumbling very fast in the third world also of course with certain exceptions. In the past there was no concept of civil society at all and the state was all powerful. The subjects did not enjoy any rights, they had to discharge only duties towards the state. The modern democratic state, on the other hand, has to concede well defined rights to the citizens. The civil society has its own autonomy in a democratic set up and the notion of human rights has acquired great significance.

The notion of human rights is quite fundamental to a society which is pluralistic. All religious, linguistic and cultural groups should enjoy well defined rights and should not live at the mercy of the state or the majority community. Thus it will be seen that the notion of civil society is very fundamental to the modern pluralist society. It is unfortunate that the Islamic world is yet to cope up with the notion of civil society. Most of the Islamic countries do not have full fledged democracy and there is no respect for human rights in these countries. In fact most of the rulers condemn human rights as a western notion and some, even 'un-Islamic'.

...

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By General on 9/8/2009 10:01 AM

Margot Badran is an expert in Islam and feminism. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, she talks about the influence of patriarchy on Islam and on how Islamic feminist ideas draw on the Quran and how they find their way into religious teachings According to Margot Badran, Islamic feminism is neither "Western" nor "Eastern" but a universal discourse grounded in the Quran How do Islamic feminists deal with aspects of the fiqh tradition that seem to be maligned against women's rights? Margot Badran: Women scholars (whether they embrace Islamic feminism or prefer ijtihad – independent readings of the sacred text and other religious sources) recognise the overwhelmingly misogynist nature of traditional fiqh. A fresh interpretation of the Quran is a foundational step in the reconsideration of fiqh, of building a new jurisprudence. Some scholars like Aziza al Hibri engage more directly with jurisprudence....

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By General on 9/8/2009 9:59 AM

Lily Zakiyah Munir, Head of the "Center for Pesantren and Democracy Studies", Indonesia, argues that it is not the Koran, but social convention of patriarchal cultures that women in Islamic countries are deprived of equal social status Lily Zakiyah Munir In several conferences on women, the recommendations for promoting gender equality and women's rights almost always mention religion, particularly Islam, as a source of discrimination and oppression against women, as if Islam as a religion hindered the promotion of women's rights. Now, if one defines Islam as the sum of attitudes and behavioral acts of the major part of Muslims in Muslim societies (which are – like many other societies worldwide – patriarchal societies), then it is correct to say Islam does discriminate against women, trying to hamper their rights and liberties. This view is not correct if Islam is understood as a set of moral teachings and rituals...

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By General on 9/8/2009 9:55 AM

Martha Nussbaum interviewed by Elisabetta Ambrosi “Do you know what our first president George Washington said, writing to the Quakers about why he was not going to require them to perform military service? ‘The conscientious scruples of all men should be treated with the greatest delicacy and tenderness’. Well, I wish I saw more of this delicacy and tenderness in Europe today”. According to the famous political philosopher Martha Craven Nussbaum, “it’s just appalling that nations want to ban wearing of traditional Islamic dress”. Religion, and in particular Islam, says Nussbaum, is compatible not only with democracy but also with women rights (see the Indian case). What’s really wrong are Western stereotypes about Muslims and the so (badly) called “Islamic world”. In your reflections on human capacities, you underline the importance of a correct and harmonic physical and psychical development and of the possibility for the...

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