By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
11/16/2009 1:11 AM
The current relations, issues and conflicts internationally have all shown that right now mankind is exists in a critical time in our history which will require all nations to work diligently towards creating a more just global society. Recently, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to discuss some of these issues in front of a congregation of members of the United Peace Federation. For those who are unfamiliar with the UPF, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is a global network of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a world of peace in which everyone can live in freedom, harmony, cooperation, and prosperity. Additionally, the UPF is a NGO that holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Since the organization’s founding in 2005, the UPF has promoted many services and global initiatives for the United Nations and below are some of the objectives which the organization hopes to establish.
· Renewal...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja 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 Chibuzo Ohanaja on
7/12/2009 6:23 PM
Often some verses in the Qur’an about Jesus are often missed or misinterpreted because of the lack of use of tasreef, reason or also the lack of knowledge about the context of the verses. This leads some people to come to conclusions that are not supported by the Qur'an. I have listed some verses below that shed some light on the life of Jesus in the Qur’an. My comments are below in bold.
Important points to consider
As stated in my blog on wahi Malikah(angels) also refers to individuals who are chosen to deliver God’s message of what He wills according to His Laws either because they are able to receive wahi or have authority to deliver a message that is ordained at an appointed time in previous revealed scriptures. Verse 42:51 gives the different ways humans receive wahi.
42:51 “And it is not for any human being that God will speak to him other than through direct Revelation (to His prophets)...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
7/6/2009 1:32 PM
"Precise... acutely perceptive... a revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried."
The Sunday Independent
"Wise and passionate... An incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration."
The New York Times Book Review
 "A stimulating history of Islamic history and thought."
New York Review of Books
"An eloquent, erudite paean to Islam in all of its complicated glory."
Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined... a literate, accessible introduction to Islam."
The New York Times
Short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award
Best Book of the Year (Politics and Religion)
The Financial Times
Best Book of the Year (Non-Fiction)
Los Angeles Times
Though it is...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
5/29/2009 4:09 PM
The concept of divine revelation has been an uncertain concept to mankind since the beginnings of civilization. Throughout history, different religions have depicted their view of the concept of divine revelation, which ranged from being viewed by some cultures as an ability that could attained by any individual or as an ability believed to not be possible. To come to a proper conclusion on this topic some fundamental questions must be answered first.
1. What is the meaning of divine revelation and what is its purpose?
2. If divine revelation is possible does it occur through an anachronistic, supernatural process i.e. ( an act that breaks and surpasses the laws established in the universe) or is it rather a selective process that occurs within the line of God’s established laws and plan?
This is a discussion that has occurred for many centuries in both scientific and religious circles. During the earliest periods of Muslim history this debate also occurred...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
5/20/2009 8:52 AM
Throughout history mankind has gone through countless number of wars, conflicts, political disputes and genocides. The revelation of the Qur’an in 7th century established an system that provided a framework for peace justice and progress unparalleled in history. Although, this particular system was lost after a few centuries, there remained a few empires throughout Muslim history that were able to retain some the principles of creating security and peace both inside and outside their empires. By the beginning of the 20th century many countries particularly those in the western world began to establish modern nation states and saw the advantages of creating a global system that would foster peace and justice worldwide. Largely influential in this movement were philosophers, intellectual and leaders who came after of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment who studied periods of history like the early period of Islam as well as philosophical theories of global peace by previous scholars and philosophers.
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
4/18/2009 3:20 AM
Quite possibly one of the greatest humanist and scientists of our times Al Jahiz (al-Jahiz = the goggle-eyed) established himself as a renowned scholar throughout the 9th century Muslim world. As a politio-religious polemic, literary author, theologian, biologist and zoologist he became a revolutionary figure in the Abbasid Caliphate era that sparked a movement of science that would have an immense impact in the realm of biology and zoology for centuries to come. Al-Jahiz produced more than 200 works, of which approximately 30 survive, and was one of the first Muslim scholars to write on scientific subjects in the language of laymen. Inspired by the statements in Qur'an about the origin and devolpment of life , he composed his most famous work Kitab al-hayawan (Book of animals) and recieved credit for establishing the first theory of human evolution and natural selection , 1000 years before Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection a fact which is not widely known. Among the topics addressed in this seven-volume...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
4/14/2009 2:06 AM
The question of whether Islam is compatible with democracy has been a highly debated issue for both the West and the Muslim majority world since the beginning of the 20th century. Scholars of history have often argued that there has been a clash of civilizations between Western and Muslim civilizations throughout history and that Islam will always be in conflict with secular democratic principles. The increase of globalization has also made this issue more important as coherent relations between Western and the Muslim majority societies have become increasingly vital in maintaining global prosperity.
Despite, the commonly held view by historians that Islam is incompatible with democracy, scholars of Islam in Western societies have been able to argue the contrary, and that the relationship between Islam democracy goes back farther than most historians have recognized. In Professor John Esposito’s work Islam and Democracy he states that the notion of Islam being incompatible with...
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By Chibuzo Ohanaja on
4/11/2009 1:23 AM
With the current global economic crisis, many nations have been reconsidering their current philosophy of economic policies. Additionally, ethical theorists of economics have recognized that the current form global capitalistic economy needs to be reconstructed with more emphasis placed on global social welfare. This rising form of economic thought has led many theorists to views that are drawing quite closely to the Qur’anic view of economic and social welfare. One of the biggest proponents and developers of this line of thought is world renowned Australian Philosopher Peter Singer, who has written numerous works on issues of global poverty and the need for the affluent nations to change their current economic policies. In his most famous work, “Famine, Affluence and Morality” he argues that affluent persons and nations are morally obligated to donate far more resources to humanitarian causes than is considered normal in modern capitalistic societies. The essay was inspired by the starvation of Bangladesh Liberation...
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