By AY Mol on 29-1-2010 16:41

See for the English translation below.

 

 

 

De afgelopen 3 jaar is Geert Wilders een fenomeen geworden op de anti-Islam/Islamofobie scène. Zijn anti-islam retoriek werd harder in de afgelopen 5 jaar sinds de moord op regisseur Theo van Gogh. Theo van Gogh werd vermoord door een gek die dacht dat hij handelde in naam van Islam. De moordenaar volgde middeleeuws gedachtegoed van verscheidene ernstig dogmatische geleerden, die in een tijd van oorlog en chaos leefde. Het idee dat een persoon die Islam of de profeet Mohammed beledigd, moet worden gedood, is in tegenspraak met de Koran op vele punten.

 

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By AY Mol on 11-1-2010 13:10

The Qur'an mentions several purposes for creation. So to connect them, the main purpose must be identified. Verse 11:119 says that mankind was created for  رحم Rahma:

                                                                                  الا من رحم ربك ولذلك خلقهم

11:119 Except those upon whom your Sustainer/Developer has bestowed His grace/unselfish bestowal of potential and growth. And to this end has He created them.

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By AY Mol on 13-12-2009 15:30

  

The Qur'an is meant as a spiritual and moral guidance for mankind. The Qur'an calls itself Hudan anNass (2:185), a guide for humanity, and calls us to Dar asSalaam (10:25), a life and state of Peace. A guide which guides to peace can therefore never be used for oppression and tyranny.The Qur'an says that humanity is a connected nation (10:19) with a common origin (4:1), that each person as a human being is honoured by God (17:70), has complete freedom of thought (2:256) and that all people from all belief systems that improve mankind are honoured and respected (2:62, 5:69, 49:13). That there are differences between nations is a positive thing (49:13) and should never be a reason for exclusion or conflict. Justice is the only real criteria. Like many other belief systems, Islam strives for social justice, peace, spirituality and morality in society (16:90). Democracy belongs to the core value of Islam, in which the whole world and each society together discussess important matters (42:38). The government...

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By AY Mol on 9-12-2009 16:06

In April I was asked by Edip Yuksel, my brilliant accomplish and friend in Islamic Reform, to go to Kazachstan with him for a conference. My first reaction was ‘Kazachstan. Who wants us there?’ I told my wife, and she was reluctant about the idea, and we forgot it for a while. Edip mailed me again in late August and was thinking why not, the organizers paid everything, and even agreed for me coming only for 3 days. I work fulltime next to my studies, and it is not always easy to get days off, so my father picked me up from work to bring me to the airport.

One suitcase and one bag full with around 20 books, Qur’an tafsirs, dictionaries and a laptop, it was luck it all fell under hand luggage. The reason I agreed on going was curiosity, to spread information on rational Islam, to see Edip again, meet other scholars, and simply, because I love travelling. I love standing in the line waiting to go somewhere, love sitting cramped in a plane, because I am going somewhere. I didn’t sleep during the flight, which I had planned to do, but an idea came into my head and I started writing. The end result will be published later as an article. As I was the only passenger still awake, the stewardess came to see if I needed something. The seat next to me, and the seat plank, were stacked with books making it sag through to its maximum. She asked what I was writing and starting looking at the books and seeing the word “Qur’an” on almost every one of them. “I am a theologian” gave her reason not to freak out, and started telling about modern Islamic thought. It is weird that I always have the feeling to be careful with having the Qur’an out in the open when travelling. We still have much to do to make the Qur’an seen as valuable for mankind outside of the Muslim world.

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By AY Mol on 18-11-2009 8:31

aw/Or, zid/increase/add a little aylahi/on it. wa/And ratili/arrange/order/make distinct/convey/read in a calm fashion al-Qur'an/the Qur'an/the Recital/the Reading tarteelan/good ordering/well arranged/distinct/correct-right state of arrangement/set in order. 

 

 Or, you shall increase it . And calmy read, convey and arrange the Qur'an in a distinctive, well-arranged, good, orderly, and correct manner.

  

Tartilan/ترتيلا means here to to group together related subjects & put in a good & meaningful sequence/order.

  

The root ر ت ل Ratala is for example used for subjects as an army that groups together & starts marching. An army is grouped by rank, company & type of soldier (foot-soldiers, cavalry etc.) (Ratila Al-Jaish / رتل  الجيش ). It is also used for a set of nice teeth (Ratlun jamil /  رتلجميل), as they are ordered nicely and correct.

  

The Qur'an has all of its subjects spread out over its text as a woven carpet. To get a good vision on each subject, we are told in this verse to arrange them together so we can understand them. But you must always start with the main subject of the Qur'an, its basic teachings and its main goal. Then you can move on to other subjects without ignoring the Qur'an worldview and focus. For example, the Qur'an says that Silm, the acceptance of Peace and Non-conflict is the Din, the behaviour/obligation, is the only manner accepted by God. Thus this the main focus of the Qur'an when it comes to human laws, advice, conduct, rituals/appointed behaviours.

 

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By AY Mol on 11-10-2009 21:03

 



 

It discusses how I became a Muslim, my ideas about Islam, science and Dutch ethics, and how I am involved as a researcher for the Dutch Muslim Party (NMP). It is very exciting that the media is focussing on positive Islam. An excerpt, the whole article will be translated later: De Nederlandse Moslim Partij (NMP) werkt aan een Leidse fractie. Of die ook aan de komende gemeenteraadsverkiezingen meedoet, is nog onzeker. Een van de trekkers is Arnold Yasin Mol, opgegroeid in Oegstgeest, sinds kort Katwijker, en bezoeker van Leidse moskeeën. Ook Leiden heeft grote behoefte aan een moslimpartij, zegt Mol. ,,In Leiden komt ten slotte een van de grootste moskeeën in Nederland.'' De standpunten van de moslimpartij moeten zich nog...

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By AY Mol on 11-10-2009 20:25

 

The Qur’an indicates that differences in gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, color, and religion are God-given and among the wonders of creation, and it calls on people to recognize and appreciate each other.

 

 We have made you nations and tribes; Qur'anic perspective on Multicultarism and Inter-Religious relations (PDF)

 

An exceprt from the article:

 

 

Such a reading demonstrates that rather than being a wellspring of intolerance and hatred, the Qur'an invites humanity to inter-religious and intercultural understanding and cooperation in striving to achieve social justice for humanity. The examination of what the Qur’an has to say...

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By AY Mol on 30-9-2009 22:24

Prof. Aisha Musa was asked to contribute to a book that would collect essays on how the concept of radical life extension would affect different religions.

                                                                                                             

Her essay would discuss the effects on Islam and Islamic interpretations. Radical life extension (RLE) is the term given to the concept of the biological human life being extended by scientific progress, using medicines, genetics, healthier foods and enviroments etc. The idea is that humans in the future probably could live forever as long as the universe exists, due to their control of biological means.

 

This is a very interesting and important topic and Prof.Musa handles it well. She discusses the verses on Noah being mentioned as 'living among them for thousands years less fifty' as an example of RLE. Then she discusses Parwez's...

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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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