The Islamic State After The Caliphate
Drawing on leaked documents and other original sources in Arabic, this article examines the internal struggles over defining the Islamic State’s ideology during the period 2014 to the present. Since the Islamic State declared the caliphate in summer 2014, disagreements over doctrinal matters — primarily related to takfir (excommunication) — have sparked furious debates among different factions of the group.
Islamist groups have learned to exploit opportunities provided by Western liberal freedoms and use insincere “open-minded” language to lull well-intentioned
unaffected American Muslims intoxicated 88 their midst. Islamists who are “charismatic, young . . . [and] very savvy” have mastered the use of social media to “sell . . . radical
thoughts.”
Congress should reprimand three of its members for participating with financiers of Islamic terrorism in a conference sponsored by an anti-Semitic group with deep ties to Hamas, the Palestinian extremist group that calls for
eradicating the state of Israel.
Islamic music goes back to the Middle Ages and can be examined as a performing art, a branch of science, and a medium of spiritual devotion. Middle Eastern and North African musicians sing and play a wide variety of instruments to intricate rhythms and melodies. They use music to celebrate both spiritual and secular occasions.
Major Discoveries And Inventions
The production of paper stimulated a process that had already begun at the beginning of the ʿAbbāsid period under the caliph al-Manṣūr (r. 754–775) — who was supposed to have translated Euclid’s Elements — and carried on for more than two centuries: the translation of ancient
primary sources of knowledge in Greek, Old Persian, Sanskrit, Syriac, and other languages into Arabic.
What We Need To Know About Iran And The Islamic State
For the first time in human history, the leaders of two nation states are being driven by eschatology. The rulers of the Islamic Republic Iran are consumed by ancient Islamic prophecies that predict the end of the world as we know it, as are the rulers of the Islamic State (IS). The former are Shi’ite; the latter are Sunni.
A Long Range Process Of Making America Muslim, All Of America Muslim
Sharifa Alkhateeb (1946–2004) was a Muslim writer, researcher and teacher on cultural communication and community building for Islam
and Muslims in the United States. She was involved in feminist causes, domestic violence prevention, as well as interfaith and educational
organizations. She founded the first nationwide organization for Muslim women in the US and was the first woman to receive the
Community Service Award from the Islamic Society of North America.
While ideas about religious liberty and tolerance are central to America’s founding and national story, different religious groups – including Catholics, Jews and Mormons – have suffered discrimination in the United States at various points in history. Today, Americans say some religious groups continue to be discriminated against and disadvantaged, according to an analysis of recent Pew Research Center surveys.
John of Damascus viewed Islamic doctrines as nothing more than a hodgepodge culled from the Bible.
Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam’s formative stages. Early criticism came from Christian authors, many of whom viewed Islam as a
Christian heresy or a form of idolatry and often explained it in apocalyptic terms. Later there appeared criticism from the Muslim world itself, and also from Jewish writers and from ecclesiastical Christians.
The important thing about a religion, is not whether it makes one feel good, but whether it is true.
C.S. Lewis
The traditional view of Islam has also been criticized for the lack of supporting evidence consistent with that view, such as the lack of archaeological evidence, and discrepancies with non-Muslim literary sources.
Many translations do not necessarily imply a chronological sequence, for example, Marmaduke Pickthall’s, Muhammad Muhsin Khan’s, or Arthur John Arberry’s. Arberry’s translation reads “admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them.”
In the early 20th century, the prevailing view among Europeans was that Islam was the root cause of Arab and Berber “backwardness.” They saw Islam as an obstacle to assimilation, a view that was expressed by a writer in colonial French Algeria named André Servier.
The issue of slavery in the Islamic world in modern times is controversial. Critics argue there is hard evidence of its existence and destructive effects. Others maintain slavery in central Islamic lands has been virtually extinct since mid-twentieth century, and that reports from Sudan and Somalia showing practice of slavery is in border areas as a result of continuing war and not Islamic belief. In recent years, according to some scholars, there has been a “worrying trend” of “reopening” of the issue of slavery by some conservative Salafi Islamic scholars after its “closing” earlier in the 20th century when Muslim countries banned slavery and “most Muslim scholars” found the practice “inconsistent with Qur’anic morality.”
Muslim Women: Seven Things That Might Surprise You
Muslim women are one of the most talked-about groups in the world. Yet most Muslim women are very different from the stereotypes.
I’ve often said that Islam is a political and religious entity,
attempting to mirror not just Judaism and Christianity, but the religions of pre-Islamic Arabia as well. Shehrezade in “A Thousand And One Nights” is a case-in-point.
From Shariah To Taqwa: Islam And Ethics
In addition to upholding the Five Pillars of Islam, Muslims are exhorted to go beyond the minimum. For example, they should practice good deeds or active virtue (ihsan) to enrich their spiritual lives. In 1905?beggars gathered near the tomb of the great Persian poet Saadi in Shiraz in the expectation of receiving munificence from their
brethren.
Despite the scarcity of the raw material and the virtual absence of domestic furniture, woodwork occupied an unusually important place
among the arts of the Islamic world. The mountain forests of Syria, North Africa and Spain were famous for their stands of cypress, cedar and pine, but Iraq and Egypt, equally important as woodworking centers, had to import wood from Syria, the Sudan or India.
Comparisons: Islamic And Christian Views
This section is too diverse to be summed up in one short introductory paragraph. Read and see if you do not agree.
Culture Wars: Muslims And Christmas
Like many, our family will celebrate Christmas this year in the company of other family members. And, like many, we will not have our whole family together. In what has become an age — mostly brought about by the boomer generation — that places less and less value on roots and togetherness, we have become families with shallow roots when it comes to location. I don’t know how typical our family is, but having grown up in my elementary and high school years in the Atlanta (Sandy
Springs) area, my only real tie there now is my brother, who now lives in Gainesville, north of Atlanta. My wife and I retired to Colorado, after living overseas for many years; our son also lives in Colorado; one daughter lives in California with her family and her husband’s family near-by; our other daughter lives in Oklahoma with her family and her husband’s family also near-by . . . as are we after a second move during retirement.
Great Leaders’ Comments On Islam
In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, then the ambassador to France, and John Adams, then the ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji
Abdul Rahman Adja, the ambassador to Britain from Tripoli. The Americans asked Adja why his government was hostile to American
ships, even though there had been no provocation. The ambassador’s response was reported to the Continental Congress, where the original
letter remains today.
Through the revelation of the Qurʾān, Muḥammad instituted
revolutionary changes affecting the status of women, prohibiting the common practices of female infanticide (16:58–59, 17:3) and unlawful inheriting of women (4:19), guaranteeing women a share of inheritance (4:7) and the right to their own earnings (4:32).
Changing Representations Of
Islam In Popular Culture
Many Muslims may feel as though American popular culture only discovered an interest in the topic of Islam on September 11, 2001.
Indeed, after 9/11, representations of Muslims and Islam increased
dramatically in news media, books, television, film, and online. However, many of the trends witnessed after 9/11 — representations of Muslims
as terrorists, of Muslim men as violent extremists, of Muslim women as victims — have their roots in longstanding mythologies about Islam.
Born in Damascus, Shahrur studied in Damascus and Moscow, and he earned a doctorate at University College in Dublin, Ireland. A civil engineer, he joined the faculty at the University of Damascus in 1972. In 1990, Shahrur published The Book and the Qur’an, an 800-page
treatise, which became a best-seller in the Arab world, calling upon Muslims to reinterpret Islam through a fresh reading of the Quran
that is not shackled by medieval interpretations and jurisprudence.
Early modern European observers of Ottoman court procedures often marveled at the efficiency of Ottoman courts, especially in matters of criminal law. They claimed that the Ottoman practice of reaching legal decisions in the course of a single session stood in sharp contrast to the practices of European courts. There, similar procedures were prolonged affairs, mainly due to professional lawyers, whose relentless
advocating and pleading on behalf of their clients could cause significant delays in court procedures. These European visitors reasoned that since Ottoman court protocols did not allow either
litigants themselves or their legal agents to advocate for their causes in open court, verdicts were reached swiftly and in an uncomplicated
manner.
Slavery in Islamic law is not based on race or ethnicity. However, while there was no legal distinction between white European and black African slaves, in some Muslim societies they were employed in different roles: for example, in the Ottoman Empire white slaves served as soldiers and government officials, while black slaves served as eunuchs in the palace and the harems of elite families. Slaves played various social and economic roles, from domestic worker to highest-ranking positions in the government. They created some great empires in history including the Ghaznavid Empire, Khwarazmian Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Mamluk pashas of Iraq and Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Levant.
Political secularism has distinct European roots. It emerged in response to the problem of religion in political life. Islam has long been viewed as a religious tradition that is uniquely anti-secular. Influential scholars in the social sciences have argued that Islam’s early
formative historical experience and its inner theology have prevented
secularism from developing. The strength of these arguments was enhanced by the writings of political Islamists in the twentieth century who rejected any separation between dīn wa-dawlah (religion and
government) in their normative theories on what constituted a just political order.
The Characteristics Of The Islamic Society
The reformer Sayyid Quṭb (1906–1966) promoted an uncompromising
interpretation of the Qurʾan and of the role of Islam in society. As the editor for the Muslim Brotherhood’s weekly newspaper, al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn, Quṭb openly criticized Gamal Abdel Nasser and the leaders of the coup that overthrew the Egyptian monarchy in 1952. In Quṭb’s view, Nasser’s refusal to institute the canonical criminal
punishments in Islamic law, and his perceived acquiescence to the
demands of the British colonial authorities, were a betrayal of the faith.
Concepts analogous to human rights have certain precursors in the Islamic heritage of philosophy and theology, but human rights lack precise equivalents in medieval fiqh (jurisprudence). In fiqh the
category ḥaqq al-ʿabd, the right of the individual Muslim, was used to distinguish cases in which legal action against a wrongdoer was left to the discretion of the injured party from cases belonging to the
category of the right of God, ḥaqq Allah, in which prosecution was mandatory and to be undertaken by the state.
Are There Any Divisions In Islam?
As a world religion, Islam is practiced in diverse cultures in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and America. Differences in religious and
cultural practices are therefore wide-ranging. There are over 40 denominations in Islam (Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi, etc.), each with dozens of
sects, just as there are many kin the Christian faith (Roman Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, Southern Baptist, Converge Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.). Like all faiths, Islam has developed
divisions, sects, and schools of thought over various issues. While all Muslims share certain beliefs and practices, such as belief in Allah, the Qur’an, Muhammad, and the Five Pillars of Islam, divisions have arisen over questions of political and religious leadership, theology,
interpretations of Islamic law, and responses to modernity and the West.
What Does Islam Say About Poverty And Social Justice
One of the most striking and controversial elements of the Qur’an at the time when it was revealed was its firm commitment to social justice, a significant threat to the tribal power structures in place. Issues of social justice came to the forefront of Muslim societies in the early twentieth century with the rise of industrialism. The influx of large numbers of peasants from the countryside into urban areas created social and demographic tensions that led to a crisis, particularly in Egypt. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, founded in
1928, proposed Islam as the organizational and religious solution to poverty and assistance to the dispossessed and downtrodden.i
Fundamental Ideas Of Contemporary Islamic Economics
Islamic economics is a holistic enterprise. Muslim
economists like Khurshid Ahmad are aware of specific Qur’anic verses and traditions, but this is the .foundation for their perspective rather than the starting point for their analysis.
Assimilation
It has been suggested by more than one that the equivalent of an ideological litmus test as a prerequisite be given for Muslims to enter the United States under our immigration laws. Whether or not to administer some kind of test to Muslims, or to require an affirmation from a Muslim that he or she subscribes to constitutional values, shocks many Americans, because we don’t like the idea of singling people out based on race, religion, or other areas which we may personally place value.
A Christian Response To Shifting Alliances In The Middle East
Although “realignment” has been the word of tlhe month, it seems, in w the world of Middle Eastern socio-political analysis, a likelier descriptor might be that of “making explicit that which has up to now remained implicit.” While US-Israeli relations and US-Saudi relations are nothing particularly new, 9s is the first time Israel and Saudi ,Arabia have been so publicly – affectionate – lending credence to speculations reminiscent of the “are they/aren’t they” antics of
Hollywood’s latest power couple
Why Nations Rage: A Biblical Response To Radical Islam
The first Christian century was a brutal one for a growing minority who
dared profess their faith as followers of Jesus Christ. Believers encountered a double whammy of injustice and persecution from leaders of the prevailing religious structure who despised those who would dare advocate divergence from their traditional Jewish law and
the Roman authority who would tolerate no supreme allegiance except to Caesar.
Medieval Strategies For Explaining
The Trinity To Muslims
Cyril of Thessalonica (ca. 826-869) is remembered in mission history for his work among the Slavs and Arab Muslims in Samarra (modern
Iraq) as well as Jewish and Muslim Khazars (southern Russia). He responded to the Byzantine emperor’s call to go to the Arabs, saying, “I will gladly go forth for our Christian creed.” Later, the emperorvn described Cyril’s mission to the Khazars in these terms: “Go forth,
philosopher, to these people, speak to them and explain to them the Holy Trinity.”
Before the rise of Islam in the early 600s, the Byzantine Empire (the eastern half of the Roman Empire) and the Persian Empire controlled
most of the Middle East. The Persians soon fell to Muslim invaders, but the Byzantine civilization, which was largely Christian, endured for
almost 1,000 years. Throughout history, relations between Christians and Muslims have been characterized by cooperation and conflict. Their followers have fought in wars for political dominance. At the
same time, Muslims and Christians have benefited from cultural and economic exchanges. Today interaction between the world’s two
largest communities of faith continues to be marked by ambivalence.
Is Islam More Political Than Christianity?
I hope we’ve all got past the stage of speaking about ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ andm begun to get used to ‘Islamism,’ ‘political Islam’ or ‘radical Islam.’ We’re talking about Muslims who have a clear political agenda of one kind or another. <But it’s important to recognize that Islamists are not all the same. Some believe in democracy, pluralism and human rights, while others do not. Some believe that violence is sometimes justified in pursuing an Islamic agenda, while others reject the use of violence.
The Passover of Jews, Christians and Muslims
One year my church held a Seder (a special meal during Pesach —Passover). Nearly 300 people showed up to have a rabbi lead us through the Haggadah (a booklet containing the prayers and actions comprising the Seder) and explain the symbolism in the celebration. The attendees were Jews, Christians, and Muslims
Just over seventy years ago, in December of 1946, Samuel Zwemer addressed the first student missions conference that eventually became Urbana. According to Yale historian Kenneth Scott
Latourette, “No one, through all the centuries of Christian mission to the Muslims, has deserved better than Dr. Zwemer the designation of
Apostle to Islam.” J. Christy Wilson, Zwemer’s biographer, makes the astonishing claim that Zwemer, together with Robert Speer (1867–1947) of the Student Volunteer Movement, “probably influenced more young men and women to go into missionary service than any two individuals in all of Christian mohistory.”
Preventing Radicalization: The Church Has A Role
A Muslim immigrant recently lamented on his experience of
acculturation into American society. He reported surprise at how cold Christians were, concluding this after not having been invited to
anyone’s home for several years. The Muslim community welcomed him
of course, and as a result, he became a much more devout Muslim. I am not accusing this gentleman, or all devout Muslims, of being radical . . .
but perhaps the path might not be difficult to find in such an inhospitable environment.
Taking The Qur’an Out Of Context
Years ago I had a conversation with a Muslim who was being critical of the Bible for several reasons. One that I found very interesting was that he thought it was horrible that the Bible portrayed Jesus as a terrorist. When I asked for the Bible verse that allegedly
characterized Jesus in that way, he read me Matthew 10:34: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come
to bring peace, but a sword.”
It has been an intriguing question as to whether or not Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Is there more than one God? No, there is only one God, and He can be known only through
knowing Jesus Christ. How compelling it should be for us to declare to Muslim friends, devout in their faith, as Paul did in Athens, “what you worship as impersonal and unknown I proclaim to you.” And we should be confident that when one comes in
genuine repentance and faith to Jesus Christ that God is able to reveal Himself in spirit and truth to a new believer.
A “worldview” is not your knowledge of global geography, but a set of assumptions about reality within a cultural context. It is how people seek to make sense of life; it impacts their values and behavior relative to relationships, family, morality and the
supernatural world. Worldview, like culture, has been shaped by generations passing down core beliefs for literally centuries. One’s culture is their way of life: customs, how they dress, social order, etc. Their worldview is a certain way of thinking regarding Allah, man, sin, the universe and how it all fits together.
The economics of Islam, promoted as an alternative to neoclassical economics, Marxism, and other Western economic doctrines, is based
on teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah and aims to rediscover and revive the economic values, priorities, and mores of the early Muslim community. The movement to establish Islamic economic doctrine was born in India in the decades preceding partition (1947) as part of a plan to establish a full range of distinctly Islamic disciplines
Justice
The justice that humans are enjoined to uphold in the Qurʾān is characterized in both intuitive and revealed terms. Morality and justice are often referred to as “that which is known” (maʿrūf) and
immorality as “that which is denied” (munkar). One need not accept a rationalist or naturalist interpretation of Islamic ethics to accept the
idea that the Qurʾān expects certain basic understandings of justice and morality to be widely known and valued.
It has been argued that if the Christian worldview is predominantly cast in terms of love, then the Islamic one is suffused by a discourse of justice. As one commentator has put it, “neither in the Qur’ān nor in the Traditions are there measures to indicate what are the constituent
elements of justice or how <justice can be realized on Earth” (Khadduri, 1984, pp. 10–11). However, the ideas of paying one’s moral and fiscal
debts and of tempering retribution with mercy are features that characterize both God and the just person.
With Turkey having flirted with democracy, it seems appropriate to examine how
. . . or if . . . Islam can exist under the same roof as
democracy. This post examines the debate on the relationship between Islam and democracy. It begins by tracing the historical roots of the debate. It then considers the so-called establishment
view of the debate, which comes from Western scholars whose writings reach a large audience by virtue of their dissemination by mainstream and influential newspapers, intellectual journals, and
publishing houses.
Coup d’état? . . . Or, Self-Inflicted Coup?
On 15 July 2016, a coup d’état was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan. The attempt was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organized themselves as the Peace at Home Council.
They attempted to seize control of several key places in Ankara, Istanbul, and elsewhere, but failed to do so after forces loyal to the state defeated them. The Council cited an erosion of secularism, elimination of democratic rule, disregard for human rights, and Turkey’s loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. The government accused the coup leaders of being linked to the Gülen movement, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the Republic of Turkey and led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish
businessman and cleric who lives in the state of Pennsylvania in the US.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (b. 1954) is a Turkish politician. Few prime ministers have had a greater impact on Turkish political life than Tayyip Erdoğan. Assuming office after a long and tortuous legal
struggle and exclusion by the establishment, Erdoğan presided over the key legislative process of fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria (required by the European Union for EU membership), the revolutionary legal changes that dramatically altered the balance of power between the military and civilian government, and the creation
of a new economic structure with foreign investment that has been reshaping Turkeyʾs political landscape. He further deepened Turkeyʾs ties with the EU and sought to introduce a new political language.
Fethullah Gülen (b. 1941), the founder of Turkeyʾs largest faith-oriented Islamic movement, is one of the countryʾs most important
Muslim thinkers and a prolific writer. His followers collectively constitute the Gülen movement, a branch of one of the strongest Islamic movements in Turkey, the Nurcus, founded by Said Nursî (1876–1960) in the early years of the Turkish Republic.
The Gülen Movement (GM), called “Hizmet” [service] by loyalists and “Cemaat” [community] by critics), refers to a collection of individuals and institutions that act in accordance with the teachings of a retired,
self-exiled Muslim Turkish preacher, Muhammed Fethullah Gülen. Anchored upon a foundation of private (or privately managed)
educational institutions, the GM also includes initiatives in news and entertainment media, international trade, finance, information
communication technologies, construction, legal services, accounting, and public relations. By the early 2000s, the GM had grown to become
Turkey’s largest and most influential religious community, and one of
world’s most significant contributors to Islamic knowledge and Muslim
identity.
Ten Reasons Muslims Are Eager To Join ISIS
A Muslim woman in Philadelphia was arrested and accused of attempting to join ISIS. When asked why would any Muslim in his right mind join ISIL, I said that I could give at least five reasons but
if you are willing to wait till tomorrow I will come up with a longer list. The next morning I gave 25 reasons why Muslims are eager to join ISIL.
Nine Ways To Counter Radical Islam
After the Iraq War, most Americans want to avoid creating a Vietnam-style scenario in the Middle East. We have learned that we can no longer apply colonial remedies or strong arm our enemies in a conflict. Islam and religious freedom are perhaps the most important issue of our time. We need thoughtful strategies to benefit Muslim societies.
The world’s Muslims fall into two major camps, Sunni and Shi’a, sometimes likened to Christianity’s Catholics and Protestants. But the similarity is superficial. In terms of the world’s total Muslim
population, Sunnis and Shi’as disagree over what percentage each group owns, with Sunnis accounting for 80-85 percent of the total and Shi’as 10-15 percent. With over 40 denominations in Islam, that leaves a
Every few days, we seem to wake up to another massacre committed by ISIS. And these are, of course, only the ones that the media reports. ISIS, with all its cells around the world, in reality, is committing massacres on a daily basis. We have become familiar with their crimes in Syria and Iraq since last summer. But now their latest play ‘field, we are learning, is Libya. And their latest scapegoats are the Copts of
Egypt.
False Messiah Beheaded In Mecca In 1979
An event took place on November 20, 1979, that most people have either forgotten, or never heard about in the first place. Islam’s most holy place, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, was seized by unknown gunmen.
It was Day One of the 15th century on the Islamic calendar, and Al-Juhayman al Oteibi, surrounded by approximately 400 rebels, said he had found the Mahdi—a redeemer. This messiah-like figure, he claimed, was his brother-in-law, Muhammad al-Qatani. Islam would now be purged from corrupting influences—immorality, westernization,
theaters and Muslim women participating in sports.
Is Mecca Really The Birthplace Of Islam?
All Muslims believe Muhammad received his first divine revelations in Mecca and consider the city’s Kaaba the “House of God.” The Qur’an says Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba (Q 22:26-29), though many Muslims believe Adam and Eve built the original. Either
way, all Muslims believe their cube-like shrine was a pagan temple before Muhammad cleansed it of its idols. They prostrate themselves toward it five times daily in prayer. And they ritually circle it — if possible, touching or kissing its sacred Black Stone — on pilgrimage. In the 1970s, however, John Wansbrough, Patricia Crone and other scholars challenged the traditional view. They argued that Islam evolved over two centuries not in Mecca, but in the Fertile Crescent —in Nabatea (modern day Jordan) or Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Since then, many have speculated on where Islam originated.
ISIS: Un-Islamic Or True Islam?
There are typically two responses to ISIS. ‘ISIS has nothing to do thank with Islam’ or ‘ISIS are the real Muslims.’ It’s easy to understand why so many Muslims — especially in western contexts — dissociate themselves from ISIS. They are thoroughly embarrassed to think that non-Muslims around them might assume that because they are Muslims, they must have some sympathy with ISIS and all that it is doing. They therefore argue that many of the practices of ISIS are completely un-Islamic, even anti-Islamic and cannot be justified by the legal traditions that have been developed over many centuries.
Terrorism on one side begets a reaction of war from another. Enemies change. At times they are the ones we don’t like. At other times, they are the ones who don’t like us. Often an enemy might be a whole group of people, like “those Muslims.” Or it could be those closest to us. Our own family members become our enemies in our worst moments. This Muslim thing has gotten a bit confusing of late. It feels easier to know who exactly our enemies are — where they are, and what they’re doing. ISIS is a good example. We feel like we know what they’re up to.
They’re clearly evil. They’re in the Middle East (or at least we’re hoping they’re “over there”).
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