Themes 1002

Islam, Society, Modernity

During the huge public discourse, especially in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, Muslim mind-set toward modernity frequently came into question. A whole theology bas came into being on the question whether Islam and modernity are compatible to each other. Neither the question nor the arguments are new. Similar debates arose in the nineteenth century whe […].

Shari’a et fatwa : Un regard musulman

Les mots shari’a et fatwa reviennent souvent dans les dépêches d’actualité. Rares sont pourtant les lecteurs des grands journaux et les téléspectateurs qui en connaissent réellement la signification. Il paraît donc important d’obtenir à ce sujet quelques éclaircissements. Peu de chercheurs sont aussi compétents pour nous les offrir que le professeur Muha […].

Antiaméricanisme et radicalisme islamique

Suite aux attentats qui endeuillèrent New York, d’innombrables auteurs cherchèrent à dégager les causes profondes de cet antiaméricanisme, à cerner les motivations des auteurs des opérations du 11 septembre et à analyser le discours d’un radicalisme islamique dont les schèmes de pensées et les références religieuses demeuraient incompréhensibles aux popula […].

Faith, Freedom, and Reason

Can there be such a thing as Islamic human rights? Do the commandments set forth in the Koran have eternal validity, or can they be modified according to the demands of reason? Iranian clergyman Mohammad Shabestari has devoted his life to exploring these issues in modern religious and political Islamic thinking. By Roman Seidel Mohammad Mojtahed Shabesta […].

“The Fiction of Life”.

Conversation with Azar Nafisi (1). by Elizabeth Wasserman (2) In 1979, Azar Nafisi returned to her native Iran after a seventeen-year absence. From the moment she stepped off the plane, she found herself in a place that was dark and unfamiliar. The cheerful and cosmopolitan Tehran airport that she remembered from her youth, with its terraced restaurant […].

Let Us Be Moors: Islam, Race and “Connected Histories”

“Seamos moros!” wrote the Cuban poet and nationalist José Martíí in 1893, in support of the Berber uprising against Spanish rule in northern Morocco. “Let us be Moors…the revolt in the Rif…is not an isolated incident, but an outbreak of the change and realignment that have entered the world. Let us be Moors…we [Cubans] who will probably die by the ha […].

Existing Political Vessels Cannot Contain the Reform Movement.

Interview with Sai’id Hajjarian. Introdution: Sai’id Hajjarian, a leading theorist of the democratic Islamist New Left, is one of President Khatami’s closest political advisers. In 1998 he ran for the Tehran City Council, receiving the second largest number of votes. Hajjarian is also the official permit holder for the daily Sobh-e Emrooz and serves on […].

Intellectual Autobiography.

Interview with Abdolkarim Soroush. Sadri: I would like to ask you for an account of your intellectual development. I am certainly interested in whether you distinguish any turning points, watersheds, or distinct periods in the evolution of your thought. Soroush: In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful, thank you for giving me this opportunity […].

“Universal form of Islam”.

Interview with Chandra Muzaffar *. This interview took place on Oct. 10, 2001 How has the practice of Islam changed or the influence on Islam changed over the last 20, 30 years in Malaysia ? As in a number of other post-colonial societies, Muslims in Malaysia have become very conscious of their Islamic identity. And they have sought and expressed that […].

“The Rise of Militant Islam”

Conversation with Ahmed Rashid. Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 3/26/02 1-Background Welcome to Berkeley. Thanks a lot. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Ravapindi in Northern Pakistan. After the Second World War, my family was based some of the time in Pakistan and some of the time in London. So I grew up in both places […].

Inside the Jihad.

Interview with Ahmed Rashid. Few governments are as shrouded in secrecy as the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan. Ever since these mysterious bearded clerics emerged from obscurity in 1994 to overrun almost the entire country — imposing a radical version of Islamic law that forbids women from employment and education, bans entertainment such as card-pl […].