Tragedies are always discussed as if they took place in a void, but actually each tragedy is conditioned by its setting, local and global. The events of 11 September 2001 are no exception. There exists no exact, incontrovertible evidence about who ordered the hits on New York and Washington or when the plan was first mooted. This book is not primarily conc […].
Democracy is Closer to Islam Than Other Models of Governance.
Summary: Mohammad Javad Ardeshir Larijani, has been one of the controversial personalities in Iran during the post-revolution years, always being under the spotlight of the press. His record of service include membership in the presiding board of the radio and television organization (IRIB), membership in the Supreme National Security Council, deputy minis […].
Setting the Record Straight.
Interview with Edward Said. by Harvey Blume *. Born in Jerusalem in 1935 to a prosperous Palestinian Christian family, educated at Princeton, and currently a University Professor of Literature at Columbia University, Edward Said is a writer whose work has had extraordinary range. Perhaps because he himself lives on the cusp of so many cultures, he has s […].
Back to Iran.
I don’t like posting full articles or interviews unless that their reading is highly significant to Iranians and to the lay observer of Iranian affairs. That being said this is an interview published in the New Scientist concerning Soroush’s decision to return to Iran after a six year hiatus. For those of you who don’t know much about Soroush, he’s conside […].
“Islam, Empire, and the Left”.
Conversation with Tariq Ali (1). Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 5/8/03 1-Background Tariq, welcome to Berkeley. Very nice to be here. Welcome back, I should say. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Lahore, long years ago in 1943, when it was still part of British India. When I was four years old, it became part of a new c […].
“The Political Imagination of Islam “.
Conversation with Olivier Roy (1). Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 4/16/02 1-Background Olivier, welcome to Berkeley. Thank you. Where were you born and raised? I was born in La Rochelle in France, on the Atlantic coast, in ’49. Looking back, how do you think your parents shaped your character? Fortunately, my parents don’t unders […].
We Urgently Need Religious Reform
The moderate Islamic thinker Muhammad Shahrur’s contemporary interpretation of the Koran has attracted a lot of attention. In an interview with Ahmad Hissou, he calls for a religious reform of Islam, which he considers even more important than political reforms. Muhammad Shahrur, how has the Arab Islamic world changed in the three years since the terrori […].
“Islam and the West” .
1-Background Professor Esposito, welcome to Berkeley. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Where were you born and raised? I was raised in Brooklyn, New York. In looking back, how do you think your parents shaped your thinking about the world? My parents gave me an appreciation for education and a sense of being curious. They didn’t so much get me in […].
“Activism, Anarchism, and Power”.
Conversation with Noam Chomsky (1). _Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 3/22/02 1-Background Noam, welcome to Berkeley. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Philadelphia, in 1928. I stayed there until I went through undergraduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, then went on to Harvard for a couple of a years in a resear […].
Farid Esack in conversation.
Farid Esack is a South African Muslim, a Koran scholar and a fascinating commentator on issues relating to politics, theology, reconciliation and gender justice. He visits Australia this week. Stephen Crittenden: This week a distinguished visitor has arrived in Australia from South Africa. Farid Esack is a Muslim scholar, a leading exponent of Koranic St […].
Dynamiques identitaires et géopolitiques dans les relations entre le Monde arabe et l’Europe.
Dans les jeux de la géopolitique et des identités collectives, les Arabes sont passés d’une situation de conscience identitaire éclatée et dormante au début du XIXe siècle à l’affirmation d’une identité nationale forte au milieu du XXe siècle, puis à un nouveau reflux qui entraîne une involution de la conscience collective sous le coup des défaites milita […].
Islam et Occident.
Considéré comme le politologue américain le plus créatif de la génération des Kissinger, Samuel P. Huntington est ancien conseiller de Jimmy Carter, professeur émérite de relations internationales à Harvard et cofondateur de la revue Foreign Policy. Prophète du « choc des civilisations », il publie le 27 mai prochain un ouvrage qui fait déjà scan […].
Islam, modernité et laïcité.
Même dans les pays appartenant à la même culture et traversant les mêmes avatars de l’histoire comme les pays musulmans avec leur combat commun pour la rénovation religieuse et contre la colonisation européenne, les processus de modernisation ne sont pas les mêmes. Même dans les pays appartenant à la même culture et traversant les mêmes avatars de l’hist […].
Sécularisation, Démocratisation et Monde musulman : Processus de changement
L’AFEMOTI a organisé les 25-26 novembre 2002, en collaboration avec l’Institut norvégien des relations internationales, et l’UNESCO dans le cadre du programme de ce dernier concernant “Gestion des transformations sociales” (MOST), un colloque international sur « Sécularisation, Démocratisation et Monde musulman : Processus de changement ». Un poi […].
The Contradictions of the Islamic World
Tariq Ramadan, controversial Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Fribourg, argues that instead of blaming only the West, Muslims need to start to criticise themselves in order to strengthen their position. For almost a century the Arab world seems immobilised, rooted in its failures as much as in its divisions. No other region in the world […].
Social, Religious & Political Dimensions of Prejudice: Reflections of a Muslim (II)
Who am I? Where do I come from? In two sentences, I am a South African Muslim male from an impoverished working class background who was reared in a gang-infested area by a single parent. Many of our neighbours were Christians and the debt collectors – of which there were always many – were invariably Jewish. Abstract The encounter of East and West has […].
An Introduction to the Public & Private Debate in the Islamic Culture
Religion, in particular among the cultural components, is one of the most influential factors in determining the extent of public and private spheres. Religions descending from Abraham (i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam) give rise to the human identity, through emphasis on the private life of the individual. What is the extent of privacy in the Islamic […].
Globalisation and the Future of Islamic Civilisation
Let me begin with civilisation. A British philosopher, Bertrand Russel, once said ’civilisation was born out of the pursuit of luxury’. Because luxury was pursued you ended up with great works, music, the Palace of Versailles, the Taj Mahal etc. Then much closer to our times you had civilisation interpreted more in economic terms, and you had Adam Smith vi […].
