Interview with Abdou Filali-Ansary. Interview by Sophie Boukhari, UNESCO Courier journalist. There is a reformist current in Islam, one that takes a critical approach to its origins. For Moroccan philosopher Abdou Filali-Ansary*, if Muslims had more room to freely debate issues, religion and politics might no longer be so closely entwined Since the 19th […].
“Islamic Societies”.
Conversation with Ira Lapidus. Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 1/14/03 1-Background Ira, welcome back to Berkeley. Thank you, Harry. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised there. I went to high school there, and then I went to college and graduate school at Harvard. Looking back, how did your pa […].
“Islam and the State”.
Conversation with Vali Nasr (1). Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 10/3/02 1-Background Vali, welcome to Berkeley. Thank you. Tell us a little about your background. Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. I got my primary and secondary education in Iran, and in England. My family migrated to the United […].
“Islam and State Power in the Middle East and Central Asia”
Conversation with Vitaly Naumkin (1). Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley. 2/19/03 1-Background Welcome, Professor Naumkin. Thank you. Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in a very interesting place, which is the city of Yekaterinburg. This was a city where the first president of Russia, Mr. Yeltsin, was also born. It w […].
The war for Muslim minds*
From Fallujah and Peshawar to Amsterdam and Paris, is radical, militant Islam winning or losing its political battle for the support of the world’s Muslims? Gilles Kepel, leading analyst of post–9/11 global fractures, talks to openDemocracy’s Rosemary Bechler. openDemocracy: The first section of your book The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West expl […].
Upbeat on democracy in Iran.
Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate, visited Indonesia last week. In her presentations she came across as a person who spoke out for what she believed in — the people’s fight for freedom, rooted in her conviction that this is the basic message of her religion, Islam. Ebadi’s conviction has brought her to odds with both authorities and acti […].
The Clash of Fundamentalisms
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 […].
