May 31, 2016 | Anadolu Agency

Orientalism, Palestine and Covering Islam

Three of Edward Said’s books are as timely today as the day they were published almost 40 years ago: Orientalism (1978), The Question of Palestine (1979), and Covering Islam (1981). The three constitute Said’s trilogy that focused on literary and artistic representation in the service of empire, colonial dispossession, and the media shaping and reproducing…

Colonialism Islam Islamic Politics Muslim History Palestine Race/Racism

May 6, 2016 |

Islamophobia and Women’s Hijab in Public Space!

Take the case of seven Muslim women in Hijab in Southern California that were escorted out of a restaurant by police officers for supposedly over-staying the 45-minute limit in the eatery. The seven Muslim women are suing Urth Caffe in Laguna Beach because of this action since they felt targeted due to a number of…

Colonialism Islam Islamic Thought Islamophobia Muslim History Muslims in America

March 9, 2016 |

Revisiting Al-Ghazali: Revelation and Reason!

On March 4-5, 2016, Zaytuna College hosted the Revisiting Al-Ghazali: Reason and Revelation Conference , which examined the work and contribution of one of the most influential scholars in Islamic history. Research papers and discussions revolved around a number of issues in Al-Ghazali’s works with an eye toward understanding and appreciating the unique approach present in…

Islamic Education Islamic Thought Muslim History

February 3, 2016 |

Israel’s Grand Theft of Muslim Endowments in Jerusalem

On January 31, 2016, Israel’s right wing cabinet approved by a 15-5 vote the creation of a mixed-gender plaza to resolve the long standing dispute concerning women’s access to the Wailing Wall.  The head of the Jewish Agency, Natan Sharansky claimed that the building of the new plaza will not cause any structural damage to…

Colonialism Muslim History Palestine Politics

October 15, 2015 | Daily Sabah

On Muslim toleration

In “A Letter Concerning Toleration” from exile in the Netherlands, John Locke articulated a truly liberal view concerning freedom of conscious that he hoped might help resolve Europe’s raging religious war that had killed millions. Europe’s religious conflicts and Christian sectarian wars raged in the 16th and 17th centuries with tumultuous debates centering on claims…

Islamic Education Islamic Law Islamic Politics Islamic Thought Muslim History Race/Racism

September 10, 2015 | Daily Sabah

Abraham: Persecution, refuge and renewal

The hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca,-the Hajj, an ancient ritual traced all the way back to Abraham, is just around the corner and it is the perfect occasion to contextualize this year’s gathering with an eye on the unfolding refugee crisis. By no means is this the first time the world has witnessed a…

Islam Islamic Education Muslim History

March 29, 2015 | Daily Sabah

Sunni Islamic authority between the text and context

The ongoing chaos in many parts of the Muslim world can, in part, be traced to the collapse of Sunni Islamic authority and the emergence of various groupings claiming to fill the vacuum. While all agree that the collapse is a reality, however, dating the collapse is as difficult as the attempts to fill it….

Islam Islamic Law Islamic Politics Muslim History

March 23, 2015 | Daily Sabah

Netanyahu is dismantling peace and entrenching apartheid

Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby was personally confident that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shift to the right was only an election campaign ploy and will “not be the policies of the future Israeli government.” In making this observation, Elaraby was sending a comforting statement to Arab leaders that Netanyahu did not really mean…

Muslim History Palestine Race/Racism

March 15, 2015 | Daily Sabah

ISIS beheading Islam through its actions!

The recent videos showing ISIS members destroying Mosul’s museum and with it the loss of Iraq’s and world cultural and historical heritage are woefully sickening. The actions are undertaken supposedly on the basis of Islamic interpretation and an attempt on the one hand to destroy idols and on the other adhering to a strict prohibition…

Islam Islamic Law Muslim History

January 26, 2015 | Daily Sabah

Constructive chaos and diplomacy by other means!

Hundred years removed from World War I and alleged plans to birth a peaceful world, we are back where we started. As death, destruction and massive destabilization is witnessed in the Arab and Muslim worlds and managed by major powers past and present with handpicked local allies. At World War I’s end the remnants of…

De-Colonial Islamic Politics Muslim History