We live in a world crafted by the tenets of liberalism. Western societies, of all hues, broadly base their politics, laws and thinking around this very idea. Inevitably, Muslims have been impacted by liberalism, not least because after the fall of the Ottoman caliphate, the Muslim world became subject to a liberal intellectual inquisition. Today many of us cannot see the tradition except through a liberal lens, this is most pronounced with Muslims living in western societies. This week we have probably one of the most learned authorities on the subject. Professor Joseph Kaminski from the University of Sarajevo has recently published a really important academic work on the subject, titled Islam, Liberalism and Ontology.  His book is available here: https://www.routledge.com/Islam-Liberalism-and-Ontology-A-Critical-Re-evaluation/Kaminski/p/book/9780367534110 Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim  

The Thinking Muslim

Why Islam is Incompatible with Liberalism with Professor Joseph Kaminski

The Ottoman state was the last Islamic Caliphate, that at its height brought diverse Muslims together under one banner. Yet, for a state that dominated world politics and created a unique order in the world, very little of its details are studied and understood by Muslims. According to Dr Yaqoob Ahmed, my guest this week, this ‘collective amnesia’ was deliberately devised as a means to consolidate the modern nation state. I initially asked Dr Ahmed to discuss Ottoman decline, why this vast empire fell in 1924, but as you will hear – his rich understanding of Ottoman history takes the conversation to many fascinating places. Dr Ahmed has become an authority on Ottoman history, and we talk about his research on Ottoman decline, his move from London to Istanbul, his quest to reorient a Muslim thinking of history, the phenomenon that is Ertrugul and how he believes any Caliphate project has to be profoundly wedded to an accurate reading of our history. I found my discussion with him enlightening and in many ways he challenged my previously held assumptions about the Ottomans during the latter period. I would suggest you take your time to listen to this interview to the very end. As always, we value your feedback, you can leave a comment on our website. We also request that if you like the show, please alert others to it and please leave a review on Apple podcasts, this helps us in the podcast rankings. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim   To sign up to Muhammad Jalal's international politics briefing, click here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/ 

Ottoman Decline & Muslim Collective Amnesia with Dr Yaqoob Ahmed

Masjid al-Aqsa is a sacred mosque on a sacred site, observed by Muslims to be the third most revered religious site in Islam. In this episode, we talk to Ustadh Iyad Hilal from al-Arqam Institute about how Muslims should understand this Masjid and its precincts. He takes a look at the contemporary attempt to reduce its importance in the eyes of the ummah and reflects on his own families experience after the nakba in 1948. We also cover the history of Islam’s entry into Palestine at the time of the second Caliph, Umar (ra), the Crusades and Iyad talks about the parlous situation today as Gaza remains under siege and Al-Aqsa comes under renewed threat from right-wing extremists. You can donate to this podcast here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute  To access our archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/ 

The significance of Jerusalem (al-Quds) and Al Aqsa Mosque - with Ustadh Iyad Hilal

France, like many European countries, were once the colonising force in the Muslim world. And like many of these countries, colonialism was sold as a benevolent project, looking to civilise the savages. France’s history is at times brutal, but the French also had a strong commitment to spreading so-called enlightenment values to the east. In the process, it sought to bring the good message of French liberalism to the Muslim orient. This French obsession remains to today, with the most recent proposals to ban the hijab for under 18-year olds and Macron’s so-called anti separatism bill – looking to further marginalise an already impoverished community. But it’s France in Algeria that is the subject of todays show. Farhat Amin speaks to Zara Choudhary founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sacred Footsteps. Zara talks about her recent article "Unveiling the Algerienne, French colonial photography", which looks at the central obsession of French colonialism to unveil Muslim women. There are indeed many parallels to today. Zara's article can be found here: https://www.sacredfootsteps.org/2021/03/21/unveiling-the-algerienne-french-colonial-photography/ You can donate to this podcast here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute To access our archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/ Farhat Amin also hosts the Smart Muslima podcast found here: https://smartmuslima.com/podcast

France - Unveiling the Muslim Woman in Colonial Algeria with Zara Choudhary

For most Muslims, Ramadan’s routine of prayer, reflection and dua was interrupted by the horrific acts of savagery perpetrated by the Israelis against Palestinians. It started with the Sheikh Jarrah land grab, the latest episode in the ongoing project of settler colonialism and then the sanctities of Al-Aqsa was defiled by police officers hell-bent on provoking the sentiments of worshippers. This week we discuss the politics of Palestine with the veteran commentator Dr Azzam Tamimi. Support this podcast by donating https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/contribute

Al-Aqsa attacks, Sheikh Jarrah & Gaza with Dr Azzam Tamimi

Mohamedou Slahi’s period of unlawful detention in Guantanamo Bey has recently been portrayed in the film ‘The Mauritanian’. His resilience and sense of human dignity comes through in the movie. In this episode, we reached out to Mohamedou to find out about his fortitude, what gave him the ability to remain strong throughout his ordeal? I asked him about his childhood, the context of his arrest and his ability to contextualise his incarceration and not descend into bitterness. I start with some of our pre-formal discussion where he talks about the restrictions that remain upon him, which prevents him from travelling to the UK. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn & https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim  To sign up to Muhammad Jalal's international politics briefing, click here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/ 

In Conversation with Mohamedou Slahi - the most tortured man in Guantanamo Bay

In the month of Ramadan we commonly hear that this is the month of the Qur’an. Usually, we associate this with its increased recitation in say taraweeh prayers. But how do we gain an intimate relationship with the book of Allah? This week we speak to Nuh Saunders who has given a lifetime of service to inculcating a love for the book of Allah. His passion for the Qur’an can be seen through his social media interactions, in a recent post he talked of his desire to build a Qur’an school in every black inner-city neighbourhood in America. Nuh Saunders can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/NuhSaunders Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn & https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim 

Building an Intimate Relationship with the Qur'an - Ustadh Nuh Saunders

The subject of the sighting of the moon has become a metaphor for our broader division as an ummah. We have disputes over the correct day to start and end Ramadan and invariably this leads to division. This weeks guest Ustadh Iyad Hilal argues that in origin what constitutes sighting has been subject to differences between the classical scholars. To insist on one way, as some Islamic groups do, in the absence of a caliphal authority, comes from a shallow understanding of the lawfulness of difference of opinion in Islam and contravenes notions of adab of iktilaaf. He talks through all the evidences on the matter and discusses issues of using calculations, local vs global sighting, what is a witness and following countries such as Saudi Arabia. To sign up to Muhammad Jalal's international politics briefing, click here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/ and follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn 

Understanding Ramadan Moonsighting with Ustadh Iyad Hilal

If you want to see a film that simultaneously depicts the horrors of man’s excessive barbarism but also the indominable spirit of human resilience, you have to watch The Mauritanian. Set in the legally dubious post-9/11 world, it tells the gripping story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi and his rendition to the infamous ex-Soviet airbase, Bagram in Afghanistan and then Guantanamo Bey. Slahi was falsely accused of links to Al-Qaeda and without recourse to due process, international treaties and conventions and the so-called cherished principles of the US constitution, he ended up spending 14-long years in Camp X-ray. Yet the power of the human spirit and his Islamic convictions prevailed and he returned to his home country of Mauritania, exonerated of any wrongdoing. But the film left many unanswered questions. We invited Moazzam Begg from the campaigning group CageUK, also a former Guantanamo prisoner, to talk about the film, his relationship with Slahi and to put into context the geopolitical and legal issues that led to what some describe as a scar on American democracy. To sign up to Muhammad Jalal's international politics briefing, click here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/ and follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn 

The Mauritanian with Moazzam Begg

The social sciences, the humanities, politics, geography and the like are looked upon with the same reverence as natural sciences. And the queen of these sciences is economic science. Economists in the new era have convinced us that they have unearthed the universal truth of human economic activity and the markets are infallible. We often hear newsreaders speak of ‘the markets’ as if they were a natural law, a deity that cannot be questioned. Our guest this episode is Dr Asad Zaman has a unique view of modern economics and he concludes capitalism is a house of cards masquerading as objective truths. He should know, he spent many years studying and then lecturing at America’s most elite institutions, mixing with the likes of Joseph Stiglitz. He calls for a revival of Islamic thinking on the subject.  Riaz Hassan spoke to him from his home in Pakistan. For further reading and to listen to and view Dr Zaman's insightful lectures, check out our episode insights page: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/insights/demystifying-social-science-liberal-economics-asad-zaman  To sign up to Muhammad Jalal's weekly international politics briefing, click here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/ 

Demystifying social science and the religion of liberal economics with Dr Asad Zaman (Pakistan)

We live in a world where Islam is subject to an almighty project of reform. In this difficult environment, the simple truths of Islam and the age-old process of arriving at such truths have been muddied by modernist constructions that at their heart hope to reconcile Islam with a dominant ideological narrative. To give this campaign a fig leaf of legitimacy, the traditional principle of al-maqasid al-shariah, loosely translated as the general goals of the shariah, has been co-opted by liberals and secularists as a means to open up Islam to the so-called universal values of liberalism. But what is the traditional conception of al-maqasid? To take a deeper look at this idea, Riaz Hassan and I spoke to Dr. Osman Umarji a director at the Yaqeen Institute who studied Islam at al-Azhar University in Cairo.  To comment - go to https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim/ Presenter: https://twitter.com/jalalayn  

Understanding the Objectives of the Shari'ah (Maqasid al Shari'ah)

A Special Extended Interview Freedom of speech is an idea we all naturally gravitate towards. Who would want to live in a society where certain types of speech were outlawed or regulated? Or where we had to watch what we say at every turn.  To understand this subject further, we have Hamza Tzortzis to break down the idea and to give us an Islamic perspective. Hamza is the author of The Divine Reality: God, Islam & The Mirage of Atheism. He is a public speaker, instructor and essayist and a founding member of the Sapience Institute. For more information and to view our archive, visit https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim/ Presenter: https://twitter.com/jalalayn 

Freedom of Speech and Muslims with Hamza Tzortzis

Vaccines are in the news. As the coronavirus ravages the world, causing untold damage to lives, communities and livelihoods, a glimmer of hope has come in the production of new vaccines. This breakthrough, however has not been universally embraced. Theories abound, across the internet and on social media, suggesting a number of reasons why vaccines are dangerous. So how should we think about vaccines? Well the first step is to consult a trustworthy expert so we can make an informed decision. And we have such a person this week. Dr Hisham Abdullah has a lifetimes work looking at vaccines and research. He holds a degree in pharmacy and a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences and clinical research. He started his career as a scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration and he has, since then, worked on various pharmaceutal projects in industry. On top of that, Dr Hisham has acquired qualifications in Islamic studies and has spent the past 30 years teaching Usul al-Fiqh and is active in Islamic circles in the US. For more information and to view our archive, visit https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast Follow us on twitter Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim/ Presenter: https://twitter.com/jalalayn 

Understanding Vaccines with Dr Hisham Abdallah

This week we invite back onto the show Ustadh Iyad Hilal from California’s Al Arqam Institute. Ustadh Iyad has expertise in usul ul-fiqh and has recently presented a stimulating and accessible online usul course. We ask him to untangle the issues of vaccines, medicines in general and we discuss how a Muslim should arrive at judgments and our responsibilities to not fall prey to theories not grounded in reality. For more information and to view our archive, visit https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast Follow us on twitter Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim/ Presenter: https://twitter.com/jalalayn  Email: info@thinkingmuslim.com

The Islamic view on vaccines, fake news and expertise with Ustadh Iyad Hilal

Riaz Hasan speaks to Almir Colan, a thinker on Islamic economics and host of the thought provoking Islamic Finance podcast and Director of the Australian Centre for Islamic Finance. He speaks to us about the problems with the current paradigms of capitalism and socialism and how greater thinking on Islamic economics needs to take place. He also speaks about his 'Shepherds Model', the manner we need to look at economy.  You can listen to his Islamic finance podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/islamic-finance-podcast-with-almir-colan/id569462639?mt=2  For more information and to view our archive, visit https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast Follow us on twitter Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim/ 

Capitalism and Socialism - Thoughts on Islamic Economics - with Almir Colan

This podcast is dedicated to exploring issues in some more depth and untangling the complexities of the world around us. I hope to engage a number of thinkers, academics and scholars in conversation on a number of themes to appreciate the ideas that makeup Islam as a system of thought.

hubhopper

The Thinking Muslim

hubhopper