In the wake of the colossal acts of terrorism of the last decade, the legal historian and human rights lawyer Sadakat Kadri realized that many people in the West had ideas about the origins and implications of the shari‘a, or Islamic law, that were hazy, contradictory, or simply wrong. Even as “shari‘a” became a loaded word and an all-encompassing explanation, most of us remained ignorant of its true meaning. And we were doing this at our peril. In Heaven on Earth, Kadri brings lucid wit and analytical skill to the thrilling and turbulent story of Islam’s foundation and expansion, and explains how, just in the last 40 years, the shari‘a has been appropriated and transformed by hard-liners desperate to impose their oppressive vision. In the second half of the book, Kadri takes us on an extraordinary journey through more than half a dozen countries in the Islamic world, where he explores, in striking detail, how the shari‘a is taught, read, reinterpreted, reverenced and challenged.
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Islam is the largest religion in Bulgaria and Muslims constitute the largest religious minority of the country. According to the 2011 census, the total number of Muslims in the country stood at 577,139, corresponding to 7.8% of the population. For the most part of Bulgaria’s modern history its Muslims remained at the margins of the country’s political life and were often regarded as second-class citizens. With the collapse of communist totalitarianism in 1989 Muslims for the first time gained political representation in the Bulgarian parliament through the establishment of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), a political party whose major electoral base has been Bulgarian Muslims. The MRF has been a stabilizing factor in the country’s post-communist life and has had a positive role in the country’s transition to political pluralism after 1989. It participated in many coalition governments and has pushed hard for improving Bulgaria’s records of human rights and people’s living standards as well as for securing Bulgaria’s pro-Western foreign policy orientation through accession to the European Union and NATO. This briefing aims to explain the reasons for this change – i.e. what were the reasons leading to the establishment of a “Muslim” political party – and discuss the extent to which this development has contributed to a real improvement of Muslims’ political, economic and social life in Bulgaria and had a positive effect on Muslim-Christian relations.
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Iran is again headed for presidential elections after the controversial presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the last four years. The country is going to the polls at a time of great economic hardship because of international sanctions and the still looming threat of a military attack. At this sensitive time in Iran's national life, what are the key questions that the presidential candidates must answer and who are these candidates? Will Iran's political factions be able to address the country's many problems and challenges and come up with realistic solutions, or will they persist in pursuing their narrow objectives at the expense of national interest? What is likely to be Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's position at this sensitive time?
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The question of charisma in religious figures has become critical in our age because of the rise of modern media that produces overnight celebrities. Many are moved by them and convinced of their sincerity. Others dismiss them as profiteers. Do they matter, and if so, how do they matter? Professor Jonathan Brown and Professor James Wellman, experts in Islam and Christianity respectively, spoke about their recent research on celebrity religious figures, defined charisma, both its positive and negative effects, and examined this phenomenon in its historical and present day condition.
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Pelletier discussed violent extremism in Nigeria and West Africa more broadly as a phenomenon that is far more complex and complicated than being simply a religious issue. In countries such as Nigeria and Mali, the violence is linked to many issues. While some attempt to use religious terms to gain legitimacy and push their grievances, Pelletier made the case that we should not give these violent extremists the undisputed right to set the narrative.
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Pelletier discussed violent extremism in Nigeria and West Africa more broadly as a phenomenon that is far more complex and complicated than being simply a religious issue. In countries such as Nigeria and Mali, the violence is linked to many issues. While some attempt to use religious terms to gain legitimacy and push their grievances, Pelletier made the case that we should not give these violent extremists the undisputed right to set the narrative.
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This talk discussed the army's endgame as Pakistan approaches an important inflection point on its path to greater democratization. While Fair focused on near term developments such as the appearance of Imam Qadri, she contextualized his recent arrival on Pakistan's political scene within the larger landscape of Pakistan's judicial activism, the army's ongoing interest in retaining control of domestic politics and international affairs, and the refusal of political parties to confront internal democratic reforms.
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In spite of constituting only 1.46% of the population, Muslim political views are diverse and reflect the diversity of trends in South Africa. On the one hand, ardent democrats support the Constitution without question; on the other hand, certain individuals and groups regard the Constitution as a rival authority to Islamic Law. Michel Foucault’s concepts of utopia and heterotopia are helpful in revealing this complex relationship between South Africa’s constitution and public expressions of Islam. They capture the complexity of Muslim experiences – sometimes reflecting the goals of the constitution (utopia) but also inverting, subverting and often going beyond them (heterotopia). The presentation closely examined some examples to illustrate the diversity and fragility of South Africa’s democracy.
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Dr. Abdel-Moneim Abol Fotouh was one of the leading candidates in the Egyptian presidential elections held last May. He has an M.D. degree and is a physician by training. He also has a degree in law and a Masters degree in Business Management. He has been the president of the Arab Medical Association since 2004. Dr. Abol Fotouh was also a well known student and civic leader since the 1970s. He was a vocal voice against dictatorship and corruption during the Mubarak regime and consequently was imprisoned for several years because of his political opposition. Dr. Abol Fotouh was also a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and served in a leadership position within the group for over two decades. He resigned from the group in April 2011 after announcing his candidacy for president shortly after the fall of the Mubarak regime. Dr. Abol Foutoh is considered a liberal Islamic leader and is well known for his moderate positions on the most contentious issues facing Egyptian society such as the role of Islam as well women and minorities in Egyptian society. He is considered by many as a bridge between Islamic, liberal, and leftist parties in Egypt. Dr. Abol Fotouh has just announced the establishment of a new party, Strong Egypt, which has attracted the tens of thousands of Egyptian youth who joined his presidential campaign. This new party considers itself economically progressive and socially moderate, and intends to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections early next year.
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Cosponsored with CCAS. Nathan Lean is a second-year Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS) student at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) and editor-in-chief of AslanMedia.com. He has dedicated himself to researching the network of writers and activists who have played upon Western anxieties about Islam particularly since the events of September 11, 2001. At Georgetown, his research has focused largely on North African political and cultural systems, Islam, Islamophobia, cultural diplomacy, and American foreign policy in the Middle East. In addition to The Islamophobia Industry, Lean has also co-authored (with Jalil Roshandel) Iran, Israel, and the United States: Regime Security vs. Political Legitimacy (Praeger, 2010).
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