The Thinking Muslim

Since the demise of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim world has moved from one crisis to another. The parlous state of the ummah is now the subject of many discussions and numerous Islamic groups have attempted to find the magic formula to reverse this decline. Invariably and correctly, the subject of a return to Islamic governance has become a rallying call for many that seek to return to a place where the ummah was a leading one.Yet recently, the rise of ISIS and the return to the Taliban government has given us two very different yet for some, very troubling models of how a shariah ruled state should run. Beyond these examples, contemporary Islamic study on the topic either negates well-known Islamic precedents found in our tradition or offers models of authoritarianism where a caliph has the control over all and is one step away from repression.Today we have brought together two Islamic thinkers and scholars that have been working for some time on rethinking Islamic governance. Ustadh Iyad Hilal is no stranger to this show, he is an instructor at the al-Arqam Institute in California and is a regular imam and khateeb at Masajids across his state. Kamal Hussain is a lecturer and legal expert who recently delivered a paper to academics and scholars on ‘al Sultan-al Ummah’ the authority of the Ummah, he argues that this Islamic principle has been lost over time, with many theorists viewing the role of the people as no more than passive citizens in a caliphate structure.An earlier version of this episode had some formatting errors. This has now been fixed. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimWebsite: thinkingmuslim.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we bring together two commentators and analysts to make sense of the regional and international dimensions to the crisis. Sami Hamdi is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Interest. An experienced geopolitical analysts, he is a frequent guest on Aljazeera, Sky News, TRT World, and other outlets. Ibrahim Moiz is a writer and researcher on South Asia with considerable insight into Afghanistan and Pakistan. He writes for TRT World and other outlets. We consider the events of the past twenty years and what next for America and the Muslim world.Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimWebsite: thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we bring together two scholars, each on either side of the reform debate. Mustafa Akyol is probably the most notable Muslim modernist and reformer, he has authored several best-selling books on the subject, most recently “Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance”. His argument, as we will hear, is certainly well-articulated and nuanced. He writes regularly for the New York Times and other publications. And his is joined with Professor Ovamir Anjum who is Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Toledo. Ovamir penned a recent piece on the need for a Caliphate and argues against the reform agenda and has written extensively about Ibn Taymiyyah, who was the subject of his research.Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimWebsite: thinkingmuslim.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/9780367534110Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn and https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Yakoob 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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/contributeTo access our archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/ Farhat Amin also hosts the Smart Muslima podcast found here: https://smartmuslima.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/NuhSaundersFollow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jalalayn & https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.