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For various theological and historical reasons the idea of “independent thinking” has become a highly contested one within the Muslim community. The term means different things to different people and based on these different understandings, people engage in either...

Those who listen to the Word (Al Quran) and follow the best meaning in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided and those are the the one’s endued with understanding (Al Quran; 39:18). The American Muslim community is in its formative stages and is facing many...

Human existence has always been dependent on the power of ideas. It was our capacity for ideas that allowed us to take over this planet from other beasts far more powerful than us. It is safe to say that in the very beginning of human life, the fact that ideas are more powerful...

The Taliban are gone but they have left us with several serious questions about the future of religious minorities in Islamic states in particular and religious states in general. Today there are at least three major conceptions of religious states – Jewish, Islamic and Hindu....

India Must Develop Indigenous Basis for Politics The recent communal violence in India draws attention to two significant problems that are undermining India’s greatness. The first problem is the growing animus between the followers of two of the world’s great religions – Islam...

Bassam Tibi, Islam between Culture and Politics (New York, NY: Palgrave, 2002), pp. 271. Islam between Culture and Politics is Professor Tibi’s second attempt after Islam and the Cultural Accommodation of Social Change (Boulder, CO: Westview, 1991), to show how Muslim failure to...

The rise in prosperity and self-confidence, coupled with the growing self-awareness of Turkey as an Islamic nation, is leading to many interesting developments. One of them is the re-emergence of Istanbul as the de facto capital of the Muslim World. It has become the chief hub...

The rise in prosperity and self-confidence, coupled with the growing self-awareness of Turkey as an Islamic nation, is leading to many interesting developments. One of them is the re-emergence of Istanbul as the de facto capital of the Muslim World. It has become the chief hub...

According to Transparency International, India ranks 94th when it comes to transparency and honesty. Clearly it is not among the very corrupt countries of the World, like Russia, which is ranked, 133rd; nevertheless corruption is palpable and nearly 62% of the population has...

This is a personal appeal issued on August 4th, the International Friendship Day. Abou Elela Mady is a friend of mine and he is in jail. He is the chairman of the centrist party Al-Wasat of Egypt. The new government of Egypt arrested him, on charges that I am convinced are not...