Tag: Politics
-
Industrial Islamism and Manipulation in Turkiye
Industrial Islamism dismantles the common assumption that Islamism in modern Turkey arose primarily from cultural nostalgia or religious resentment against Westernization. Instead, he locates its roots in the rise of a distinct social class, the faubourgeoisie, that emerged from Turkey’s accelerated post-Cold-War industrialization.
-
Forsaken Daughter of The Ummah: The Regimes that Colluded on Aafia Siddiqui
Aafia Siddiqui’s ordeal exposes the aggression of American security doctrine, the obedience of the Pakistani state, and the paralysis of a Muslim public sphere. As a new push for her release develops, her case forces a reckoning with the machinery that consumed her and the timidity that enabled it.
-
The Doha Strike and Summit: The Arab Response to Israeli Aggression
Arab and Islamic leaders gathered in Doha after Israel’s September 9 airstrike on the Qatari capital, condemning the attack as a violation of sovereignty while issuing calls for unity and restraint. Despite fiery rhetoric, Qatar and fellow states reaffirmed their cautious strategy of neutrality and reliance on international law, highlighting the widening gap between words…
-
Understanding the Self Through Muhammad Iqbal’s Philosophical and Political Thought
What is ḳhūdī? For Muhammad Iqbal, one of the foremost celebrated intellectuals and poets of South Asia, his falsafa-e-ḳhūdī (philosophy of the self) is one of the most discussed elements of his intellectual thought. As a philosopher, poet, lawyer, and more, Iqbal is a prominent figure both in South Asian households and in scholarly circles,…
-
From Periphery to Centre Stage: Regime Cynicism and Civil War in the Muslim World
Politically engaged Muslims often lament the lack of governments with independence, justice, strength, functional institutions, and attention to Islamic principles. This problem owes much to foreign interference, subversion, and attempts to exert control over Muslim-majority countries as part of the general neocolonial pattern of a “Western”-constructed global order. Yet to some extent, the problems of…
-
‘Kashmir in the Aftermath of Partition’: A Book Review
Shahla Hussain’s work, Kashmir in the Aftermath of Partition, presents a fresh perspective on post-partition Kashmir, moving beyond political and ideological narratives. The book highlights the diverse meanings of “Azaadi” (freedom) throughout history, amplifying the voices of local Kashmiris who share a collective sense of Kashmiri identity that transcends national boundaries. It explores the entwined…
-
Can the Liberal State Ever Be Neutral When It Comes to Muslims?
With his usual eloquence, Shadi Hamid attempts to make sense of an issue dominating Muslim dinner table conversation on both sides of the Atlantic, that of LGBTQ-themed lessons in state schools. His basic argument? It is not a dereliction of liberal norms to tolerate the protest of Muslim parents who fear the ever-encroaching state imposition…
-
Palestinian Activism in the West and LGBTQ Alliance
Like clockwork, this June a slew of “pride” themed ad campaigns and social media posts filled online spaces. While participation in celebrating sodomy and cross-dressing is nothing new to non-Muslims and fringes of self-proclaimed Muslims who ascribe to progressive interpretations of Islam, what has emerged more recently is a celebration and endorsement of LGBTQ+ ideology…
-
Finding a Balance Between Reason and Revelation
Muslim theologians differed for centuries in dealing with the concept of categorical verses (muḥkam) and ambiguous verses (mutashābih), giving rise to questions such as: What method should be applied when reason seems to contradict revelation?
-
Halal Consumption and Our Spiritual Health
We must be scrupulous in what we eat because the rest of human civilization depends on us. The actions of non-Muslims are not as important as the actions of Muslims — it is the actions of Muslims that govern the welfare of the entire planet. We are responsible for what happens in the world. Our…