Critical Muslim 43


Book Description

We pay a great deal of attention to pursuit of knowledge, but overlook its constant companion: ignorance. Where our world is inundated with information, from 24-hour news and social media and the internet of things, what we do not know can be just as important as what we do. Agnotology--the study of ignorance--is a rising field of inquiry, and set to become increasingly important as reforms to education and knowledge creation rattle the foundations of traditional disciplines. Ignorance has rapidly proliferated in the early twenty-first century. Since US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld penned his famous memo on known knowns, unknown knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns, it has become a key, yet unseen, factor in global decision-making--in politics, business, and various complex networks exemplified by Covid-19. In this issue, ignorance is given its long overdue analysis, and its role in our chaotic times examined. About 'Critical Muslim': A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centres on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.




Critical Muslim 47


Book Description

Hannah Arendt spoke of the banality of evil--the normalisation of the unutterable, simply because that was how things were in any given place and time. Is evil really so disappointing? We expect evil to be dramatic, unfathomable and remarkable; the workings of a twisted genius, a fallen angel, Iblis. But what if the mediocre perpetuate it, the followers, the weak, the masses? What defines evil? What is the devil's greatest trick in our contemporary world? Some even claim evil no longer exists--if it ever did. The greying morality of postmodernism begs the question of whether one can even be good.




Critical Muslim 3


Book Description

AbdelWahab El-Affendi on Islamophobia and Orientalism in the age of liberal paranoia, Arun Kundnani on English Defense League and the rise of the far right in Europe, Vinay Lal on Hindus who love Hitler, Gordon Steffey on Christian fundamentalism, Fanar Haddad on the sectarian schisms in the Arab world, Gary McFarlane on Tottenham Riots, Farouk Peru on self loathing Muslims, Claire Chambers on 'Four Lions', Peter Clark on Bernard Lewis and Peter Moray on Irshad Manji. Plus a short story by Suhel Ahmed, six poems by St?phane Chaumet, Anita Sethi's dangerous bus ride through Iran, Ten Top Techs for Muslim and Ziauddin Sardar on his pet hate: the beards of Islam.




Being Muslim


Book Description

"Four american moslem ladies": early U.S. Muslim women in the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, 1920-1923 -- Insurgent domesticity: race and gender in representations of NOI Muslim women during the Cold War era -- Garments for one another: Islam and marriage in the lives of Betty Shabazz and Dakota Staton -- Chadors, feminists, terror: constructing a U.S. American discourse of the veil -- A third language: Muslim feminism in Smerica -- Conclusion: Soul Flower Farm




CRITICAL MUSLIM 52


Book Description




Critical Muslim 3


Book Description

AbdelWahab El-Affendi on Islamophobia and Orientalism in the age of liberal paranoia, Arun Kundnani on English Defense League and the rise of the far right in Europe, Vinay Lal on Hindus who love Hitler, Gordon Steffey on Christian fundamentalism, Fanar Haddad on the sectarian schisms in the Arab world, Gary McFarlane on Tottenham Riots, Farouk Peru on self loathing Muslims, Claire Chambers on 'Four Lions', Peter Clark on Bernard Lewis and Peter Moray on Irshad Manji. Plus a short story by Suhel Ahmed, six poems by Stéphane Chaumet, Anita Sethi's dangerous bus ride through Iran, Ten Top Techs for Muslim and Ziauddin Sardar on his pet hate: the beards of Islam.




Critical Muslim 07


Book Description

Malaysia and Indonesia are seen as bastions of liberal Islam. Is this really true or simply a widely held misconception about south-east Asian Muslims? What is the contribution of the Muslim archipelago to the world of Islam? What can we learn from Malaysian and Indonesian experiments in democracy? This issue of Critical Muslim addresses these questions by examining the politics, history, culture and religious traditions of Malaysia and Indonesia. Contributors include Merryl Wyn Davies on Malaysian multiculturalism, Luthfi Assyaukanie on Indonesia politics, Carool Kersten on the struggles of Indonesian intellectuals, Andre Vltchek on religion and tolerance in south-east Asia, Andi Achdian on Islam in Java, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat on the Malaysian intellectual guru Naguib Al-Attas, Shanon Shah on Malay Magic, Jo Kukathas on 'Malay-ness', Linda Christanty on literary stars of Indonesia, Rossie Indira on Indonesian pop music, and Nazry Bahrawi on reformist debates in south-east Asia. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.




Critical Muslim 2


Book Description

Ziauddin Sardar argues why Islamic reform is necessary, Bruce Lawrence sees Muslim cosmopolitanism as the future, Parvez Manzoor declares jihad on the idea of 'the political', Samia Rahman gets to the root of Muslim misogyny, Michael Muhammad Knight explains his taqwacore beliefs, Soha al-Jurf has problems with orthodoxy, Carool Kersten suggests that critical thinkers and reformers are often seen as heretics, and Ben Gidley on what keeps Muslims and Jews apart and what can bring them together. Also in this issue: Stuart Sim takes a sledgehammer to the 'profit motive', Andy Simons argues that Jazz is just as Muslim as it is American, Robin Yassin-Kabbab meets the new crop of Iraqi writers in Erbil, Said Adrus visits a Muslim cemetery in Woking, Ehsan Masood confesses he spent his youth reading the extremist writer Maryam Jameelah, Iftikar Malik dismisses pessimism about Pakistan, Hassan Mahamdallie explores what it means to be an American, Jerry Ravetz discovers the Arabic Maimonides, Vinay Lal assesses the legacy of Edward Said, and Merryl Wyn Davies takes a train to 9/11. Plus a brilliant new story from Aamer Hussein and four poems by the celebrated Mimi Khalvati. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.




Critical Muslim 5


Book Description

Aamer Hussein takes love to its logical conclusion, Robert Irwin traces the origins of the ghazal (love lyric), Christopher Shackle recites epic Panjabi poems of sacred love and lyrical death, Imranali Panjwani mourns the massacre of Karbala, Martin Rose istaken hostage by Saddam Hussein, Jalees Rahman reflects on Nazi doctors who took delight in deathly experiments, Ramin Jahanbegloo is incarcerated in the notorious Evin prison, Hamza Elahi visits England's Muslim graveyards, Shanon Shah receives valuable guidance on love and sex from the "Obedient Wives Club", Samia Rahman sets out in search of love, Khola Hasan has mixed feelings about her hijab, Sabita Manian promotes love between India and Pakistan, Boyd Tonkin discovers that dead outrank the living in Jerusalem , Alev Adil takes "a night journey through a veiled self" and Irna Qureshi's mother finally makes a decision on her final resting place. Also in this issue: Parvez Manzoor throws scorn on a nihilistic, revisionist history of Islam, Naomi Foyle reads the first novel of a British Palestinian, Ahmad Khan explores the colonial history of The Aborigines' Protection Society, a short story by the famous Fahmida Riaz, Syrian scenarios by Manhal al-Sarraj, poems by Sabrina Mahfouz and Michael Wolf, Rachel Dwyer's list of Top Ten Muslim Characters in Bollywood and Merryl Wyn Davies's "last word" on love and death at the movies. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.




Beyond Jihad


Book Description

This collection of non Western scholarly voices is a long awaited remedy to the lack of critical commentary by Muslim intellectuals on the nature of modern Jihadi terrorism and the political debate within Islam over the direction of resistance to modernization and secularization of traditional societies. The work is divided into three parts: 1) Understanding the Islamist Mind. 2) Understanding Islamism and Politics. 3) Beyond Jihad: Expanding the Circle of Sanity. Major figures such as Dr. Ali Sina, Sayeed M. Said and Syed Kamran Mirza contribute previously unpublished essays; indeed the work has virtually new essays from all contributors. With historical introductions by Dr Kim Sheinbaum and Jamal Hasan. Introduction is by terrorism expert Dr.Steven Emerson, author of American Jihad and the PBS documentary " Jihad in America". " A long needed discussion by superb scholars...recommended for research libraries. Professor P duQuenoy, American University in Cairo.