Often the only things people in the West associate with Islam are stoning and hand chopping. These images permeate our culture, from the trailer of hits like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) to straight-to-cable pablum like Escape: Human Cargo (1998) (again, in the trailer… ‘If you can’t live by their rules, you might die by…
“Moderate Islam” & Muslim American Leadership: Reflections Before the Deluge
Is it just me, or is being a Muslim in the US a rollercoaster ride? There’s so much to discuss! Top on the list is, of course, the imminent Trump administration. Like many in this country, since November 9th I’ve alternated between stupefaction, acute anxiety and invigoration for the… interactions (?) to come. This is an…
Guidelines For Muslim Political Engagement
For many, politics is a dirty word. This is understandable. At its best, it often requires compromising principles. At its worst, it perverts them altogether. But politics has also always been inevitable. At its simplest, it is about coordinating cooperation on some basic task, like bringing down a woolly mammoth or building a waterwheel. At…
How Much Does Islamic Law Change When Customs Change?
Not long ago one of my students approached me asking my opinion on a small text that had been circulating on social media, particularly amongst advocates of Progressive Islam. The snippet of text was fascinating, since it touched on a major question of Islamic law and legal reform, namely the competing authority of the original…