The Thinking Muslim

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Modernity brings with it the promise that ultimate truth can come through reason – a reason that often excludes believers as outside the realm of thinking. Liberalism places religion in a ‘non-reasoned’ bucket, which should be tolerated like all other irrational but ultimately comforting lifestyle choices. This is primarily why there is general animus against anyone who displays an over-exuberance towards belief systems. Such people are described as fundamentalists, unthinking and unable to make their own rational choices. 

Our guest this week, Jamie Turner is no stranger to these arguments. He is currently pursuing his doctoral research at the University of Birmingham, looking at Ibn Taymiyyah and natural theology.

As always, you can comment your thoughts below.

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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 109

00:00 Introduction

02:11 The idea of fitra 

04:47 Fitra from a cognitive pov

05:19 Theistic disposition as natural

12:25 Nature of theistic faculty 

13:30 The Mu'tazilite view 

14:43 The Hadith about fitra

18:00 Role of environment 

20:36 Our role as agents 

22:05 The limits of fitra

24:00 Role of revelation

25:41 Convert vs. revert 

28:42 Moral intuition 

30:35 Journey to Islam 

33:38 The role of reason 

38:48 Obligation to use reason 

45:33 Too much thinking?

47:52 Learning to reason well 

49:27 Studying philosophy 

51:50 Fitra and moral judgements 

53:42 Dawah 

55:37 Evidence for God

57:28 Signs in nature and humans 

1:00:57 Responding to Stephen Fry

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It is no exaggeration to say that in their quest to malign Islam, some in the West target Muslim women. Her position within the family, her place in society and, of course, her dress are placed under the microscope – and like colonialists in the days of empire, her emancipation is seen to be a means to a greater Islamic reformation. In recent days, France’s minister of education has announced that Abayas, the loose dress many Muslims wear for modesty, will be banned from schools. Apparently, a piece of clothing is an affront to French secularism and, yet again, another sign of separatism. In the UK, the former prime minister likened burka-wearing Muslim women is a those who chose to look like letterboxes and bank robbers.

Young Muslim women are subject to a barrage of what can only be called propaganda, traducing their religious dress and promising to liberate them from their religion. To help us understand how this works and to caution against some of the extremes by which the community can handle this onslaught.

Lauren Booth is a broadcaster turned activist and author. She is known for her principled activism on Palestine and regularly comments on Muslim affairs. Her book, In Search for the Holy Land is available to purchase from all good book stores.

You can find her book here https://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Search-of-Holy-Land/dp/1739384113/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LLEMY7MPD86N&keywords=in+search+of+a+holy+land&qid=1692958858&sprefix=in+search+of+a+holy+land%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-1

Her social media here: Lauren Booth: IG/Facebook: @laurenboothofficial. Website: www.laurenbooth.co.uk

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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 109

00:00 Introduction

02:20 On Nicky Campbell's review

05:50 Onslaught against Muslim women

07:58 Obsession with women's dress

10:45 Societal Pressure

11:32 Criminalising young Muslim men

13:20 A deliberate agenda

15:38 Navigating the noise around the hijab

19:49 Modernist interpretations of scripture

22:53 Progressive gender ideologies

24:06 How secular society judges women

26:35 Women in Muslim societies

29:52 Muslims leaving the West

34:11 Making the move

36:38 Gender roles

39:17 Living feminism

44:25 Gender wars

46:50 Hyperindividualism

49:43 British politics post Iraq war

51:22 Attending a Muslim event

55:22 Why write a memoir

58:10 Palestine and Isreal

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The so-called Abraham Accords, delivered by the Trump Administration and embraced by Biden, has solidified Israel’s position in the Middle East. To date, normalisation has been enthusiastically embraced by the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. But the United States knows that the ‘prize’ is Saudi Arabia. In recent weeks the mood music has been positive for Americans. It is suggested a deal may be concluded very soon, with the de-facto Saudi leader Muhammad Bin Salman holding out for concessions before he signs on the dotted line.

Our guest this week is Sami Hamdi, the Managing Director of the International Interest, a global risk and intelligence company. He advises governments on the geopolitical dynamics of Europe and the MENA region and has significant expertise in advising companies on commercial issues related to volatile political regions. Sami is also featured as a commentator for Al Jazeera (Arabic and English), Sky News, BBC and TRT World.

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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 108

00:00 Introduction

01:57 Response from last interview

04:59 Importance of political awareness

07:49 Aims of Israel

16:10 Defacto Normalised?

24:20 Commitment to Palestinians?

30:46 Anger on Muslim streets?

36:07 Saudi security aims

45:30 Saudi autonomous?

51:49 US Saudi-China relations?

58:30 US retreat?

1:03:57 Erdogan and Israel

1:11:58 Erdogan’s tactics?

1:16:55 Palestinians?

1:24:41 How important is Palestine?

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Muslims worldwide have come to the realisation that the prevailing capitalist economic system does not serve us ethically. With its interest-based banking and casino-style financial instruments, a devout believer has no choice but to attempt to escape its haram, even if that hinders the progress and prosperity of our daily lives. In recent years, Islamic finance has been touted as an ethical alternative. A way to escape the haram riba based economy. Some have even presented it as an alternative to financial capitalism. The rationale behind these products is to accommodate the detailed Shariah rulings on trade and many Islamic scholars have endorsed products that Western financial institutes and governments have embraced. Our guest today was an Islamic finance industry insider. Harris Irfan is currently the CEO of Cordoba Capital Markets https://www.ccmkts.com. He has 29 years of investment banking and consulting experience. He was the former co-founder of Deutsche Bank's world-leading Islamic finance team and CEO of Deutsche's Islamic finance subsidiary. He is the Former Global Head of Islamic Finance at Barclays, and then Head of Investment Banking for the Rasmala group. He is also the author of "Heaven's Bankers: Inside the Hidden World of Islamic Finance", the critically acclaimed best-seller about the Islamic finance industry.

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India’s 200 million Muslims are at the mercy of an ultra-nationalist government that looks to create an exclusively Hindu Bharat or homeland. Since the rise of the BJP government, led by Narendra Modi, Muslims have been subject to discrimination, alienation, daily religious abuse, economic marginalisation, state-sanctioned mob violence and pogroms like in Gujarat in 2002. This Hindu nationalism is underpinned by a pernicious cultural and political ideology, Hindutva, framed by antagonism towards Islam and a rewriting of Indian history.  

Our guest this week, Professor Irfan Ahmed, will help us understand the precarious state of India’s Muslims and the Hindutva ideology. Born in India,  he now lives in Istanbul, where he is a professor of sociology and anthropology at Ibn Haldun University. Before Istanbul, he was a research professor in Germany at Max Plank Institute, and he has taught anthropology and politics in the Netherlands and Australia. He has written numerous books and articles on India and Islam and recently published a provocative piece on Hindu Orientalism.

You can also watch this programme on Youtube

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Japan is a country that is known for its deep connection with tradition. Much of its rich culture comes from its adherence to two religious beliefs, Shintoism and Buddhism but it has also been influenced by Confucianism. The Japanese value purity and cleanliness. Unlike western individualism, Japanese culture places a great deal of attention on the group and mutual respect with a strong emphasis on harmony and balance. Although globalisation has brought with it westernisation, there is still an emphasis on learning Japanese customs at an early age, such as practicing the tea ceremony, wearing kimono and studying arts and crafts. Our guest today, Dr Naoki Yamamoto converted to Islam 14 years ago. He is now an academic at Istanbul’s Marmara University and helps a growing number of Japanese converts acclimatise to their Islamic commitments. Many of whom attend classes in this city. Dr Naoki argues that for Islam to be successful in Japan, it needs to work in harmony with Japanese culture. Indeed he is known in Istanbul for demonstrating the tea ceremony. We discuss Muslim converts in Japan and the themes he raises of cultural harmony and Islam. Can Islam adopt the cultural heritage of Japan?Please consider making a donation, however small, to The Thinking Muslim, to receive a share in the reward and to help us make a greater impact. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate⁠⁠

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There is a growing interest in Ottoman history. This has come from a recognition that an understanding of our Islamic history is necessary to carve our common Islamic future. But then the question arises, who writes this history? How do we know whether Ottoman historians, East and West, are purveyors of an orientalist narrative, slanted to match political interests? To untangle the facts from fiction, we have invited Dr Yakoob Ahmed who is an academic specialising in late Ottoman history. He is a PhD graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies and currently teaches Islamic history at Istanbul University. He is in the process of completing his first book on the late Ottoman ulema, to be published next year.Please consider making a donation, however small, to The Thinking Muslim, to receive a share in the reward and to help us make a greater impact. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate⁠⁠

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You can write to Dr Aafia via her lawyer on email [email protected]

The deadline for the first round of letters is 1/8/23 - you can still send letters after this date for future visits.

Please place in the subject of the email: Thinking Muslim letter for Aafia.Clive has set up a crowdfunding page for a monthly standing order/debit for Aafia; this is to pay for a young Pakistani researcher to help on the case and to fund the trips to the US etc. Use -  https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/freeaafia/backers#startAlthough the war on terror is now a distant memory to many Americans, it’s horrible residue remains. The incarceration of Aafia Siddiqui, a brilliant academic and mother of three, has become a symbol of its excesses, of which there were many. She languishes in prison, serving an 86-year sentence for an offence that looks barely credible, the attempted murder of two US officials in Afghanistan in 2008. Her whereabouts before that date remain murky, and so does the welfare of her youngest son Suleman – who has not been seen since her detention in 2003. To help us unpick the facts, we have invited Aafias lawyer Clive Stafford Smith to shed light on what happened to Aafia and her children. Clive has helped secure the release of 86 prisoners from Guantánamo Bay and still acts for the remaining numbers. Since the early days of the War on Terror, he has worked tirelessly to force the Americans and other Western powers to adhere to the rule of law. He has sought to uncover the secret prisons and ghost prisoners that stain the reputation of powerful states – who presented their wars in benevolent terms.Please consider making a donation, however small, to The Thinking Muslim, to receive a share in the reward and to help us make a greater impact. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate⁠⁠
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France’s estimated six million strong Muslims are subject to daily inhuman treatment at the hands of a militant secular state. Islam as a faith has long been traduced and othered, exceptionalised as a religion that must be chastened by French enlightenment. It is this context that we observe with horror the recent episode of brutality. Seventeen year old Nahel Merzouk was killed at point blank range for a minor traffic infraction. His death, normally another statistic, was caught on camera and led to days of protests and rioting. To help us make sense of this tragic week, we have invited back onto The Thinking Muslim Rayan Freschi. Rayan is a legal expert and researcher for Cage International and he has recently authored a disturbing report on the French government’s policy of “systematic obstruction” of the Muslim community. He recently wrote a piece for Middle East Eye analysing these tragic events.

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