Articles
Can a Woman be an Imam?
Islamic tradition is replete with references to the responsibility each Muslim bears for finding or establishing a group of Muslims with whom he or she can worship and fulfill communal obligations. According to the Qur’an (3:104, 110), it is within the community (ummah) of believers that society can be transformed for the better. As is the case with many issues, however, the Qur’an gives only general guidelines, not details about the way Muslims should organize themselves and choose their leaders.
Hospital Chaplaincy and the Knowledge of Hearts - What on earth is a chaplain? And what is a Muslim chaplain?
For suppose I discover that my real state and my theology—my sense of what Islam is and requires, that I take as a given—do not coincide? I may find it necessary to experience my real state more deeply than is comfortable. I may have to learn things about myself that profoundly challenge my self-image. At the same time, I may find it necessary to examine my theology more closely than is comfortable. Does my religious life genuinely work for me, or have I been faking it? Does my notion of Islam enrich and beautify my life, making me a better neighbor, a better friend, a more trustworthy ally? Or does it limit and constrict me, making me nervous, guarded, rigid, ungenerous? If my non-Muslim peers in the training process raise difficult questions about my character and my beliefs, can I face the challenge productively, or do I find myself becoming angry and defensive?
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
While power and authority are obvious manifestations of the act of leadership, leadership involves much more than the exercise of power and authority. To lead is essentially to move ahead of others; to guide and to show the way; and to be willing to withstand friction, resistance, and uncertainty, often experienced by those who move ahead of others and advance into higher grounds and uncharted territories.
American Muslims Have a 'Special Obligation'
In the midst of a global crisis, it seems that American Muslims are being asked to choose between uncritical support for rebels acting in the name of Islam,and uncritical support for any actions taken by the American government. Osama bin Laden has divided the world into two camps: those who oppose the oppression of the Muslim people, and those who aid in that oppression. President Bush has divided the world into two camps: those who support terrorism, and those who fight terrorism.
LAW, RELIGION AND THE PROPHETIC METHOD OF SOCIAL CHANGE
We live in a world in which four fifths of its population live in frustration while the other fifth lives in fear. The United Nations, our world’s “figleaf,” does not hide the shame of humanity but rather scandalizes humanity’s malaise. It is troubling that the
PRINCIPLES OF ISLAMIC INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT
The purpose of this paper is to discuss potential principles for interpersonal dispute resolution models within an Islamic context. Such a task requires an Islamic researcher to walk a fine line in order to avoid falling in one of two methodological traps. The first trap is to draw upon western literature on conflict analysis and resolution without sufficient consideration of whether and how that literature may be applied in an Islamic setting. The subtle assumptions underlying most of the conflict intervention models developed in the west have gone undetected, until recently. 1 The other trap is to embark upon a review of the existing Islamic literature relevant to conflict. This approach leads directly to entrapment in circles of legalistic interpretations developed centuries ago, which lack the spirit of conflict resolution as a movement for social change and an interdisciplinary field of research.
Gender Equity in Islam
There is no text in the Qur'an or the Sunnah that precludes women from any position of leadership, except in leading prayer due to the format of prayer as explained earlier and the headship of state (based on the common and reasonable interpretation of Hadith).
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in Woman's Place in the the Masjid and Community
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Finding the Creamy Center: Challenges to Youth
I believe there’s one and only one reason for our apparent disregard of the grin realities of adolescence in our presentation of Islam: high school diplomas. Yep—that’s it. The fact that, by the grace of Allah (SWT) (and I do mean industrial-strength grace), we no longer have to endure the universal agonies, ecstasies, and neuroses of this social war zone causes some of us to be a little cavalier towards those of you who do. College isn’t as bad, since it usually has a less provincial atmosphere. By that time, people tend to be more open to new ideas, including the logic of Islam which frees them from all of the petty silliness they suffered through in high school.
The Axis of Good: Muslims Building Alliances with Other Communities of Faith
This is my story. It is also the human story. Muslims believe that the children of Adam do not inherit sin from their ancestors. But we do inherit the good that our ancestors have bequeathed to us, and we are burdened with repairing what they have damaged. In our time, in every place that Muslims live, whether the Muslims are the majority or the minority, there are serious societal problems that need to be addressed. The environment needs to be restored, indigenous and other minority groups need to be relieved of the burden of years of systematic injustice, children and the poor need daily support and meaningful opportunities for advancement.
Toward Women Friendly Mosques
Louay Safi
The Islamic Social Services Association and Woman in Islam have released a guide underlining a set of principles rooted in Islamic sources that outline the rights of Muslim women to have full access to the masjid, and calling on Muslim leaders to privilege Islamic principles and values over cultural habits and traditions. The guide is entitled “Women Friendly Mosques and Community Centers: Working Together to Reclaim Our Heritage.”
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The American Muslim Community and the Challenge of Leadership
Louay Safi
The American Muslim community has a unique experience that requires a special attention by Muslim educationists. This attention, it argued here, must be directed at empowering the new generations of Muslims to relate the formative values of Islam the North American social and culture settings. Muslim Educational institutions are at the for front of the struggle to evolve strong and capable Muslim leaders who are able and willing to lead their generation to new moral and institutional heights. What is the essence of leadership? What are the challenges and opportunities facing the Muslim community? And how can educationists help in overcoming challenges and helping American Muslims to talk advantage of the available opportunities? These questions are the main concerns of the discussion below.