Atheism and apostasy in Islamist discourse
IN THE NEWSPAPERS IN SUDAN not long ago it was reported that the imam and preacher of the Al-Nur mosque…
Intellectual castration and the training of society
SIGMUND FREUD (1856-1939) may be the first to have dealt with the castration complex in a logical, scientific manner. According…
The path of deviation and distortion – 2
THIS DISINTEGRATION occurred in the Islamic community a short time after the death of the Messenger, so that “one form…
The Prophet Muhammad between al-Isra’ and al-Miʽraj
THE STORY of the Isrā’ and the Miʽrāj [1] is one that frequently excites much debate due to the contradictory…
Islamist terrorism: active, or reactive? – 2
FOR AS LONG as terrorists draw from the same sources, the difference between the thinking maintained by those bearing weapons…
Isis didn’t just fall from the sky
THERE ARE MANY factors behind the emergence of the phenomenon of Islamic violence, including political, economic, social and psychological ones,…
Turning back to Ali Abd al-Raziq
The last Ottoman caliph Sultan Mehmet VI exiting the Dolmabahçe Palace in 1924 AT THE TIME the decision to abolish…
In praise of Orientalism! – 2
AT THIS STAGE there appeared a translation of the Qur’ān into German by Gustav Fluegel in 1834. These early Orientalists…
Clerics and the asinification of the people
ARAB ISLAMIC SOCIETIES are greatly influenced by the day-to-day religious discourse that impacts upon their thinking, behaviour and daily activities,…
The need to strengthen the culture of difference
WHEN GOD ALMIGHTY addressed Muhammad with the words: Wouldst thou (Muhammad) compel men until they are believers?[1] that was a…