Why this is the real issue for the future. More than terrorism
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LEADER
A Quest Throughout Islamic History, Oasis
FOCUS
Jesus in the Qur’an and the Third Way between Extremism and Secularism, Mustafa Akyol
A great prophet in Islam, Jesus preached reform of the religious law in a non-literalist sense that can become a source of inspiration for today's Muslims.
God’s Rights vs Human Rights: Islam under Strain, Omero Marongiu-Perria
The medieval ulama thought of religious freedom within a hegemonic paradigm. Nowadays, they often seek to re-propose this paradigm in the positive law of Muslim states.
Muslims and Free Will, Maria De Cillis
The nature of human actions has always been at the centre of Islamic theological reflection. Indeed, the Qur'an appears to support both God's omnipotence and human responsibility simultaneously.
Intellectual Freedom and the Study of the Qur’an, Emran El-Badawi
For centuries, clerics have considered historical study of the sacred Text to be a form of heresy of Western derivation: that has not prevented the development of critical thought.
The Paradox of Islamist Democracy, Michele Brignone
The Arab uprisings of 2011 brought Islamist groups to power in various Muslim countries, making the debate on the relationship between Islam and political freedom and the differences between Islamic political systems and liberal democracies both topical and concrete.
Tunisia: between Freedom of Conscience and Defence of the Sacred, Mohamed-Chérif Ferjani
The Tunisian Constitution reflects the power relations presiding at its drafting: it guarantees the secularists freedom of conscience and accords the Islamists protection of both religion and the sacred.
The Eastern Christians’ Role in the Creation of a New Social Space, Salim Daccache
Al-Azhar's declaration opens the door to a new concept of citizenship that unites Christians and Muslims. A beginning, but not yet a turning point.
Islamic Monotheism and the Struggle of Opposites, Muhammad Jābir al-Ansārī
An essential feature of Arab-Islamic civilization is its straining towards the unification of created reality and the divine. In a world that tends towards contradiction, this ideal translates into a quest for the concordance of opposites that modernity has thrown into crisis.
CLASSICS
When Islam Discusses Freedom, Martino Diez
The Caliph and the Ascetic, Hasan al-Basrī
Hasan al-Basrī, a spiritual master from the first century of Islam, warns the Umayyad sovereign 'Abd al-Malik to keep to the verse of the Qur'an that describe human beings as responsible for their own deeds.
God’s Foreknowledge Does Not Constrain Human Action, Theodore Abū Qurrah
Using the same methods as his Islamic contemporaries, the bishop of Harran seeks to convince an imaginary champion of predestination that it is human beings who determine their own actions.
Despotism, or the Corruption of the Prophet’s Ideals, ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Kawākibī
A political refugee living in Egypt, the Syrian intellectual al-Kawākibī launched a vehement appeal against tyranny. The implied target was the Ottoman sultan, Abdul Hamid II. An islamic reformist manifesto that continues to inspire contemporary Arab thinking.
REPORTAGE
Tunisia: “We Want to Be Free, But Don’t Call Us an Exception”, Rolla Scolari
The Tunisian President wants to cut family law free from sharia and dispel the taboo regarding gender inequality in inheritance: one of the last taboos in the Arab-Muslim world.
REVIEWS
“Neither Liberal nor Fundamentalist”, Michele Brignone
Where the Islamists' theory of political freedom comes from.
The Crisis of the Sunni Compromise, Martino Diez
The dangerous promise of an Islam recreated from scratch.
The Springs of Nonviolence, Andrea Pin
Why the peaceful nature of the 2011 Arab uprisings was revolutionary.
Between ISIS and the Aga Khan: Islam’s Political Theology, Chiara Pellegrino
In Muslim history, religious doctrines and political ideologies overlap.
Women Looking for Trouble (and Freedom), Emma Neri
Female Arab directors tell of ideological and religious battles peeping out from personal stories and hidden tensions.
COLOPHON
Year 13 No. 26 December 2017
Editor-in-chief Rolla Scolari
Scientific Editor Martino Diez
Managing Editor Michele Brignone
Editorial staff Chiara Pellegrino
Editorial Consultants Rifaat Bader Marco Bardazzi Bernardo Cervellera Camille Eid Rafic Greiche Claudio Lurati
Graphic Design and Layout Massimiliano Frangi
English translation Paola Bernardini Catharine de Rienzo
Subscribe here www.oasiscenter.eu/en/subscriptions
By Marsilio Editori spa in Venice
First edition: December 2017
This edition of Oasis was realized with the support of Fondazione Cariplo