With the increase of radicalism and terrorist attacks in the recent years, and with the news of slaughter, bombing and murder becoming a daily routine watched on TV news channels, an increasing number of people ask the following question: How do these people emerge? How do they exist among us? Of course, the answer means summarizing a long historical period starting from the emergence of political Islam, and the ideologization to which the Muslim world was subjected to throughout the last 40 years, which accelerated and became easily accessible and more flexible following the society’s engagement with social media which ... Read More

It is almost a matter of academic consensus that the Islamic world is in urgent need of five things: Governments should take more account of the needs of their populations, restrict conspicuous consumption by elites, defend due judicial process, and allow the population a sense that the concerns of the poor are heard and are in fact being addressed. Mainstream religious discourse must regain its credibility. To achieve this it is necessary for the religious leadership to be independent of government, and that the awqaf of the classical Islamic universities should be returned to their control. Historically the ulema represented ... Read More

It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat and if they do it, their blood and property are guaranteed protection on my behalf except when justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah. Reported by Bukhari and Muslim Perhaps no other authentic hadith has been employed to justify violence as this has been employed. Similarly, no other authentic ... Read More

September 11 attacks led the world to the so-called spiral of "War on Terror" which is considered as the most important issue that threatens the stability of many parts of Muslim world. In the West and other countries, many postulate human rights were subjected to violation under the pretext of the declared war on terror and to protect the security of nations and peoples. This war increased the average of terror and violence because it allowed the injustice to reach areas that have never witnessed any form of violence before 11th September. Of course, the cultural reasons of this huge ... Read More

Interreligious Dialogue as a Tool in fighting Islamophobia[1] Islamophobia in Western countries is detrimental to Muslims and non-Muslims living in these societies. It not only can lead to exclusion or even violence, but also fractures communities and threatens the fabric of society. Interreligious and intercultural dialogue can serve as a tool to fight these negative stereotypes while bringing communities together. What is needed to develop an interreligious dialogue program to this end? One possible answer can be found by examining the causes of Islamophobia to derive the components necessary for developing interreligious programs strong enough to invoke transformations that will ... Read More