Norms in the Madrasa-Sphere: Between Tradition, Scripture, and the Public Good
This is a speech I gave looking at the Deoband school of thought in contemporary and modern Islam, and how it reflects broader themes of law, ethics, and tradition in modern Islam
I wrote this piece after 9/11, looking at how US foreign and domestic policy makers struggle to engage Muslim states and societies, and how much of this is driven by a new sort of Christian identity-politics resurgence in the United States.
My Foreword to Adis Duderija’s book, Imperatives of Progressive Islam.
“The Unbearable Intimacy of Language and Thought in Islam”
In this book chapter, I analyze the thought of al-Ghazālī and look at the plurality of discourses surrounding language and religion in the Islamic tradition.
“al-Tajdid wa ’l-hadatha: dirasa muqarana fi mawqif Fadl al-Rahman wa Hasan Hanafi min al-turath,” in Jadal al-ana wa ’l-akhar: qira’at fi fikr Hasan Hanafi. In Arabic. (“Renewal and Modernity: A Comparative Study in the Approach of Fazlur Rahman and Hasan Hanafi towards the Islamic Heritage,” in The Dialectic of Self and Other: Readings in the Thought of Hasan Hanafi) ed. Ahmad ‘Abd al-Halim (Cairo: Madbuli, 1997), 109-114.
“Norms in the Madrasa-Sphere: Between Tradition, Scripture and the Public Good”
In this keynote address, I give a historical overview of some elements of Islamic thought in madrasa institutions in the subcontinent and discuss how they relate to current ethical and theological debates.
In this book chapter, I analyze how different groups of Muslim thinkers, drawing on different lines of tradition, grapple with contemporary issues of technology, science, and ethics.
“Muslim Family Law in South Africa: Paradoxes and Ironies”
In this book chapter, I take a critical look at the different ways interpretations of Muslim family law manifest in South Africa, contextualized with some recent history.
I wrote this piece for The Muslim World, investigating historical contexts for understanding how shariah fits into contemporary Muslim thought and societies.
In this book chapter, I look at contemporary cases of blasphemy to explore the historical, theological architecture of this concept in Muslim history and tradition.
In this book chapter, I provide a global overview of different ethical challenges and debates Muslims face, ranging from family matters to sexuality and intimacy.
This is a review essay on my works. Duderija unpacks what I term the “poiesis imperative,” or the need for poetics – critical, creative thinking – in contemporary Muslim thought and practice.
“Expressions of Political Quietism in Islamic History”
This book chapter, co-authored with my graduate student, Nicholas Roberts, explores the various manifestations of “quietism” throughout Muslim history.
“Political Theology in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring: Returning to the Ethical”
In this book chapter I take a historical look at the ruptures wrought by the “Arab Spring,” and argue that missing from the discourse and actions of those involved is a focus on the ethical
“Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith. By Vartan Gregorian, Brookings Institution Press, 2003 in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, December, 2006, 74:4.
“Islamic Reform or Designer Fundamentalism?” Review Essay of Tariq Ramadan’s Western Muslims and the Future of Islam (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Winter/Spring 2006. 139-144.
Abdolkarim Soroush, Reason, Freedom, & Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000) Iranian Studies: Bulletin of the Society for Iranian Cultural and Social Studies, 37:3 (September 2004): 547-552.
Muhammad Sa`id al-`Ashmawy. Against Islamic Extremism: The Writings of Muhammad Sa`id al-`Ashmawy ed. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban (Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 1998) International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), 33: 4 (2001): 640-642.
Abdullah Saeed. Islamic Banking and Interest (Leiden: Brill, 1996), Religious Studies Review 26 (2000): 290.
Steven Vertovec & Ceri Peach eds. Islam in Europe: The Politics of Religion and Community (London/New York: Macmillan Press and St. Martin’s Press, 1997), Politikon, 27:1 (2000): 167-170.
Brannon Wheeler. Applying the Canon in Islam (Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1996), Journal of the American Academy of Religion 67:4 (December, 1999).
Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee. Theories of Islamic Law (Islamic Research Institute & International Institute of Islamic Thought), Journal for Islamic Studies 18-19: (1998/99): 132-139.
Kevin Reinhart, Before Revelation: The Boundaries of Muslim Moral Thought, (Albany: State University of New York), Middle East Studies Association BULLETIN, 30:2 (1996).
Abdulkader Tayob. Islamic Resurgence in South Africa: The Muslim Youth Movement (Cape Town: UCT Press, 1995), Journal for Islamic Studies 15 (1995).
Mahmood Mohamed Taha. The Second Message of Islam (New York: Syracuse University Press, 1987), Journal for Islamic Studies 13 (1993).
Islam and Civil Society in South Africa: Prospects for Tolerance and Conflict Resolution, conference report The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 11:4 (Winter 1994)
About the “Dihliz” Blog
Ebrahim Moosa shares about Islamic law, Muslim ethics and other related topics from his own existential position between several antinomies.
