Muslim Humanities

Read posts discussing those things that make us truly human – literature, art, poetry and music.

My Madrasa Book is published

Can hardly wait to read new book "What is a Madrasa?" by @EbrahimMoosa – I don't know of any other book like it: http://t.co/N89iIWCQAg
— Dr. Ingrid Mattson (@IngridMattson) March 18, 2015

Prof Mattson is not only a great scholar but an extraordinary human being. Her enthusiasm and care …

March 18, 2015
Islamic Law/Ethics, Madrasas, Media, Pakistan, Personal, South Asia, Uncategorized, US Politics

Timbuktu Manuscripts: Civil War and the Documents of Civilization

“There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism” Walter Benjamin
Today I received an update on the status of the Ahmad Baba library in Timbuktu following news that it might have been torched as the rebels retreated.

Dr Shamil Jeppie, who heads the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project (

January 30, 2013

Africa, Foreign Policy, Literature, Timbuktu, Uncategorized

Signs of Hope in Pakistan

My readers might have noticed that I was totally silent following the attempted assassination of the courageous young education activist Malala Yusufzai from the Swat region. I was silenced by a deep disgust at the deeds of these Pakistani Taliban criminals. Anger, outrage and depression do not explain my …