There are few concepts as widely misunderstood as聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓. This is the case among both Muslims and non-Muslims; in the West, especially, misconceptions surrounding聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓鈥攚hich literally translates as 鈥渢he way鈥濃攈ave evoked fear and hostility, and fed into Islamophobia.
鈥沦补诲濒测,听蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽has become a metaphor today鈥, says Dr Keshavjee, a scholar affiliated with The Institute for Ismaili Studies (午夜剧场), 鈥渇or the erroneous perception that Muslims are unable to live their faith in harmony with the exigencies of the modern world鈥.
There is therefore an urgent need to delineate what聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽is and what it is not, and this is the purpose of the recent Understanding聽厂丑补谤颈鈥榓聽webinar. The discussion brings together leading thinkers in the field: Dr Mohamed Keshavjee; Abdullah Saeed, the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne; Dr Ziba聽Mir-Hosseini, Professorial Research Associate at the Centre for Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, SOAS; and Laila Arstall, Counsel with the international offshore law firm Carey Olsen.
Moderated by Matthew Nelson, Associate Professor in the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne, the webinar centres on Dr Keshavjee鈥檚 publication聽Understanding聽厂丑补谤颈鈥榓聽and outlines some of its key arguments.聽, David Gardner writes 鈥淭his rich and important book is a lucidly argued and accessibly written corrective [to popular misconceptions of聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓].鈥 Reviews have also appeared in聽, the聽, the聽, and Muslim News.
In the webinar, Dr Keshavjee outlines the reality of聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓. He addresses the important difference between the ideal moral vision of聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽and its jurisprudential understanding鈥攐r human interpretation鈥攌nown as聽fiqh.
Successive generations of Muslims have interpreted聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽according to the times in which they have lived, and in his book Dr Keshavjee takes the reader through the historical development of聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽and its interactions with a variety of Muslim cultures and societies.
The webinar鈥攁nd book鈥攁lso looks at the status of聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽today, including the role of women in regard to聽fiqhThe science of Islamic jurisprudence.聽and discussions about聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓, and the relationship between聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓聽and identity for contemporary Muslims, among other topics.
The webinar is free to view on the 午夜剧场 website. It is hoped that it will help scholars, students and other interested parties develop a sound baseline of understanding about聽蝉丑补谤颈鈥榓, from which more thoughtful and productive discussions about Islamic law will arise.
