Germany’s first Centre of Islamic Theology was recently opened at the University of Tübingen. The head of the centre is the Koranic expert Omar Hamdan, who so far is the only professor teaching at the centre. Arnfrid Schenk spoke to the professor about his work and the degree course he is teaching

The smell of paint lingers in the air, the walls are pristine white and there are no nameplates on the doors. With one exception: on the door of an office on the first floor hangs the nameplate “Prof. Omar Hamdan, Head of the Centre of Islamic Theology”. Inside, a man is sitting at his desk, holding a number of folders in his hands. His sleeves have been rolled up; he looks pretty exhausted.

“So many appointments,” says Omar Hamdan as he welcomes me, “so many mails: one hundred every day from students, academics, journalists and politicians.” Yesterday he attended a meeting in Stuttgart entitled “Round Table Islam” that was organized by the Social Democrat Minister for Integration in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Bilkay Öney. He tells me that he still has to get used to the interest in his person and in his new post; after all, he adds, all he really wants to be is a theologian.

Since October, Hamdan has been head of the new Centre of Islamic Theology at the University of Tübingen. The centre is the first of its kind in Germany. Two years ago, the German Council of Science and Humanities recommended that faith-led Islamic Theology be introduced as an academic subject at German universities, a centre that would be comparable with Protestant and Catholic faculties.

First past the post

The intention is that religion school teachers for Islam and imams could be trained in Germany with the support of funding from the German government. In addition to Tübingen, other centres of Islamic Studies are being set up at the following locations in Germany: Münster/Osnabrück, Erlangen/Nuremberg and Frankfurt/Gießen. Tübingen, however, was first past the post. It was a close shave, however. The first of the six chairs that are planned for the centre was only filled a few weeks before the start of the semester.

Teaching a version of Islam that is rooted in a European context: Prof. Omar Hamdan; the Minister for Integration in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Bilkay Öney; and the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan, at the official ceremony marking the opening of the Centre of Islamic Theology in Tübingen

This is Hamdan’s private library; he put it at the disposal of the institute to ensure that the course gets off to the smoothest possible start. There are no less than 3,073 volumes down here. Hamdan, who specializes in Koranic research, is quite sure of the number. After all, he bought every single one of them over the course of his academic career. Knowing exactly where to find what, he seems to be very familiar with them all.

Omar Hamdan is 47 years old. A Palestinian Sunni with an Israeli passport, he was born in Tira, a city only a few kilometres to the north of Tel Aviv. He studied Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University in Tel Aviv. In the 1990s, he came to Tübingen, studied Comparative Religious Studies and wrote his doctoral thesis under the supervision of Josef van Ess, one of the greats in the field. Hamdan’s previous post saw him conducting research into the commonalities between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in the Middle Ages at the Free University of Berlin.

Searching for academic personnel

When Hamdan found out that Tübingen had been chosen by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as one of the centres for Islamic Studies, he immediately submitted an application. It is not surprising that he was selected. Academics and theologians who have his qualifications and can also teach in German are a rare breed. After all, how could it be otherwise? The discipline has to train its academic personnel itself. Until then, the University of Tübingen will – like the other universities – bridge the gap with guest professors.

Working for an open-minded Islam: Omar Hamdan aims to make the sources of Islamic theology accessible to Muslims

 A total of 36 students have enrolled for the course in Tübingen; the majority of them are women. Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree course will also be able to work as imams. Hamdan places considerable emphasis on the word “also”. Graduates will not receive certificates stating that they have successfully completed an imam training course.

Nevertheless, a number of corresponding seminars are being planned. An imam in Germany has to be capable of more than just talking about the Middle Ages or Muslim countries, he explains, they must above all address issues that relate to life in Germany. This, he adds, also involves everyday life in schools. An imam, says Hamdan, must find a path between tradition and the modern age.

A lot of catching up to do

There is a lot of catching up to do: so far, most of the 2,000 imams in Germany speak hardly any German and know little about the country in which they are supposed to be working. The majority of them are sent to Germany by the Turkish state as “imported imams” and are recalled after four years.

Hamdan’s graduates will also be able to work as religion teachers. Islam as a school subject is currently at the drawing board stage in Germany. Although there are about 750,000 Muslim pupils in German schools, only some of them can attend Islamic religion classes as part of model test projects.

Such test projects are currently being run at about 20 primary schools and a handful of secondary schools in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Should the subject be introduced in all federal states, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research estimates that about 2,000 teachers will be needed to cope with demand.

Omar Hamdan was somewhat taken aback by the political nature of building up Islamic theology in Germany. Because Islam is not a single Church, the universities rely on co-operation with the various Islamic associations, which are linked to the degree courses by means of advisory councils. However, the associations often have very orthodox views. Some academics fear that they may interfere, behaviour that would not be compatible with freedom in teaching.

A total of 23 women and 13 men began the four-year Bachelor’s degree course in Islamic Theology at the University of Tübingen in October 2011

In Tübingen, on the other hand, explains Hamdan, the advisory council only has a say on faith-related matters, not on the actual course content. In his personal experience, he adds, cooperation has so far been unproblematic. He then rolls up his sleeves, which he rolled down at the start of our conversation, and says: “anyway, I am a theologian, not a politician.”

Access to the sources of Islamic theology

Hamdan would like to teach a version of Islam that is rooted in a European context. That being said, he also wants to make the sources of Islamic theology, such as the Koran, accessible. This is important to him because he feels that many Muslims have incorrect ideas about the fundamental principles of Islam. He uses an image from the modern world to illustrate his point: a person who has no knowledge of the sources is like someone who has no Internet access: they are cut off.

I ask Hamdan what he considers to be the essence of Islam. His answer, which comes swiftly, is very open: “A way of life that opens up a very broad horizon.”

It is almost 5 p.m. The professor points to his smartphone, which alerts him to prayer times. He would like to end the conversation at this point so that he can do his duty as a devout Muslim, before going home to his family, to his wife and three sons.

That leaves time for just one more question. Could the version of Islam that is developing in Germany also one day have an effect on Islamic countries? Hamdan says that he does not want to look that far into the future. His priority, he says, is what is happening right outside his front door. “Muslims here want to participate in the society in which they live,” he says. For them, it is about equality; about the feeling of being at home here. “A Centre of Islamic Theology is a major step forward in this respect.”

Arnfrid Schenk

Source: © DIE ZEIT/Qantara.de 2012

Translated from the German by Aingeal Flanagan

Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de

More on this topic

• Post-graduate Programme on Islamic Theology: ”Muslim Theologians are Instigators of Change”
• First Centre for Islamic Theology: Opening a New Chapter for Islam in Germany
• Mathias Rohe on Islamic Theology in Germany: Triggering Global Debates

->>>>><<<<<-

His Highness the Aga Khan to Speak at 2012 Europe Annual Conference

*****

Link to Academies Homepage

The Sources of Ismaili Law

Professor Wilferd Madelung

This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies 35 No.1, University of Chicago Press, 1976, pp 29-40.

Abstract

This paper was delivered at the Congress of the American Oriental Society in Santa Barbara in March 1974. In it, Wilferd Madelung presents his exhaustive research into the origins and sources of a monumental document that was considered lost to history; the Kitab al-idah, Qadi al-Nu‘man’s first legal work – a vast collection of legal traditions transmitted from the family of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt), indicating their points of consensus (ijma‘) and conflict (ikhtilaf) and elucidating what was firmly established doctrine in them with evidence and proofs. This article provides an invaluable resource for academics and students of Islamic studies and related fields.

Key words:

Isma‘ili Law, Tayyibi, Zaydi, Imami, Fatimids, Qadi al-Nu‘man, Da‘a’im al-Islam, Kitab al-idah, isnad, hadith, ahl al-bayt, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir.

Download this article in PDF format (245 KB)

Last updated: 27/01/2012 14:24 

Source: IIS UK

->>>>>><<<<-

 

Renowned for finding musical common ground across a seemingly limitless expanse of cultures and traditions, Grammy-winners and Lively Arts favorites the Kronos Quartet return for a solo set and a joint performance with Azerbaijan’s revered Alim Qasimov Ensemble—a magically cohesive partnership heard on Kronos’ recent albums Floodplain (2009) and Rainbow (2010). A member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and winner of the prestigious IMC-UNESCO International Music Prize, Qasimov is one of the greatest living masters of mugham, a classical Azerbaijani vocal tradition. Kronos founder/violinist David Harrington said he was “magnetized” upon first hearing Qasimov sing, adding, “His voice drew me so close that it has become part of my own inner singing.”

PROGRAM

Jahangirov, J: Köhlen Atim; Rustamov, S.: Getme, Getme; additional works TBA

Generously supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and by the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University.

When:

Sunday, February 12, 2012. 7:00 PM.

Where:

Dinkelspiel Auditorium (Map)

Audience:

General Public
Faculty/Staff
Students
Alumni/Friends

Tags:

Arts
Performance
Music

Sponsor:

Stanford Lively Arts

Contact:

650-725-ARTS (2787)
livelyarts@stanford.edu

Admission:

Reserved Seating $44/50

Permalink:

http://events.stanford.edu/events/284/28493

More info…

->>>>><<<<<-

Architect Francis Kéré will present a lecture entitled “Bridging the Gap.”  Kéré is increasingly known for his philosophy of “self-building,” in which he works with communities to develop capacity to monitor climactic circumstances and use local materials.  In a discussion of his recent and current projects, which have won both Aga Khan and Holcim Awards (previously on Bustler),  Kéré will consider new ways architects can exchange knowledge with communities and propose new models for practice.  In Kéré’s words, “only people who take part in the building process can maintain and spread the word about these architectural projects.”

For more information, visit: http://archleague.org/2012/02/francis-kere/

Source Bustler net

Related posts on Francis Kéré

• Thinking local: African architect brings strong sense of place to projects – Harvard Gazette News
• Diébédo Francis Kéré’s Great Mosque and National Park Sit Beautifully In the Heart of Mali – by Allison Leahy at Inhabitat com
• German language news at PZ Online on Burkina Faso and The Aga Khan Award for Architecture award winner Diébédo Francis Kéré’s school project in Gando
• The sensational dream of Aga Khan Award winning architect Francis Kéré and German theatre director Chrisfoph Schlingensief of creating opera village in Burkina Faso becomes reality

->>>>><<<<<-

Download The World Report 2012
[PDF, 4 MB]

This 22nd annual World Report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide in 2011. It reflects extensive investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff has undertaken during the year, often in close partnership with domestic human rights activists.

The introductory essay examines the Arab Spring, which has created an extraordinary opportunity for change. The global community has a responsibility to help the longsuppressed people of the region seize control of their destiny from often-brutal authoritarian rulers. Standing firmly with people as they demand their legitimate rights is the best way to stop the bloodshed, while principled insistence on respect for rights is the best way to help these popular movements avoid intolerance, lawlessness, and summary revenge once in power.

 

*****

	Thematic Essays
	Before the Arab Spring, the Unseen Thaw		Time to Abandon the Autocrats and Embrace Rights The International Response to the Arab Spring		Hopes and Lessons 20 Years after the Collapse of the Soviet Union
	By Eric Goldstein		By Kenneth Roth		By Rachel Denber
	Europe’s Own Human Rights Crisis		A Landmark Victory for Domestic Workers		From Paternalsim to Dignity
	By Benjamin Ward		By Nisha Varia and Jo Becker		Shantha Rau Barriga

Read more and download the report:  HRW Org

->>>>><<<<<-

From Friday’s Globe and Mail Published Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 2:00AM EST

My interests in the past 50 years as imam of the Ismaili community have been primarily focused on Africa, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East – and on improving the quality of life for the people who live there. The more I think about this matter, the more I am convinced that one of the critical barriers to progress is the way in which governing processes occur.

Read full article at The Globe and Mail com Canada

->>>>>><<<<-

*****

Philadelphia – What’s so scary about sharia, or Islamic legal principles? According to a recent decision from a US Federal Appellate Court – one level below the Supreme Court – not much.

The recent decision of the 10th Circuit Court effectively blocks implementation of Oklahoma Law 755, also called the “Save Our State” measure. Law 755 was passed as a constitutional amendment by 70 per cent of Oklahoma voters in November 2010. Along with prohibiting courts from using “international law”, it also expressly “forbids courts from considering or using Sharia Law”. Similar laws have passed in Tennessee and Louisiana and comparable bills are pending in at least 20 states.

The 10th Circuit Court received the case after US District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange decided in favour of Muneer Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, who had sued to block the law. He claimed Law 755 violated his rights to religious freedom, which are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The three-judge panel that issued the ruling against Law 755 did so largely for procedural reasons, claiming Awad had grounds to raise First Amendment issues. Law 755, they agreed, expressly condemned only one religion, Islam, thus violating the establishment clause of the US Constitution, which dictates that the government cannot favour one religion. Finally, the judges also suggested there was little reason for Law 755. Supporters of Law 755 admitted “they did not know of even a single instance where an Oklahoma court had applied Sharia law”.

This issue’s salience here in the United States is symbolic, it isn’t really about law. While the term “sharia” sounds scary to lots of Americans, the irony is that many who think they are opposed to sharia would be only too happy to support many of its general claims. For instance, those who claim to mistrust it would often love to have Americans (and perhaps especially lawyers and judges) pay more attention to the Ten Commandments – a kind of reasoning encouraged by sharia.

Decades ago, Princeton University professor Edward S. Corwin published a still-used short book entitled The “Higher Law” Background of American Constitutional Law, which should be assigned reading for anybody wary of sharia. According to Corwin, American constitutional law was founded not only upon Enlightenment philosophical notions, but also upon theological affirmations. In fact, he suggested, American jurisprudence rested on a deep ethic that was quite congenial to transcendent “higher” reasoning.

At root, sharia asserts this fact. This was what the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was trying to say in 2008 when he opined in a BBC interview that “there are perfectly proper ways the law of the land pays respect to custom and community; that’s already there.”

As Williams discovered, much of the furore over his comments has focused on issues prone to sensationalism. Different customs have developed in Western democracies and Muslim majority countries regarding property (especially borrowing and lending) and family life (especially monogamy and divorce). But these contrasts could just as easily be applied to England and the United States a century ago and England and the United States today. Divorce laws in particular have changed dramatically.

In the vast majority of cases, there is no conflict between Islamic legal principles and the jurisprudence of English common law or American constitutional law. One reason for this is that the “higher law” backgrounds of the different traditions in fact share an Abrahamic ethic: the social covenant to command the good and prohibit the evil. As expressed in A Common Word, a consensus document between Muslim and Christian religious leaders, Muslims share two basic ethical principles with Jews and Christians: love God and love your neighbour – as well as other core values.

US courts have the responsibility to uphold constitutional rights. Other scholars and professionals have responsibilities to educate the public and dispel myths about sharia.

For example, the American Bar Association recently sponsored a webinar entitled “Dispelling the Sharia Threat Myth”. And Muslim scholars have been offering clarifications, among them “Dispelling Myths about Sharia” by Imam Mustapha Elturk. According to Elturk, sharia is a set of principles that guides Muslims to secure five “protections”: faith, life, family, property, and intellect. In this sense sharia is analogous to the “higher law” background of American Constitutional law. The challenge is in the application. After all, consider the debate in Western tradition about how to apply the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”

Sharia is bound to resurface in the 2012 US presidential campaign. The way to move forward is to point out demagogues and allay fears of those concerned. The debate over sharia might even help us define a clearer role for religious reasoning in public life. In short, it might help us find common ground.

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews)

->>>>><<<<<-