Commentaries
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Last Updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Commentaries
Commentary on
9/11 Commission Report
9/11 Commission Report presented the American people with the results of
the investigations, conducted by the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United Stated, into the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001. The Report purports to answer two questions: “How did [9/11]
happen, and how can we avoid such tragedy again?”
My comments on the Report focus on its attempts to understand the
religious and socio-political background that formed the actual and
motivational context in which the terrorists carried their attacks, and
the recommendations it provided for dealing with the threat of terrorism.
Full Text>>>
Devotion,
dialogue, and development
Human life evolved as a manifestation of, and in
response to, the divine purpose. This purpose was first revealed, the Qur’an
tells us, in the presence of representatives of two other intelligent
species: angels and jinns. “I will create a vicegerent on earth,” Allah
declared to the angels and to Iblis (Lucifer), the father of the jinns, at
the eve of the creation of the first human being. The angels responded with
amusement and reservation to the creation of human beings with the power and
capacity to reign over God’s creation.
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Knowledge,
Authenticity, and Post 9/11 challenges
The events of September 11
and their aftermath have put the American Muslim community face to face with
new and difficult realities. We increasingly confront tough questions: How
should we respond to recent events? How should we react to the efforts of
some people in the country who are bent on equating Islam with terrorism?
How do we reconcile our American and Islamic identities?
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Overcoming the
cultural divide
The September 11 attacks on
America invoked, among other things, a debate over the quality of religious
education in Muslim societies. The calls for educational reform of Islamic
religious schools have been most recently echoed by well-positioned
individuals in the West. Several scholars, journalists, and commentators
have concluded that the fanaticism that motivated the highjackers who drove
civilian airplanes into civilian targets is rooted in an educational system
that teaches hate and intolerance.
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Muslim
Leadership and the Challenge of Reconciling the Religious with the Secular
The “return to religion” is a
worldwide reality shared equally by the followers of different religions.
Now that secularism, as a social ideology, has failed to provide a moral
foundation for modern society, religion is reasserting its authority in
all cultures. Intellectuals and religious leaders are increasingly
rethinking the place of religion in modern society.
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Muslim
Renaissance: Challenges in the 21st Century
Muslims can provide an
alternative model of society in which religion is reconciled with the
modern society. In so doing, Muslims can provide new vision of how Islam
can be lived in modern society to the full extent, and how religion can be
reconciled with social living without relapsing into the medieval way of
life. Full Text
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Overcoming the Polemics of Intolerance
The most recent, vicious, and
mean-spirited attacks to date on Islam have created a new paradox: Islam,
which historically has provided an outstanding model of religious
accommodation and tolerance, stands accused of intolerance by intolerant
and bigoted people. This paradox deserves extensive attention and study.
In addition, the worldview and mindset behind the mean-spirited attacks on
Islam by individuals whose outlooks and spirits recall those of the Middle
Ages must be analyzed deeply and understood thoroughly.
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The Intellectual Challenge Facing Contemporary Islamic Scholarship
The overpowering modern state
is being reinvented by the neo-Hobbsians of the twenty-first century. This
leviathan, which ensures security at the expense of individual freedom,
already controls most developing countries and seems to be creeping slowly
into western democracies.
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AMERICAN MUSLIMS AND POST
SEPTEMBER 11 CHALLENGES
A statement addressing the
questions of the Muslim American identity, and the need to build a firm foundation rooted
in both American political values and Islam's moral ideals.
Full Text
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Religion
and Public Life
The revitalization of religion
in the last few decades, and the increased recognition of the need for
acknowledging the vital role played by religion and religious
consciousness in maintaining the moral cohesiveness of public life, have
ignited a new public debate in the West over the extent to which religion
can be allowed to venture into the public square without violating the
principle of separation of church and state.
Reason,
Authority, and the Text
The failure of modern thought to develop a
purely rational scholarly tradition has emboldened postmodern writers, and
encouraged them to deny the possibility of pursuing truth, and hence
placed rationalism on equal footing with irrationalism, and equate
morality and immorality. Full Text>>>
A letter sent to George W. Bush, urging him to adopt a clear and even-handed American Stance vis-a-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Full Text>>>
Withhold $100 Millions From Russian
Federation: Letter to the President of the World Bank
Letter to the Director General of WTO:
Proposals for a Balanced Approach to Global Economy
A letter sent to WTO director
general expressing concern over the direction pursued by WTO, and proposed a three-point
approach to bring about more equitable development strategy.
Full Test
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A letter urging the United Nations Security Council to lift the economic sanctions from the Iraqi people and to resort instead to an arms embargo to curtail the aggression of the Iraqi regime. Full Text>>>
Copyright © 1999-2008 Louay Safi. All Rights Reserved.