The topic that I was asked to discuss here at McGill University is the elevation of the status of women in Islam. Many, upon hearing the title of this lecture, might assume it to be an oxymoron because the prevalent idea - at least in the West - is that Islam. does not elevate the status of women, but that Islam. oppresses and suppresses women. So people might find the title in itself to be shocking or a curiosity at least. In discussing this topic - since it appears to me that this is a mixed ... [Continue Reading]
Justice and Morality
Our Humanness: Unalterable Essence and Changeable Actuality
Developments in the science of genetics have aroused the interest of scientists, as well as the rest of us in some fundamental questions of our life and given them some urgency. What does our humanity consist in? Do we have an unalterable nature in virtue of which we can be considered the humans we are, or is our nature a tabula rasa on which culture, the environment and now genetic engineering dictate what they want? Do we have a soul, and if so what is the difference between it and ... [Continue Reading]
Never Shed Your Leaves
The believer is like a tree, always at war with the wind. To survive the wind, the tree must possess certain qualities. For example, its seed must be planted in fertile soil that allows it to grow strong. This is described in the Qur'an: "Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and those with him... their description in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its shoot,then makes it strong, and it becomes thick and stands straight on its stem,delighting the sowers, so that He may enrage the ... [Continue Reading]