Religious Policing & Compelling Conformity
27 January 2017 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali All societies differentiate between the “sacred” and “profane.” According to the French sociologist Emile Durkheim, even secular societies are “moral” at their core. Although morality may differ in one social context and another, all people
Prophetic Pugilism & The Freedom Principle
For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.― Sun Tzu, The Art of War If there was ever a time the leadership of Prophet Muhammad
“White” and “Black” are not the only options for social integration
2 July 2014 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali Prior to the tragic events of 9/11, with a few exceptions, a common concern among Muslim mosquegoers in the US was the question of whether or not it was lawful to live in America. For
Violence and Defection from the Faith
20 January 2016 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali According to one proverb, “Anything imposed by force cannot endure without it.” That is, without the real presence or threat of force in any given society, lawlessness becomes the norm. It is this principle which
The Ideology of Police Brutality
6 April 2016 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali The Islamic tradition offers no support for anarchy or vigilantism. While one of Islam’s goals is to foster a society whose members willfully respect the boundaries of others, the working assumption from the earliest times
Building Strong Muslim Families
6 May 2015 Abdullah bin Hamid Ali The word ‘family’ according to its Latin root, familia, means a household or servants. A similar meaning is implied by the Arabic word, ahl (family; house; household, people belonging to a community or locality). There are actually three