Outdated religious laws must be changed, UAE forum hears

[Al Bhatti]

April 22, 2015

Religious heads set for peace summit in Abu Dhabi

Hundreds of faith leaders are to head to the capital this weekend for the second annual Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies Conference.

Taking place from Sunday to Thursday, 350 religious leaders are expected to attend, the state news agency Wam reported.

During the first part of the forum, taking place over the first two days, entrepreneurs, technologists and artists will join with Muslim scholars to develop ideas for peace-building among Muslim populations.

During the last half of the programme, scholars will take part in workshops to promote peace and help to form a unified front against “the scourge of extremist ideologies, sectarianism, and terrorism that has afflicted the Muslim world for decades”, Wam reported.

Also up for discussion will be some of the most pressing issues currently facing humanity.

The forum is “an important event for the entire world. Its mission aims to lay the foundations of peace everywhere, and establish understanding among all peoples”, said Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, a Mauritanian scholar and president of the forum.

“It is an important initiative that aims to refute extremist ideologies by making provision for real understanding of Islam as a religion of wisdom, compassion, tolerance and patience, as outlined in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed,” he said.

Last year, more than 250 of the world’s leading Islamic scholars attended the forum.

Since it began last year, experts, academics and scholars who have taken part in the forum have travelled to countries such as Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco to meet government officials, NGOs and religious leaders to gain insight into ways to stop increasing violence in Africa.

Last December, Sheikh Abdullah took part in another forum in the capital, with spiritual leaders and scholars representing the world’s major religions gathering to unite against violent religious extremism.

During the two-day conference, leaders announced a 10-point action plan, to be implemented over three years, aimed at combating religious extremists who misinterpret religious text to advance their own agenda.

Religious heads set for peace summit in Abu Dhabi | The National




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April 27, 2015

Muslim scholars gather for peace in Abu Dhabi

Muslim scholars, intellectuals and researchers, about 60 in all, will attend a peace forum in the capital starting on Tuesday.
The second session of the Global Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies runs until Thursday.

The participants will present in-depth studies focusing on the geography of crises in Muslim societies, correcting and rationalising concepts associated with the promotion of peace, and peace in Islam.

Forum chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Beeh will deliver the opening presentation.

A session focusing on the topics of jihad and takfir will be moderated by Dr Mohammed Al Kaabi, chairman of the UAE General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. It will include scholars from the UAE, Egypt and Lebanon.

The second day of the event will revolve around the inherent nature of peace in Islam as seen in scriptures, values and concepts.

On the sidelines of the forum a women’s session, entitled Muslim Women’s Contributions to Entrenching Peace Values, will be held. It is the first of its kind to deal with women’s issues in Muslim societies.

Muslim scholars gather for peace in Abu Dhabi | The National


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April 28, 2015

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, president of the forum, called for a review of the fundamentals of Islamic science.

Grand Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, Al Azhar University, said Fiqh principles should be revised.

Outdated religious laws must be changed, UAE forum hears

Calls for renewal of religion, reassessment of outdated religious laws and orders, and putting an end to excommunication, were made by leading Muslim scholars at the second forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies.

Reviving Fiqh, Islamic science, is no longer an option, but rather a “life buoy” to stop indiscriminate applications of past-time fatwas or excommunication by extremist groups, said the grand imam of Al Azhar.

“Renewal is fundamental in the Islamic religion, which is based on constantly linking between religious texts, the purpose of these texts and the current living reality,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, president of the forum.

“There are calls to renew religion and religious speech and a religious revolution, as the Prophet’s companion, Ibn Masoud, said: ‘One who wants religion shall revolutionise the Quran’.”

He said that commands in religious revelations should be taken in context and they should be viewed based on the general principle and universal purpose of their implication.

He called for reviewing the fundamentals of Islamic science, as many rulings are no longer applicable in modern society.

“So people take the revelation and think it is universally applicable in every time and place,” added Sheikh Hamza Youssef, a renowned Muslim personality and president of Zaytuna College.

“For example, Omar bin Al Khattab suspended [the Sharia penalty] for theft during drought.”

Another example is the apostasy law, which used to be a universal principle and the general mentality of people at that time that leaving one’s religion is a capital offence punished by death, which existed in Christianity also.

“That was to protect the religion … but it is no longer the mentality for the age we live in, so when you look at the universal principle of Islam it is to attract people towards religion.” However, he said, in the current age applying apostasy law will cause more people to leave religion than to join it so it has an opposite effect.

As for other Sharia penalties, specialised scholars need to sit and think about them: “It all needs to be reassessed,” he added.

Sheikh bin Bayyah said that only the majority of specialised scholars could play the role of religion renovators.

Rulers are not expected to be angels, prophets or even good men of religion, their role is to run the state well, and even if they were corrupt it is not permissible to rebel against them by force like excommunicators do, because that results in destruction and death of innocent souls, he said.

Grand Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, of Al Azhar University, said Fiqh principles should be revised to stop extremist groups from using excommunication as an excuse to kill anyone who disagrees with their organisation. They are using a fatwa issued centuries ago by the scholar Ibn Taymiya, “who was busy facing the fierce and violent bloodshed between Muslims and Tatar groups”, he said.

Since the majority of scholars agreed that fatwas change with the change of time, place, circumstance and conditions, such principles do not apply any longer.

He also called the forum to collect literature and media publications issued by terrorist groups to counter their arguments.

Outdated religious laws must be changed, UAE forum hears | The National

 

[salarsikander]

Hi,
Instead of trying to become innovative in shariah related matters perhaps emaratis for starte rs can stop pimping of eastern European Girls an provider of fine alcohol

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

There is no intermarriages there is no harmony huge gap between poor and rich wealth is not equally distributed same way Zakat muslim educated people wants to live in west where they get benefits protection respect equality and equal opportunity to grow among locals.. What exactily will you get out of this, they can talk about Golden eras of Islam our Belove Prophets (PBUH) but who will take initiate to give equal right to every human living in their country Arabs dont even let you marry their women..
Good luck i hope they come up with some humanity.

 

[Metanoia]

Excellent

 

[Al Bhatti]

April 29, 2015

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah (second from right) with other dignitaries at the peace conference in Abu Dhabi.

Violence is not unique to Muslims only, says scholar
American speaker Hamza Yousuf dispels misconceptions

Violence carried out by Muslim extremists, and conflicts involving Muslims in general, are neither unique, nor have they have left a higher toll than conflicts involving other groups, said Islamic scholar Hamza Yousuf on the second day of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies in Abu Dhabi.

Yousuf, an American who embraced Islam, displayed statistics compiled from historical and current sources, comparing the death toll as a result of Muslim-related conflict with other groups. The aim was to dispel the commonly held view that Muslims are more prone to violence than other groups.

“Are Muslims distinctive in their violence? Are they violent by nature? Does Islam make them this way? Studies have shown that the proportion of violence in stable Islamic communities is actually less than in Western countries,” Yousuf said.

Recounting his own experiences, Yousuf said that when he lived in Muslim countries like Morocco and the UAE, he felt safer than when he was in his own country, the United States. “I have lived in Morocco among the Bedouin, and in Al Ain, UAE, and I have never felt afraid. In America, there some places near my home that I am afraid to go because of the violence and crime.”

He pointed to the statistics that showed that Muslims accounted for just over 6 per cent in total of all casualties related to conflicts since the 14th century, and that Muslims overall came in second last in terms of the violence carried out compared to other religious and non-religious groups since then.

He also pointed to the tolerance in the Muslim world, showing images of churches that have been in the Middle East for centuries, such as in Syria and Egypt. According to Yousuf, groups like Daesh and others that mistreat minorities have nothing to do with Islam. “Injustice against minorities does not come from Islam, but from people who have violated the religion. Islam calls for the defence of other peoples and religions, and to defend their rights and freedom.”

Dr Amhand Idir Mechnane, Adviser to the Minister of Religious Affairs in Algeria, touched on the issue of Muslim extremists and the violence they carry out in the name of Islam, saying the extremists had a warped view of the Islamic concept of jihad.

“Jihad has been decreed to defend against aggression, and not to destroy non-Muslims. The concept of jihad forms the defensive system of every nation and state. Every nation needs to have a defensive system and nobody differs on this. If a nation or state came under aggression, its sons would be ready to defend the homeland,” he said.

He added, “Despite this clarity, we find young people who misunderstand Jihad, and the question we should ask ourselves is how can we protect our sons from this serious misunderstood Jihad? Statistics show there are an increasing number of young people joining extremist groups, and they are being used and exploited.”

Strengthening and merging the national identity with religion, according to Dr Mechnane, is one effective way to counter extremists, so that one’s nationality and religion are not seen as being mutually exclusive, a rhetoric often used by extremist groups.

“We need to merge religious and national discourse, to make these two faces of one coin. One is religion, the other is homeland, and no coin can be of one face [only],” he said.

Violence is not unique to Muslims only, says scholar | GulfNews.com



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April 29, 2015

While delegates listen to a speaker at Wednesday’s forum, the message of peace in Muslim societies is written large.

Dr Mounir Tlili, Tunisia’s former minister of religious affairs, addresses the gathering.

Scholars at Abu Dhabi forum pursue meaning of ‘jihad’

Scholars united under the umbrella of a peace forum to discuss the concept of jihad – something that has caused chaos in the Muslim world.

In a workshop as part of the Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies forum in the capital on Wednesday, scholars agreed jihad has many categories and the word itself has various meanings.

They stressed that most jihadists do not understand the context behind the revelation of verses related to jihad.

“One of the meanings of jihad is the daily life struggle. The main jihad is ‘lust or desire’, if one is able to overcome temptation, this is how jihad starts. This kind of jihad implies learning the Islamic religion and working by it,” said Dr Mounir Tlili, former minister of religious affairs of Tunisia.

The mention of jihad in the Quran was referring to the spread of the religion, he said.

“True jihad is developing one’s country through education, culture and infrastructure. A nation’s obligation is to spread knowledge, to raise the youth, create factories, and raise the level of production,” he added.

Dr Abdalnasir Abu Al Basal, chairman of the World Islamic Science and Education University in Jordan, said Islam is a powerful preacher of peace, not of creating meaningless and aimless wars.

He said Islam calls its followers to choose peace over fighting enemies and only fight if an attack comes first.

The case of jihad in the modern world, he said, is not having enough knowledge about Islam or the beliefs of jihad.

“We cannot take any verse from the Quran without knowing the reasons of revelation, nor can we take the historic facts on jihad without knowing what they translate to,” he said.

The contexts of jihad in the past had a humanitarian cause of defending the religion and the nation, and was urging fighters to stick to the purpose of Islam, he said.

“Jihad does not stand for desires, or personal greed, or materialistic aims, as what it is being used for today,” he said.

Dr Amhand Idir Mechnane, adviser to the minister of religious affairs in Algeria, said the number of jihadists is increasing due to “creativity in ways of spreading the beliefs”.

He said jihadists use social media platforms, with Facebook being the most popular, to target youth while using historic Islamic names for their websites. He said such platforms have the “ability to destroy a whole nation”.

He said governments need to focus on education and awareness, starting from school.

“What we need is for government systems to summarise the biography of Prophet Mohammed and rephrase and simplify them when taught in schools. This is to prevent our children from falling into the traps and arms of terrorism,” he said.

“A lot of youth have developed hatred for their countries, leaders, and religions due to the jihadis movement. To save the youth, the educational institution should integrate Islamic teachings and patriotism. Educational institutions need to reform their teaching methods of Islamic classes.”

He said many young men and women have entered the religion of Islam for the sole purpose of jihad, when in reality they are “manipulating and distorting the image of Islam”.

He also said that there has been an increase in numbers of misleading Islamic books and writers, which had a hand in the increase of false beliefs of jihad and Islam as a whole.


Scholars at Abu Dhabi forum pursue meaning of ‘jihad’ | The National

 

[jamahir]

“Renewal is fundamental in the Islamic religion, which is based on constantly linking between religious texts, the purpose of these texts and the current living reality,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, president of the forum

“True jihad is developing one’s country through education, culture and infrastructure. A nation’s obligation is to spread knowledge, to raise the youth, create factories, and raise the level of production,” he added.

“We cannot take any verse from the Quran without knowing the reasons of revelation, nor can we take the historic facts on jihad without knowing what they translate to,” he said.

excellent words.

sadly, i don't see this translated into reality in india... most modern indian muslims have become reactionary and regressive... technology has helped this decline... indian muslims have become all about burqa and mosque... they think this is islam.

if there is one land where the muslims need renewal, it is india.