I was honored to be asked to address a seminar of the AIME organization on the biography of the Prophet Muhammad on November 6, 2021. It was a wonderful audience and they were very kind to listen to me talking about how academics approach he sources for the Prophet’s life. Here is the video: “Mercy […]
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Qur'an
Muslim Generosity and the Obligation of Zakat
By Iqbal Akhtar | – Muslims see wealth as a gift and a divine dispensation. The Quran urges individuals to share their wealth and income with those of lesser means. Almsgiving is one of the five pillars of Islam – a fundamental practice within the faith. One key way this happens is through Zakat, the […]
Juan Cole’s “Muhammad” is one of Best Five Books on the Prophet Muhammad (Muqtedar Khan Youtube)
Muqtedar Khan is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. His doctoral dissertation at Georgetown University was on Islamic political thought. He edited Debating Moderate Islam: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West (University of Utah Press, 2007) and authored Jihad for Jerusalem: Identity and Strategy in International Relations (Praeger […]
Glowing Review of Juan Cole, “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires” (Video)
Dr. Shabir Ally reviews Juan Cole’s book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires [Click] Da’wah Center Toronto — “A review of Juan Cole’s book on the prophet Muhammad pbuh – Dr. Shabir Ally” – Fast forward to 12:24 for English review Dr. Ally’s site says, “Dr. Shabir Ally holds a B.A. in […]
Did a Cosmic Airburst inspire the Myth of Sodom and inadvertently Spark millennia of Homophobia?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a new paper in Nature archeologists Ted E. Bunch and Malcolm A. LeCompte et al. present their findings that a cosmic airburst destroyed an ancient city in 1650 BC (about 3600 years ago) at the site of today’s Tell el-Hammam in western Jordan near the mouth of the Jordan […]
Top 7 Ways al-Qaeda’s Terrorism Violated the Precepts of the Holy Qur’an
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – One of the great tragedies of the early twenty-first century is that the great civilization of Islam, over 1400 years old and with tremendous achievements should have had its escutcheon besmirched with the terrorism of a small fringe of extremists such as Usama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda. It is the […]
Facing Hostility from most of World’s 1.8 bn Muslims, Al-Qaida, Islamic State group find few recruits
By Charles Kurzman | – Al-Qaida was planning two sets of terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. On Sept. 11, 2021, as Americans commemorate and mourn the lives lost that Tuesday morning 20 years ago, it is important to remember the second plot as well – the attacks that didn’t happen. Khalid Sheikh […]
Taliban “Islam” versus the Islam of the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – British academic Abdul-Azim Ahmed of Cardiff University, an expert on mosques in the UK, complained on Twitter that he was invited onto television to debate whether the Taliban represent Islam: Just had a call from a journo asking if I could go on live to debate whether the Taliban represent […]
Top 5 Books on Islam – Juan Cole’s list at Shepherd
The new book website Shepherd asked me for a list of what I thought were the best five books on Islam for a general audience. The best books on Islam By Juan R.I. Cole Who am I? My interest in Islam was kindled when I lived in Eritrea, East Africa as a teenager, and in […]