The WELL: inkwell.vue.235: Sajjad Khan and Farooq Khan, "New Civilisation"

#281: Public persona (jmcarlin) Sat 5 Feb 05 13:19

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:19:00 PST

> revolutions that generally are not bloody or > violent tend to be more successful.

This statement may have a very interesting applicability to what is going on in Iraq today. I've believed for quite a while that various Shi'ite groups have been very carefully, quietly and successfully moving into decisive positions of power in Iraq.

The NY Times article goes into some of this: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/international/middleeast/06shiites.html

With religious Shiite parties poised to take power in the new constitutional assembly, leading Shiite clerics are pushing for Islam to be enshrined in the new constitution.

Exactly how Islamic to make the document is the subject of debate.

At the very least, the clerics say, the constitution should ensure that legal measures overseeing personal matters like marriage, divorce and family inheritance fall under Shariah, or Koranic law. For example, daughters would receive half the inheritances of sons under that law.

On other issues, opinion varies, with the more conservative leaders insisting that Shariah be the foundation for all legislation. ...

"They can afford to be patient if they can't push through everything now." ... "The religious people should have a role in writing the constitution," he said. "Islamic law is so broad, and Shiite Islamic law has so many branches. There is an answer from Islam for everything in society."

It seems like the later point is exactly what Hizb ut Tahrir advocates. So at first glance, I would expect Hizb Ut Tahrir to support and join those in Iraq who are working in a non-violent way to enshine Islam in Iraq and in fact create a Caliphate.

My question is: is my supposition true? And, if not, why not? [Read entire topic]

#280: Public persona (jmcarlin) Sat 5 Feb 05 10:43

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 10:43:00 PST

> This maybe the case, but revolutions that generally are not bloody or > violent tend to be more successful. The pre requisite to any > 'successful' revolution is to win the war of ideas first. This is what > happened in the ex communist states in the late 80's.

That is a key point. It reminds me of the contrast between Britain and France. In that case, the British "evolutionary revolution" avoided the problems France went through. [Read entire topic]

#279: is it my imagination or is that God over there? (nukem777) Sat 5 Feb 05 02:18

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 02:18:00 PST

(Farooq), I think your magazine is just great and admire you all for your vision and determination. I sure hope you make it digital as soon as you can, then I'll subscribe. Please throw some message boards, etc. on the website when you get enough capital. Dubai would probably give you all you need. You guys should have your headquarters at Internet City anyhow.

I think the dialogues you will establish and the interconnectedness of it all is of primary importance right now. I gotta tell you both, that while I admire the depth of your thinking, I find the whole idea of a Caliphate coming any time in the near future (our lifetimes) a real stretch of the imagination. But, hey, imagination is where it all starts. [Read entire topic]

#278: Farooq Khan (farooq) Fri 4 Feb 05 11:22

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 11:22:00 PST

On the subject of carrots:

Lawrence Korb, Assistant Defence Secretary under the Reagan administration said, *If Kuwait grew carrots we wouldn*t give a damn* .

http://www.bartleby.com/66/24/33024.html [Read entire topic]

#277: Farooq Khan (farooq) Fri 4 Feb 05 11:16

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 11:16:00 PST

<scribbled by farooq Fri 4 Feb 05 11:22> [Read entire topic]

#276: Farooq Khan (farooq) Fri 4 Feb 05 11:10

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 11:10:00 PST

New edition of New Civilisation is out:

Contents Spring 2005: Issue 02

Why should Iran disarm?

Weapons of Mass Destruction have shaped the post 9-11 debate with respect to international peace and security. Following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, weapons proliferation continues to occur in countries such as North Korea. However it is Iranian policy and nuclear intentions which is now the central focus of western foreign policy. Sajjad Khan argues that the nuclear bargain explicit within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty has now broken down.

Ijithad: Applying Islam in the 21st century

The subject of ijtihad occupies a recurring theme across much contemporary Islamic literature. A tool employed by Islamic jurists, it holds the key to Islam's continual relevance and to defining an Islamic approach for solving problems in a post-modern world. Akmal Asghar provides an overview of ijtihad and its role in presenting an Islamic alternative.

Letter to the editor

I note that the aim of New Civilisation is to present 'Islamic political thinking, hitherto unrecognised in the western world'. Your editorial also describes the magazine, or its contents, as a 'gauntlet', so as a 'Westerner' I am responding to that challenge.

Exporting Democracy

With the absence of WMDs proved conclusively, the only remaining justification for the continued presence of occupation forces in Iraq is the prospect of democracy rising out of the ashes of Iraq***s battered cities. Japan and Germany have been offered as examples of what can happen when America gets it right. But scrutiny of post-war events, and indeed of democratic societies in general, indicates that the chances of success in Iraq are marginal at best.

Life: So Much to Lose

Reflecting upon the deadly tsunamis that brought death to nations upon all shores of an ocean Dr Abdullah Robin discusses the fragility of life and asks if science can determine the origin of life with the same confidence that it can pinpoint the origin of a tsunami.

Rethinking Intellectual Property

Dr Abdullah Robin looks at innovation and economic growth in a knowledge based economy and traces the development of the concept of intellectual property from its capitalist origins as a monopoly right through its transformation into an allegedly universal concept of property in ideas. He examines the integrity of the concept and argues that it is a brake rather than an engine for economic progress; a brake that Islam dispenses with for the betterment of humanity. Solving the problem of identity in the era of globalisation

In the last edition of New Civilisation magazine Farooq Khan discussed the new epoch that is emerging and touched upon how Islam will redefine the globalisation debate. In this edition he explores how Islam can practically solve one aspect of the globalisation debate: the problem of identity.

The Ethical Dilemma Confronting Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research promises to revolutionise medical treatment and has the potential to yield cures that have long eluded scientists and doctors. Whilst researchers seek to push the frontiers of its ground-breaking potential, a debate over the ethics of experimenting with human embryos may yet threaten to stifle its future. Dr Saqib Latif discusses an Islamic approach to a debate that has deeply divided secular societies.Stem cell research promises to revolutionise medical treatment and has the potential to yield cures that have long eluded scientists and doctors. Whilst researchers seek to push the frontiers of its ground-breaking potential, a debate over the ethics of experimenting with human embryos may yet threaten to stifle its future. Dr Saqib Latif discusses an Islamic approach to a debate that has deeply divided secular societies.

The Road From Tashkent to the Taliban

Zeyno Baran, the Nixon Center's international security program director, outlines a view that Islamic political parties working to re-establish the Caliphate, represent a threat to US interests. Her article is published below and is followed by a response from Dr Abdullah Robin.

Women and Equality

The current debate on women's rights has until now been predominantly shaped by its progress in the west. Whilst attitudes towards women have changed significantly in the west through the endeavours of feminists and women's rights movements of different philosophical persuasions, Akmal Asghar questions some of the assumptions - and their universality - as well as the broader impact of their successes. Dialogue with Orthodox Islam

Orthodox Islam receives at worst a hysterical response and at best an ambivalent one. It would be futile to argue that there are not important points of difference between Orthodox Islam's views and those who hold liberal secular values. However Dr Salman Ahmed argues that moderate Islam is largely a myth and that if the West wants to entertain a serious dialogue it should realise Orthodox Islam is the only game in town.

http://www.newcivilisation.com/index.php/main/newciv/current_issue/spring_05 [Read entire topic]

#275: Sajjad Khan (sajjadkhan) Fri 4 Feb 05 09:19

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 09:19:00 PST

>Revolutions make things worse more often than not. We tend to >remember the successes.

This maybe the case, but revolutions that generally are not bloody or violent tend to be more successful. The pre requisite to any 'successful' revolution is to win the war of ideas first. This is what happened in the ex communist states in the late 80's. [Read entire topic]

#274: Sajjad Khan (sajjadkhan) Fri 4 Feb 05 09:16

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 09:16:00 PST

>All I can say is that what George Bush claimed.

Hence my point re the futility of discussing force devoid of political objectives. Most military force in the last 100 years has been used to achieve purely economic benefits with the intention of exploitation. I'm not sure that Bush would have wanted to use force to bring 'freedom' so desperately to the Middle East if it only grew carrots. [Read entire topic]

#273: Sajjad Khan (sajjadkhan) Fri 4 Feb 05 09:00

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 09:00:00 PST

>fertile conditions Can you be more specific as to where this might happen?

Yes strong possibilities of political transformation in Egypt, Pakistan, C Asia and Syria. But I believe there would be strong resonance in most parts of the Muslim world [Read entire topic]

#272: Brian Slesinsky (bslesins) Thu 3 Feb 05 21:02

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 21:02:00 PST

The future isn't predictable, but my guess is that it's very likely that some governments of Muslim countries will collapse, and that more governments similar to Iran are a strong possibility. But the likelyhood that any of these governments would resemble the ideas discussed here about a Caliphate is very low. Revolutions make things worse more often than not. We tend to remember the successes. [Read entire topic]