MuslimMatters.org Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life

I was asked to write about the victory of Nicolas Sarkozy in the recent French presidential election. Not knowing too much about French politics, I was hesitant, and therefore decided to read Monsieur Sarkozy's recent book Testimony: France in the Twenty-First Century (en anglais). For someone who is not well ... Read More »

My last name, Nasrullah, is actually my husband's first name, the result of trying to fit a south Asian-style name into a western configuration. Of course, I didn't have to take his name when we married. I did so because it better reflected my identity than my surname at the ... Read More »

The following article, appended below, (hat-tip to theTranslators) touches on many of the issues that Muslim women face while living in the West. Personally, I find the article very enlightened and very enlightening. In it we see, how the website Islamtoday.com, has transformed its views and opinions on matters that ... Read More »

Although my 'intellectual activities' have slowed down since last summer – when I had plenty of time to peruse sites like the Angry Arab, Al-Jazeera News, borrow books upon the dozens from the library, and immerse myself in trying to understand the workings of world politics (not very successfully, unfortunately) ... Read More »

I coordinate an “Islam 101” class at my masjid. Most of our students are Muslims who recently converted. Although we teach them aqeedah and basic aspects of Qurʾān and sunnah, we also guide them, whether intentionally or not, in viewing the world through Muslim eyes. Since I'm less a teacher ... Read More »

Previous: The Big Questions Part I – On Atheism, God & More… The Big Questions, Part II—The Purpose of Life by Dr. Laurence Brown (reproduced with permission) The first of the two big questions in life is, “Who made us?” We addressed that question in the previous article and (hopefully) ... Read More »

Next: The Big Questions, Part II—The Purpose of Life Our guest-writer of this series, Dr. Laurence Brown, a former atheist, received his B.A. from Cornell University, his MD from Brown University Medical School, and his ophthalmology residency training at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. The Big Questions by ... Read More »

A while back I wrote on my Houston Chronicle blog about whether or not Islam can be “reformed.” The post was written for non-Muslim readers, and in it I argued that Islam cannot change along the lines of the Protestant Reformation. I met with harsh criticism from some self-described proponents ... Read More »

My daughter is insha Allāh graduating from college this June with a bachelor's degree in political science (concentration in international relations). I've been working on her graduation album and in the process have gone through all the memorabilia I've kept – photos, report cards, essays, even my diaries that talk ... Read More »

After the passing of a co-worker, I was struck by the response to death that everyone around me had. Normally, death brings a reminder to us. It reminds us of the day when all desires will be destroyed, when we will be buried under the ground, unable to do anymore ... Read More »