Amid unrest toward Muslims, 'Day of solidarity' created in show of unity

January 9, 2017

About 25 people gathered at the Muslim American Society Katy Center on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 to show support for local Muslims in an event the group named "A Day of Solidarity"...

Controversies in Formative Shi'i Islam: The Ghulat Muslims and Their Beliefs

By Mushegh Asatryan | I.B.Tauris (November 30, 2016)

Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ('extremists'). This was owing to their specific interpretation of Islam, which included an 'extreme' devotion to the Shi'i Imams and the family of the Prophet, and controversial religious ideas, such as the transmigration of souls into other human or sub-human forms. Widely active in Iraq in the 8th and 9th centuries, ...

What is a Madrasa?

By Ebrahim Moosa | Edinburgh University Press (March 10, 2015)

Explains the role of the madrasa in the cultural, intellectual and religious experience of Muslims.
The prospects for peace in Afghanistan, dialogue between Washington and Tehran, the UN’s bid to stabilize nuclear-armed Pakistan, understanding the largest Muslim minority in the world’s largest democracy in India, or the largest Muslim population in the world in Indonesia – all require some knowledge of the traditional religious sectors in these countries and of what connection traditional religious schooling has (or not) to their geopolitical situations.
Moosa delves into the world of madrasa classrooms, scholars and texts, recounting the daily life and discipline of the inhabitants.

Lost in Translation: Taqlid and Marja`iyya in Shiite Islam

Lecturer: Dr Mohammadreza Kalantari

Usuli Shi‘ism categorizes laymen into Mujtahid, Muqallid, or Muhtat. Mujtahid is the qualified cleric capable of deducing the religious law from the resources and evidences. Muqallid is...

Islamic Occultism in Theory and Practice

Organized by Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The international conference of “Islamic Occultism in Theory and Practice” was held at the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford), 6-8 January 2017, coinciding with the final week of an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum titled “Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural”.

Workshop: Explorations into Concepts of Distinction and Practices of Differentiation

Call for Papers | Abstract Submission Deadline: March 1, 2017

The goal of this workshop is to shift attention to historical and sociological questions concerning concepts and practices of distinction and ...

Gender and Muslim Spaces: Community and Academic Perspectives

Call for Papers | Abstract Submission Deadline: January 30, 2017

The question of gender inclusion among British Muslims is currently a high profile debate. This conference aims to unpack the many facets of this debate from a range of methodological,...

ISSR 2017: Sessions on "Muslims in the West" and "Gender and Religion"

July 4-7, 2017 | University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

The "Muslims in the West" panel provides an avenue to consider the dimensions, determinants and differentials associated with the status of Muslims in the western contexts.

Muslim Institute

The Muslim Institute, a registered charity, is a Fellowship society of intellectuals, thinkers, academics, artists, and professionals. It aims to promote and support the growth of thought, knowledge, research, creativity and open debate within the Muslim community and the society at large. The Institute emphasizes the diversity and plurality of Islam and Muslims to promote cooperation between Muslims and other cultures.