Quranic studies | Koranic research
All topics-
President Sisi and Al-Azhar
Wresting religious authority from the Grand Imam
An arcane dispute between Egyptʹs president and Al-Azhar over how much society is threatened by debating the authenticity of hadiths and their role in Islamic law is really about moral leadership in society. By Nathan J. Brown and Cassia Bardos
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Spotlight on Sahih al-Bukhari
Rocking the foundations of Islam
A Moroccan court has recently banned a book named "Sahih Al-Bukhari...The end of a legend" by Rachid Aylal, which openly criticises the famous hadith collection. Some Moroccans are outraged by the censorship, others by the content. By Safaa Shibli
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Critical Koran edition "Al-Mushaf wa Qiraʹatuh"
The Koran – and its variants?
For many years, progressive Islamic thinkers have been calling for people to read and understand the Koran in the context of the period in which it was written. Now, for the first time, Tunisian Islamic scholar Abdelmajid Charfi has put together a critical historical edition. By Annette Steinich
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Ethnicity in the Muslim caliphates
To be a son of Quraish
The Ottoman Caliphate, which dominated the Muslim world for over thirteen centuries, was abolished on 3 March 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, putting an end to one of the most significant political-religious powers in history. By Mohamed Yosri
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″Christmas and the Qu′ran″
When love comes down
″Christmas and the Qu′ran″, Karl-Josef Kuschel′s scholarly examination of the Christmas story in the light of the New Testament and the Koran, digs deep to deliver a message of hope. Lucy James read the book
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Mustafa Akyol′s ″The Islamic Jesus″
The heart of the matter
Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol′s latest book ″The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews became a prophet of the Muslims″ is a thought-provoking read, challenging not only the Church′s ascription of Godhead to Jesus, but also the Islamic fixation with God′s law rather than His intention. Lucy James read the book
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Iranian scholars in exile
The Shia shakedown
Religious scholars in exile are challenging the basic tenets of Shia Islam. Their professional authority is indisputable. And they are in close contact with Shia teaching activities in their homeland via the Internet. One of the heretical questions they are asking: is the Koran the word of God or a dream told by the Prophet? By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Interview with Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh
″I oppose the false Muslims″
The Iranian religious scholar Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh has been studying the origins and language of the Koran for decades. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to him about his efforts to develop a new approach to the Koran, thereby saving the Prophet′s true message from what he perceives to be an erroneous interpretation of Islam
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Islam and feminism
Go forth and create role models!
On the one hand, a marked swing to the right; on the other, there is now widespread talk about feminism – even Islamic feminism! Charlotte Wiedemann examines the challenges faced by Muslim women
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Salafism or philology
What can an Islamic scholar tell us?
The Islamic scholar Angelika Neuwirth has had a greater impact on Koranic research in Germany than anyone else in recent decades. What she has to say is revolutionary – not only for Muslims, but also for Europe. Salafists, in particular, could learn a great deal from her. By Navid Kermani
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Reforming Islam
Show me the Sharia
There is violence in the name of Sharia, yet assertions by Muslims that this has nothing to do with genuine Islam seem fated to fall on deaf ears. A contribution to the debate by Cefli Ademi
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Interview with the Islam scholar Ahmad Milad Karimi
Accessing the Koran
Ahmad Milad Karimi is one of Germany′s most dynamic philosophers of religion. Having come to the country as a refugee when he was a child, he is now helping to establish an Islamic philosophy of religion and has produced a new translation of the Koran. His main concern is to break down the foreignness of Islam