Category: Agenda

Three panelists representing the three major Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) will discuss religiously sanctioned violence in their respective scriptures at this year’s first Stuart Ivison Memorial Lecture at First Baptist Church Ottawa on Jewish representative Rabbi Idan Scher (Congregation Machzikei Hadas), Christian representative Dr. Brian Butcher (St. Paul University), and Muslim representative Dr. Jasser Auda (Carleton University) will consider the history of violence in the name of religion, the endorsement of violence by the respective scriptures, current day implications for extremists and terrorists, and how best we might interpret scripture in the 21st century.  Moderator Scott Kindred-Barnes (Minister, First Baptist Church) will also be asking each panelist how their respective traditions might move beyond the current trends of violence in some sectors and support a multi-faith, universal peace. The Stuart Ivison Memorial Lecture Series at First Baptist Church Ottawa is named after First Baptist’s longest serving minister and features monthly speakers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. This season’s theme is Living a Faithful Life. Holy Scripture and Religious Violence: A Forum Discussion among the three Abrahamic faiths takes place at First Baptist Church Ottawa on April 6th at 7p.m. (doors open 6p.m.) Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.   Read more: Holy Scripture and Religious Violence: A Forum Discussion among the three Abrahamic Faiths  ...

    A good discussion with Dan Pihlainen at 580 CFRA on terrorsim and counter-terrorism. I mentioned that although Canada does not have the kind of marginalisation and “ghettoes” that is a breading ground for crime, it is essential that we work as communities together – Muslim and non-Muslim – to deal with the root causes of such problem. Support for Islamic education is one important solution too.  Videos here:http://carleton.ca/…/video-recordings-of-prof-jasser-audas…/ http://carleton.ca/…/uplo…/Our-common-values-Jasser-Auda.pdf  ...

 lecture at Carleton University on the concepts of: “Islamic Land” and “Islamic State” Saturday March 26 at 1PM In the current context of criminal attacks in Europe, the lecture will also address “terrorism” and “counter-terrorism” from a Maqasid Al-Shariah...

Cape Town: This Saturday, insha Allah, marks the start of a new phase in the Maqasid Al-Shariah project that I decided to dedicate the next stage of my life to (if Allah wills). I will occupy the “Al-Shatibi Chair of Maqasid Studies” at the International Peace College South Africa – IPSA, which will be inaugurated on 12/3/2016 in Cape Town insha Allah. In the Inaugural Lecture (some screenshots attached), I will outline plans for launching a new “Graduate School of Maqasid Studies” at IPSA, which is the only fully-accredited South African Islamic Studies College. The School will start – in January 2017 insha Allah – a “Masters in Applied Islamic Thought”, which is a multi-disciplinary/ultra-disciplinary degree between Islamic Studies and one or more of ten other fields (outline in the screenshot on “specializations”). The purpose of the Chair and the new Graduate School is to renew the Islamic thought via Maqasid Al-Shariah as a methodology to tackle this world’s problems, social, material and spiritual, in a bottom-up approach. Will announce eventually more details on programs and scholarships for those who’d like to come and study here in Cape Town, insha Allah! Why South Africa? Because of a very significant recent history of emancipation, amazing cultural, racial and social diversity, especially in Cape Town, a very advanced constitution and bill of rights, a special openness to new ideas in Islamic scholarship...