Author: Ali Salman* In his article published in the Daily Telegraph on 18 August 2017, the author of “The Islamist” Ed Husain, while responding to the recent violent events in Barcelona, has argued that the main objective of the terrorists, including ISIL, is to bring back the Caliphate. According to his analysis, the terrorists,…
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Dr. Khalid Masud to give keynote address Dr. Muhammad Khalid Masud, former Director General of Islamic Research Institute, and former Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan, will deliver a key note address on the first day of the Istanbul Network Conference. Muhammad Khalid Masud is currently the HonAd-hoc Member Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme…
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Author: Mohammed Amin* I was recently surprised to receive an unsolicited invitation to become a columnist for the Istanbul Network. Having accepted, I am using this first column to introduce myself as readers are entitled to know “where I am coming from.” Like many things in life, my connection with the Istanbul Network arose from…
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Author: Hasan Yücel Başdemir* “Differences among my community (ummah) is a blessing for the people.” Prophet Muhammad Religion is one of the most fragile and tense areas in human relations. It is in the same situation at the discussions over the television programs and social media. Discussions are generally about the secondary…
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Islamic World, Middle East, and Market Economy Nouh El Harmouzi and Linda Whetstone, eds. “Islamic Foundations of a Free Society”. London: The Institute of Economic Affairs. 2016. Book review by Devrim Ozkan* “Islamic Foundations of a Free Society” provides a detailed overview of the political and economic ties surrounding Islam. In this book,…
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Author: Hasan Yücel Başdemir* Why do some societies constantly live in conflict, violence, anxiety and misery while some are living in stability, prosperity and peace? Why do some societies not have means of reconciliation to solve the problems which they experienced while other societies have? These are some of the oldest questions in the…
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Author: Bugra Kalkan* The news about Syriac Orthodox churches in Mardin, a historical multi-cultural city in the south-east Turkey, have shown again that how religious liberty is still so fragile in Turkey. According to the Agos Newspaper, after Mardin became a metropolitan municipality, its villages were officially turned into neighborhoods. And The Transfer, Liquidation and…
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Author: Dan Jones* The West’s manipulation of the world’s second-largest religion for political purposes threatens to do lasting damage to the idea of Islam and its innocent followers. If you were born and raised in the West, think back to your textbooks on world history. Chances are, you remember learning about historical periods like the…
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Author: Bugra Kalkan* Secularization of the public sphere and public education through strong and restrictive public policies has been often offered to solve the religious conflicts and religious radicalism problems in Muslim-majority countries. From this perspective, explicitly or implicitly, Islamic religious beliefs and organizations are seen in conflict with the idea of constitutional democracy, innovation…
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by Henry Jackson Society On May 15th, 2017, The Henry Jackson Society welcomed Mohammed Amin MBE, Azhar Aslam and Sheikh Dr. Usama Hasan for an open discussion on their works on Islam and its compatibility with liberal and Western values. Mohammed Amin is the Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Azhar Aslam is a…
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Author: Bugra Kalkan* Religious liberty emerges and survives only in the countries where the rule of law is institutionalized. And to build rule of law in a country requires a neutral government that protects rights of members of political society. Well, this is the central claim and also the central problem of classical liberalism. Why…
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Author: Syed Kamall* If you are poor in Britain today, you will find it hard to borrow money for a new venture. Not surprisingly, you also have a lower chance of becoming an entrepreneur. In every country of the UK, the most deprived 2030 per cent are far less likely to be self-employed. For…
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