The course explores how Islamic thought engages questions such as: What is the ultimate purpose of human existence? What is true happiness? How can human beings overcome alienation and find inner peace? How are faith and reason related in the search for meaning? What grounds moral obligations, justice, and human dignity? And how does belief in God shape the understanding of human destiny? The course approaches the meaning of life from three complementary perspectives within Islamic intellectual tradition: The Qur’anic perspective, the mystical perspective, and the philosophical and rational-theological perspective.
The course examines Sharia—the Qur’an’s ethical and legal frameworks—through primary sources. It thematically and chronologically analyzes verses on morality, ritual, and human interaction. Students explore the Aḥkām al-Qurʾān genre across legal schools in original languages using a holistic, historical-critical approach. Alongside jurisprudence, the course delves deeply into Qur’anic morality and the ethical implications of key terms such as mercy, justice, fairness, and dignity, emphasizing the Qur’an’s enduring ethical and legal principles. Students will learn to apply holistic and historical-critical methods that examine all related verses collectively and contextually.
Iran’s movement for democracy and freedom has suffered a lot of damage. After the war, the country is ruled by the IRGC, not by the symbolic supreme leader. Most Iranians do not support the regime. But this invasion has strengthened Iranian hardliners and the IRGC. All these replacement commanders or political figures that are coming to power after Netanyahu’s foolish assassinations are harder-liners and more radical than those who were before. Netanyahu and Trump are spreading fundamentalism in the world. Their policies are against peace, international law, and American values.
Keynote Address — 2026 South Carolina Political Science Association Annual Conference: This illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust war must end immediately — with a non-aggression agreement that includes adequate guarantees against any renewed aggression toward Iran. Iranians stand firmly opposed to religious despotism, yet simultaneously support their Army in defending their homeland against foreign aggression. Popular solidarity in defense of the nation — including a broad willingness to defer domestic opposition to the Islamic Republic — has increased markedly. Ultimately, this military aggression has weakened and set back Iran's freedom-seeking, democracy-demanding movement.
This petition calls on international and national authorities to investigate alleged war crimes arising from the 02/28/2026 U.S.–Israeli military attack on Iran. It argues that the operation violated the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force and resulted in grave breaches of international humanitarian law, particularly the missile strike on an elementary school in Minab that killed 165 innocent people, mostly children. The petition urges the International Criminal Court, UN bodies, and national courts exercising universal jurisdiction to conduct independent investigations and prosecute responsible military and political authorities.
This conflict is an absolute evil. It neither brings democracy nor security and well-being for the people. It has been launched in accordance with the interests of the United States and Israel. We highlight the Iranian people's right to shape their own future and achieve political change within Iran, rather than through foreign intervention. Only through the immediate cessation of war from both sides, adherence to international rules, a return to diplomacy and political solutions, and the adoption of humane approaches can the current deadly cycle be overcome.
We, members of the intellectual community, condemn the unprovoked attacks by Israel and the US against Iran. We view the war and the killing and endangerment of innocent lives as a grave violation of fundamental moral principles and international law. These actions, including attacks on residential buildings, schools, hospitals, emergency facilities, cultural sites, and sports complexes, have placed countless lives at risk and undermined the protection owed to civilians. We call for the immediate end of this aggression and for full justice and redress for those who have been harmed.
We strongly condemn the U.S. war with Iran under any pretense. Beyond the humanitarian catastrophe and economic devastation it would cause, the Trump administration's latest threat to wage war on Iran violates both international law and U.S. law, which requires congressional authorization for the use of force. Recent experiences in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan demonstrate that U.S. military interventions produce immense human suffering, undermine prospects for democracy, and further destabilize the Middle East, regardless of whether they are waged in the name of regime change or "humanitarian intervention."
The Islamic Republic bears direct responsibility for the bloodshed, and its Supreme Leader is the principal accused. Opponents of the Islamic Republic can be divided into two groups. The national opposition adheres to three core principles: non-intervention by foreign powers, rejection of domestic tyranny, and a peaceful, democratic transition away from the Islamic Republic. According to the second type of opposition, the Islamic Republic must be overthrown at any cost—even through foreign intervention, and internal armed conflict. A referendum on the constitution of the future system must be held.
Criticizing the repressive Islamic Republic, he is against U.S. military action in Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran failed, but liberal democracy in the U.S. and Europe failed in the same way. There is no international law, no ethics. As the Iranian Constitution was violated, the U.S. Constitution was violated too. I'm supporting justice, freedom, and peace for the world, for the U.S., for Iran, for Palestine, and everywhere. I’m a global citizen. I belong to humanity. The only thing I want is to have a better, more peaceful world.