Tag: Theology

Islam and Modernity

Crossroads: Islam and the Theological Origins of Modernity. Transformative Ideas: A Dialogue between Michael A. Gillespie (Professor of Political Science) and Mohsen Kadivar (Research Professor in the Department of Religious Studies): How did Western Europe arrive at modernity? Islam’s perspective on modernity, including what philosophical movements responded to nominalism and modernity on a theological level, and how Islamic societies and peoples have more broadly responded. How Western and Islamic perspectives are coming into closer contact, particularly with immigration to Western Europe and the global human rights framework that has arisen.

Theology, Ethics, Politics: Three Challenges for Islamic Reform

How should Islamic teachings relate to the specific conditions of modernity? Islamic Reform is the effort of Muslims to reconstruct Islamic teachings and practice in modern times. This lecture addresses the challenge of reforming Islamic doctrines in three related areas: theology, ethics and politics, with special reference to Shi`ism. It will be illustrated by critical reflections on concepts of religious authority (the position of the Imams), shari’a as an ethical tradition in dialogue with modernity, and the necessity of secularism in terms of separation of mosque and state.