Understanding Islam

Followers of Islam make up almost a quarter of the world’s population. Islam is a major spiritual force in the world, which is often poorly understood and misrepresented, yet it has been playing a growing role in world affairs.

Podcasts and Sermons

Mark Durie - November 29, 2016

The Theology of the Qur'an - Part 1

Quran

First of three Lectures Given at South African Theological Seminary in 2016

 

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Natural disasters can raise pressing questions for religious believers who believe in a sovereign God. One question which inevitably arises is, “What is God doing in this?” For the almost 2 billion Muslims who make up a quarter of the world’s population, this is an...

The Problem of Peace vs. Violence It is widely recognized that, on the topic of violence, the Qur’an speaks with more than one voice. Some verses speak for peace, and others for war. The conventional explanation is that the difference hinges on the migration of the...

This post first appeared with the Interface Institute. In May 2016 Theresa May, then Home Secretary, commissioned an Independent Review of shariah law in the UK, to inquire whether the activities of British shariah councils, sometimes called shariah courts, are incompatible with British law. Included in the terms of reference was the treatment of women, specifically arrangements for divorce, domestic violence, and children. The Review, led by Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at Edinburgh University’ Divinity School, was released in February 2019.

For at least four years, a copy of the Noble Qur’an was placed for public use in Canberra Airport's prayer room.  This particular edition of the Qur’an, printed in the millions by Saudi Arabia, has very disturbing footnotes, which promote an aggressively radical interpretation of Islam not very different from the doctrines and practice of ISIS.  It is disturbing that this particular Qur’an was selected for the prayer room. (After this article was published, the Qur’an was removed.)