I am well aware that simply the above title is enough for the inquisition courts to unsheathe their swords, and for fatwas declaring me an infidel to be unleashed, or appeals made for me to repent, and sermons to be delivered – some well-meaning, others apparently religious but in reality harbouring some political manoeuvring.
It is certain that the events that took place in Kuwait and Tunis and France on Friday 26 June 2015 or the events of November 13 in Paris[1], carried out by jihadi takfiri Salafist groups, will not remain merely passing events or mark the end of the bloodbaths that are being perpetrated in the name of Islam as long as the sparkle of this evil mentality shines on in the minds of men – and youths in particular – and roots itself deep in their hearts. They will probably become far worse for as long as world leaders fail to grasp the true roots underpinning its expansion and development.
One of the most important principles underlying the discourse of political Islam groups, in all their varieties, is the categorical rejection of the concept of a historical reading of the Qur’ān, or any link being made between the tafsīr (commentary) of its verses with the causes of their revelation, or the context in which they were revealed. The argument of those advocating this current of thinking is based on the dictum that the Qur’ān is ‘valid for all times and all places’.
Most contemporary historians and philosophers of history believe that civilisation is characterised in general by the emergence of a number of social, intellectual and cultural features, of which the most salient are:
1. A complex pattern of (hierarchical) social structure that leads to the governance of a community by an élite. This feature demonstrates the correlation of civilisation with power and social structure.[1]
It is certain that the events that took place in Kuwait and Tunis and France on Friday 26 June 2015 or the events of November 13 in Paris
One of the most important principles underlying the discourse of political Islam groups, in all their varieties, is the categorical rejection of the concept of a historical reading of the Qur’ān, or any link being made between the tafsīr (commentary) of its verses with the causes of their revelation, or the context in which they were revealed. The argument of those advocating this current of thinking is based on the dictum that the Qur’ān is ‘valid for all times and all places’.
Most contemporary historians and philosophers of history believe that civilisation is characterised in general by the emergence of a number of social, intellectual and cultural features, of which the most salient are:
