The Qarawiyyin Newsletter: Rajab Round Up
Reviving Islamic discourse among Muslim Women
1 Shaʻban 1443 AH
وَكَأَيِّن مِّن نَّبِىٍّ قَـٰتَلَ مَعَهُۥ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ فَمَا وَهَنُوا۟ لِمَآ أَصَابَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا ضَعُفُوا۟ وَمَا ٱسْتَكَانُوا۟ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
Many prophets have fought, with large bands of godly men alongside them who, in the face of their sufferings for God’s cause, did not lose heart or weaken or surrender: God loves those who are steadfast.
3:146
Welcome to The Qarawiyyin Newsletter!
The past month has been an apt reminder of the above ayah and many trials of this dunya. The intolerance of the world's largest democracy has been exposed with the hijab ban in Karnataka schools; still we saw the defiance of our Muslim sisters in the face of oppression. Amidst the Ukraine-Russia war, we witness not only the devastation affecting millions of people, but the hypocrisy in the world’s response to violence that is not carried out by or upon Muslims.
May Allah protect all the innocents stuck in the crossfire. We pray that in this holy month of Sha'ban, we are given the strength to deal with these challenges while holding fast to the rope of iman.
In other news, it was a humbling moment for our team this month as we published the 20th episode of The Qarawiyyin Podcast — quite the milestone! We’d like to extend a big thank you to all of our listeners for their support. Make sure to check out our latest content and recommendations below.
Cultural Imperialism and Saving Muslim Women
“On the surface, it often seems that most of these organisations have a straightforward, neutral goal of uplifting women; however, the underlying assumptions by which they operate, including their perceptions of problems faced by Muslim women, stem entirely from Western, liberal understandings of gender and religion.”
Our latest article examines the underlying values of movements aimed at liberating women and scrutinises the “empowerment” narrative often pushed by development NGOs.
Reflections on Violence
“Portrayals of the conflict are rooted in public conceptions of violence — namely, what forms are acceptable and when it becomes legitimate. Although shrouded in language that seems to sanctify human life, the mainstream representation of violence actually allows imposes heavy biases and facilitates a narrative that largely favours the state, while delegitimising resistance.”
In this piece, we reflect on ‘violence’, a term that is almost intrinsically tied to Muslims in mainstream discourse — from political journalism to orientalist history.
Ep. 20: “Islam and the Arab Revolutions” | Book Talk
Dr. Usaama Al-Azami’s Islam and the Arab Revolutions: The Ulama Between Democracy and Autocracy analyzes the rhetoric of religious scholars throughout the Arab Spring. Focusing on the Egyptian revolution, Al-Azami explains what defines the factions standing for or against the revolution and assesses their key figures, including Ali Gomaa, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and Abdullah Bin Bayyah.
On Episode 20, we discuss the content of the book, the role of ulama in politics, and how to navigate their problematic stances. We also feature the title in our first book list of the year.
Footage of Muhammad al-‘Ajlouni being assaulted and arrested by IOF forces in Sheikh Jarrah went viral a week ago. He received a warm welcome upon his triumphant return to his neighbourhood.
As well as periodically updating our resource bank, here we share some other insightful contributions from prominent Muslim figures and organisations.
PODCAST: The Trojan Horse Affair - Serial Productions & The New York Times In 2013, a suspicious letter exposing an 'Islamist' plot to take over British schools became the centre of attention in British media. Little was investigated regarding its origins, yet it was concluded that something sinister was taking place and needed to be stopped. In a riveting piece of investigative journalism, Hamza Syed and Brian Reed look into the origins of the anonymous letter that changed the lives of many.
ARTICLE: Being a “Good Person” is Not Enough: Why Ethics Need Islam - Yaqeen Institute Dr. Ovamir Anjum discusses the relationship between religion and ethics. Whilst the ethical impulse — the love for what is good — is natural to all human beings, revelation is needed to guide and perfect it.
ARTICLE: The Indigenized War on Terror and Its Implications for the Muslim World - Ummatics Colloquium Ibrahim Moiz explains how the paradigm of the "War on Terror" has been indigenized by regimes in the Muslim World, offering little room for a politics of ummatic solidarity.
FUNDRAISER: Food Aid - Ummah Welfare Trust It is not becoming of a Muslim to sleep on a full stomach whilst those around him (his neighbours) go hungry [al-Hakim]. UWT is distributing emergency relief food packs in impoverished areas. Have a read of UWT's annual report to see a breakdown of their previous projects and please donate generously.
If you have any questions, feedback or would like to feature in our next newsletter, let us know. Email us at contact@qarawiyyinproject.co or visit our website to find out more about our article submission process.
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Until next time, Assalaamu Alaykum