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Publications & Resources Baraza Baraza 2 Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities by Muhammad Khalid Masud
Publications & Resources Baraza Baraza 2 Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities by Muhammad Khalid Masud | Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities by Muhammad Khalid Masud |
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Presently, more than one third of the world's Muslims are living as minorities in non-Muslim countries, a fact that has posed challenges not only for the host countries, but also for the Muslims themselves. Most Muslims perceive Muslim minorities as an integral part of the larger Muslim community, or ummah. Many insist that Muslims must be governed by Islamic law, often that of the country of origin. Home countries are expected to offer human, political, and financial resources in order for minorities to live Islamically. This perception is quite problematic. It implies that while the Muslims have been living in these countries for three generations, their presence is transitory – it cannot conceive of Muslims living permanently under non-Muslim rule. This perception also tends to imagine Muslim minorities as colonies of the Muslim world. Apart from the question of whether Muslim countries are in a posit ion to play the role described above, other serious questions are raised on the future of the Muslim minorities. Notwithstanding the ambiguity of this position, some Muslim jurists continue to treat Muslim minorities today as did the medieval jurists, who regarded minorities as those left behind after the non-Muslim occupation of Muslim lands. These modern jurists presume that eventually minority Muslims will have to migrate back to Muslim countries. In the mean time, they must protect their religious and cultural identity by isolating themselves from their host societies. An example of this perception is Muslim Minorities, Fatwa regarding Muslims Living as Minorities by the late Sheikh Ibn Bas and Sheikh Uthaymeen, two influential Saudi muftis. The book explains that preservation of faith and strict obedience to the laws of Islam are the foremost duties of all Muslims, including those living as minorities. Read More... [Download PDF] |
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