feed description http://www.ijtihadreason.org Ijtihad Reason or the Institute for American Values The longing for freedom, justice, and opportunities for individual and collective progress are innate traits of human nature. They are universal values, despite disparate attempts at obfuscating this self-evident truth—whether these attempts come in the form of a cultural relativism that postulates that Shari‘ah, however ill-defined or undefined, is what motivates the individual and society in settings that are thus reduced to being labeled Muslim, or whether these attempts emanate from a variably camouflaged cultural elitism that predicates the appreciation of universal values on the successful completion of English-language college-level courses on Locke, Hobbes, Burke, and Jefferson. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/young-arab-democrats.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/young-arab-democrats.php Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:45:00 EST The popular uprisings, first in Tunisia, and now in Egypt, expose the limitations of a political order that gave the illusion of providing stability and securing the interests of many stakeholders. It is an order based on the convergence of interests of local autocrats and global powers, both seeking to contain and reverse the rise of militant Islamism and neutralize the effects of the Palestinian question. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/new-age-of-the-arab-citizen.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/new-age-of-the-arab-citizen.php Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST The momentous events witnessed by Tunisia, and which led to the collapse of the 23 years-old authoritarian regime of Zine el-Abidine Bin Ali, are evidently the culmination of a long build-up of grievances, notably economic and political, in a society plagued by lack of opportunity for the emerging generation and a stranglehold on the benefits from national development by the entourage of the ruler. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/tunisia.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/tunisia.php Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST The mosque near ground zero should be built, but not merely on account of the lofty principles about religious freedom articulated by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In fact, when it comes to Islam, Americans have good reason to be suspicious of high-minded pronouncements by their leaders. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/the-real-debate.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/the-real-debate.php Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST The current controversy surrounding the building of an Islamic community center in the vicinity of Ground Zero reveals a dramatic shift in the position towards Islam, as religion, culture, and community, in the United States, and points to further degeneration in a relationship already plagued with stereotypes and preconceived ideas. The controversy did emerge to the fore of mainstream culture in the United States as a result of objections verbalized by voices that may have been deemed marginal until recently. The silence with which their objections have been treated in the wider culture is, however, significant. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/ground-zero-islamic-center.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/ground-zero-islamic-center.php Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST At the 9th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001, it is further evident that this momentous event has amounted to a turning point in the history of the United States. It was indeed the first attack of such magnitude on the continental USA; it also occurred at a moment of perceived prosperity and security, with the Cold War relegated to history, and with the United States confirmed in its role as the sole global superpower. http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/9-11-overseas.php http://www.ijtihadreason.org/articles/9-11-overseas.php Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST