Recent:
Listen Faith School Funding? Andy Barrie spoke with Barbara Bierman, Michael Fullan and Farzana Hassan.Video Oct. 9:
Multiculturalism and Politics, What do the faith-based schools and reasonable accommodation debates tell us about who we are, and what we demand of minority groups?
Prophecy and the Fundamentalist Quest , An Integrative Study of Christian and Muslim Apocalyptic Religion by Farzana Hassan.
A Reader's Review
There have been several calls for an Islamic Reformation since 9/11 and yet few Muslim scholars and activists have been able to grapple with the most intractable theological tenets within the Faith. Farzana Hassan has admirably filled the void by reviewing the toughest issues in Islamic theology that challenge modernity, such as domestic abuse, the laws of inheritance, polygamy and matrimonial norms. The fulcrum of reform movements in Islamic societies is around contested notions of feminism. Farzana has attempted to find solutions to social inequities from within the existing ideological framework of Islam and has consistently worked towards eliminating these from Muslim societies. No doubt, her views are considered controversial and have already been rejected by many mainstream clergy. However, reform movements frequently encounter such initial dissent and only through persistence can Islamic inertia be confronted from within the ranks of the Faithful. As a committed Muslim, Farzana has greater legitimacy than many other scholars in this field and her voice is beginning to resonate beyond her Canadian base. One can only hope that her efforts will not be co-opted by Islamophobes in the West nor become fodder for the conspiracy theorists within Islam.
(Vermont, USA)