The Thinking Muslim

We speak to a regular guest Dr Shadee Elmasry about division within the Muslim community. I ask him, how does Islam help us to navigate our differences? What makes a valid shari’ opinion? How do we know whether a scholar or commentator is sincere to sources of Islam? What makes a mujtahid and what are the limits of the muqallid (follower)? We discuss the recent trend amongst duat to call out and defame one another. We also discuss the duty of enjoining maroof and forbid munkar, how does a layman fulfil this duty? What gives the commoner the right to question even scholars on issues and what are the guidelines? How do we forbid wrong while transmitting respect and not exacerbating divisions? We look at the notion ‘only Allah can judge’ and the anger that pervades much of modern social media ‘da’wah’. What does it mean to be smart in conveying Islam? and does being smart sometimes come at the cost of being truthful? Access our podcast archive here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even if we don’t subscribe to the oft quoted phrase of Jordan Peterson that there is "a crisis of masculinity", we may accept that young men live lives in an era where their roles and responsibilities remain subject to intense scrutiny. Our guest today, Ameen from the popular Mind Heist podcast and the YouTube help channel Seera Masters is a young man trying to make sense of this world. Ameen set off on a journey to discover what Islam expects from a man and in his own words found conclusions that challenged his own preconceptions. He is currently working on writing a book on the subject. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The environment we find ourselves in after 9/11 has made it very difficult for our community to simultaneously continue living an Islamic life and meeting the demands of our daily existence. This atmosphere has given rise to what can only be called a liberal inquisition, the constant reminder that we should be defensive about our faith and that what we believe is somehow out of sync with modernity.In this febrile atmosphere, some have called for more radical action to affirm the faith of our families and community. If the next generation is to survive, maybe we need to more proactively build community institutions that nurture true conviction and assert more readily our priorities, free from the tedious scrutiny of wider society. This is where Muslims have engaged with the Benedict Option of Rod Dreher.To discuss the notion of a Muslim Benedict Option we speak with Ismail Royer, an activist and thinker from America, Royer serves as a Director at the Religious Freedom Institute, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization.Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimOn Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim - and direct questions: https://t.me/jcontact And access our archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week, Dr Joseph Kaminski is associate professor at the Department of International Relations at the International University of Sarajevo. He has spent the last six years in the country, which he has now adopted as his own. Dr Kaminski has written a number of papers on Islam and governance and he is currently authoring a book on Islam and liberalism, a matter we discuss at the end of the podcast.Follow my thread evidencing how the West accepts Srebrenica as a human sacrifice: https://twitter.com/jalalayn/status/1282065107695144963?s=20Sign up to our free comparative ideas course: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/comparative-thought-liberalism-and-islam-10-week-course-starts-19jul-tickets-113103958986Sign up to this usul al-fiqh course: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/113242924636 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week, Imam Dawud Walid, although acknowledging the importance of activism within the Islamic tradition, argues that our community must tread carefully when developing lines of collaboration with progressive movements, lest we are utilised for problematic political and cultural aims. He argues that activism does not fall out of the purview of the revelation and if we are to make a change, this has to be rooted in an Islamic notion of justice and using means that accord with the prophetic sunnah. Forging alliances with the progressive left has come at a cost, he argues, the left are utilising the Muslim community to pursue their broader electoral aims.Website: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcastLaunchgood campaign: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/book_discover_the_islamic_alternative_to_feminism#!/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dress of Muslim women has been politicised by secular thinkers, left wing activists, conservatives, feminists and talk-show hosts that all believe their take on the subject will emancipate Muslim women. For centuries, an obsession with Muslim women’s dress has enabled an array of political projects.This week we speak to two guests, firstly Farhat Amin, who is working on a book project to address the twin challenges of Muslim confusion about their Islamic rights and feminism and then we discuss the long colonial history behind the politicisation of women's dress and how to view the hijab from the shari’ah rules with Ustadh Iyad Hilal, author and imam from the United States.Website: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcastLaunchgood campaign: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/book_discover_the_islamic_alternative_to_feminism#!/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hijab or Khimar has been subject to ferocious scrutiny, with youtube influencers, journalists, politicians and academics all participating in what is now a regular feature in how liberal society would like Muslims to live.To address the subject Farhat Amin from our sister podcast, A Muslim Mom spoke to Emaan Abbasi, a writer and academic that recently penned a brilliant piece titled, “not my body, not my choice” for the online magazine Traversing Tradition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today, Hakeem Muhammad, grew up in the communities excluded by mainstream America. He argues that in our anger we should not undervalue the structural conditions that enable and safeguard those that treat their fellow man as sub-human. The structural racism that plagues American life comes from a broader ideology that shows disdain for non-European cultures and creeds. He argues powerfully that white supremacy cannot be separated from liberalism, in fact, liberal protagonists, from Locke to Jefferson, Kant to Rawls have all echoed the same mantra of America acting as a civilising force in the world. The atrocities of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo were conducted by the same people, nurtured within the same cultural climate.Hakeem Muhammad is a Public Interest Law Scholar from Northeastern University School of Law where he also holds a Juris Doctorate Degree.The Thinking Muslim Twitter @thinking_muslim https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimEmail [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Muslim’s that engage on social media often contribute to the online antagonism that reflects the coarse and crude trend of wider society. It goes like this, someone tweets a view, sometimes coherent and thought through and sometimes not and within a short space of time, it solicits a torrent of abuse.This week on The Thinking Muslim we look at ‘Muslim Twitter’, what causes the bitterness? how do we tone down the rhetoric and how can the revelation and our illustrious scholarly past help us to rectify our manners of engagement? We have invited Justin Parrot to discuss this matter, Justin holds an MRes in Islamic Studies from the University of Wales and is currently Research Librarian for Middle East Studies at NYU in Abu Dhabi where he is also a volunteer Imam for the Muslim Students Association. He also runs an amazing website with a unique accessible hadith repository, available here https://abuaminaelias.com.Access past content on our website - https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Contribute to our new exciting book project on Launchgood https://www.launchgood.com/project/book_discover_the_islamic_alternative_to_feminism#!/And sign up to our free course https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/comparative-thought-liberalism-socialism-and-islam-5-week-course-tickets-102518098392 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ertugrul is a show about the legendary father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Sultanate. The show’s success in the Muslim world leaves many, especially those with liberal leanings, perplexed. Its recent airing in Pakistan has taken the country by storm. Prime Minister Imran Khan has tweeted about the show, suggesting all young Pakistani’s can gain a sense of lost history and Muslim unity. Saudi Arabia has banned the show, citing its malign influence and Egypt’s "High Fatwa Council" (Dâru'l-İftâ), published a statement that accuses Turkey of trying to create an “area of influence” for itself in the Middle East via its soft power.To discuss the show and its cultural and geopolitical impact I have invited two Muslim commentators, Dilly Hussain of 5pillars and Imran Muneer from the Mad Mamluks podcast.Please leave your comments on https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/podcast, follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim, join our Telegram channel https://t.me/thinkingmuslim and sign up to our new online course https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/courses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Death has become a part of our everyday lives. Covid-19 and its spread have brought home to us the undeniable reality that we are mortal beings and our accumulation of wealth, prestige and power will come to an end. How we think about death impacts on how we think about life. So how should death be conceptualised? How should we really remember death, beyond the occasional thoughts about it? How do we make death our partners and our guide in conditioning our present?To understand this idea, I have invited Kamal Abu Zahra – a lecturer in Islamic studies, currently completing his PhD in looking at the minority fiqh and its compatibility with classical notions of scholarship. I ask Kamal some searching questions about death and how we should see it, how we should confront its claims upon us, and how we should address it when death falls on someone close to us.Visit our website www.thinkingmuslim.com and leave a comment, follow us on Twitter @thinking_muslim and join our Telegram Channel https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should we understand the ahadith related to plagues and medicines? We are often deluged with cures for a host of ailments and some argue conventional pharmaceuticals have little value in the face of these solutions from sunnah.This week on the Thinking Muslim Podcast I have invited an imam and author Iyad Hilal from California, America to explain what is the prophetic sunnah and how should we evaluate what it has to say about plagues and medicines.Iyad Hilal has authored one of the best books I have read explaining Usul al-fiqh, in a digestible way to the non-specialist reader and runs the Al-Arqam institute. His lectures, Jumma khutbahs and discussions can be found on Youtube and I would say it’s a treasure trove of wisdom and depth.I ask him about the sunnah and its scope, the ahadeeth related to plagues and quarantines, the prophetic medicines and other such narrations and how scholars of the past view these aspects of the sunnah. We also discuss the value of conventional medicine and the current public health advice that runs contrary to our religious instincts and ceremonies, most notably the cessation of Salaatul Jummah and regular prayers in the masjids.Visit our website (www.thinkingmuslim.com), follow us on Twitter @thinking_muslim and join our Telegram Channel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I speak to Fadl Hejazi, a Muslim academic from India, about the crisis facing the Muslims of India. To cover its obvious failures, key Indian politicians and its RSS supporters opted to turn the country on its Muslim citizens, blaming the mounting cases on the Tablighi Jamat Ijtima (gathering) in Nizamuddin. What they dubbed ‘Corona Jihad,’ an insidious campaign to spread the virus to Hindus. The virus, in their warped view, was another weapon used by Muslims against the majority population.Follow the programme and comment on https://www.thinkingmuslim.comFollow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is pronounced today in a post-truth world is the increase of non-experts on social media that forward their views and gain an audience upon conspiracy theories and half-baked truths. This week we invite Dr Naveed Syed from Public Health England and Dr Imran Waheed to unravel the truths behind the crisis and why so many people are susceptible to conspiracies. We look at the origins of Covid-19, the means of transmission, the herd immunity theory, flu statistics, verification of news, Facebook 'experts', annual death rates, government failures, the mental health implications, Jummah fatawa (and poor scholarship), Toby Young, 5G conspiracies and prophetic treatments. For more information visit The Thinking Muslim Website to see our latest courses and projects and follow us on Twitter @thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the Coronavirus lockdown became a daily feature of our lives, a number of commentators have speculated about the future of economic liberalism. Many on the left and some Muslims have concluded this period will presage the end to capitalism and the dawn of a new economic order.Such claims may fail to live up to proper scrutiny, instead we may be witnessing the acceleration of America’s position as the global hegemon and with it, the fragmentation of the American led liberal world order.My guest today, Riaz Hasan, is a writer and community organiser, I discuss the political and economic ramifications of this crisis. We look at the economic impact of the crisis, the decline of the liberal democratic world, the move to embrace the Chinese model of capitalism and whether a realistic and well-thought through Islamic model currently exists to meet the challenges of the 21st century.Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimPlease also fill in our survey of Muslim attitudes here: https://thinkingmuslim.wufoo.com/forms/m1yro00q0cfrl91/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we hunker down and wait in anticipation for a Covid-19 breakthrough, we inevitably begin to think about our mortality and whether we have within us the ability to deal with this crisis. In the coming weeks we are going to explore the Covid-19 crisis and its implication upon us. Today I invite back onto the show, Dr Shadee Elmasry, an imam and Islamic scholar from the United States.We look at 1) the 'cancellation' of jummah and the madahibs, 2) Is this a punishment from Allah, 3) Are we martyrs (shaheed) if we die, 4) if we get it then is it Allah's will, 5) How did early Muslim's deal with communicable diseases?, 6) trusting experts and human nature 7) WhatsApp disinformation, 8) stockpiling, 9) responsibility to others, 10) how a believer should spend their time? The Muslim community has faced a series of questions in the past week and I put them to Dr ElMasry.Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week, Dr Ovamir Anjum , although abhorring all that Isis may stand for, suggests that its brief rise to notoriety has opened up space for intelligent minded Muslim’s to reimagine a world with a just Caliphate. Dr Anjum calls for a new wave of thinking on the subject, grounded in revelation and aimed at showing both Muslim’s and non-Muslims how Islam’s thought should be considered as an alternative to the contemporary decaying world order.Dr Anjum argues in a recent long read penned for the Yaqeen Institute that not only is there an urgent requirement for Muslim intelligentsia and civil society to debate the form a modern Caliphate would take but to seriously place it at the centre of Muslim social and political activism. He argues that Islam’s challenge has to be framed in the context of the broader tumults faced by the liberal order, namely the process of deglobalisation and the rise of populist nativism.Dr. Ovamir Anjum is Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Toledo. He obtained his Ph.D. in Islamic history in the Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Author of Politics, Law and Community in Islamic Thought: The Taymiyyan Moment (Cambridge University Press, 2012). His current projects include a multi-volume survey of Islamic history and a monograph on Islamic political thought.To contact the show twitter @thinking_muslim email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is a man, what makes a man and what is masculinity? Dr Shadee Elmasry takes a look at toxic masculinity and Islam's response. Dr Shadee in this debate, stands out for his dedication to a nuanced and intelligent look at how revelation informs the Muslim conception of masculinity. How did the Allah and His Messenger's (saw) practice nurture an Islamic vision of masculinity?Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimJoin the Thinking Muslim Course - visit thinkingmuslim.eventbrite.co.ukEmail the programme using the email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I speak to Dr Asher Siddiqui, an engineer from Delhi who has been at the epicentre of the protests at Delhi’s Jamia Millia University.During the past two weeks, India has been rocked by countrywide demonstrations spontaneously driven by largely young Muslim’s energised by their mutual dislike for a new citizenship law designed to relegate Muslim’s as second class citizens. The law, the Citizenship Amendment Act, enables the state to fast track the citizenship of migrants but significantly omits Muslim’s. The fear is this is another step in dismantling the rights of Muslims of India.Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimJoin the Thinking Muslim Course - visit thinkingmuslim.eventbrite.co.ukEmail the programme using the email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our short lives it is inevitable that we shall experience the death of our loved ones. Psychologists claim that there are five stages of grief, and for some to come to terms with the death of a partner, son, daughter or close friend may never be reconciled. We hear of many whose hearts are never settled and who live a shadow of their former lives. Many fall into depression as a consequence and others turn to drink and drugs to temporarily release their minds from the reminders associated in everyday life.This week I have invited Dr Yousif Haj Yousif, a consultant anaesthetist who has seen death and its impacts close up. I ask Yousif to help us to contextualise grief, how do we grieve as Muslims? and what are the ideas from Allah (swt) that help to console our hearts.Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimJoin the Thinking Muslim Course - visit thinkingmuslim.eventbrite.co.ukEmail the programme using the email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week has been working in the field for over twenty years, Dr Imran Waheed is a consultant psychiatrist and looks at what is mental illness and why is it on the increase? How does Islam help us to deal with our mental health and build resilience to deal with the travails of life? And why has the liberal west failed to enhance the human mind? Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimDonate to help us promote the podcast using PayPal here https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6WZTV3E6LUYN&source=urlLast few places left on our Thinking Muslim Course - visit thinkingmuslim.eventbrite.co.ukYou can also email the programme using the email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I ask Dr Abul Izz Abdul Salam, a professor and expert in comparative economics from Jerusalem Palestine, to take a look at how Islam deals with the creation of wealth and at the same time address the problem of stagnant money that remains the prize of the rich 1%. It is common in the west to find multi-billionaires hoard vast amounts of wealth or invest their capital in financial markets that have little impact upon the real productive economy. It was the meltdown of these markets in 2008 that contributed to the biggest economic crash since the 1930’s leading to a global slowdown.What is the guiding philosophy that underpins an Islamic economy when it comes to economic growth, the wealthy and the circulation of money in that economy and what role, if any, does the government play in regulating this activity?Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimDonate to help us promote the podcast using PayPal herehttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6WZTV3E6LUYN&source=urlYou can also email the programme [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I talk to Dr Abul Izz Abdul Salam, an academic and thinker of Islamic and comparative economics and a university professor from Jerusalem Palestine. We take a look at how Islamic Economics differs from the dominant liberal economic order that creates enormous wealth inequalities and perpetuates poverty. Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimDonate to help us promote the podcast using PayPal here https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6WZTV3E6LUYN&source=urlYou can also email the programme [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I talk to Uthman Badr, academic, speaker and activist from Sydney Australia, on secularism, its origins, meaning and its impact upon the Muslim World.Follow the programme on Twitter@thinking_muslimhttps://twitter.com/thinking_muslimDonate to help us promote the podcast using PayPal here https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6WZTV3E6LUYN&source=urlAnd read my write-up for this programme, including my thoughts on the interview on my Medium page Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I talk to Asim Qureshi, Research Director at the advocacy group CAGE, on the securitisation of the Muslim community and the making of an ‘enemy within’.Follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslim [https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim]Donate to help us promote the podcast using PayPal here [https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6WZTV3E6LUYN&source=url]And read my write-up for this programme, including my thoughts on the interview on my Medium page https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim/a-suspect-community-britain-s-muslims-and-the-spectre-of-fear-cb5160588c6?sk=16534a59c08a054c089d6f52292c0fba Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Hakeem Muhammad, he argues that narratives about the slave trade barely mention the Muslim origin of many African’s that were enslaved, their courageous attempts to remain Muslim despite severe repression and indeed the role Islam played as a basis of defiance and the driver behind many of the slave rebellions on plantations. Hakeem charts the role of Christianity in legitimising slavery but also how forcible conversions were used to pacify slaves. For Hakeem, the advent of liberalism did little to reverse this racialised world view, he suggests early liberal philosophers like Locke and Kant were proponents of slavery and talked openly about subjugating African’s in pursuit of economic gain. Hakeem Muhammad is from the Southside of Chicago and is the founder and president of the Black Dawah Network.Please remember to follow the programme on Twitter @thinking_muslimAlso you may want to read my writeup of this week's show as well as leave a comment on Medium https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim/enslaved-african-muslims-to-america-the-untold-story-d9725ca18218?sk=bab6f7a1d3566fb850abdb678a7336e0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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@thinking_muslimFor over three years, Britain’s political establishment and much of the country has been in, what can only described as political meltdown. The 2016 referendum called by David Cameron resulted in the extraordinary outcome to leave the EU, despite all political predictions to the contrary. Since then Britain has been battling with the issue, triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, negotiating a deal that was rejected on three separate occasions by Parliament, the resignation of Theresa May and now what seems like a flailing Boris Johnson administration. Is Britain on a course to make the worst political decision since the Suez Crisis in 1956, that may potentially tip it into a recession and in the words of former PM John Major, reduce its influence in the world.Dr Imran Waheed joins me in conversation to explore Britain’s uneasy relationship with Europe, its current predicament and to speculate about what comes next. As always, please subscribe to The Thinking Muslim on your favourite Podcast app and follow me on @thinking_muslim for regular updates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we look at Islam’s perspective on wealth. In many ways how we view wealth and its accumulation has an impact on how we think, our likes and dislikes and how we engage with the world. It is accepted that religious people shun wealth, "the meek will inherit the earth" is the famous biblical passage. Many Muslims also have an uneasy relationship with wealth, it is often associated with fahisha (transgressions) and taqabbur (arrogance), and too much wealth leads to extravagance, hassad (jealousy) and worse. So how does Islam view wealth and how does it view extravagance. Does Islam promise damnation for the rich and salvation for the poor? How should we view the sense of comfort that accompanies wealth with what some may see as religious principles of struggle and hardship? Is our spiritual connection with Allah compromised when we focus on our material needs and desires?To answer these questions this week I have invited Hasan al-Hasan to join us. Hasan is a university lecturer based in London, originally from Lebanon.If you like the show, please remember to: Subscribe on your favourite app Forward this message to others Follow the show on Twitter @thinking_muslim - https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Follow my programme Medium page https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I speak to Fadl Hejazi, an India based academic in Islamic sciences, currently pursuing his doctoral studies in the energy economies of the Arab world. Fadl has extensively travelled across India and he is also a regular visitor to Kashmir. In this second part podcast, more than 2-weeks since the Indian government’s actions in Kashmir, I want to explore the doctrine that underpins Modi’s India, known as Hindutva and its impact upon the countries Muslims. It is oft-forgotten, that after partition in 1947, Pakistan became home to just a portion of India’s Muslims. Those that were left behind have been subject to state and structural disadvantage. Nevermore so than under the Hindu nationalism of Modi’s tenure.You can follow the show on Twitter @thinking_muslim.You can also read the supplementary article accompanying this podcast, on https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim -updated on Monday's - where you may also leave a comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Thinking Muslim Podcast I interview Dr Omar Khan, a political analyst and expert in South Asian affairs. Dr Khan provides a fascinating understanding of the political and geopolitical reasons behind PM Modi of India’s decision to repeal Article 370 and 35A that has led to an almost total lockdown in the region. He takes a deep dive into why Modi decided to take this move now, the dilemma of Pakistan’s government led by Imran Khan, how China views the crisis and most importantly how Afghanistan and America’s desperation to end its longest war has a major part to play in the timing of the decision as well as the Trump administration’s belief that Pakistan could do more to end the conflict. Please remember to subscribe using your favourite Podcast app, we are now on Spotify, Google, Apple, TuneIn, Stitcher and all major platforms. To view maps of the region, read the accompanying article and continue the discussion, go to https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim/podcast-the-kashmir-crisis-explained-3c1eb7d8e991?sk=fa4293a968a7faea996bc5901ec004c5Or follow me on Twitter @thinking_muslim. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we shall be looking at the situation of the Muslim’s in China. Welcome to the first podcast of The Thinking Muslim, follow the show on @thinking_muslim and do remember to subscribe. For the past few years news about the plight of the Uyghurs in the restive north-western region of Xinjiang, known as East Turkestan, has gradually worsened. The destruction of Mosques; the use of technology to monitor every movement of the population, the banning of fasting in Ramadan, the introduction of Han Chinese visitors to each home to observe the family unit, the closing of Islamic seminaries have all been documented as the Chinese state attempts to disassociate Islam from the daily practice of ordinary believers. But it is the introduction of camps, what the Chinese government euphuistically calls ‘re-education centres that have focussed minds around the world that nothing less than the annihilation of an entire religious and cultural identity is taking place in full view of the international community. The Uyghurs have always resisted Chinese rule and their heroism in the face of Chinese imperialism predates 1949 when Chairman Mao brought the Communists to power. The Uyghurs suffered under the repression of the Cultural Revolution, where religion was suppressed. But in recent years, China’s rapid development has allowed it to acquire sophisticated forms of state control, never seen in the history of authoritarian rule. The state regulates every inch of the lives of its Muslim population, on a scale and ambition that informs us about the type of world China is trying to create. To try and understand more about the Uyghurs and their struggle, this week I am pleased to have as our guest on the Thinking Muslim Podcast, Arslan Hidayat an Uyghur activist and campaigner currently based in Turkey to talk to us about the extent to which Muslim Uyghurs have been subject to China’s programme of repression. Arslan has been active for many years, bringing to the world’s attention the situation in East Turkestan, long before it was adopted by the mainstream press. He remains in contact with members of the community and has become a source of information for many. He can be found on Twitter, @arslan_hidayat and I would encourage you all to follow him. You can also access my medium page here https://medium.com/@thinkingmuslim/the-thinking-muslim-podcast-a-conversation-with-uyghur-activist-arslan-hidayet-20fe43015154Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.