Economics - Research Publications

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    Rethinking citizenship rights of non-Muslims in an Islamic state: Rashid al-Ghannushi's contribution to the evolving debate
    SAEED, ABDULLAH ( 1999)
    Of interest to Islamists of the twentieth century has been the question of minority rights in an Islamic state and of how non-Muslim minorities should be treated: in particular, should they enjoy equal citizenship rights and responsibilities with Muslims? Traditional Islamic law did not accord equal rights to non-Muslim protected minorities (ahl al-dhimma), placing Muslims above them in several key areas. Notwithstanding the law, however, early Muslim rulers exercised some pragmatic discretion according to the imperatives of their day. With the Islamic revival of the twentieth century, the traditional view has been adopted by several Muslim thinkers and leaders, though the traditional view is at odds with the concept of the nation-state. The nation-state is built on a secular premise, with no single religious group favoured over another. Within this context, a number of Muslim thinkers have attempted to reinterpret the traditionally held view of ‘citizenship rights’. This article will focus on the contribution of one such thinker, the Tunisian Islamist Rashid al-Ghannushi, who espouses somewhat ‘liberal’ views on the issue and argues for rethinking on a number of related aspects. Commencing with some background to the problem, the article explores the issue of citizenship rights as espoused by Ghannushi and notes the key importance of the concept of justice as their basis, in his view. Specific rights examined are: freedom of belief, including for Muslims who wish to change their religion; the holding of public office by non-Muslims; equal treatment for Muslims and non-Muslims in terms of fiscal duties and benefits. Throughout his arguments, Ghannushi emphasizes justice as central to the issue, and as the basis of interpreting and developing related rules and laws. Although Ghannushi’s views are not entirely new, he goes well beyond what has been acceptable in Islamic law, and his contribution should be considered important in the efforts at rethinking Islamic law in this area.
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    Heidegger and the transition to postmodernity
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Department of Philosophy, University of Poona, 2002)
    This is an investigation into Heidegger’s influence on the development of some ideas of the post-modern thought. It explores the meaning and implications of Heidegger’s concepts of authenticity and difference and his existential analysis of the human existence and the way these concepts left a significant impact on the development of the post modern ideas.
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    Heidegger and the enigma of defining human essence
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Department of Philosophy, University of Poona, 2000)
    This paper analyses Heidegger’s departure from the Cartesian metaphysical tradition. It explores the existential analysis of Dasein as a social being whose existence relies on the world and being-with rather than a self-dependent and a trans-historical self-substance.
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    The revival of al-Qadariya in modern Islamic thought
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 2004)
    This paper explores the theological and political significance of the doctrine of free will in Islamic thought. It examines the genesis and development of this doctrine and its revive in the modern Muslim world. It analyses the views of some modernist Muslim thinkers and their understanding of this doctrine with its practical implication in the human life.
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    Master-slave relationship in Hegel’s philosophy
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Department of Philosophy, University of Poona, 1998)
    This paper deals with Hegel’s dialectic interpretation of the conflictual relationship between the self and the other for recognition; the domination of the other by the self, which results in creating two unequal kinds of human being in history. It is argued that the recognition and freedom of the self by the other at the end of the conflict is doomed to failure as the other is reduced to a ‘thing’ and enslaved.
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    Al-Ghazali's hermeneutics and phenomenology
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Institute of World Religions, 2004)
    Understanding a sacred text through an examination of al-Ghazali’s hermeneutics. Exploring similarities between al-Ghazali’s hermeneutics and aspects of Husserl’s phenomenology.
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    Mu'tazilah: the rise of Islamic rationalism
    KAMAL, MUHAMMAD (Rationalist Association of Australia Ltd, 2003)
    This paper deals with the rise and development of the first rationalistic school in the Muslim thought. Its main features and influences on political Islam and the subsequent development of theological schools.
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    Undocumented migrant maternal and child health care in Yokohama
    Stevens, Carolyn S. ; Lee, Setsuko ; Sawada, Takashi (Taylor and Francis, 2000-05)
    This article reports on undocumented migrant mothers' and children's access to public health care in the Kotobuki area of Yokohama's Naka Ward. Access is defined as the utilization of public health and social welfare programs, measured by the counselling activities of a volunteer group. This research also explores the role of the volunteer group as mediator between 'overstayers' and the public welfare system. These volunteer activities serve to fill gaps that exist between domestic immigration and welfare laws and the reality of undocumented migrants' lives in urban Japan.
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    Rocking the bomb: a case study in the politicization of popular culture
    Stevens, Carolyn S. (Taylor and Francis, 1999)
    This article examines the mass media response to a protest against a 1992 outdoor rock music concert at Atsugi Japan, a US military base. The protest illustrates a clash between two images of the United States that are usually viewed independently in Japanese popular culture: the US as oppressor and impetus for political action and as an honored source of inspiration for creative expression in rock music.
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    Ijtihad and innovation in neo-Modernist Islamic thought in Indonesia
    SAEED, ABDULLAH ( 1997)
    This article briefly explores three models of ijtihad (independent reasoning in Islamic jurisprudence) followed in contemporary Islam: text-based, eclectic and context-based ijtihad, and attempts to sketch the features of the environment within which each model functions. The key aim of the article, however, is to examine the context-based model of ijtihad which is utilized by neo-Modernist Muslims in Indonesia, to identify a number of their major concerns and to highlight the nature of the reform agenda the neo-Modernists are pursuing. Though this agenda may be seen by many Muslims to be problematic and even dangerous, it is gaining ground in Indonesia, particularly within the younger generation who have had the opportunity of combining traditional Islamic scholarship with modern Western education. The article examines these issues of interest on the basis of interviews conducted during 1995 in Jakarta with two leading Muslim intellectuals: Nurcholish Majid, the leading neo-Modernist thinker, and Abdurrahman Wahid, the leader of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama.