MUSLIM PROFESSIONALS FORUM
&
MNI

SECULARISM AND ISLAM

BY

DR. AZZAM TAMIMI

Secularism is defined as an indifference to, rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations; not subject to or bound by religious rule. In other words taking God out of the equation – a world without God.

It is an obvious fact that secularism contradicts Islam, where embracing one means rejecting the other. Yet there are Muslims today who are calling for the secularising of the Islamic society, believing that until we totally separate mosque and state we will never progress as a people. There are those that believe there is no clash whatsoever between Islam and secularism and that this word is greatly misunderstood in the Muslim world. Can there be ‘secular Islam’? The phrase alone seems to contradict itself.

Come listen to Dr. Azzam Tamimi, a much-acclaimed speaker and no stranger to our shores, as he addresses this seemingly growing concern.

Date : Wednesday, 24th August 2005
Time : 1 – 2 p.m.
Place :
Dewan Sri Pinang
MNI Twins
Jalan Pinang (across Mandarin Oriental Hotel)

Topic : ‘Secularism and Islam’
Enquiries :
Azra Banu 019 282 4500
Siti Jamilah 012 371 8518
Asnah Ahmad 012 210 0577

*FREE ADMISSION

Dr. ‘Azzam Al-Tamimi was born in Hebron in 1955, and his family immigrated to Kuwait in 1965. He studied in London and completed a Ph.D. in Political Theory from Westminster University in London in 1998.

A writer on Palestinian and Middle Eastern Affairs, he is also a commentator on Palestinian and Middle Eastern affairs as well as on the affairs of Islamic Movements in the Middle East and North Africa, for a number of news media including the BBC, Sky News, Al-Jazeera and ANN.

Dr. Azzam is the Director of Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London, an institute that is primarily concerned with monitoring the progress taking place in Islamic political thinking and with identifying the fields in which ijtihad ought to be encouraged and supported. The board of advisors of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought includes Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi.

His writings include Islam and Secularism in the Middle East, Islam & Pluralism, Islam in the Western Media and Can Islam Be Secularized.

Dr Azzam is frequently invited to lecture by Muslim communities in South Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Britain, where he resides. He is married with three children.