Liberal Islam:

A Clear And Present Danger

Date : 10th September 2005
Venue : Pusat Sains Negara, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Organised By : Muslim Professionals Forum

What is Liberal Islam? What is its origin and background? How is it viewed from Islamic thoughts and tradition? What is its impact and how pervasive is its influence on Muslims? How should we address this threat?

The objective of this Seminar is to discuss the liberal thoughts and material secularism aggressively promoted by the West.

Owing to the wide scope of this problem, MPF intends to organise this Seminar in a series. This is the first and the speakers are only a part of many whom we plan to invite for talks in future seminars.

MPF welcomes organisations, scholars, intellectuals and concerned individuals to participate and together make this seminar a success.

PROGRAMME

8:00 – 8:45 AM : Registration

8:45 – 9:00 : Quran Recitation; Welcoming Address by Chairman of the Organising Committee

9.00 – 9:30 : Keynote Address; Liberal Islam – Emerging Trends, Issues and Concerns – Ustaz (Dr.) Muhammad ‘Uthman El-Muhammady

9:30 – 10:15 : Religious Plurality – Myth or Reality? – Dr. Anis Malik Thoha

10:15 – 11:00 : Liberal Islam – The Indonesian Experience – Adnin Armas

11:00 – 11:30 : Tea

11:30 – 12:15 PM : Islamic Scholarship: A Future Rooted in the Past – Yahaya Adel Ibrahim

12:15 – 1:15 : The Way Forward; Panel discussion and Q&A

For bookings or further information, please contact Secretariat :

Asnah 012-210 0577
Mimi 012-3723135
Siti Jamilah 012-3718518
Azra 019-2824500

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.