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Top Muslim scholar gives talks here

Date : 7 December 2007

The Straits Times - Top Muslim scholar gives talks here

07 December 2007

A LEADING Muslim academic and regular commentator on Muslim issues in the Middle East is visiting Singapore to give a series of talks and meet Muslim religious and community leaders here.

Since arriving on Tuesday, Sheikh Hussam Eddin Farfour, the rector of Syria's Al-Fath University, has met Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, who is Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, and other Malay MPs.

Sheikh Farfour, 56, is on his first visit here at the invitation of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.

Yesterday, he gave a public lecture to more than 100 Islamic religious teachers, or asatizahs, at the Madrasah Aljunied in Bugis.

In an hour-long speech, delivered in Arabic, he urged them to be respectful of the differences between religions and to further engage non-Muslims.

Later yesterday evening, he met the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who is also on a visit here.

A highlight of Sheikh Farfour's visit will be his keynote address tomorrow at the Asatizah Seminar 2007.

He ends his visit here on Monday morning.


FIRST VISIT: Sheikh Farfour will lecture to religious teachers here.
 

(With thanks to SPH - StraitsTimes.com)

Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.

 

TODAY - Rector urges Muslim scholars to learn about other faiths

07 December 2007

Nazry Bahrawi
nazry@mediacorp.com.sg

DAYS after the Archbishop of Canterbury made this call in Singapore, another renowned religious leader has urged Muslim scholars to learn about Christianity and other faiths.

This time, the message came from Sheikh Hussam-Zeddin Farfour (picture), rector of Syria's Al Fath University.

Speaking in Arabic to about 100 local religious teachers yesterday at the Aljunied Al Islamiah Madrasah here, he said: "It is wajiib (compulsory) for every scholar of Islam to know about other religions as a principle of da'wah (propagation of Islam)."

A participant had asked if there was a need for Muslims to learn about other faiths.

Characterising Christian-Muslim relations today, Sheikh Hussam-Zeddin pointed out: "During the early days of Islam, the pope was welcomed at mosques. Today, there are some who are against the pope going to the mosques."

He added: "The existence of different religions is part of God's plans. Even though we disagree on theology, it doesn't mean we can't live in peace."

In fact, dialogue between people who disagree is an age-old Islamic value reflected in many verses of the Muslim holy book, he argued.

An example is the famous debate between Moses, whom Islam considers a prophet, and the Pharaoh of Egypt about the nature of divinity. This same encounter is also recorded in the Christian Bible.

But how should Muslims make sense of other verses in the Quran that preach hostility against followers of other faiths, asked another participant.

Sheikh Hussam-Zeddin replied that these should be viewed in their context. Such verses, he explained, came during a climate of war and so should not be applied today when there is peace.

The sheikh also urged Muslims to start rethinking certain aspects of Islam, a process known as tajdid (renewal), to counter the "intellectual crisis" they are now facing.

At Monday's interfaith forum, local academic Professor Syed Farid Alatas had described universities in the Muslim world as "centres of mediocrity".

This renewal — which must not be based on Western concepts such as feminism and disregards Islamic traditions — is crucial in dealing with contempo- rary issues such as insurance, banking, organ transplant and cloning, he said.

"This must be done before it is too late, so that Muslims, too, can play a leadership role in today's world," he added.

(With thanks to TODAYonline.com)

Note : No reproduction or downloading of this article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from TODAY.

 

Berita Harian - Asatizah perlu ilmu, fikiran luas

07 December 2007

Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article

BH - Asatizah perlu ilmu, fikiran luas.pdf

(With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian)

Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.