ABU DHABI // Reshaping ideas and accepting change by being prepared to embrace the times is the way forward for a modern Islam, a leading Moroccan scholar told a Ramadan majlis yesterday.
The concept of tajdeed, or renewal, can meet resistance in the face of those who wish to hold on to traditional ways of thinking, said Dr Mohammed al Jabri, in a lecture at the Ramadan majlis of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
"The Arab mind [today] is the product of Arab cultures. It continues to reproduce [the same ideas]. For as long as it does so, it will be difficult to have renewal from within," said Dr Jabri, a scholar of philosophy and Islamic Arab who formerly taught at Mohammed V University in Rabat.
"The only way is to critique it from outside its boundaries of thought. It's important to embrace a way that is new to Arab thought, where different people share their opinions and thoughts and discuss them, rather than try to prove that they are right.
"This is the kind of renewal we need. This is the tajdeed we need."
Tajdeed is different to the concept of reformation, which in the Islamic context means islah, or to fix and correct, and is more about re-evaluating Islamic ideas to suit the times.
Scholars have, however, disagreed on whether new ideas that arise among Muslims are heresy, or a way of tajdeed.
Dr Jabri focused his lecture on the idea that Arab thought has been held back because it does not yet accept the possibility that absolute truth does not exist, that only God is absolute.
He used an example from his teaching days at university in Rabat, when he said he was struck by the importance of knowing the other side of the coin, rather than getting stuck trying to prove one's ideas were right.
"I concluded that each side becomes convinced they know the truth because they are ignorant of the other.
"We need a new way of conversing, like divorcing the idea that one's opinion is the truth. Only God has the truth. We need to move past the idea that there is an absolute truth."
According to Dr Jabri, this is the main factor holding back Arab thought today and that in order to move forward and embrace constructive tajdeed, the Arab world must reinvent its way of thinking.
"We must rewrite history... forget conflicts of the past and move on. Our capacity to forget is a blessing from God," he said.
He pointed to many attempts in various Arab countries for tajdeed, including Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia and the UAE. But they will not have a major effect unless they converse with each other and form a common platform that has a general Arab identity, not just a country-specific identity.
"The idea of Arab does not yet exist. There are no Arabs, only Arab countries. We can't say that all these attempts fall under one umbrella: the Arab culture. No, they are specific to each country."
The UAE, which prides itself on following "the moderate, middle way of Islam", is encouraging discourse about the revival of Islam, and making its practices relevant for worshippers who live modern lives.
The Emirates invited 30 religious scholars from 11 countries to give lectures and sermons throughout the country during the holy month, a decades-old tradition.
relass@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
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Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The White Lotus: Season three
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Rating: 4.5/5
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.