Dr. Jasser Auda from IPSA presentation "The role of Muslim minorities in re-building the Islamic Civilisation".

1. The role of Muslim minorities in re-building
the Islamic civilization:
South African Muslims as an example
Jasser Auda
Al-Shatibi Chair of Maqasid Studies
auda@ipsa-edu.org

2. Civilizational Cycle
• The natural law of the cycles of history
• "Read" (Quran 96:1) started a whole new
paradigm
• The Khilafah
• The Empire
• Decline
• Western civilization and a new paradigm
• Post-Colonization
• Hope for a new rise/contribution of the Islamic
civilization

3. Lessons to learn
• Without building on the
– ideas,
– institutions
– and products of the Islamic civilization,
European renaissance and western civilization
would not have emerged
• Muslims have to integrate their principles of faith,
beauty and morality with the latest that the west
has offered the world
• Muslims have to be critical:
– Of the inherited heritage.
– Of the current “conventional” systems.

4. Muslim Minorities
• New status of Muslim minorities
• Demographics
• A good position to contribute:
– Part of the civilization. Science. Professions.
– No plans for an “Islamic state”
– The human aspects of Islam for the wider society
• The challenges of Muslim minorities:
– Islamophobia
– Extremism
– Isolation
– “Integration”

5. The South African Muslim context
• A colorful and diverse background
• Taking part of the struggle for emancipation
• Challenges of isolation and identity
• Opportunities for new Islamic thought
– Maqasid al-Shariah