The Good Muslim and Religious Freedom

Friday, May 31, 2013
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Berkley Center Third Floor Conference Room Map

The complexities and challenges of religious freedom in contemporary Islam find many of their roots in the development of Islamic law and theology during the Middle Ages, a fact largely unknown to the general public. In her book The Good Muslim: Reflections on Classical Islamic Law and Theology (2012), Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh and associate scholar at the Religious Freedom Project, attempts to fill this void. The book explores a wide range of topics from divorce, slavery, and perspectives on evil, to virtue and friendship within both sharia and medieval Islamic philosophy.

Siddiqui discussed these themes with Charles Butterworth, renowned Islamic Studies scholar and professor emeritus of Political Philosophy at the University of Maryland. Karen Rupprecht, Religious Freedom Project research assistant, served as moderator.

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Thomas Farr Introducing the Panelists

Featured Participants

Mona Siddiqui Toggle

About Mona Siddiqui

Mona Siddiqui joined the University of Edinburgh’s Divinity School in December 2011 as the first chair in Islamic and interreligious studies. She is also assistant principal for religion and society and international dean for the Middle East at the University of Edinburgh. Siddiqui previously worked at Glasgow University directing the Centre for the Study of Islam. Her research areas are primarily in the field of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and ethics and Christian-Muslim relations. Her recent publications include Hospitality in Islam: Welcoming in God’s Name (2015), My Way: A Muslim Woman's Journey (2014), and Christians, Muslims and Jesus (2013). Siddiqui is a member of the Global Agenda Council on Faith for the World Economic Forum; she was an associate scholar with the Berkley Center's Religious Freedom Project from 2011 through 2013. In 2011 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to interfaith services. Siddiqui received her Ph.D. from the University of Manchester and holds four honorary doctorates.

Mona Siddiqui's Profile

Other Participants

Charles Butterworth Toggle

About Charles Butterworth

Charles Butterworth is Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he specializes in medieval Arabic and Islamic political philosophy. His publications include critical editions of most of the Middle Commentaries written by Averroes on Aristotle's logic; translations of books and treatises by Averroes, Alfarabi, and Alrazi, as well as Maimonides; and studies of different aspects of the political teaching of these and other thinkers in the ancient, medieval, and modern tradition of philosophy. Professor Butterworth studied at the University of Chicago where he received an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science, and has also studied at the University of Ayn Shams in Egypt, the University of Bordeaux, and the University of Nancy in France (receiving a doctorate in philosophy from the latter). He received his B.A. from Michigan State University.

Charles Butterworth's Profile

Karen Taliaferro Toggle

About Karen Taliaferro

Karen (Rupprecht) Taliaferro is a postdoctoral research fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. She is also an alumna of the John Jay Institute, where she is now a teacher and research associate. Her work focuses on natural law and human rights in Western and Islamic traditions. She completed her Ph.D. in political theory at Georgetown University, spending her final year in residence as a research fellow at Georgetown's campus in Doha, Qatar. Taliaferro received a B.A. in political science and French from Marquette University and subsequently served at a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco for two years. During her time at Georgetown, she served as a research assistant to Dr. Timothy Shah in the Berkley Center's Religious Freedom Project.

Karen Taliaferro's Profile

Related Publication

Book September 1, 2012

The Good Muslim: Reflections on Classical Islamic Law and Theology

In The Good Muslim: Reflections on Classical Islamic Law and Theology, RFP scholar Mona Siddiqui explores key themes in Islamic law and theology that continue to be relevant in the modern world. Her topics for reflection range from discussions about…