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Khaled Abou El Fadl

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Khaled Abou el Fadl
Born (1963-10-23) October 23, 1963 (age 61)
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Occupation(s)Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Islamic scholar
Academic background
Alma materYale University
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania Law School
InfluencesMuhammad al-Ghazali
Academic work
DisciplinePhilosophy
Sub-disciplineIslamic philosophy
School or traditionIslamic Modernism, Liberalism and progressivism within Islam
Notable worksThe Search for Beauty in Islam: Conference of the Books (2001)

Khaled Abou el Fadl (Arabic: خالد أبو الفضل, IPA: [ˈxæːled abolˈfɑdl]) (born October 23, 1963) is the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law where he has taught courses on International Human Rights, Islamic jurisprudence, National Security Law, Law and Terrorism, Islam and Human Rights, Political Asylum, and Political Crimes and Legal Systems. He is also the founder of the Usuli Institute, a non-profit public charity dedicated to research and education to promote humanistic interpretations of Islam, as well as the Chair of the Islamic Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.[1] He has lectured on and taught Islamic law in the United States and Europe in academic and non-academic environments since around 1990.

Abou El Fadl is the author of numerous books and articles on topics in Islam and Islamic law. He has appeared on national and international television and radio, and published in such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Review. His work has been translated into several languages including Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, French, Norwegian, Dutch, Russian, Vietnamese and Japanese.

Education

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Abou El Fadl holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Islamic law from Princeton University. Abou El Fadl also has 13 years of instruction in Islamic jurisprudence, grammar and rhetoric in Egypt and Kuwait. After law school, he clerked for Arizona Supreme Court Justice James Moeller, and practiced immigration and investment law in the U.S. and the Middle East. He previously taught Islamic law at the University of Texas School of Law at Austin, Yale Law School and Princeton University.[2]

Views

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Abou El Fadl believes that the usuli tradition "naturally leads Islam" to an ethical humanism, or a set of ideas about justice and beauty that help to achieve God's will.[3] He has criticized puritanical and Wahhabi Islam[4] for, among other things, its lack of interest in morality, which the Wahhabis argue "shouldn't affect the implementation of Koranic law."[3] He has strongly criticised the Saudi Arabian government and has accused them of systematic torture, murder, and failing to either understand or properly implement Islamic teachings.[5][6][7]

Abou El Fadl has described the terrorism of September 11 attacks as the logical conclusion of "a puritanical and ethically oblivious form of Islam [that] has predominated since the 1970s" and been promoted by religious authorities in Saudi Arabia and other countries, including the U.S. and Europe. He supports religious and cultural pluralism, democratic values and women's rights.[8][9][10] He is known for his scholarly critique of terrorism and Wahhabi extremism.[11]

He would like to return to the "Golden Age of Islam" where "numerous traditions" emphasized that the "pursuit of knowledge is an act of permanent worship" and to abandon the current state of affairs where "rampant apologetics" of Muslim thinkers has "produced a culture that eschews self-critical and introspective insight and embraces projection of blame and a fantasy-like level of confidence and arrogance."[3] He has criticised a "culture of ugliness in modern Islam".[12] He is a vocal supporter of the causes of Palestinians.[13][vague]

Abou El Fadl argues that covering the hair is not mandatory for women in Islam.[14][15][16]

Controversies

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In 2006, Abou El Fadl was targeted in an attempted assassination.[17] In 2016, Abou El Fadl, a U.S. citizen, was detained by U.S. border officials at the American-Canadian border[18] Reflecting on the experience, he wrote, “ Why was I processed as if I was a visa holder instead of a citizen? Why was I searched as if my very skin could be a public threat? Why was I left to speculate instead of simply being informed of what was going on and given the opportunity to address the government’s concerns? It seems clear to me that despite my background and public identity — so easily accessible to the border guards — I was profiled.”[19]

Despite Abou El Fadl’s opposition to Wahhabism and fundamentalism, Daniel Pipes has criticized him for his work with The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization.[20]

Awards and appointments

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Abou El Fadl was awarded the University of Oslo Human Rights Award, the Leo and Lisl Eitinger Prize in 2007,[21] and named a Carnegie Scholar in Islamic Law in 2005.

He has served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch. He continues to serve on the Advisory Board of Middle East Watch (part of Human Rights Watch) and works with human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights (Human Rights First) in cases involving human rights, terrorism, political asylum, and international and commercial law. In 2005, he was listed as one of LawDragon's Top 500 Lawyers in the Nation. He has been listed in the Arabian Business Power 500 List of the World's Most Influential Arabs (2011, 2012).[22]

Publications

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Abou El Fadl’s recent works focus on authority, human rights, democracy and beauty in Islam and Islamic law. His book, The Great Theft, delineated key differences between moderate and extremist Muslims, and was named one of the Top 100 Books of the year by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail. [citation needed]

Books

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  • The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam , Volume II (Usuli Press, 7 April 2023) ISBN 978-1957063065
  • The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam, Volume I (Usili Press, 18 April 2022) ISBN 1957063025
  • Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2014) ISBN 0742552322
  • The Search for Beauty in Islam: Conference of the Books (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006) ISBN 0761819495
  • The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists (Harper San Francisco, 2005) ISBN 0061189030
  • Islam and the Challenge of Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2004) ISBN 0691119384
  • The Place of Tolerance in Islam (Beacon Press, 2002) ISBN 0807002291
  • And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses (UPA/Rowman and Littlefield, 2001) ISBN 0761820841
  • Speaking in God's Name: Islamic law, Authority and Women (Oneworld Press, Oxford, 2001) ISBN 1851682627
  • Conference of the Books: The Search for Beauty in Islam (University Press of America/Rowman and Littlefield, 2001) ISBN 0761819495
  • Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law (Cambridge University Press, 2001) ISBN 0521880521
  • The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses (Dar Taiba, 1997) ISBN 1891226002

Selected academic articles

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  • "The Language of the Age: Shari'a and Natural Justice in the Egyptian Revolution" in: Law in the Aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution of 25 January (Harvard International Law Journal online, April 25, 2011).[23]
  • "Fascism Triumphant?" Political Theology 10, no. 4 (2009), pp. 577–58[24]
  • "The Crusader", Boston Review 28, no. 2 (March/April 2006).[25]
  • "Speaking, Killing and Loving in God's Name", The Hedgehog Review 6, no. 1 (Spring 2004)[26]
  • "The Death Penalty, Mercy and Islam: A Call for Retrospection" in: A Call for Reckoning: Religion and the Death Penalty (eds. Erik C. Owens, John D. Carlson & Eric P. Elshtain. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004, pp. 73–105).[27]
  • "The Modern Ugly and the Ugly Modern: Reclaiming the Beautiful in Islam" in: Progressive Muslims (edited by Omid Safi. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2003, pp. 33–77) [28]
  • "The Orphans of Modernity and the Clash of Civilisations", Global Dialogue, vol. 4, no. 2 (Spring 2002), pp. 1–16.[29]
  • "Introduction" in: Shattered Illusions: Analyzing the War on Terrorism, London: Amal Press, 2002, pp. 19–44.
  • "Peaceful Jihad" in: Taking Back Islam (edited by Michael Wolfe. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 2002, pp. 33–39)[30]
  • "Islam and the Challenge of Democracy", Boston Review 28, no. 2 (April/May 2003).[31]
  • "Islam and Tolerance: Abou El Fadl Replies", Boston Review 27, no. 1 (February/March 2002): pp. 51.[32]
  • "The Place of Tolerance in Islam", Boston Review 26, no. 6 (December 2001/January 2002): pp. 34–36.[33] Translated into Arabic for publication in Al-Rashad.
  • "Islam and the Theology of Power", Middle East Report 221 (Winter 2001): pp. 28–33.[34]
  • "What Became of Tolerance in Islam" in: Beauty for Ashes (Edited by John Farina. New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2001, pp. 71–75).[35]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "UCLA - International Institute ..::.. Error". www.international.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "UCLA School of Law Faculty Profile: Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl". Archived from the original on 2014-01-25. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  3. ^ a b c "Moral Hazard" by Franklin Foer| The New Republic| 18 November 2002
  4. ^ The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists (Harper San Francisco, 2005)
  5. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (2006-08-27). "Islamic Law Professor Fears Unseen Enemy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  6. ^ Fadl, Khaled M. Abou El (2018-11-12). "Opinion | Saudi Arabia Is Misusing Mecca". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  7. ^ "Portrait Khaled Abou el Fadl: "God Does Not Have an Equal Partner" - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. ^ Campo, Juan Eduardo (editor) (2009) "Abou El Fadl, Khaled" Encyclopedia of Islam Facts On File, New York, page 8, ISBN 978-0-8160-5454-1
  9. ^ "What the Islamic tradition can teach us about human rights". ABC Religion & Ethics. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  10. ^ "Islamic ethics for the modern world". ABC Religion & Ethics. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  11. ^ "Column: 'Not an Islam I can recognize'; a Muslim scholar discusses the Paris attacks". Los Angeles Times. 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  12. ^ El Fadl, Khaled Abou (2002–2003). "The Culture of Ugliness in Modern Islam and Reengaging Morality". UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law. 2: 33.
  13. ^ el Fadl, Khaled Abou (2014-08-08). "The Tragedy of Great Power: The Massacre of Gaza and the Inevitable Failure of the Arab Spring". ABC Religion & Ethics. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  14. ^ "5 Muslim Scholars On The Permissibility Of Not Wearing The Headscarf". HuffPost. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  15. ^ "FATWA: On Hijab (The Hair-covering of Women) UPDATED". Khaled Abou El Fadl on The Search For Beauty in Islam. 2016-01-02. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  16. ^ "FATWA: Question on the evidence of hijab from a brother". Khaled Abou El Fadl on The Search For Beauty in Islam. 2017-05-15. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  17. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (2006-08-27). "Islamic Law Professor Fears Unseen Enemy". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ Fadl, Khaled Abou El (2016-12-08). "Op-Ed: What message was the U.S. government trying to send when it detained me at the border?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  19. ^ "UCLA faculty voice: Why did the U.S. government detain me, a U.S. citizen, at the border?". UCLA. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  20. ^ "Stealth Islamist: Khaled Abou El Fadl". Middle East Forum. 2004-03-01. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  21. ^ Previous winners of The University of Oslo's Human Rights Award UiO, University of Oslo
  22. ^ Arabian Business Power 500 List of the World's Most Influential Arabs (2011, 2012) Archived 2012-08-10 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ The Language of the Age by Khaled Abou El Fadl| Harvard International Law Journal| April 25, 201
  24. ^ "Fascism Triumphant?"| Political Theology Journal (2009)| Khaled Abou El Fadl.
  25. ^ "The Crusader" Boston Review 28, no. 2 (March/April 2006)
  26. ^ ""Speaking, Killing and Loving in God's Name," The Hedgehog Review, Spring 2004 (Article Included)". Scholar of the House.
  27. ^ "The Death Penalty, Mercy and Islam: A Call for Retrospection". Scholar of the House.
  28. ^ "The Modern Ugly and the Ugly Modern: Reclaiming the Beautiful in Islam" Archived 2011-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "The Orphans of Modernity and the Clash of Civilisations (Article Included)". Scholar of the House.
  30. ^ "Peaceful Jihad" in: Taking Back Islam (edited by Michael Wolfe. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 2002.
  31. ^ ""Islam and the Challenge of Democracy", Boston Review 28, no. 2 (April/May 2003)". Archived from the original on 2007-01-19. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  32. ^ ""Islam and Tolerance: Abou El Fadl Replies", Boston Review 27, no. 1 (February/March 2002)". Archived from the original on 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  33. ^ ""The Place of Tolerance in Islam", Boston Review 26, no. 6 (December 2001/January 2002)". Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  34. ^ "Islam and the Theology of Power", Middle East Report 221 (Winter 2001)
  35. ^ ""What Became of Tolerance in Islam?" Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2001". Scholar of the House.
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