【July’s Special Open Lecture “Islam Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities”】

For July’s Special Open Lecture, we have invited Yohei MATSUYAMA (Assoc. Prof., Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo), a researcher of Sunni Islamic thought with a focus on theology and jurisprudence, to speak on the above theme.

…Currently, about one-fifth to one-quarter of all Muslims on earth live as minorities, not in so-called Muslim countries but in non-Muslim countries, including Europe and America. One aspect of the issue of “coexistence with Muslims” concerns the nature of Islam in these non-Muslim countries, in other words, how Muslims living as minorities can reconcile Islamic norms and values ​​with those of the host society.

…When you hear “flexible interpretation for minorities,” many people may have the impression that “classical arguments are ignored, and arbitrary interpretations are made in the jurisprudence of minorities.” However, if you look at the fatwas and studies of many polemicists, you will see that this image is incorrect. On the contrary, their arguments are constructed by strictly applying the arguments of classical law. Rather than fighting against classical interpretations, they seek justification in classical arguments accumulated over a long history and endeavor to present novel interpretations that meet the needs of contemporary Muslim minorities.
(“Islam Theology” by Yohei MATSUYAMA)

We are excited to see you participate.

“Islamic Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities”
Date: July 27(Sat) 13：00〜14：30
Place: Annex B1F, Ertugrul Hall
Lecturer: Yohei MATSUYAMA (Assoc. prof., Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo)
Language: Japanese