Year: 2019
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Global refugee and migration flows stemming from recent conflicts in the greater MENA region have become a pressing global priority for governments, NGOs, and civil society networks alike. In this paper I analyze the discursive practices emerging in the transnational Muslim humanitarian sector, documenting the emergence of a pervasive ethic of non-secular universal humanism therein. I argue that the practices of theologically informed universal humanitarianism constitute a type of “living fiqh” that can be developed by Muslim ethicists to help mitigate the challenges of religious sectarianism, ethno-nationalism and political ideology that have been exacerbated by the forced migration crisis. If mapped, debated, and engaged with responsibly, the discourses that emerge in the “living fiqh” of Muslim humanitarianism promise to provide much needed concrete examples of cooperative ethics and practical solutions to pressing problems faced by the victims of forced displacement and their hosts. To do so, I argue that Muslim ethicists should integrate contemporary social sciences with the classical jurisprudential tool of custom (ʿUrf).
Source: BRILL eBooks
Author: Abbas Barzegar
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2987601448