Author: Hassan Hassan

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The inner courtyard of Al-Azhar University (photo: picture alliance/Bibliographisches Institut/Prof. Dr. H. Wilhelmy)

Al-Azhar and Pan-Islamic Rationalism

The Demise of Islamic Centres of Moderation

The spread of extremism in Muslim societies in the past century can be attributed to a largely overlooked trend: the demise of religious institutions that once had global reach. Focusing on Egypt's Al-Azhar university, Hassan Hassan takes a look into the matterMore

Niqab Debate in Egypt: Divided ScholarsSocietal Change in Egypt: A Riveting Wave of Political and Religious Soul SearchingNew Grand Sheikh at Al-Azhar University: Fighting Extremism in A Suit and Tie
Front cover of Al-Ghazali's 'Tiber al-masbuk' manuscript at the American University of Beirut (image: www.alghazali.org)

The decline of Islamic scientific thought

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Don't blame it on al-Ghazali

Academics are correct in pinpointing the exact period in which Muslims began turning away from scientific innovation – the 11th century – but in Abu Hamid Al Ghazali they have identified the wrong person. By Hassan HassanMore

''The House of Wisdom'' and the Golden Age of Learning in the Arab-speaking WorldIslam and Enlightenment: A Space for Doubts and QuestionsComparative Theology: Muslims and Christians Discussing Nietzsche

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Aleppo before the war: a photo taken in 2001, when no-one suspected the suffering and destruction the city would experience barely a decade later. It shows Aleppo's citadel peacefully overlooking the Old Town bathed in a golden light. At the time, the minaret of the Great Mosque had just been scaffolded for renovation

A digital archive to preserve Syria's cultural heritage

Countless cultural assets have been destroyed by the Syrian Civil War. The Syrian Heritage Archive Project in Berlin contributes to preserving their memory with an exhibition showing what has been lost — and what remains. By Christina Kufner