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

A Muslim yoga boom: although seen as being at odds with several other faiths, the recognition of yoga in Saudi Arabia – the epicentre of the Islamic world – appears to have given a new impetus to Muslim yoga practitioners around the world

Saudi women discover yoga

Widely perceived as a Hindu spiritual practice, yoga was not officially permitted for decades in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam where all non-Muslim worship is banned. But last November the kingdom finally recognised yoga as a sport, despite the risk of hardline opposition.