* Ijtihad Center for Studies and Training in Belgium
The Ijtihad Center for Studies and Training in Belgium announces the publication of the first issue of “Ijtihad Journal for Islamic and Arabic Studies” in Europe. It is a biannual, peer-reviewed scientific journal published in both Arabic and English, registered in the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) and the National Scientific Library, under the international serial number: ISSN: 2983-9939, e-ISSN: 3041-4679. The journal works according to international academic standards that adhere to principles of scientific integrity, blind peer review, and research quality. The journal’s vision is to address Islam in the West from an internal Islamic perspective instead of the external orientalist approach. This is of great importance in Europe, where Muslims have become an integral part, and there is a great need, whether from Muslims or others, for a correct understanding of Islam based on authentic Islamic sources while benefiting from contemporary academic and methodological achievements. At the same time, it boldly deconstructs external projective, revisionist, and ideological approaches from an objective standpoint.
The first issue of Ijtihad Journal included an editorial and twelve articles, including three articles in English, one article in French, while the other eight articles were written in Arabic. It also comprised three reviews in both Arabic and English and one translation. Thus, the issue was enriched with valuable academic contributions from researchers of various generations and specialties. Different Islamic issues in the West, such as religious freedom, mixed marriage, the institution of the Imam, and the hijab, received substantial research and analysis. The issue also addressed general jurisprudential and intellectual matters that intersect in one way or another with Islamic studies in the West, such as the jurisprudence of reality, the objectives of Sharia (Islamic Law), the Moroccan Family Code, jihad, atheism, Sufism, and others.
The editorial was presented by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Tijani Boulaouali, who reviewed the subjective and objective conditions that dictated the launch of this intellectual and research initiative in an exceptional historical and cultural context for Muslims. This context requires an objective approach to Islamic issues in Europe and the West, with a rational openness to Western thought in general, and new post-modern trends in particular. Furthermore, the Editor-in-Chief provided an inclusive overview of the works published in this issue, aiming to introduce the reader to the most prominent topics addressed by researchers in their articles and reviews.
● The first article is by Dr. Mohammed Dahiri, professor and researcher at Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, entitled “Islam and Freedom of Religion and Belief in Spain.”
● The second article, “Marriage with Women of the People of the Book in Western Countries: A Realistic Jurisprudential View,” by Dr. Mohamed Ghoulbane, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University in Casablanca, Morocco.
● The third article, in French, is by Dr. Youssef Nouiouar, researcher at the Laboratory of Studies and Research in Sociology and Ethnology at the University of Montpellier, France, entitled “Being an Imam in the Secular Republic.”
● The fourth article, “Jurisprudence of Contemporary Reality: A Reading from the Perspective of Unity of Knowledge and Contemporary Issues,” is by Dr. Mustafa Attia Jumaa, professor and researcher at the Islamic University of Minnesota, USA, and the American Open University in Kuwait.
● The fifth article, in English, is by researchers from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, Morocco, Dr. Mimoune Daoudi and Mr. Salah Chig, titled “Preserving Identity Amidst Adversity: The Religious and Traditional Practices of Muslim Soldiers in WWI and WWII in Europe.”
● The sixth article, “The Conversion of One Spouse to Islam rather than the Other: An Objective Jurisprudential Study,” is by Dr. Youssef DIGOUG, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Cadi Ayad University in Marrakech, Morocco.
● The seventh article, “The Objectives of Islamic Law and Their Relationship to Legal Evidence,” is by Dr. Noureddine Karrat, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Mohammed I University in Oujda, Morocco.
● The eighth article, in English, is by Dr. Karima Nour Aissaoui, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan, Morocco, focusing on “The Current Debate on the Moroccan Family Code (Mudawwanat Al-‘Ussra).”
● The ninth article, “Rules for Objective Consideration of New Fatwas on Financial Transactions,” is by Dr. Radouane Rhenimi, professor and researcher at Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, Morocco.
● The tenth article, in English, is titled “Rethinking Jihad and Martyrdom in Islam: Insights from the Battle of Mu’tah Beyond the Western Paradigm,” by Mr. Dennis van Dijk, from the KU Leuven in Belgium.
● The eleventh article, by Dr. Khalid Touzani, president of the Moroccan Center for Cultural Investment, addresses “The Phenomenon of Atheism in Islamic Societies: Factors and Solutions.”
● The twelfth article, “Religious Orders in the Tribes of Northern Morocco: A Sociological Study (Anjra Tribe as a Model),” is by researchers Dr. Mohammed Karrouk Kerkich and Dr. Brahim Hamdaoui from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra, Morocco.
In addition to these important and diverse scientific articles, both in terms of content and methodology, the first issue of Ijtihad Journal included three reviews:
● The first review is of the book “The Japanese Experience: A Study in the Foundations of the Renaissance Model” by Moroccan political science researcher Dr. Salmane Bounaamane, conducted by sociological researcher at Namaa Center for Research and Studies, Dr. Samir Saidi.
● The second review is of American historian Joan Wallach Scott’s book, “The Politics of the Veil,” published in 2007, reviewed by researcher Dennis van Dijk.
● The third review is of Dr. Mohammed Dahiri’s book from Complutense University of Madrid, entitled “Islam and Muslims in Spain: Reality and Challenges,” published last year (2023), reviewed by Ahmed Amir Mohamed Fares, a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven in Belgium.
● The issue also included an article titled “Eliminating Anxiety from the Concept of Sufism,” which is a translation of the original article “Conceptual Development of Sufism” by Turkish researcher Merdan Günes from the University of Osnabrück in Germany, translated by Dr. Redouane Daoui, professor at International University of Rabat, Morocco.
By launching the first issue of Ijtihad Journal for Islamic and Arabic Studies, the Ijtihad Center for Studies and Training in Belgium has added a new building block to its inimitable research achievement, as it is the only independent center in Europe to adopt an objective internal approach to Islam instead of the external approaches that dominate in European and Western universities and research centers. This will contribute to enriching academic and intellectual debate, and thus provide new perspectives on Islam that are absent from contemporary Western thought.
☞ The journal can be browsed and downloaded from its official website at: https://journal-ijtihadcenter.com/index.php/ijias/index
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