Islamic Ethics and Contemporary Muslims

(5 op)

The course focuses on key ethical issues that affect Muslims as individuals, communities or decision makers. Questions can be, for example:

• How is ethics defined, and what is its relationship to Islamic norms and legal traditions in the lives of modern Muslims? How are the issues that arise in the modern world addressed in the everyday life of Muslims, both in terms of law and ethics? Issues may include, for example, polygamy, inheritance, abortion, artificial insemination, transplants, euthanasia, usury, and the duration of fasting in countries with varying sunrise and sunset times.
• What is the impact of modern science on the lives of Muslims? What ethical issues arise with new innovations?
• How do the changing world and changing realities affect the lives of Muslim communities in different contexts? Changes may concern, for example, family patterns, socio-economic conditions and gender roles.