Ummatics

“Social media or digital media is simply a tool… in many cases it serves as a mirror.”  Dr. Sahar Khamis cautions against treating digital media as a magical solution, arguing that it reflects realities on the ground, including the strengths and limitations, the opportunities and threats facing the Muslim Umma.

Asabiyya, for Ibn Khaldun, is both communal distinction and political legitimacy. But Dr. Malik Mufti highlights the harder insight: it cannot be divorced from power. Declaring shared faith and shared identity is not enough. Without actual political power undergirding it, solidarity remains an aspiration.

Who Needs a Terrorist? The Politics of Knowledge ▶️ Colloquium with Dr. Irfan Ahmad @IrfanHindustan Dr. Irfan examines the sociopolitical construction of the "terrorist" category, critically interrogating how institutionalized knowledge and state-centric paradigms shape the representation of violence and Muslim political identity. Link in replies.

“Rather than critique the other, begin with critiquing your own.” Dr. Yasir Qadhi argues that internal criticism is more beneficial and less divisive than external criticism. He notes that most mujaddids (renewers of the faith) critiqued their own communities from within, drawing on the legitimacy that belonging provides.

How do we remain committed to truth while coexisting peacefully with those who disagree? Dr. Mairaj Syed identifies this as the fundamental challenge for secular universities and the Umma alike. Sacrificing one value for the other is the easy path. Holding both in tension is harder, but it is a capacity that grows with practice.

According to Dr. Mairaj Syed, when we refuse to engage with those who disagree with us, we only reveal our insecurity and fear. It is respectful and vigorous public dialogue that gives us an appreciation of the complexity of disagreements and tempers our sectarian tendencies.

“If you cannot solve the difference, then the goal is to manage it.” Dr. Yasir Qadhi offers practical advice for community leaders facing sectarian tension. He suggests letting frustrations be voiced first, then shifting the conversation from resolving disagreements to asking how people who disagree can still work together for a greater good.

Dr. Malik Mufti advances a realism that is not the amoralism of Western realist theory. It begins with human nature as it is — imperfect and prone to imbalance. Rather than promising a perfect political system, it asks how we correct the imbalances of the present one

Who Needs a Terrorist? The Politics of Knowledge ▶️ Colloquium with Dr. Irfan Ahmad @IrfanHindustan Sat, Nov 7, 2026 at 12 PM ET Register via link in replies. The historical and political experiences of Muslims in India raise fundamental questions about nationalism, identity, and the relationship between political power and the production of knowledge. From the colonial origins of modern nationalist ideologies to the rise of Islamophobia, these experiences reveal how political narratives shape the boundaries of belonging, legitimize exclusion, and influence the ways Muslim political life is represented and understood. They also invite a broader reconsideration of the assumptions underlying modern democracy, the role of media in shaping public discourse, and the relationship between nationalism and political enmity. Drawing on his recent book, Terrorism in Question: Decolonizing Anthropology and the Study of Islam, Dr. Irfan Ahmad extends these questions into a critique of the category of “terrorism” itself. Who needs the figure of the terrorist, and how do political power and dominant forms of knowledge determine whose violence is recognized, condemned, or legitimized? Moving beyond conventional approaches to terrorism studies, the conversation examines the limitations of inherited social scientific categories and the possibilities for decolonizing political knowledge. It further questions the nation-state as the dominant framework of political identity and belonging, exploring the Umma as a possible alternative horizon of political community and solidarity beyond national boundaries. Dr. Irfan Ahmad @IrfanHindustan is Professor of Anthropology-Sociology at Ibn Haldun University and a prominent political anthropologist of Islam, modernity, democracy, and violence. His first monograph, Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation of Jamaat-e-Islami, offered an in-depth study of Jamaat-e-Islami and the relationship between Islamism and democratic practice in a Muslim-minority context. His later book, Religion as Critique: Islamic Critical Thinking from Mecca to the Marketplace, challenged the assumption that critique is uniquely Western by tracing traditions of self-critique and social critique within Islam. His most recent book, Terrorism in Question: Decolonizing Anthropology and the Study of Islam, develops a political anthropology of post-9/11 terrorism, asking who needs the category of the “terrorist” and how it has shaped the study of Islam, violence, and political life. The discussion is moderated by Dr. Hamdija Begovic. Register via link in comments.

Modernity's roots in the Reformation and Enlightenment brought equality and freedom but also an excessive individualism that cannot transcend private interest for the communal good. Dr. Malik Mufti finds no corrective for this within the Western tradition itself. He does, however, find one in Islamic philosophical thought.

“You will not build the iman of your community by destroying the iman of other people.” Dr. Yasir Qadhi argues that even amid strong disagreement, communities should build and teach their own convictions positively rather than attack others. He presents this as closer to the Sunna and Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ  and less divisive for the Umma.

American universities are smothering disagreement rather than engaging it. Controversial topics avoided. Professors reported for causing emotional distress. Dr. Mairaj Syed warns of the consequence.

Introducing Futures Studies: Origins, Pioneers, and Methods 📃 New Publication by Dr. Hamdija Begovic The is the first piece in a three-part series exploring the field of futures studies, Muslim contributions to its development, and the possibilities for a distinctly ummatic approach to it. Begovic argues that nostalgia for past achievements and excessive preoccupation with apocalyptic expectation can narrow our sense of collective agency, leaving insufficient room for disciplined inquiry into what the Umma might become. Futures studies offers resources for such inquiry through its distinction between possible, probable, and preferable futures. Link in replies.

How do you hold firmly to truth without collapsing into zealotry and sectarianism? For Dr. Mairaj Syed, the answer is institutional. Universities should bring people of genuinely different views together for vigorous, evidence-based discussion. Strong disagreement, properly structured, need not produce chaos.

Introducing Futures Studies: Origins, Pioneers, and Methods 📃 New Publication by Dr. Hamdija Begovic The is the first piece in a three-part series exploring the field of futures studies, Muslim contributions to its development, and the possibilities for a distinctly ummatic approach to it. Begovic argues that nostalgia for past achievements and excessive preoccupation with apocalyptic expectation can narrow our sense of collective agency, leaving insufficient room for disciplined inquiry into what the Umma might become. Futures studies offers resources for such inquiry through its distinction between possible, probable, and preferable futures. Link in replies.

Hiring: Managing Editor The Ummatics Institute is seeking a highly qualified and motivated Managing Editor to lead the substantive editorial review of research submissions and manage the day-to-day publication process. The ideal candidate should have a PhD in a relevant humanities or social science discipline, demonstrated experience in academic editing or scholarly publishing, and deep alignment with Islamic ethics and Ummatics' vision. Apply via the link in replies.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in United States prisons — a development prison officials themselves encourage, because converts tend to become more disciplined and less prone to criminal behaviour. Dr. Malik Mufti argues this is no coincidence. People in prison seek community, solidarity, and spiritual fulfillment. In that sense, the prison is a microcosm for society as a whole.