A conversation with Abdal Hakim Murad -- The corona pandemic seems to have somewhat cooled down the media’s obsession with ‘Islamic terrorism’. At least for now. Sadly enough, when life gets back to normal, chances are that the ‘clash of civilisations’ discourse will pick up where it left off. So, while this moment of silence presents itself, perhaps we should try to take a step out of the many circular debates and rethink Islam’s position in Western countries.

As such, the publication of Travelling Home: essays on Islam in Europe could not be more timely. It’s the latest book of Abdal Hakim Murad, the dean of the Cambridge Muslim College and one of the most influential Islamic scholars in the world, and it discusses many pressing issues like Islamophobia, the ecological crisis and the place of religion in a supposedly secular world. Professor Murad lays out some unexpected approaches to such matters and offers pathways out of the typical dynamics of pure action-reaction.

Since it had been many years since I first interviewed Professor Murad, I was more than happy to use the publication of his new book as a good opportunity to have another dialogue. And this time also making a podcast out of it.