Fathi Osman
Mohamed Fathi Osman (March 17, 1928 – September 11, 2010) was an Egyptian author and scholar who advocated on behalf of cooperation between Islam and other religions and whose writings include an overview of the
Biography
Osman was born on March 17, 1928, in
Osman's writings, including 40 books written in English and Arabic, were aimed at making Islamic civilization and culture more understandable to non-Muslims and at showing followers of Islam that the religion provided the flexibility to adapt to modern times. The New York Times cited Osman's "monumental" 1997 book Concepts of the Quran: A Topical Reading as "his most important work in English", in which he explicated concepts in Islam for non-Muslims.[1] The Los Angeles Times called the book "a milestone in Islamic scholarship that has made the central text of the Muslim religion more accessible to English speakers".[2] Other works written by Osman covered subjects such as Sharia and civil law, the rights of women, religious pluralism and the applicability of Western ideas by Muslims, topics he covered in Arabic in the 1963 text The Individual in Muslim Society: Mutual Rights and Obligations and Human Rights in Western Thought and Islamic Law in 1981. English language publications include the 1990 publication Muslim Women in the Family and the Society and the 1995 releases Islamic Law in the Contemporary Society: Shari'a Dynamics of Change and Children of Adam: An Islamic Perspective on Pluralism.[1]
He moved to Los Angeles in 1987, where he was chosen as a scholar in residence at the Islamic Center of Southern California. There he helped establish the Institute for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World and served as a senior scholar at the University of Southern California's Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement.[1] Dafer M. Dakhil of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement called Osman someone who believed that "Islam is a dynamic and flexible religion able to engage modernity and the issues of human rights and women's issues".[2]
Osman died at age 82 on September 11, 2010, at his home in
Bibliography
- Concepts of the Quran (1999), pub. Multimedia Vera International ISBN 1-881504-41-7
References
- ^ a b c d Grimes, William. "Fathi Osman, Scholar of Islam, Dies at 82", The New York Times, September 19, 2010. Accessed September 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Woo, Elaine. "Fathi Osman dies at 82; voice for modernism in Islam: Osman wrote 'Concepts of the Quran,' an English commentary that organizes the text by topic and includes his interpretations of the Koran's major teachings.", Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2010. Accessed September 21, 2010.
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