‘Abd al-Mu‘ti Bayyumi

Role box
- Egyptian professor of Usūl al-Dīn at the Azhar University in Cairo, since 1972.
- Board member of the Egyptian Philosophical Association, since 1987.
- Member of the Islamic Research Academy, since 2000.
- Member of the board of advisors of Arab-West Report (AWR), since 1998.
 
Education, Career and Personal Background
 
Born in 1940, Dr. cAbd al-Mucṭī Bayyūmī is an Egyptian professor at the Usūl al-Dīn (Fundamentals of Religion) Faculty in the Azhar University in Cairo. He was the deputy dean of the faculty from 1980-1982 and served as the acting dean from 1981-1982. He has held the position of the dean of the faculty for three periods of three years; 1989-1991, 1997-2000 and most recently 2000-2003. He is also a professor of fiqh at Cairo University. His PhD thesis was entitled, ‘the renewal of Islamic ideology’ and all of his subsequent works have called for renewal in Islam.

Dr. Bayyūmī was a member of the Egyptian Parliament from 2000-2005, is a board member of the Egyptian Philosophical Association, has been an influential member of the board of advisors of Arab-West Report (AWR) since 1998 and has been a member of the Islamic Research Academy since 2000. In 2002 he wrote a book on German-Egyptian dialogue related to the Sharīcah. He has been nominated to assume the position of the muftī and is also a member of the National Democratic Party (N.D.P.).

In addition, Dr. Bayyūmī leads the Institute for Islamic Studies. He is used to answering European Muslims and non-Muslims questions and he describes Islam in Egypt as moderate. Some Islamic scholars consider him a progressive theologian. (1)
 
Memberships
  • Board Member of the Egyptian Philosophical Association, since 1987.
  • Member of the Islamic Research Institute, since 2000 and member of the Committee for Dogma and Committee for Philosophy in this Institute.
  • Member of the Board of Advisors of Arab-West Report (AWR), since 1998.
  • Member of the National Democratic Party in Egypt (N.D.P.).
  • Deputy of the Religious Committee at the People’s Assembly (Egyptian Parliament), 2000-2005
  • Member of the Egyptian Writers Union, since the early 1980’s.
  • Chairman of the Arabic Organization for Culture and Development since 2007.
 
Political/Religious Involvement
Dr. Bayyūmī has addressed many issues related to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), as well as issues related to culture and politics (given the increased influence that the former has now on the latter).

Regarding issues related to fiqh, Dr. cAbd al-Muctī Bayyūmī has called on the Azhar to lead a renewal of Islamic fiqh and thought, stating that all fatwás should take into consideration the conditions or the circumstances of the revelation as well as the circumstances of the present age. (2)

Parallel to that, Dr. Bayyūmī believes that Islamic religious discourse needs renewal and that this will necessarily require a renewal of its content. (3) He said, “The renewal of religious discourse will not be achieved unless the content of this discourse is first renewed. That is why we are primarily seeking to renew the cultural, educational and media-related aspects of the religious discourse. The renewal of the style of the religious discourse comes after the renewal of its content.” (4)

He has stressed that for someone to issue a fatwá, he/she must first have a thorough understanding of religious texts. The historical circumstances of the revelation should be considered as well as the circumstances of the present age.

Dr. Bayyūmī believes that Islam has provided models of government that have inspired the Western world, and from which modern Arab countries would benefit as well. (5) He also maintained that the Islamic state is essentially a civilian one. (6) He believes that the human constitution should come from the spirit of the Qur’ān but at the same time it should be in harmony with the socio-political affairs of the state. (7)

In addition, he believes that freedom is one of the four pillars governing the rules of political practice in Islam. He also says that forcing people to adopt beliefs which they are not convinced of is completely against the spirit of Islam. (8) He advocates freedom of expression in Egypt, and suggests that judicial seizure should be carried out by the state’s authorities rather than by the Azhar Shaykhs. (9)

Concerning the issue of book banning, he has said that banning books does not solve anything. However, he claims that when the Azhar banned Nasr Hāmid Abū-Zayd's book it was in the interest of protecting society against the ideological deviations that threaten it. He has also asked the authorities to implement the recommendations of the Islamic Research Institute concerning banning books that include ideological deviations. (10) He added that the authority of confiscating books as well as monitoring ideas should be in the hands of the Islamic Research Institute. (11)

As for his stance regarding homosexuality Bayyūmī has stated that, “Islam accepts all rights that have been mentioned in the charter of human rights. But with us it is more than human rights. These are the rights God has given man.” (12) Bayyūmī has said that homosexuals are a risk to humanity. Homosexuality goes against human culture and human nature. He has claimed that, “We do not consider homosexuality to be a human right” (13) as it spreads diseases and harms humanity.

Dr. Bayyūmī believes that there are many plots to destroy sacred Islamic places and remove Islamic features from the human character. Among these plots are Zionist ones which seek to change the identity of Palestine and judaize it. Meanwhile, Bayyūmī believes that there are American and British plots to target the sacred Islamic places in Iraq and to destroy historic mosques. The same phenomenon is also taking place in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Egypt. According to him, these imperial plots target education, which help to form identity and strengthen cultural belonging, especially religious education that is being targeted in order to erase the Islamic and Arab identity, in addition to aggravating religious strife between Muslims and Christians in Islamic countries. (14)

His Opinions Toward Other Thinkers
His opinions toward other thinkers differ. He condemned the writings of Sayyid al-Qimnī whom he said has neglected the basics tenets of religion. He also rejected al-Qimnī’s calls for the renewal of Islamic religious discourse. (15) Meanwhile, he defended the writings of Hasan Hanafī, who said that the Qur’ān was not a book of rules. (16)

As a response to Dr. Zaynab cAbd al-cAzīz’s attack on the Christian faith in one of her articles, Dr. Bayyūmī wrote an article on the Christian faith from a Muslim point of view. (17) He also played a major role in formulating the response that was prepared by Arab-West Report to Dr. cAbd al-cAzīz’s article. (18)

Regarding Dr. Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī’s, the head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), latest fatwá allowing the killing of American civilians in Iraq “as long as those civilians are working for the U.S. army”. Dr. Bayyūmī said: “Civilians who don’t kill and don’t participate in battle must be well treated.” (19) Nevertheless, he stated that civilians who participate in battles in some way must be treated as combatants.

The Position of Women in Islam
Dr. Bayyūmī believes that women have equal rights in Islam. However, he said that what is happening now in Arab countries is not related to Islamic teachings but to their traditions. The Qur’an encourages and even orders a man to treat his wife kindly. Allāh says, “O ye who believe! It is not lawful for you to forcibly inherit the women [of your deceased kinsmen], nor [that] ye should put constraint upon them that ye may take away a part of that which ye have given them, unless they be guilty of flagrant lewdness. But consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein Allah hath placed much good.” [Chapter of al-Nisā’ [Women] 4: 19, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall]. Dr. Bayyūmī took part in drawing up the draft of the Personal Status Law for discussion in parliament. In an interview with al-Musawwar magazine, he explained several items in the law such as; al-Khulc, and women's right to travel abroad without her husband’s permission. (20)

Islam and Democracy
Dr. Bayyūmī believes that there is no absolute power in Islam. He said, “No one has the right to control the destiny of humans”. (21) The West's problem is that they associate anything negative with Islam and blame Islam for these problems which is incorrect. Arab dictators do not rule according to Islam but use Islam for their own interests. He confirms that Islam has a core principle of consultation and listening to other peoples' opinions. Allāh says, "consult with them upon the conduct of affairs" [Chapter of Ali-cImrān (The family of cImrān) 3: 159, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall]. So, this is an order from God to the Prophet Muhammad that he followed and that every Muslim should follow as well. Islam does not support rulers who surround themselves with wealth while their people are very poor. He stated that Muslims are not against Western democracy as long as it does not have defects and problems. He said, "for example, when someone wants to be elected he does everything to achieve his objective. We reject this. We do not believe in the principle that the end justifies the means." (22)
 

Involvement in Arab-West/ Inter-Cultural and Inter-Faith Relations

Dr. Bayyūmī is considered to be one of the public figures who supports better understanding between Islam and different cultures, especially the West. (23)

He has written about Islam and other religions. He has explained the parts of the Qur’an that are the basis of its position toward other religions. He has spoken about points of commonality between Muslims and Christians. He mentions two facts in the Qur’ān that are considered the basis of its stance toward other religions. The first one is that there is objective unity between Islam and the revealed religions; as they all have an important common element, which is the belief in God. The second is that the Qur’ān does not describe any religion, whether revealed or not, in a negative way. (24)

Dr. Bayyūmī has stated that banning the hijāb, would deepen the gap between Muslims and the West, noting the case in France in which all religious symbols, including the hijāb, were banned in schools from 2004. He reflected on the widening gap that has appeared between Arab immigrants and their adopted Western societies, especially after September 11, 2001, and that banning the hijāb would deepen this gap. (25) Also, he commented on the pressures put on Muslim countries to change their educational systems, which he believes will have only negative results. (26)

He believes that Islam is often portrayed inaccurately in the West and that this has created the feeling of enmity between Westerners and Muslims. He wants people to work to try and achieve cooperation and defuse hatred. (27) He stressed that Islam and the West need each other, so they should not initiate new crusades, but should cooperate for the advancement of humanity. (28) Additionally, he has spoken about freedom of expression and the importance of accepting the other. (29)

Dr. Bayyūmī tackles issues such as jihād and its association with terrorism. He believes that terrorism has no relationship with religion or culture but that it is merely a political affair(30) and he emphasized that the use of force in jihād is only required in case of attack but jihād by studying was a continuous duty. He said, “Violence is not related to Islam in any way. I have said before that there are some political powers that use Islam to gather people around them. They use Islam as a kind of motive for their political plans, especially because they know that people are ready to sacrifice their souls for their religion.” (31) He has asserted that violence in the Islamic world is related to new political powers and political changes in the Arab world.

Islamic Sharīcah and Non-Muslims
According to Dr. Bayyūmī, there are four main parts of Sharīcah: the religious doctrines, the religious practices [worshipping and rituals], ethics, and laws. All of them are applied to Muslims except ethics, which are, to a great extent, agreed upon by all religions. Non-Muslim religious doctrines, religious practices and laws are respected and preserved in the Islamic state. He wonders why Christians in Egypt accept French law and do not accept Islamic law when there is no specific Christian law.

The Events of September 11 and American Foreign Policy
Dr. Bayyūmī explained that he has difficulties with the explanations of the atrocities of September 11, as he believes that they were associated with Islam in an incorrect way. He said, “Muslims opposed what happened on September 11, Islam is against terrorism in general and against the murder of innocent people” (32) Dr. Bayyūmī has defended Palestinian operations against the Israeli military and settlers, which he sees as the natural outcome of the occupation. He believes these operations occur because Palestinians are acting out of despair.

He asserted that if an individual commits a crime in the name of a certain religion, his religion should not be held responsible for the crime.

Commenting on those accused of perpetrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he said “They had no religious sources or authority for their crime, they had no religious training. The Azhar, the most important institute for Muslims in the world, denounced the attacks on the same day. In one of the most important faculties in the Azhar, the Usūl al-Dīn faculty, we decided that Bin Lādin’s action had nothing to do with Islam. We fight extremism, which, by the way, can be found in all religions. We have fought it for years.” (33)

He believes that President George W. Bush in particular does not make life easy for Muslims as he attacked Afghanistan because he believed that al-Qacidah and Bin Lādin were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to him, the U.S. aggression in Iraq makes Bush and Bin Lādin similar. He believes the aggression is much more terrible than the 9/11 attacks. He said, “Both events are terrorist events that have no religious justifications whatsoever.” (34) He adds, “The very moment the first American missiles were launched to hit Baghdad on the dawn of March 20, 2003, and Iraqi civilians fell victim to them, Bush and Bin Laden exchanged places. We are witnessing a hideous act of terrorism that does not stand up in any law or religion especially Christianity, which is Bush's religion. Can any Muslim scholar, whatever juristic school he belongs to, do anything but brand George W. Bush, his administration, assistants and soldiers as terrorists?” (35) He thinks that the real reason behind the invasion of Iraq is the country's large oil reserves, and not because it had weapons of mass destruction as the U.S. initially claimed.

He says that Americans favor Israel and its policies. President Bush called Sharon a man of peace when he destroyed the West Bank, and at the same time he branded the Palestinians terrorists when they tried to defend their country. Dr. Bayyūmī states that for Muslims this is insulting. The U.S. also describes three Muslim countries as part of the Axis of Evil. He confirms that he, among others, is pleading for better relations with the West but through such statements and actions, Muslims lose control over their youth. He says, “ Americans should understand what they do, and realize that it is more beneficial to have Muslims as their friends than Israel.” (36)

Dr. Bayyūmī stated that Christianity is innocent of the American practices and wars that have nothing to do with the Bible, which is described by the Qur’ān as a source of guidance and light. (37)

Arab-West Report (AWR)
Drs. Cornelis Hulsman, director of the Center for Inter-Cultural Dialogue and Translation (CIDT), has praised Dr. Bayyūmī’s efforts to spread a positive Muslim view of Christians, and also mentioned him as one of the public figures in Egypt who has supported the work of Arab-West Report (AWR). He presented him as a man of principles and dialogue. (38) He also described him as one of the major scholars and leaders among the board members of Arab-West Report (AWR). Dr. Bayyūmī believes that the relationship between Christians and Muslims is generally good. He is very supportive of the work that Arab-West Report (AWR) does. (39)

All in all, Dr Bayyūmī has a valuable record of positions regarding many of the current issues that affect the Muslim world and its relations with the West.

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Additional Information on Other Issues

 (1) [AWR, 2002, 29, art. 25]
(2) [AWR, 2003, 31, art. 18]
(3) [AWR, 2003, 21, art. 26]
(4) [AWR, 2004, 2, art. 8]
(5) [AWR, 2004, 36, art. 20]
(6) [AWR, 2004, 37, art. 21]
(7) [AWR, 2004, 47, art. 4]
(8) [AWR, 2004, 52, art. 8]
(9) [AWR, 2004, 24, art. 2]
(10) [AWR, 2003, 49, art.4]
(11) [AWR, 2004, 17, art. 2]
(12) [AWR, 2002, 29, art. 25]
(13) Ibid.
(14) http://www.kitabat.com/i18776.htm
(15) [RNSAW, 2002, 40, art. 2]
(16) [RNSAW, 1998, 19, art. 3]
(17) [AWR, 2003, week 12, art. 1]
(18) [AWR, 2003, 5, art. 1]
(19) [AWR, 2004, 36, art. 19]
(20) [RNSAW, 2000, 1, art. 4]
(21) [RNSAW, 1997, 43, art. 4]
(22) Ibid.
(23) Yafa’s center for researches and studies in Cairo:
http://www.almothaqaf.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2178&Itemid=31
(24) [AWR, 2003, 12, art. 17]
(25) [AWR, 2004, 11, art. 20]
(26) [AWR, 2003, 42, art. 3]
(27) [AWR, 2000, 8, art. 1]
(28) [AWR, 2002, 7, art. 18]
(29) [AWR, 2002, 20, art. 16]
(30) [AWR, 2004, 15, art. 11]
(31) [RNSAW, 1997, 43, art. 4]
(32) [AWR, 2002, 29, art. 25]
(33) Ibid.
(34) [AWR, 2003, 12, art. 17]
(35) Ibid.
(36) [AWR, 2002, 29, art. 25]
(37) [AWR, 2003, 11, art. 3]
(38) [AWR, 2003, 15, art. 2]
(39) [AWR, 2004, 36, 28].

 
References

RNSAW, AWR.
http://www.almothaqaf.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2178&Itemid=31
http://www.kitabat.com/i18776.htm
http://www.arabdecision.com/show_cv.php?lang_id=3&coun_id=14&cv_id=577721549&show_func=1
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-09/17/article03.shtml

 
Position Toward Dialogue

Open to dialogue.

 
Index
- Islamic thinker.
- Egyptian professor at the Usūl al-Dīn (Fundamentals of Religion) Faculty in the Azhar University.
- Renewal of the Islamic religious discourse.
- Renewal of fiqh and thought.
- Islam and models of government.
- Islam and freedom.
- Book banning.
- Islam and human rights.
- Plots to destroy Islamic sacred places.
- The position of women in Islam.
- Islam and democracy.
- Common points between Muslims and Christians.
- Banning hijāb in France.
- Islam and the West.
- Jihād.
- Islamic sharīcah and non-Muslims.
- The events of 9/11 and the American foreign policy.
- Arab-West Report and efforts made by Dr. Bayyūmī for the organization.
 
Contact Information
Telephone: +2022602524
Secondary Telephone: +2047861724
Address: 23 Taher Al Gazairi - St Zone 7 - Nasr city
(Information taken from CIDT contacts directory)