Robin Yassin-Kassab

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*Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2017*

In 2011, many Syrians took to the streets of Damascus to demand the overthrow of the government of Bashar al-Assad. Meer

Ziauddin Sardar sides with the philosophers of al-Andalus in their struggle with orthodox theologians, Robin Yassin-Kassab goes on a poetic journey, Nazry Bahrawi reveals how the Andalusi philosophers tamed the secular, Gema Martin Munoz is dismayed by the works of the Spanish Orientalists, Emilio Gonzalez-Ferrin argues that al-Andalus is not just a time past also a time present, Matthew Carr explores the plight of Muslims who were forced to convert to Christianity, David Shasha describes the achievements of Sephardic Jews, Cherif Abderrahman Jah tunes into the musical legacy of al-Andalus, Brad Bullock seeks to empower women, Marvine Howe meets the new Muslims of Iberia, Jordi Sarra del Pino wows to resist Spain's new Reconquista, Alev Adil and Aamer Hussein receive nine postcards from Andalusia, Boyd Tonkin is captivated by a book festival in Granada, Zara Amjad and Gulzar Haider reimagine the Cordoba Mosque as a sacred space for all religions, and Merryl Wyn Davies gets the shivers while listening to the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras belting out 'Granada'. Meer

In the issue of Critical Muslim: Ziauddin Sardar argues why Islamic reform is necessary, Bruce Lawrence sees Muslim cosmopolitanism as the future, Parvez Manzoor declares jihad on the idea of 'the political', Samia Rahman gets to the root of Muslim misogyny, Michael Muhammad Knight explains his taqwacore beliefs, Soha al-Jurf has problems with orthodoxy, Carool Kersten suggests that critical thinkers and reformers are often seen as heretics, and Ben Gidley on what keeps Muslims and Jews apart and what can bring them together. Meer