Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University After its return to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban are again imposing their religious ideology, with restrictions on women’s rights and other repressive measures. They are presenting to the world an image of Islam that is intolerant and at odds with social changes. Islam, however, has multiple interpretations. A humanitarian interpretation, focusing on “rahmah,” loosely translated as love and compassion, has been emphasized by a group I have studied – Nahdlatul Ulama, which literally means “Reawakening of the Islamic Scholars.” Nahdlatul Ulama, or NU, was founded in 1926 in reaction to the Saudi … Continue reading How the world’s biggest Islamic organization drives religious reform in Indonesia – and seeks to influence the Muslim world