Renovatio 12: And God Calls to the Abode of Peace

In Renovatio's Fall 2024 edition, 'And God Calls to the Abode of Peace,' we present essays that help us understand and navigate the rising militarism and disorder that our world suffers from today. Several contributions take a hard look at the manifold problems of nationalism—from its similarities to and differences from religion, to its rejection by a key figure in modern Islamic philosophy, to its indisputable and continuing role in the tragic conflict that plagues the contemporary Middle East. Other essays offer a way forward: the role of mercy is discussed from the vantage of those with authority; two of the ancient world's literary luminaries explain the path of transcending anger; and music's role in the harmony of society is considered.

Renovatio's writers provide original thinking grounded in faith and scholarship, allowing us to learn how the knowledge and wisdom in our respective traditions can restore our world to a more balanced and harmonious state.

Contents
Nationalism as Idolatry / William T. Cavanaugh
The Misunderstood Muhammad Iqbal / Hina Khalid
Music and the Decline of Civilization / Esmé L. K. Partridge
Islamic Science and the West: A Case of Collective Amnesia / Jonathan Lyons
The Imaginary Narrative Distorting the History of Palestine / Khalid Yahya Blankinship and Hamza Yusuf
Rumi and Shakespeare: On Forgiveness and Reconciliation / Juan Cole
Can a State Have a Moral Right to Exist? / Andrew F. March
The Exclusivist Logic of Nationalism / Khalid Yahya Blankinship
Antigone and the Conflict of Mercy and Justice / John Walbridge
What Muslims Should Know about Intellectual Conservatism / Jacob Williams