The Rethinking Islamic Reform conference, originally held May 26, 2010, featured two of the world's foremost Muslim intellectuals as they provide guidance in the ever polemical topic of reform in Islam.

Oxford University Islamic Society was honoured to have hosted Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (Zaytuna Institute, USA) and Professor Tariq Ramadan (Oxford University, UK) to participate at this ground-breaking conference.

The conference addressed the phenomena of how, in the post 9/11 world, it has grown to be an axiomatic truth that Islam needs to reform. Whether it is Western policy-makers seeking to protect themselves from Muslim extremists, humanitarian activists fighting to liberate silenced Muslims, or Muslims themselves responding to new paradigms faced in the 21st century, all are agreed that something within Islam needs to change. The question though, is what, and perhaps more pertinently, how?

The distinguished guest speakers are well placed to answer. Invitations for this event extended to ministers, policy advisors, think tanks, journalists, theologians, scholars and other public figures with an interest in the field of Islamic Reform.

The House of Saud has controlled every aspect of Saudi life and politics since the kingdom was established in 1932. But outside the Desert Kingdom, little is known about Saudi Arabia's secretive royal family. In "House of Saud," Frontline explores how the Al Saud family maintains its hold on power in the face of growing tensions between Islam and modernity. Through interviews with members of the royal family, government officials and other experts from Saudi Arabia and the U.S., the two-hour documentary also traces America's relations with the Saudi royal family from their first alliance in the 1930s through Sept. 11 and beyond to the present day.

Get a glimpse of the Muslim community on the island of Jamaica and some of the Muslim places of worship. As the fastest growing faith in the world, there are also an increasing number of individuals in Jamaica embracing the Faith of Islam. Learn how Islam actually has a very long history on the island. There are three or four other Masjids (places of worship) not seen on these videos. Footage was taken Jul. and Aug. 2010. Audio tracks (without instruments) are from Muslim Belal, Abdullah Rolle, Mecca 2 Medina, No Beats Necessary, Ahmad Bukhatir and Sh. Mishary al-Afasi.

The Tahqiq ul Amal fi ma yanfa ul mayyit min a 'amal [The realization of aspirations regarding that which benefits the deceased from among good deeds] is a polemical engagement on matters around the issue of isal thawab 'ala al mayyit, that is, the living gifting the rewards of their good deeds to the deceased. The typical Salafi position allows this under stipulations delimited by certain ahadith. The conferral of deeds not covered by these stipulations are regarded as bid'ah- a blameworthy innovation. The traditional recital of the Quran (particularly Surah Ya Sin) in order to confer its reward to the latter, its group recitation or recitation at the grave for the same purpose, the recital of the tahlil and so forth would all, at various levels of severity, be regarded as problematic.