Shakespeare’s Othello Islamic Perspective: 2005 – 2015: Political Ramifications

By: Leslie Terebessy

This work revisits the preceding editions of the essays, published in 2025 and 2015, respectively. As with the first two editions, a decade also passed between the 2026 edition and the 2015 edition. Knowledge requires being "updated" regularly to remain relevant. Tragedy takes different forms: personal, as well as communal. Tragedy is the experience of evil. Tragedy entails the experience of loss of what or who is dear to us. This could be life, reputation, or property. From the perspective of revelation, tragedy emerges when we drift from the Creator, fail to remember Him regularly, and stray into the wilderness. The Book of Allah provides examples of persons and nations that experienced tragedy because they rejected the signs of Allah and perpetrated injustice. The example of Pharaoh is emphasized. But further examples are also provided. In their stories are lessons for the wise on how to prevent tragedy: by following the guidance of Allah. To live well requires guidance. This is predicated on the perception that there is a difference between right and wrong, between what is good and what is evil. The Book of Allah teaches these differences. Nietzsche's rejection of God was a tragedy; it paved the way for tragedy on an epic scale. The rejection of the difference between good and evil paved the way for World War II. The first example of tragedy was Adam's disobedience and resultant banishment. But there is redemption. Allah guided Adam, which redeemed him.
The real tragedy transpires when wrongdoers end up in the fire, because of the evils they perpetrated. Preventing tragedy, requires embarking on the path of Abraham, the path of righteousness. The background of Shakespeare's Othello is the war between Venice and the Turkey. This reflects tensions between Christendom and the Ottoman Empire. The Venetians entrusted the defence of their realm to a Moor: a Muslim. The Moor was a mercenary. There is an agreement between reason and revelation. Religiosity is rational. It is based on evidence. Where there is creation, there is a Creator. Tragedy results from self-destructive or irrational actions. It entails a miscarriage of justice. A tragedy features a person who possesses a tragic flaw. The flaw causes the tragedy. In so far as what reason is in harmony with revelation, acting against reason is tantamount to acting against religion. Allah decreed life inviolable. Islam prohibits taking life without just cause. Parts of the past of the umma were "tragedies in the making," as the umma plunged into wars, within as well as without. This resulted from a misunderstanding of revelation dues to the politicization of revelation. Islamism was a product of the weaponization of revelation. Exegesis and jurisprudence were weaponized to justify the expansionary agendas of hawkish rulers. Expansionist rulers required a justification for waging wars of aggression. As they could find no justification for aggression in revelation, they turned to tradition. The turn was reinforced by the recording of traditions. This transpired in defiance of the prohibition of the fabrication of revelation in the Book of Allah. The recording also transpired in defiance of the prophet's prohibition of recording his traditions. The turn to tradition was aided by the repression of reason. A further expression of the rejection of reason was the rejection of causation. The rejection of causation enabled the proliferation of the belief in predestination. The repression of reason was justified by recourse to a tradition in which the prophet reportedly said that reason-based exegesis is an expressions of kufr. The aversion to rationality was reflected in the war on reason. The struggle against reason was reflected in the clash between the rationalists and the traditionists. The rationalists were known as the ahl al-ra'y or the Mutazilites. Eventually, tradition would be treated as revelation and a 'judge" of revelation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GY8FRS2W
• ISBN13: 9798258513533
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 122 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"