Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World

Follow Dr. Junaid Bin Jahangir as he explores issues of faith, justice, identity, and coexistence in Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World.

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“Somewhere along the way, we forgot to care for our neighbour, and instead began to think in terms of a zero-sum game, that if someone else prospers, then I suffer. In this lovely collection of essays, Prof. Jahangir reminds us of our connections to, and with each other. It is essential reading to help us to understand our common humanity.”

- Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.

“In Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World, Dr. Junaid Bin Jahangir reveals himself as the sort of public intellectual readers are always happy and relieved to encounter: a serious thinker with an excellent sense of humor and a fertile imagination; someone with sincere and unwavering ethical convictions and the scholarly rigor required to critically examine the world and himself in light of them; an author who can express himself lucidly and concisely without hiding flimsy logic behind baffling jargon.

His work merits immediate attention.”

- Dr. David Reddall, Sessional Lecturer - English and Comparative Literature, MacEwan University

“In Common Ground, Dr. Jahangir offers a courageous and deeply humane meditation on faith, justice, identity, and coexistence in a divided world. The essays gathered here address some of the most difficult questions of our time: Islam and LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racial and economic inequality, blasphemy laws, extremism, Palestine, feminism, and the tensions within contemporary activism. Junaid writes from within the traditions and communities he critiques, which gives his work unusual moral force. He is unafraid to challenge religious bigotry, and social hypocrisy yet his voice remains anchored in compassion rather than condemnation. This is a book about justice, but also about the ethics of how we pursue justice. In an age of hardened identities and easy outrage, Common Ground reminds us that dignity, empathy, and self-criticism remain essential to any serious project of human liberation.”

- Raza Rumi, Distinguished Lecturer, City University of New York; Editor - The Friday Times

“This Collection of articles is a work that presents a multifaceted approach to knowledge and understanding of the human condition vis a vis our deeply held beliefs on religion, culture and ethnicity. In language easily understood by a lay person and scholar, many fallacies, prejudices, misconceptions are dismantled in easily readable text for anyone. For me it is particularly satisfying and it reflects my own deeply held concepts of faith, that Muslims are not given any quarter and spared of their predilections of prejudice either. The Sunni persecutors of Ahmadis and Shias, the Mullah Misogynists, the horrible homophobes, the pathetic patriarchs, are all exposed with scathing clarity and finesse. All this is done in a non-confrontational, sincere and compassionate manner with solutions for providing a way out for the perpetrators of impunity ... if only they would pick up, read and understand this wonderful volume!”

- Farhat Rehman, Meritorious Service Medal, Canadian Council of Muslim Women - Ontario Region

Dr. Junaid B. Jahangir is an Associate Professor of Economics at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. His work spans economic pluralism, economics education, Islamic studies, and questions of faith, justice, and social inclusion. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions and has developed courses such as Economics of Religion, Economics for Everyone, and Sexual Diversity in Islam.

Ambrose Beeching is a student at MacEwan University with a strong interest in political economy, public policy, and the ways social institutions shape everyday life. Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World is their first published editorial project. As editor, Ambrose seeks to preserve and organize a collection of writings that challenge division, encourage empathy, and contribute to a more thoughtful public conversation about justice, community, and shared responsibility.