Who Owns the Self? Islam, Obedience, and Liberty

"Between Texts and Freedom: Where Islamic Thought Meets the Modern Idea of Liberty" is a podcast series that seeks to re-engage contemporary audiences with Islamic philosophy and to reposition its rich intellectual tradition in addressing today’s concerns. It aims to explore the concept of freedom in Islamic thought in comparison with modern political understandings of liberty.

The April episode “Who Owns the Self? Islam, Obedience, and Liberty” features the host Souad Adnane, a researcher with a PhD in Public Policy from George Washington University and a longstanding interest in Islamic thought. She is a founding member of the classical liberal think tank, Arab Center for Research, Morocco, and a former board member of the Islam and Liberty Network. Souad is also an economic development specialist with over 15 years of experience across the MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia, providing advisory support to governments and international organizations. 

The guest, Mustafa Akyol, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of books such as The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World (2024), Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (2021), Why, as a Muslim, I Defend Liberty (2021), The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims (2017), and Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty (2011), all of which have been translated into various languages.

The Thinking Muslim, a popular podcast, defined Akyol as “probably the most notable Muslim modernist and reformer.” In July 2021, the UK magazine Prospect listed him among “The World’s Top 50 Thinkers.”

In addition to his work at Cato, Akyol is a senior lecturer at the Islamic Civilization and Societies program at Boston College and the director of the Islam and the Muslim World course at the Foreign Service Institute.

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