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 In
a modern democratic society, freedom is often equated with happiness;
that is, in order to attain true happiness one must be free.
But when speaking of "freedom" from an Islamic perspective,
we must specify what type of freedom we are talking about: freedom
of the self or freedom from the self? Secular humanists
will champion freedom of the self as an essential component
to attaining  happiness. But Islam, on the other hand,
champions freedom from the self as a means to attaining
happiness in this life and the hereafter. In this final session
of the seminar "In Pursuit of Peace and Happiness"
Imam Mokhtar Maghraoui discusses how Islam views the concept
of freedom by emphasizing that the whole mission of Prophet Muhammad
(S) was, indeed, to liberate human beings not only from the tyranny
and oppression of other people but from the tyranny and oppression
of their own lower-self. A very good talk for Muslim
youth, especially those attending public schools and colleges
where their freedom is tempted everyday by alcohol, pornography,
and illicit conduct.
 Other
topics discussed: is there such a thing as absolute freedom for
human beings?, Islam's golden rule pertaining to freedom, sanctioned
polygamy vs. having many mistresses, the logical inconsistency
in the secular definition of "freedom", and many concerning
statistics that echo the dangers of absolute freedom.
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