Why Managing Deep Differences Is the Key Ummatic Task Today — Ovamir Anjum | Annual Conference 2026

Chapters 0:24 Introduction 3:02 Collective Action 5:16 Historical Context 18:44 Managing Difference 22:42 Defining Sectarianism 25:43 Virtue and Institutions 27:01 Conclusion Dr. Ovamir Anjum, Founder and Chief Research Officer of the Ummatics Institute, argues that what begins as a problem of sectarianism opens onto a much larger question: how can Muslims live, deliberate, build institutions, and act collectively despite profound and enduring disagreements? Dr. Anjum argues for a shift from attempting to eliminate deep differences to learning how to govern them wisely. He presents five key findings from the Ummatics Institute’s Managing Deep Differences project: the need to move from resolution to management, to understand sectarianism as a recurring social pathology, to distinguish theological disagreement from schism and active sectarianism, to combine ethical formation with durable institutions, and to pursue interdisciplinary “scholarship in the trenches” that brings Islamic normative resources into conversation with history and the human sciences. The presentation situates the problem of sectarianism within the wider challenge of Muslim collective action. Unity, on this account, does not require the disappearance of serious theological disagreement. It requires institutions, intellectual habits, and forms of cooperation capable of preventing disagreement from becoming exclusion, hostility, and political paralysis. Dr. Ovamir Anjum is the Founder and Chief Research Officer of the Ummatics Institute and Professor and Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Toledo. His scholarship addresses Islamic history, theology, law, political thought, and Muslim collective life. His publications include Politics, Law, and Community in Islamic Thought: The Taymiyyan Moment (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Ranks of the Divine Seekers (Brill, 2020), his multivolume translation of Ibn al-Qayyim’s Madarij al-Salikin. This presentation was delivered at the Ummatics Conference 2026, The Strategic Umma: Managing Difference, Thinking Beyond Secularism, and Building Future Impact, held in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, in collaboration with the International University of Sarajevo. #ummatics #UmmaticsConference2026 👉 If you found this video insightful, consider subscribing to the Ummatics Institute channel and activating notifications so you never miss our latest updates. Visit https://ummatics.org/ for full access to all research publications and events. Follow us on UpScrolled, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn @Ummatics Shot & Produced by ⁨‪@islamEDU‬