bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conference Report on the AMSS Seminar on “Islamic Principles of Organizational Behavior”
Authors: Alkhateeb Sharifa
Published: December 2020

One of the most successful seminars held jointly this year by theAssociation of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) and the International Instituteof Islamic Thought (IIIT) was the one on “Islamic Principles of organizationalBehavior” held in Herndon, Virginia, @fur 12-14, 1409/September 23-25,1988, and attended by 50 people. What contributed most to its success wasthe small manageable number of mostly specialized prokssionals, the shortnessof the speeches (none more than 20 minutes) and the humane schedule thatwas “on schedule” including ample free time for general conversation.The seminar was envisioned by Dr. AbulHamid AbiiSulaymzin, thePresident of AMSS, in his introductory remarks, as a step on the road tosimilar successive seminars worldwide. He viewed it as a way ”to help Muslimsocial scientists acquire the ability and adopt the scientific attitude whichwould enable them to effectively communicate with the contemporary world,”and as a means to undertake a “renewed . . . search for our mts and idealsthat have . . . been swept aside in many cases,” especially in the businesscommunity.In the opening session, Dr. Taha Al Alwani (President of IIIT), speakingin Arabic (rendered into English by Dr. Mona Abul Fadl), presented theframework for understanding the challenge that an “Islamic” OrganizationalBehavior Discipline poses. He delineated the relationship between culture,institutions, and civilization. “Culture,” he said, “provides the intangible matrix. . . which conditions the performance of institutions which, in turn, providethe scaffolding for civilization.” He warned against repeating the mistake ofthird world countries, and particularly Muslim countries, that still suffer fromtheir “misreading or misconstruing the relationship between cultures andinstitutions.” He noted that Muslims do not need to look to Western expertsfor the “values deemed favorable for the performance of a model administrationbecause “our cultural heritage” provides “the ideals and the values whichare necessary for a competent and effective, as well as humane and ethical,administration.” He said, “our heritage provided the models for implementingthese ideals and values in changing situations.” Dr. Al Alwani offered theguidelines of the agenda of the Islamization of Knowledge developed by theIIIT as the environment in which they will develop scholarship and practicalorientation in the field of organizational behavior ...
Islamization of Knowledge
Authors: Hassan Umar A.
Published: December 2020

It is customary among the Muslims in this nation to criticize abstractlythose who have accepted the burden of da’wu and the program they implement.The most vocal opposition, and the most unreasonable and, therefore,destructive, comes from other Muslims who have not themselves consistentlyput forth the effort required of those involved in du’wu. There is in this nationa tradition of catcalls from the sidelines of any struggle. We have a historiclove of castigating moving targets as we sit on our doffs. This nation is aplace where the concept of fan (derivative of fanatic) has grown to meannon-participative critic. I know that this is the case because I have been themoving target of this criticism and, at other times, the critic who sits.This is why your request that I read and critique ZsZamimtion of Knowledge:General Principles and Work Plan published by the International Instituteof Islamic Thought has made me somewhat uneasy. What would validatemy criticism? The fact that for nearly ten years I have been disassociatedfrom those who have dedicated themselves to the Islamic movement? Thefact is that I would like to reengage myself in the struggle without falseportrayals of the last ten years. The fact that you asked me in such a kindand understanding way to express myself in the context of the InternationalInstitute of Islamic Thought’s primary document is the only reason for mycomposing the following comments.I have paralleled the outline of the book in the presentation of thesecomments and notes.PrefaceI was surprised that the preface was written by one of my former teachersbecause when I was a student, he impressed upon me the need for preciselanguage. To translate mau biqum as “fate” instead of “condition” may seemminor but within the context of a text discussing the Islamization of knowledgeit is not a small matter. “Fate of a people” is not really an Islamic concept.Fate is generally understood to mean an inevitable and often adverse outcome.This is certainly not what the author intended, especially in the context ofthe ayah referred to.The crux of the preface rests on the non-neutrality of the sciences. Itis important to realize that the sciences are, in fact, value-laden and that ...
The Transformation of a Historical Tradition
Authors: Al Tayob Abdulkader I.
Published: December 2020

IntroductionSome idea of the past is present in every culture, and historicalconsciousness as an awareness of this past is a distinctive element in totalcultural expression. Hence, it would be a mistake to assume that there wasno historical consciousness among the Arabs predating Islam. However, itwas the religious, political and social transformation of the Arabs throughIslam that motivated an extensive interest in the past and its systematicrecording.Muslim historians developed the idea of the past they had inherited frompre-Islamic Arabia and expressed it in an extensive historical literature. Thestudy of the past in early Islamic history was motivated and determined bya number of factors. This article seeks to outline some of the importantdevelopments which led to a distinctive Islamic historiography. It seeks todo so by an examination of studies conducted on the early Islamic historicaltradition. In particular, three fundamental aspects of the different phases ofhistorical writings from pre-Islamic Arabia through the 2nd and 3rd centuriesof the Hijrah are investigated: the external form of historical recollection;its subject matter; and the meaning and significance of both the form andthe subject matter of historical recollection in the culture.1. Pre-Islamic ArabiaThe interest in the past among the pre-Islamic Arabs is best exemplifiedby the custom of evening tribal gatherings, called majalis, at which the special ...
Third Conference of Council of Muslim Librarians and Information Scientists (COMLIS III)
Authors: Khalidi Omar
Published: December 2020

Istanbul, the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate, was the site of the thirdmeeting of The Council of Muslim Librarians and Information Scientistsat Ataturk Cultural Center in the heart of the city. COMLIS, as the acronymimplies, is the international professional organization of librarians from Muslimcountries and communities, as well as those involved in librarianship in general.At its third meeting seven sessions were held during which a total of 28 paperswere delivered. In addition, 48 papers were submitted and included in thepublished preliminary volume of proceedings of this congress. The sevensessions were titled: The International Muslim Information Network: AConceptual Framework; Networking Models; Systems Interconnection andNetworks; Compatibility and Standardization; Establishing Centers ofExcellence in the Muslim World; Telecommunication Requirements, and;Library Cooperation. All of the papers very neatly fitted the theme of thecongress, namely "Planning an Information Strategy for the Muslim World."That the congress wa,; held under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry ofCulture's Directorate of Libraries and Publications was particularly heartening,for it symbolizes another signal of Turkey's reentry into the mainstream ofMuslim nations and communities. The arrangements of the conference weremethodical and simultaneous translations of presentations between languageswere provided .Most of the papers concentrated on what is desirable in areas ofinternational cooperation, avoidance of duplication of research, standardizationin library technology, and bi bliographical practices. No one questions thesepious aspirations, but one must go beyond what is desirable to examine whatpresently exists, and how librarianship and its associated functions can beimproved. In one of the sessions many participants addressed these veryquestions, and indeed made some very sound and practical suggestions. Atleast two papers-that of Muhammad Ali al-Tasan and Abdussattar Chaudhribothlibrarians in Saudi Arabia dealt with practical issues in librarianshipas encountered in their institutions. The conclusion one may draw from thisparticular session was that national economic and political considerationsare a big hindrance in the way of library cooperation. Librarians on their ...
Family and Law in Islam
Authors: Rahman Mushtaqur
Published: December 2020

Without fanfare, a significant conference on "Family and Law in Islam",took place at the Ramada Inn, Istanbul, May 17-21 1989. More than twentyfiveinvitees from Britain, Egypt, Hungary. India, Pakistan, the United States,and Grand Muftis of Syria and North Yemen attended the conference. Alsoattending were the essential support personnel of the Council of World Religions(CWR). and its Executive Director, Frank Kaufmann. The CWR, a subsidiaryof the International Religious Foundation (IRF) did everything possible tomake the conference a very rewarding experience for all participants.Unlike other conferences, only major assumptions and conclusions werepresented by the authors to set the stage for discussion. To facilitate thediscussions, the organizers had distributed papers a month ahead of time.A certain "pairing" was also attempted, but this was by no means exclusive,and a major part of the proceedings consisted of free-range discussions.punctuated by the Grand Mufti of Syria and his stories on topics rangingfrom camels to watermelons. reflecting on interconnections, between andrelative importance of particular situations.Since the CWR plans to publish, in full or in part, contributions to thisconference, and since these tend to be well documented and meaty. we willonly provide here an idea of the flavor and scope of the topics and discussions.Mohsin Labban of Alexandria, Egypt was the first to discuss the spiritualand moral aspects of the Shari'ah concluding that a woman's fulfilment isin her inclination to possess. By learning to coexist with her husband's otherwife or wives. she may overcome egotism. selfishness, and jealosy. AbdallahNuruddin Durkee of the Darul lslam Foundation, defined secularity andsecularism and showed that none of these institutions provide answers toproblems facing a family. Then lmtiaz. Ahmad of Karachi University presentedhis paper on the role of family in Islamic society, upholding traditionaJ lslamicvalues and denouncing Western intrusions. Other participants from Pakistanwere as varied as their assumptions. Abdul Rashid of Karachi Universitydescribed the status of women in Islam, stating that there is nothing in Islamto bar a woman from being the head of the government, as is the case incontemporary Pakistan. Hassan Qasim Murad, also of Karachi University,discussed the question of equality and equal rights, contending that inequalityof sexes, inferiority of woman to man, was written in the sacred texts, the ...
A Critique of lslamization of the Sciences
Authors: Tilde Aliyu Usman
Published: December 2020

I agree that all efforts shouJd be made to deprive Science as much aspossible of its present materialistic philosophy because we Muslims today are only dragged into sharing the evils of the struggle between Science andReligion which took place in Europe and in which we never participated.But in so doing we must make sure that we have not committed the sameblunder as the Christians did when they sat down to write .. ChristianGeography" in the Middle Ages, which precipitated that harsh experienceof conflict between Science and Religion and which resulted only in creatinga false but sharp dichotomy between the two. It is in view of this that I herebyforward a critique of an article titled "The lslamization of the Sciences: ItsPhilosophy and Methodology" by Ja'far Shaykh Idris.It is important to realize that most of what Ja'far has written has beensaid earlier by other scholars. But the eleven-step methodology for Islamizationof the Sciences he presented are articulated on certain points or conceptswhich others have earlier debated and cautioned us against.On "Philosophical Questions"Most of what has been said under this topic in the article seems correctconcernjng the components of knowledge-source, capacity. and method;acquired and inborn knowledge and their relationship, and the five listedsources of knowledge. All the statements are theoretical. so the extent towhich they could be qualified as "correct" depends largely on how they wereused by the author to outline the "procedure for Islamization of the Sciences"to which the second part of the article was dedicated ...
Toward An Islamic Alternative In Thought and Knowledge
Authors: Al Alwani Taha Jabir
Published: December 2020

IntroductionCurrent developments and the many acute problems facing the MuslimUmmah, especially at the intellectual level, present a serious challenge toIslam. This is why an attempt to outline an intellectual Islamic alternativein thought and knowledge has never been so urgent and imperative. Thiwill, insha 'Allah, help in formulating a clear and coordinated policy withregard to cultural transformation based on firm principles and sound strategy.It is also hoped that this policy will lead to scientific findings.By way of introduction, I will give a brief description of the state ofknowledge and thought. and of the educational and cultural systems in thecontemporary Arab and Muslim world.The Present State of ThoughtWhen examining the present state of thought among the Muslim peoples.three basic approaches can be identified:• The first can be described as the traditionalist approach which,by and large, considers the "traditional'' thought of the Ummahto be self-sufficient and capable of being presented asit is or with very little alteration. This approach suggeststhat the Ummah's contemporary intellectual life can be formedand organized and that the structure of its civilization canbe built on this basis. This approach i often described asthe approach of authenticity.• The second approach considers contemporary Western thoughtand its world-view-its concepts of existence, of life and ofman-to be universal, without it a modern culture and civilizationcannot be built. This tendency maintains that Westernthought must be adopted in toto, and any consequent negativeaspects are the price that must be paid if a modern cultureand civilization are to be established. This view is oftendescribed as mcdemistic.• The third trend, or the eclectic approach, advocates yetanother view. It contends that one must select from traditionalthought what is most sound, and from "modern" contemporarythought that which one considers and proves tobe correct, and weld the two to form an intellectual structurethat will provide a guaranteed basis for achieving what isrequired.However, the traditional approach, in the manner it has been presentedand applied, did not help to prevent the Ummah from falling into Lhe stateof decline and failure from which it is still suffering. Likewise, Western thought,as it also is presented and applied, cannot protect the Ummah from its inherentadverse, harmful and even disastrous effects. The advocates of theeclectic selective approach have not yet presented the details of this proposedblend, let alone tried to put it into effect. All this is conducive to the widerangingquestion: Is the Umrnah going through a serious intellectual crisis;and . if so, what is the way out of it? ...
Remembering Islam
Authors: Winkel Eric A.
Published: December 2020

IntroductionJean Baudrillard suggested we "forget Foucault" because his status asone of the greatest thinkers of the West in this century belied his commitmentagainst state power. A similar criticism may be levied against Habermas,whose ideal communication community merely reproduces and perpetuatesso-called modern secular Western epistemologies. If we take seriously theanarchic thought of Habermas and Foucault, we conclude that theepistemologies created in the past few hundred years are pernicious, pervasive,and truth-distorting. But their vision of the possible world which wouldemerge after the death of these epistemologies is extremely restricted andinadequate. I suggest we "remember" Islam as the divine guidance of God(SWT), which provides the basis for a truly emancipatory meta-critique. Theextension of an Islamic critique into the realm of anarchic thought gives itmore precision and sophistication.Social and Natural Sciences: The Islamic Perspective [1981] lays thefoundation for an Islamic critique of Western episternologies and the rebuildingof the Islamic sciences by exposing the inadequacies of Western epistemologiesand by outlining the guidelines along which Islamic epistemologies must directthe intellectual power of Muslim scholars. The contributors to Social andNatural Sciences denounce the modernized and socialized versions of Islamarising in this century. These versions borrowed their essence not from Islambut from the capitalist, neo-colonial West or from the Marxist-Leninist East.I suggest we characterize the first part of this Islamic critical endeavor asanarchic in that it recognizes the Western epistemologies are neither benignnor local, but in fact carry interest-full, imperialist, dominating designs on ...
ISLAMIC ETHICS
Authors: Ansari Abdul Haq
Published: December 2020

Islamic ethics as a discipline or a subject does not exist at the present.We do not have works that define its concept, outline its issues, and discussits problems. What we have, instead, is a discussion by various writers-philosophers,theologians, jurisprudents, sufis and political and economictheorists- in their particular fields of some issues that are either part of,or relevant to, Islamic ethics. Philosophers like Abu Nasr al Farabi (d. 329/950)and Abu 'Ali Miskawayh (d. 421/1030), in their ethical works, have mostlyrehashed Greek ethics. True, they have introduced, here and there, someIslamic terms and concepts and modified some notions that hurt their Islamicsusceptibilities. But this does not make their ethics Islamic. They do notraise many issues that Islamic ethics must raise, and many ideas they haveset forth cannot be considered to be Islamic unless they are seriously modified.Theologians have, indeed, discussed some very important questions ofIslamic ethics, such as the source of ethical knowledge. the meaning of ethicalterms, and the basis of moral obligation. The views they have expoundedare extremely significant. But they have been treated as part of theology ratherthan ethics, and they form only one aspect of Islanlic ethics. Works on sufism.principles of jurisprudence (usul al fiqh), principles of government and administration(al ahkam al sultaniyah), and public revenue and expenditure(al khara;), also touch upon ideas that are part of, or relevant to, Islamicethics. We have in them an analysis, for instance, of some ethical virtues,a discussion on motives, priorities and preferences, levels of obligation, andpolitical and economic justice.There is, in short, much material scattered in the works of variousdisciplines that can be utilized to develop Islamic ethics. At present, whilethe discipline of Islamic ethics does not exist, it can be developed. Thirtyyears ago, Islamic economics did not exist, but thanks to the devotion ofa number of scholars, we now have Islamic economics. I am sure that Islamicethjcs will take even less time to develop, provided we give it the requiredeffort. Let us hope this conference of ours initiates the process.In this paper, I will try first to define the task Islamjc ethics should perform,and then review, in that light, various streams of writings to whichI have referred, and see what contribution each of these can make to the subject ...
Conversion to Islam in South Asia
Authors: Zaidi Zawwar Hussain
Published: December 2020

From the earliest times, South Asia* has been a scene of invasion. Itis a long tale of incursion. conquest, settlement, and then assimilation. TheGreeks, Sakas, and Eushanas forced their way in as dominant groups andestablished kingdoms and dynasties, only to be assimilated by what Dr. Spearcalled "the Hindu sponge." The push by Muslims into the sub-continent wasby well-worn routes and to a familiar pattern of conquest and rule, first ofSind and the Punjab, then of the Gangetic Plain, and, finally, of almost thewhole of South Asia.Conquest and settlement were not followed by assimilation, however.Muslims retained a separate identity and their numbers, proportionate andabsolute, grew until today a quarter of all Muslims in the world are to befound in South Asia. In 1975, they formed some 97 percent of the populationof Pakistan, 85 percent of that of Bangladesh, and 13 percent of that ofIndia.But these Muslims come from different roots and origins, they speakdifferent languages, and their understanding and practice of Islam differs accordingto their educational and social background and to their regional andgeographicaJ setting. Many of them are of Arab, Afghan, Mughal and Persiandescent, but the majority of them are descendants of South Asian convertsto Islam.The spread and expansion of Islam and its acceptance by such large groupsof people of a variety of ethnic, historical, and cultural backgrounds andacross a range of diverse geographical areas can scarcely be the outcomeof any simple uniform process. Conversion to Islam is thus a challengingand absorbing subject for research. Yet it has attracted the attention of scholarsonly since the last decade of the nineteenth century.What follows does not claim to be more than a pre! iminary and ratherhurriedly prepared survey of the main theories about conversion to Islampropounded by Asian and Western scholars. The dearth of source materialpresents difficulties as "medieval Islam" produced no missionaries, bishops,baptismal rites, or other indicators of conversion that could be convenientlyrecorded by the Muslim chronicler. Hopefully the subject will be a spurto the detailed review and analysis of sources, modern and medieval, whichthe subject both deserves and requires ...
Religion and Peace in the Middle East
Authors: Ahmad Mumtaz
Published: December 2020

This slim volume is based on the three papers presented at the Councilfor the World’s Religions (CWR) conference on “Interreligious Dialogue andPeace in the Middle East” held in Toledo, Spain in March 1988. The conferencewas intended to discuss the role of religion in the pursuit of peace in theMiddle East.The volume begins with a paper on “Religion and Politics: Dangers andPossibilities for Peace in the Middle East” by Rabbi David J. Goldberg.Goldberg argues that the on going Arab-Israeli conflict is essentially politicaland not religious in its origin, its cause, and in the perception of those mostintimately involved. Hence, the resolution of conflict could only come froma concerted effort to find an acceptable and mutually beneficial geo-politicalhrmula which seeks to accommodate the just demands and needs of both parties.Any attempt to seek a solution only in “apocalyptic terms” would undoubtedlylead to more conflicts and wars. Goldberg claims that religious differencesdid not originally loom large as a source of conflict in the Middle East.This may be true before 1967. But since the Israeli occupation of El-Quds,the religious dimension of the Arab-Israeli conflict has become equally, ifnot more, important than the political dimension. For Muslims throughoutthe world, the constant reminder that one of the three holiest places in theirreligious tradition is out of their reach cuts a deep psychological wound.Rabbi Goldberg believes that common to the three monotheistic faiths ofthe Middle East are “certain shared principles” that govern ethical behavior,recognize the rights of other people, and determine responsibilities ofgovernments. The logic of acknowledging and re-affirming these sharedprinciples may open new possibilities of conflict resolution and mutualunderstanding. Goldberg states: “As a Jew, therefore, I have no hesitationin asserting that the Palestinian right to self-determination is just as validas my insistence on Jewish self-determination.”Farhang Rajaee’s paper on “Religion and Politics in Islam: The IranianContext” is an important attempt to understand “the internal logic” of Islamwith regard to religion and politics or the relations between the secular andthe sacred. Rajaee argues that the aim of politics in Islam is identified withreligion. Seeing Islam as a systematic whole implies that “the distinctionand separation between various aspects of life make little sense.” Politics, ...
The History of Islam
Authors: Osman Fathi
Published: December 2020

History is very important from the ideological and educational standpointin addition to its importance as a discipline of knowledge and as information.The Qur’an teaches us, “Indeed in the stories of these men, there is a lessonfor those who can think.” [12:111] Educationally, then, for the new generationsand ideologically for those who are committed to Islam as a way of life,it is very important to get the message of history which enlightens us in dealingwith contemporary circumstances.Some introductory remarksIs it more correct to say Islamic history or Muslim history?Each description has its pros and cons. When you say “Islamichistory“ you care more about commitment to Islam andassessment accoding to Islamic criteria, since not everythtngwhich happened in the past or happens at present on theIslamic scene can really be considered Islamic. Historicalevents should be evaluated under such a term according toIslam whether they are social, cultural, political or economic.What may be positive in terms of a historical developmentor very important as a mere material accomplishment mayor may not be something important from the viewpoint ofIslam. Suppose that we have a very magnificent tomb madeby Muslims, would you consider this Islamic or not?Calling our history “Muslim history“ may draw a line betweenhuman behavior and Islam itself. History represents theoutcome of Muslim practices and each can be evaluatedamrdmg to Islam. It is just a development of Muslim thinkingand behavior- Muslim interaction with other human universaleffects. Muslim history is the product of Muslims as human ...
International Conference on Muslim Minority /Majority Relations
Authors: Hussain S. Mazhar
Published: December 2020

The International Conference on Muslim Minority/Majority Relations held in New York, Rabi' al Awwal 23-25, 1410/0ctober 24 to 26, 1989 brought to the fore some of the little known but significantly major problems faced by the Muslim minority communities in many parts of the world. The magnitude of the problem can be seen from the fact that the Muslim minorities form one-third of the world Muslim population, over 300 million out of an estimated one billion Muslims. The three day conference was divided into different areas of concern. Over 50 papers were presented. Among the topics discussed were: North American Arab Muslims, an Intellectual and Attitudinal Profile of the Muslim Community in North America; Muslim/Non-Muslim Relations in America; Economic Development of Indian Muslims, Issues and Problems; The Turks in Bulgaria; South Africa: The Role of a Muslim Minority in a Situation of Change; The Islamic Minorities in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique; Muslim/Christian Relations in Sudan; Muslim Women in an Alien Society: A Case Study in West Germany; Muslims in Britain: Some Recent Developments; Muslim Minorities and non-Muslim Party Politics in the Netherlands; Muslim Minorities in the Soviet Union, China, Australia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Philippines, Thailand and other areas. 

The first day of the conference was devoted to North America, Asia and Africa. In the session on North America, Dr. Ni'mat Barazangi highlighted the fact that the process of adjustment and integration of Muslims in America had its own challenges. On the one hand, the immigrant Muslims realize the need to maintain their religious and cultural identity, and, on the other, it is not easy, or even practical, to stay away from the mainstream of the majority culture and its impact ...
Towards Developing Contemporary Education Theory
Authors: Farhan Ishaq , Rashdan Mahmoud
Published: December 2020

With the increased interest in Islamic countries to adopt a way of lifebased on Islamic law, the need has intensified for practical and scientificIslamic alternatives to social and economic problems facing the world ingeneral and the Islamic nations in particular.Most countries of the world are undergoing severe education crises andreform is especially needed in education. The education systems in manycountries have failed to develop the individual in relation to social andhumanistic goals. Educational systems in the Islamic countries have beenmostly modeled on those of Western countries. As a result, these Islamiccountries are undergoing dual crises. First, the adopted education systemshave had a severe impact on many aspects of daily life in the Islamic countries.Second, the adopted education systems frequently counter Islamic goals andideals.Numerous thinkers and intellectuals in Muslim countries have emphasizedthe role of education in building a balanced and integrated individual personalityin society. Hundreds of books were written discussing these issues. Variousconferences were held to restore educational thought from the Islamic heritage.The effects of these efforts has resulted in emphasizing the successful roleof Islamic education in shaping the person, rebuilding society, and contributingto civilization.Education in modern society plays an important role in training humanresources to bridge the economic gap between the developed and developing ...
Modelling Interest-Free Economy
Authors: Ahmad Ehsan
Published: December 2020

Muhammad Anwar's "Modelling Interest-Free Economy: A Study In Macroeconomics and Development" (1987) and subsequent comment by Tekir (1989) deserve serious consideration. Anwar's general macroeconomic model is one of the few models which offer a synthesis of traditional Classical and Keynesian models of macroeconomy. However, there are some fundamental theoretical and empirical weaknesses, some of which will be discussed briefly. Although the proposed "Interest-Free" monetary system is based on the principle of competitive markets (Tekir, 1989), it has no explanation for the extent of government's involvement in the macroeconomic activity. Even if we temporarily set aside the implicit assumption of a morally just monetary system, the proposed system of "Mudarabas" has serious limitations. For instance, the government purchases of goods and services will have to be either financed by increased taxes, monetization or by selling "Mudarabas" in the National or international market. (1) The "Mudaraba" contracts will replace the traditional bond-financed method of borrowing by government. If we rule out the highly inflationary monetization method, the only plausible method is the sale of "Mudarabas." It will tend to have the same degree of crowding out as expected in the bonds-financed method. As pointed out by Tekir (1989), the system opens itself to an undue intervention by government and lacks efficient allocation of resources. It is likely that a politically determined allocation of resources by government will be less than efficient. Moreover, the traditional productivity-based method of evlauating the benefits cannot be used. The output produced in the public sector may be evaluated on non-market criteria, an aspect completely ignored by Anwar's model. On a more general level the concept of "Mudarabas" will eliminate the bonds market and replace that with an equity market. This will be an equivalent of the stock market, which shows the strong, speculative element worldwide, an activity discouraged by Islamic economics. The stock market volatility in the U.S. and worldwide in 1987 and 1989, shows that the "Mudaraba" market will have to be modified to reduce the element of speculation. In more recent years, real estate markets in many Muslim countries have shown tremendous overvaluation due to highly speculative activities. An inflationary pressure in Mudaraba-based economy may also be another cause of volatility. Lastly, Anwar's claim that interest rates are negatively associated with budget deficits lacks empirical evidence. There is some evidence (Volker ...
Conversion to Islam Untouchables' Strategy for Protest in India
Authors: Siddiqi Mohammad A.
Published: December 2020

Many Indians were taken by surprise, anger, and dismay by severalthousand South Indian untouchables when they converted to Islam in 1981-82.Hindu chauvinists violently reacted and formed the Vishva Hindu Prishadwhich later occupied the famous mosque built by the first Mughul ruler ofIndia, Babur. Since then many attempts have been made to analyze the causesof the mass conversion which still continues, although not in large numbers.Abdul Malik's book carefully examines the regional and local causes as wellas the consequences of this mass conversion to Islam. Malik explains theelements of the complex social matrix in which the untouchables usedconversion as a "conscious and articulate protest" against a cruel and unjustcaste system. This unique study provides a thorough sociological perspectivethat deepens our understanding of more than 200 million untouchables of India.Malik explains, in the first chapter, the methodological and theoreticalbasis as well as the framework of his study. He raises relevant questionsthat have been answered in the latter part of the book, questions such as:Why did the untouchables resort to the extreme measure of conversion? Werethe conversions isolated cases or were they part of a long-term strategy? Whywas Islam as a religion chosen? Malik suggests that the main variables inthe process of conversion were the untouchables’ “aggressive and assertivebehavior.” While developing his own thesis, Malik carefully examines similarstudies by political sociologists such as Feierbend, Gum, Grimshaw, Niebuhrand others. He critically evaluates their work and draws meaningful similarities.Yet he establishes a more comprehensive framework by redefining many termssuch as violence and psychological violence in the context of the untouchables’conversion to Islam.The second, third, and fourth chapters provide a detailed understandingof the caste system that is the core of Indian politics, the economic, social,political, and cultural milieu of the untouchables, the pervasiveness ofuntouchability in the Indian society, the nature of violence against theuntouchables, and the helplessness of ’the untouchables in dealing with thepolitical power that is embedded in the caste hierarchy of the social systemin India ...
The Sublime Qur'an and Orientalism
Authors: Kidwai A. R.
Published: December 2020

The Qur'an, being central to both the Islamic faith and its practice, hasbeen studied in a plethora of orientalist writings-ranging from such a crudelypolemical one as Alexander Ross's English translation of the Qur'an entitledThe Alcoran of Mahomet . . . for the Satisfaction for all those who Desireto look into the Turkish Vanities (1649) to those with scholarly pretensionsand claiming to be "objective" studies, such as Noldeke's Geschichte des Qorans(1860), Goldziher's Die Richtungen der islamischen Koranauslesung (1920),Bell's The Quran translated with a Critical Rearrangement of the Surahs(1937-39), Wansbrough's Quranic Studies (1977), and Burton's The Collectionof the Quran (1977).The book under review, first published in 1983, recounts the full tockof the orientalists' misconceptions, down the ages, about the Qur'an-theiroutlandish theories about its authorship (pp. 7-18), their assaults on its textualhistory and its arrangement (pp. 52-63), their brazen attempts at twistingits meaning in their Qur'an translations (pp. 64-92), and their bizzare viewson abrogation in the Qur'an (pp. 93-104). Khalifa deserves every credit forassembling so much information. What is more remarkable is that it is followedby a stout refutation of these allegations about the form and contents of theQur'an and an extensive, authentic exposition of the Qur'anic teachings,concepts, and morals, all of which constitutes the second part of the book(pp. 111-205). In elucidating the Qur'anic worldview, Khalifa's discussion issubtle, in large part persuasive, tenaciously pursued, and well presented.Appended to the book are two highly informative appendices on the orderof the Qur'an's surahs.This well-intentioned and detailed scholarly study, however, does notreally succeed in delivering what its title promises. In discussing the orientalists'ventures into establishing the chronology of Qur'anic surahs, Khalifa sayslittle about Gustav Fli:lgel's Corani Textus Arabiscus (1834) and the theoriespropounded by Grimme and Hirschfield's New Researches in the Compositionand Exegesis of the Quran (1902). More serious is the lack of any referenceto a host of orientalists' writings on the philological and lexical aspects ofthe Qur'an, namely Baljon's Modern Muslim Quran Interpretation (1961),Torrey's The Commercial-Theological Terms in the Quran (1892), Watt's ...
Religion, Economics and Social Thought
Authors: Rashid Salim
Published: December 2020

This is a wide-ranging and fascinating collection of papers dealing withthe impact of religion on what may be called the social economy. It is anecumenical volume in that it begins with the Catholic Church then considersseveraJ forms of Protestantism, then goes on to discus Judaism, and finallyconsiders Islam. It should be clear that the volume is predominantly "Christian,"but the effort to include the other monotheistic religions is very welcome.One difficulty in reviewing this volume is that many of the papers areinformative but not representative of the religious traditions they represent.Thus A. M. C. Waterman's piece describes a particular phase of Anglicansocial thought, and the same is true of the one by Paul Heyne. Perhaps anoverview is po ible only for those movements which are no longer active,a in Ronald Preston's fine contribution on Christian Socialism in Britain.I must confess some surprise on finding the vigor with which any perceiveddefect of the market was defended.For Muslims, some of the most interesting points about this volume areto be found in the instances of active politicians who took strong religiousstands. Abraham Kuyper's vision of neo-Calvinism is the outstanding examplein the paper by Bob Goudzwaard, but Waterman's presentation of PrimeMinister Margaret Thatcher's views are equally revealing. Of less practicalimport, but nonetheles equally intriguing, is the account by John Yoder ofthe "First Reformation" in Czechoslovakia as well as the reasons for the neglectof this movement-lack of political support, linguistic distance from We ternEurope, and an ab ence of shared doctrinal formulations.The description of Judaism and the Market Mechanism by Meir Tamariprovides many parallels with Islamic market supervi ion, and there is even ...
The Theoretical Foundations of Incorporating Islamic Beliefs in a Stress Inoculation Program for Muslims
Authors: Abdel-Kawi Ola
Published: December 2020

Little data are available about the nature of stress which Muslims inNorth America frequently endure. Muslim scholars have not attempted todefine the major stressors these Muslims experience, nor have they furnishedMuslims with an inocuIation program that integrates Islamic beliefs withcognitive techniques in order to change stress quality and quantity. Thedevelopment of such a program, however, is not possible without theoreticalfoundations that employ the findings of stress research. On the other handsuch a theory, if fuIly deveIoped, is not functional without empirical datato sustain its basic propositions.Hence, the purpose of this paper is to: a) develop the theoreticalfoundations of the interreIationship between stress cognition and Islamic beliefs;b) present a stress cognition paradigm that explains the moderation functionof certain Islamic beliefs; and c) incorporate certain Islamic beliefs in theapplication of the cognitive techniques of stress management.The Relationship between Stress Cognitionand Religious BeliefsStress is defined as the outcome of the cognitive process through whicha person interprets and attaches meaning(s) to an event. Selye (1974) explainsit as being the negative or positive cognitive appraisal that causes the individualto perceive an event as stressful. Based on the outcomes of the cognitiveappraisal, Selye distinguishes between two types of stress: a) distress orpathogenic stress “which goes beyond people’s optimum arousal point so thatperformance and health deteriorate” (Savery 1986, 17), and b) eustress, which ...
Entertainment Video and the Process of Islamization in Pakistan
Authors: Khan Fazal R.
Published: December 2020

IntroductionIslamization may best be viewed as a macrolevel and a multidimensionalprocess of the sociocultural transformation of a society. For its success andsustenance, this process has to occur in the form of an ever-evolvingsociocultural movement in synchrony and in symbiosis with other institutional,politicoeconomic, and sociocultural apparatuses of a society. It therefore isour conviction that a program of Islamization begun at the top levels ofgovernment and implemented by way of legalistic pronouncements orinformational implosion and/or explosion is unlikely to succeed unless itbecomes a self-propulsive pervasive force located in that particular society’sculture industry. Without this symbiosis, it is unlikely that the objectivesof Islamization will ever reach the grass-roots level of that society, adevelopment which would almost certainly preclude its concretization intoa collective but accretive “social cognition,” “social affect,” and “social conation.”As a result, the apparently contra-Islamic socialization potential of the modemculture industry, particularly the fare on entertainment video in Muslimcountries in general and in Pakistan in particular, will continue to undermineand exert a major pull away from the objectives of any serious strategy forthe Islamization of a society.In the relevant literature, a society’s culture industry refers not only toall of its various transmitter categories of intellectual and artistic elites andprofessionals (i.e., educators, journalists, and writers) but also to its mediainstitutions which purvey mass culture through entertainment fare. Thepresent paper, in line with the culturalist approach to media theory, thereforebroadly conceptualizes the mass media of communication in terms of cultureindustry. It is predicated on the assumption that, among others, entertainmentvideo, by which is meant dramatized entertainment, films, and all otherdramatized and fictionalized fare through such video-media as TV, VCR,and cinema, should be and can be harnessed to strengthen, disseminate,promote, and cultivate the Islamic foundations of our culture. The theoreticalumbrella and the empirical evidence already exist in the video-media effects,particularly in the case of television, the tradition of mass communicationresearch. These can be garnered to project, test, and pursue the entertainmentvideo policy directions of what may be called the Islamic enculturation ofPakistani society. While this objective may not be successfully accomplishedoutside of a holistic framework of a total communication policy- a themeI have touched on elsewhere - some realization of entertainment video’s impactpotential is possible. Moreover, this realization can theoretically sensitizeus to those of its possible cultural functions and dysfunctions which mightfrontally impinge upon the Pakistani government’s Islamization efforts ...
Comparative Study of Muslim Minorities
Authors: Dekmejian R. Hrair
Published: December 2020

Most of the world’s Muslims reside in countries where they are numericallypredominant. As such, these Muslims possess a majoritarian outlook in sharpcontrast to the perspective of minority Muslims living in India, China, theUSSR, and some Western countries. In recent years, Muslim minorities havefound themselves at the confluence of diverse social forces and politicaldevelopments which have heightened their sense of communal identity andapprehension vish-vis non-Muslim majorities. This has been particularlytrue of the crisis besetting the Indian Muslims in 1990-91 as well as the newlyformed Muslim communities in Western Europe.The foregoing circumstances have highlighted the need for serious researchon Muslim minorities within a comparative framework. What follows is apreliminary outline of a research framework for a comparative study of Muslimminorities using the Indian Muslims as an illustrative case.The Salience of TraditionOne of the most significant transnational phenomena in the four decadessince mid-century has been the revival of communal consciousness amongminorities in a large number of countries throughout the world. This tendencytoward cultural regeneration has been noted among such diverse ethnic groupsas Afro-Americans, French Canadians, Palestinian Arabs, the Scots of GreatBritain, Soviet minorities, and native Americans. A common tendency amongthese groups is to reach back to their cultural traditions and to explore thoseroots which have served as the historical anchors of their present communalexistence. Significantly, this quest for tradition has had a salutary impactupon the lives of these communities, for it has reinforced their collectiveand individual identities and has enabled them to confront the multipledifficulties of modem life more effectively. By according its members a sense ...
Revolution and Economic Transition
Authors: Bashir Abdel-Hamid
Published: December 2020

In this book, the author offers an empirical and theoretical analysis ofthe relationship between the Iranian Islamic revolution and the performanceof the Iranian economy. The book in divided into three main chapters plusan introduction and a conclusion.In the introduction, the author gives a profound analysis of the prerevolutionaryperiod with a special emphasis on the Shah's open-door economicpolicies which led to rapid and uneven economic growth and eventually increasedIran's economic dependence on the capitalist world. The author alsoanalyzes the emerging political, cultural, and social ideologies in the Iraniansociety which set the stage for revolution. The proclaimed aims of the revolutionwere listed as achieving economic development, sovereignty, and justice. Thesewere subsequently transformed into an Islamic vision as reflected in the constitutionand the first socioeconomic plan of the Islamic Republic.In the second chapter, the forces influencing the postrevolutionary economyare pointed out. The major force was the war which erupted with Iraq inthe early 1980s. Apart from the destruction and loss of life, the war hadan overwhelmingly negative and permanent impact on the economy ...