bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Der Islam als Alternative
Authors: Grimm Fatima
Published: December 2020

This small book-Islam as an Alternative-by the German ambassadorto Morocco, which contains an excellent foreword by Annemaria e Schimmel,is remarkable for various reasons. Public interest had alwady been heighteneddue to an earlier television interview with the author which, conducted in avery provocative manner, threw his continued diplomatic appointment intoquestion. However, as German attention turned elsewhere, this issue declinedin importance, making it possible for this very eloquent new Muslim to continuerepresenting his country abroad.Events in the Muslim world, such as the Iranian revolution and the Gulfwar, often result in many misrepresentations of Islam in the Western media.But these same events also engender a never-ending series of invitations forreligious dialogue by people of good will who are trying to understand whatis happening and why Islam seems to spread despite its mainly negativeimage in the eyes of non-Muslims. However, Muslims face a problem here:there are few competent dialogue partners who can present accurately the Islamicside. While representatives of the Catholic and Protestant churches areefficiently trained and very well educated, Muslims in Germany are often unableto express fully and coherently their thoughts in German. They alsousually have not received a proper Islamic education. Even if they enroll ina German university specifically for the purpose of acquiring such an education,they are nonetheless tmined to look at their religion through non-Muslimeyes. And it is these very eyes that most often see Islam as “fundamentalist.,“”belligerent,” and “backward, particularly as far as women are concerned,” toname only the most important misconceptions.Hoffmann’s book is remarkable because it deals with many controversialissues head on, thereby providing handy answers and explanations for thoseinvolved in interfaith dialogue. Many new Muslims may have thought alongthe same lines in these matters, but to be able to present them in a few andabsolutely to-the-point replies is another thing.Here are some of these reizworte (emotive words), in an abbreviatedform, together with what the author has to say about them.Fundamentalism: “Each and every religion or ideology develops on somebasics-called Bible, Gospel or ‘Marx, Engels, and Lenin’-which are considereddefinable, concluded, unchangeable and able to support, that is as fundamentals.The same is true of Islam, the fundamentals of which are the ...
Fundamental Rights of the Individual
Authors: Kamali Mohammad H.
Published: December 2020

Despite the ubiquitous Occurrence of the word huqq in the works ofclassical jurists, a precise definition has never been articulated. Earlier religiousscholars have relied on its literal meaning, while modem scholarshave tried to provide a comprehensive definition. This essay looks intothe definition of haqq and ascertains, on a selective basis, some aspectsthat have engendered controversy and debate. It also discusses the tendencyin Islamic law to place greater emphasis on obligations than onrights. I have attempted to develop a perspective on this and have, in themeantime, ad&essed the suggestion by westem commentators that theShari'ah does not recognize rights, but only obligations.The answers given are partly the outcome of my reflections based onnearly a decade of intermittent research on basic rights and liberties in Islamiclaw. I have tried to advance an understanding of this basic and yetcomplex juridical issue and have related my analysis to the ongoing debateon the general subject of human rights. An adequate understandingof haqq in Islamic law quires looking into sseveral related themes, andmy attempt to do this has enabled me to identify the roots of what I regardto be a petsistent misunderstanding of Islamic law on this subject ...
The 203rd Third Meeting of the American Oriental Society
Authors: Akram Muhammad
Published: December 2020

The annual meeting featured panels on the Ancient Near East and ArtHistory; East Asia; Islam, South, and Southeast Asia; The Ancient NearEast; and Linguistics. In this report the sessions on Islam are covered.The first day deaJt with Islamic history. Khalid Blankinship (TempleUniversity, Philadelphia, PA) explored "The Background of Sayf ibn'Umar (d.c. 180/796) and the Nature of His Sources." Sidney H. Griffith(Catholic University of America, Washington, DC) spoke on "Muhammadand the Monk Bahira: Reflections on a Syriac Apologetical Text fromAbbasid Times." Tayeb el-Hibri (Columbia University, New York, NY)spoke on "The Regicide of the Caliph al-Amin and the Challenge of Rep­resentation in Medieval Islamic Historiography." Christopher Melchert(Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC) explicated the religious ...
Towards a Unified Approach to the Shari'ah and Social Inference
Authors: Safi Louay
Published: December 2020

Forging a new methodology capable of analyzing complicated socialphenomena on the one hand, and facilitating the derivation of rules andconcepts from divine revelation on the other, is one of the paramountconcerns of contemporary Islamic scholarship and the sole concern of thispaper. In dealing with this concern the paper pursues two main themes.First, an attempt is made to underscore the need for reestablishing revelationas a primary source of social theorizing. Second, a primordialmodel of a unified methodological approach for analyzing both revealedtexts and social phenomena is outlined.The first difficulty confronting any attempt to develop an alternativemethodological approach, especially one rooted in Islamic ontology, liesin the exclusion of divine revelation from the realm of science. This exclusionoriginated within the confines of western scientific traditions dueto internal conflict between western religious and scientific communities.While revelation and science were never perceived as mutually exclusivein the Islamic scientific tradition, modern Muslim scholars cannot ignorethe fact that divine revelation is out of place in contemporary scientificactivities. Thus we choose to begin by exploring the grounds for recognizingrevelation as a major soufie of scientific knowledge.The campaign against revealed knowledge, which led to its exclusionfrom western science, consisted of two phases: a) revelation was equatedfilst with ungrounded metaphysics and established as a rival knowledgein contrast to knowledge deemed as true by reason (Locke 1977), and b)it was then asserted, a la Kant (1969), that scientific activity should beconfined to empirical reality, since human reason cannot ascertain transcendentalreality. We argue that scientific activity presupposes ...
Jihad
Authors: Bin Abdul Hamid Ahmad Sarji
Published: December 2020

It is a great privilege and honor for me, as the founding chairman ofthe Institute of Islamic Understanding, Malaysia, to be invited to addressthis distinguished Second Parliament of the World's Religions. Thistopic-Jihad: Struggle for Peace and Justice-is very relevant, as we arestill searching for a universally acceptable world order that can guaranteea true state of intematfonal peace through absolute justice. The world hasyet to be completely free from a number of bloody atrocities andaggression that are direct infringements on human and individual rights.There is the unending Middle East conflict between the Palestinians andIsrael for more than four decades, the "ethnic cleansing" of the Bosniansby the Serbs, and the Somali political and economic convulsion. The relevant world bodies have yet to exhibit their ability to handleand manage effectively, and with the desired firmness and vigor, suchdelicate intemational conflicts. It is quite apparent that the intemationalcommunity seems to depend on the world bodies that serve only the interestsof a powerful few. Actions taken seem to be rather selective, tothe extent that they create a degtee of bias and injustice.The problems of environmental degradation and resource distributionstill loom large despite rapid and unprecedented advancement in scienceand technology. Abject poverty, undernourishment, and malnutrition remainprevalent in parts of Africa and Asia. The world now sees a systemthat concentrates political, military, economic, social, and cultural powerin the hands of a privileged few located largely in the North. More specifically,within this global system the poor South had to "pay" the richNorth approximately 132 billion dollars in debt servicing during 1988. Ithas been estimated that six hundred fifty thousand Third World childrendie each year. If we consider the global distribution of income -both betweenand within countries-we would discover that the richest 20 percentof the world's population receives at least 150 times more than thepoorest 20 percent. What is even more distressing is a United Nations'study showing that "the poorest of the developing countries have morethan half of the world's population and 5.6 per cent of world income." ...
Islamic Versus Modern Western Education
Authors: Roald Anne Sofie
Published: December 2020

The Islamization of education, which is part of the more overarchingdiscussion of Islamizing knowledge, has activated Muslim social and naturalscientists as well as scholars in the humanities. The wide extensionof scholarly fields involved has colored the discussion and multiplied itsviews. For a reader in the subject of Islamic education, this multiplexpicture can be confusing and make it hard to distinguish petween the differentcomponents.In his research, Kitaji has attempted to compare the modem westernand Islamic educational systems. He has divided his research into fourmain parts. First he gives an outline of national education. In this part, hedeparts from the problems faced by the Japanese educational system,where the drop-out rates have nearly doubled in the last ten years. In thecase of Japan, he finds that the curriculum is rigid and does not take intoaccount individual differences in the ability to absorb information. Hefurther argues that the psychological atmosphere discourages pupils, forthe system tries to control them by regulating their attitudes and psychicalappearance (i.e., hair-style and clothes).From the particularity of Japanese schooling, he turns to a descriptionof the western educational system in general. What Kitaji does is to generalizethe western educational system in terms of Japanese actual experiences,western educational philosophy (mostly French), and westerndomestic critics. This results in a generalization that is far too broad, andI, who live in Sweden, tecognize only a few of the author’s characteristicsof the western educational system. However, Kitaji makes an importantpoint, which I assume pertains nearly to all western countries’national educational system: neglecting the pupils’ identity formation, particularlythe spiritual part. He also emphasizes the fact that nationaleducation is based upon the state’s demands rather than the pupils’ individualneeds. Although Kitaji stresses the state’s role in the developmentof structure and of curriculum, his recurrent emphasis of the state’s rolein curriculum development makes it difficult to grasp whose conscious orunconscious forces are actually working. The research would maybe bemore substantial if some comments had been made on this subject ...
EDITORIAL
Authors: Syeed Sayyid M.
Published: December 2020

This is the last issue of AJISS that I have planned and edited. I havebeen associated with this journal since we named it AJISS and coined theterm "Islamic social science." These years have been characterized by agreat struggle to define and to develop Islamic social sciences and toidentify scholam both here and abroad who were willing and qualified towork for the intellectual reform of the ummah.Being involved in a movement during its formative period is a greatchallenge. Now that AJISS has been produced for ten yeam, the vision ofIslamic social sciences is much clearer, the potential writers have beenidentified, prominent scholars in the related fields have been drawn intothe debate, and many young wseamhers are taking a cue for their futureprojects from the issues raised in AJISS. We are greatful to AlmightyAllah for granting us success in this mission and hope that the journalwill continue to provide a healthy forum for intellectual dialogue. Onceagain I have been called upon to take up a new challenge. After a decadeof mobilizing Muslim intellectuals and involving both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars in a debate about the relevance of Islam to contemporarylife, I will be dedicating more of my energies to developing an Islamicvision for North America in my new role as Secretary General of theIslamic Society of North America (ISNA).The Islamic Society of Notth America grew out of the former MuslimStudents Association of the United States and Canada (MSA). This latterorganization was born and brought up in university campuses and thushas a rich intellectual tradition and a great inhetent potential. TheAssociation of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), the ccqxmsor of AJISS,is one of the affiliates of ISNA, as is the MSA. This makes the pool ofMuslim social scientists and students available to ISNA for developingits plans and programs based on an informed analysis and a soundmethodology.In the United States, we are engaged in community formation and theestablishment of Islamic educational, economic, social, and other institutions.Muslims are playing a positive and historic role in making Islamundetstood and relevant through their contributions and presence. The ...
Religious Belief and Scientific Belief
Authors: Mahdi Muhsin
Published: December 2020

"Are those who know and those whodo not know equal!?" (Qur'an 39:9)What we tend nowadays to call "science" in the MITOW or strict sensecove= the latest developments and discoveries in the mathematical,physical, and biological sciences. Yet the expression continues to be usedin a wider sense, one that covers our contemporary social sciences andoccasionally human Sciences (including perhaps the science of religion)as well. If, when speaking of the Islamic perspective on, or conception of,religious belief, scientific belief, and the relation between them, we meanto'address the entire Islamic tradition, we will invariably be faced withan impossible task. To do this successfully, we would have to start fromthe Qur'an and go through Islamic history century by century, if notgeneration by generation, and see how the Qur'anic perspective wasrealized by the Muslim community in diverse regions and disciplines.This process would reveal what tensions and conflicts arose, how thesewere resolved, and what happened when the Muslim world was facedwith the adoption of what we now call "science."Putting this task aside, we can perhaps touch on a few points in thatlong and complex history. First of all, we will speak briefly of theQur'anic perspective and then say a few words about how the differentsciences, when developed, were organized into a general scheme ofhuman knowledge and how this organization implies a certain view of therelation between religious belief and scientific belief. This talk willconclude with the raising of some questions regarding what we understandby the term "Islamic science" when we use it as a historical orclassificatory notion.The Qur'anic PerspectiveThe Arabic expressions in the Qur'an that are used to signify mentaldiscipline and usually translated into English as "science" are primarilytwo: 'ilm, normally rendered as "science" or "knowledge" (a faculty ofsciences is regularly called kulhyat al 'ulum in Arabic, 'ulum being theplural of 'ilm) and &huh, normally tendered as "wisdom." To begin ...
The New Cold War
Authors: Karbal Mohamed
Published: December 2020

The collapse of the Soviet Union, which resulted in the demise of thefonner bipolar system in international relations, has led writers to offerpredictions about the future framework of international political relationships.Francis Fukuyama posits the end of history as a result of the endof the cold war. Samuel Hlllltington speculates that the post-cold warworld will be divided according to differences in civilizations: a "clashof civilizations." Unlike Hwttington, Mark Juergensmeyer argues that anyfuture conflict will have a religious nature. Hwttington predicts that thestruggle will occur on the international level, whereas Juergensmeyer saysit will take place on the nation-state level, for religious nationalism willchallenge the dominant secular ideology that now rules nation-states.Before proceeding, two important elements asserted by Juergensmeyershould be kept in mind: the conflict between secular nationalismand religious nationalism will take place in the Third World and will beconfined to the borders of the nation-state. In other words, Islamic movementswill not be united and their concern will be limited to their respectivecmmtries. Based on these assertions, we can assume that the WestwiH remain secular and unthreatened by religious revolts, and that theconflict may develop from the national to the international level (i.e.,between western secular states and nonwestem nation-states dominatedby religious groups).The book is based on interviews conducted by the author withleaders of various religious groups and an analysis of their writings. Muslim,Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish movements are studied. In thefirst chapter, "The Loss of Faith in Secular Nationalism," the authorexamines the emergence of nationalism in the Third World through theworks of Hans Kohn and Donald Smith. The main theme here is the religiousrejection of secular nationalism. He asserts that secular nationalistsare perceived by religious nationalists as partners in a western-led globalconspiracy against religion:An example occurred in 1991 during the Gulf War: Islamic politicalgroups in Egypt reversed their initial condemnation of Iraq'sinvasion of Kuwait when the United States sent thousands of ...
Banking and Finance
Authors: Suliman Osman
Published: December 2020

This book features a selection of articles dealing with interest (riba)and other related issues and is mainly an appraisal of the interest-freesystem as an alternative to the western fixed-rate system. Seven essaysdeal with the experience of Islamic banking in Pakistan. Ziauddin Ahmedand Nawazish A. Zaidi highlight some of the concerns associated withimplementing Islamic banking practices. Although these cancems atequite real, the appmh is more anecQtal than empirical. nK essays ofGhulam Khan, D. M. Qureshi, and Tariq Hassan, as well as the StateBank of Pakistan's article on Islamic modes of financing, provide prudentdescriptions of how Islamic financial instnunen ts have been implementedin Pakistan. They also discuss various problems, a common one beingthat most (if not all) Islamic countries ate developing countries and,therefore, the transition to Islamic banking is inseparable from the mdimentarynature of their present banking systems.Jalees A. Faruqui's article analyzes some of the ideologicaldiffemces between the Islamic, capitalist, and socialist ecoflofILic systems.The capitalist system is Qminated by individualism and selfintetest,whems a staple element of the socialist system is the conceptof class warfare. The Islamic system differs from the other two in oneimportant way: it gives people individual rights, but in the context ofcaring for others. 'This characteristic means that an equitable distributionof h m e is an inherent, rather than an institutionalized, part of thesystem The final article in this section, by Haqqani, makes the point thata mudarbah certificak is nothing but a share certificate ...
Material Culture in Central Asia and the Middle East II
Authors: Kucukcan Talip
Published: December 2020

A two-day conference on material culture in the Islamic Middle F.astand Central Asia with special reference to the innovation and diffusonof technology in the areas of engineering, architecture, carpet manufacture,and medicine, among others, was held in London between 5-6 May1994. It was hosted by the School of Oriental and African Studies(SOAS), University of London, United Kingdom. As conveners of theconference, Keith McLachlan (SOAS, University of London, UK) andRichard Tapper (SOAS, University of London, UK) pointed out that itwas the latest in a series of conferences to be held at SOAS on variousaspects of material culture. Earlier ones were entitled "Culinaty Culturesof the Middle Fat" (April 1992)," The Language of Dress in the MiddleEast" (November 1992), and the first conference on #Material Culture inCentral Asia and the Middle Fast" (June 1993).Participants reviewed nomadic, pastoralist, cultivator, and urban systemsand assessed the regions' role as centers for innovation and the diffusionof technologies, principally during the Islamic period. The firstscsmon of the conference's keynote speech was chaired by GhaziAlgosaibi (Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Kingdom) andincluded a revealing paper titled "Arab and Islamic Contributions to Euro­pean Civilization." Rifat Ebied (professor of Semitic Studies, Universityof Sydney, Australia, and currently Visiting Fellow, Trinity Hall, Cambridge,UK) elaborated upon the historical issues concerning the productionof knowledge in the Muslim world and its transmission to Europe viaeducational establishments. Ebied pointed out that the Arabs inherited thescientific tradition of late antiquity, preserved and expanded it withvaluable additions, and finally passed it on to Europe. He outlined themajor segments of the Muslim world's massive contribution to westerncivilization, focusing on the influence of the Islamic legacy on Europe inthe various fields of knowledge, with particular emphasis on the Islamicorigins of the system of higher education (i.e., the creation of the universityas an institution). In the second session, Donald Hill read a paperentitled "Science and Technology in Islamic Building Construction,* inwhich he examined some of the scientific and technological content of ...
The Rights of the Accused in Islam (Part Two)
Authors: Al ‘Alwani Taha J.
Published: December 2020

Under the law of Islam, the accused enjoys many rights. Thesewill be summarized below.The Right to a DefenseThe accused has the right to defend himselfherself against anyaccusation. This may be accomplished by proving that the evidencecited is invalid or by presenting other evidence that contradicts it. Inany case, the accused must be allowed to exercise this right so that theaccusation does not turn into a conviction. An accusation means thatthere is the possibility of doubt, and just how much doubt there is willdetermine the amount and parameters of defense. By comparing theevidence presented by the defense with that of the party making theaccusation, the truth will become clear-which is, after all, the objectiveof the investigation.Therefore, self-defense is not only the right of the accused to useor disregard as helshe pleases, but is also the right and the duty ofsociety as a whole. If it is in the best interests of an individual not tobe convicted when he/she is in fact innocent, the interests of societyare no less important. It is the society’s concern that the innocent arenot convicted and that the guilty do not escape punishment. It is forthis reason that the Shari‘ah guarantees the right to a defense, andprohibits its denial under any circumstances and for any reason ...
Russia's Muslim Frontiers
Authors: Ahrari M. E.
Published: December 2020

The sudden independence of five Muslim Central Asian countries-Khazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-and one Muslim country in the Transcaucasus regionAzerbaijan-has surprised even the international scholarly community.When the former Soviet Union was alive and well, there were "Sovietscholars," a rubric that largely included specialists on Russia, Ukraine,and the Baltic states. Western scholars were almost never inclined tospecialize in, or to give any serious attention to, the Muslim regions ofthe Soviet Union. This neglect was also reflected in their evaluations ofthe problems of this region, as can be seen by the uncritical acceptanceof the Soviet vocabulary. For instance, the Qorabashi armed resistancein Muslim Central Asia was labeled the "Basmachi" (or bandit) movementby the Soviet Union and its scholars. This phrase was also used bywestern scholars.Now there is no more Soviet Union, the cold war has entered history,and there are six new Muslim republics. These developments haveengendered a renewed interest in these republics, as can be seen by thenumber of recently published books that have been devoted to them.Although some of them have been hurriedly compiled, others have beenwritten with a lot of forethought and balanced analysis.Eickelman's present anthology definitely falls into the latter category.In fact, to the best of my knowledge, his anthology is one of thefirst books that raises the question of whether the above-mentionedQorabashi movement was indeed an armed struggle against the Sovietimperial masters or was a "bandit" movement as portrayed by Sovietscholars. This book comprises four parts: "International and RegionalPerspectives," "Central Asia " "Afghanistan and Iran," and "Pakistan."The first two sections formulate the essence of this study. Eickelman'sintroduction, in my estimation, is certainly one of the best chapters. Itis unfortunate that he did not include more of his writing in this book.His review of the literature on modernization theories and orientalismin this chapter will be read by students of Central Asia and the MiddleEast with interest.Other noteworthy contributions are the two essays by RichardCottam and Gregory Kornyenko. It is refreshing to read Cottam's ...
Islamic Resurgence and the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Mutalib Hussin
Published: December 2020

The Image and Impact of Islamic Resurgence The global phenomenon of Islamic resurgence (or Islamic revival­ism). which has caught the attention of Muslims and non-Muslims, has impacted the world community in many different ways. Much of this reassertiveness of the Islamic ethos has been discussed and published.' Feeling somewhat threatened by the "rise of Islam" as it were, the gen­eral non-Muslim and western attitude has been one of suspicion and awe: such Muslim "fundamentalist" behavior and trends, it was argued, had to be checked or even thwarted, or else Muslims would make life difficult for others. There were some exceptions to such a negative atti­tude and response. but by and large such a wariness had permeated the thinking of many non-Muslims, including western powers and the non­Muslim world generally. This mindset lingers until today as the world approaches the arrival of the twenty-first century-manifest, for instance. in the "clash of civi­lization" thesis postulated by the well-known Harvard professor, Samuel Hun-tington recently. Even more recent was the declaration by both the French Defense Minister and the NATO secretary-general that the world today is facing a new threat after the fall of communism, that of Islamic fundamentalism, and their call for the West to bolster support only to what he called moderate Muslim regimes.2 The behavior and actions of fanatics and extremists, both Muslim and non-Muslim, the world over, have exacerbated the problem and, consequently, worsened the poor image that people have of Muslims and Islam ...
Avenues of Participation
Authors: Zuhur Sherifa
Published: December 2020

Singerman's work calls for the field of political science to redefine its notions of political participation in the context of developing societies. Determining the efficacy of the state's distribution of public goods and measuring the degree of popular participation in politicaJ activity are two of the five components of political development in the literature on which young political scientists have cut their teeth for several decades (Almond and Verba, 1963 ). Singerman is not challenging these notions, but rather marking the territory opened for her research on the informal economy and the so-called household politics since the earlier works of development theory gained ascendance. Arguments regarding the importance of the informaJ economy have been made earlier with regard to Egypt, notably by such scholars as Mah­moud Abdel-Fadil ( 1975, 1980), John Waterbury (1983), Robert Mabro (1974), Abdel Khalak and Tignor (1982), and Ibrahim Oweiss (1990). Other research examining the household level of the economy has been done by Homa Hoodfar (1988, 1990), with whom Singerman bas collab­orated, and by such CEDEJ participants as Nadia Khouri-Dagher, Ragui Assaad, and others (Egypte Recompositions 1988) ...
The Fourth Congress of Muslim Librarians and Information Scientists
Authors: Monastra Yahya
Published: December 2020

This conference was a rare occasion for Muslim scientists and scholarsto assemble and discuss the challenges facing the ummah. Inauguratedby Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, the president of Pakistan, the conferenceconsisted of fifty papers presented in eight inaugural and plenary sessions.The issues discussed were of both theoretical and practical import.The theoretical papers focused on such questions as the nature and significanceof science, the concept of Islamic science, and Islamic epistemology.According to Ziauddin Sardar, who gave the public lecture "IslamicScience: The Way Ahead," science is a highly complex and multilayeredactivity, for no single and simple description of science can reveal its truenature; no romantic ideal can describe its real character; no sweepinggeneralization can uncover its authentic dimensions. In particular,both the extreme positions of scientific fundamentalism andfundamentalist relativism are untenable.He stated that science has been under the influence of the dominantwestern paradigm and that the selection of research priorities is of fundamentalimportance in scientific research, for "often it is the source of fundingthat defines what problem is to be investigated.'' Some 80 percent ofAmerican research is funded by the "military-industrial complex" and isgeared to producing military and industrial equipment.As modem science is based on western values and the priority given toscientific investigation is determined by western requirements, sciencemust be indigenized. Muslim countries have a valuable and untapped reservoirof knowledge and experience. so such an indigenization would be likea rediscovery. But this process, Sardar maintains, "must begin by a rejectionof both the axioms about nature, universe, time, and humanity as wella5 the goals and direction of western science and the methodology whichhac; made meaningless reductionism, objectification of nature, and tortureof animals its basic approach." By Islamic science he means a scientificactivity pursued within the framework of a set of fundamental Islamic concepts.Sardar supports the concepts, identified by Muslim scientists at theStockholm Seminar (1981), that should shape the science policies ofMuslim societies: tawhid (unity), khilafah (trusteeship), 'ibadah (worship) ...
New Discourses and Modernity in Postrevolutionary Iran
Authors: Irfani Suroosh
Published: December 2020

Iran’s social and cultural climates seem to have undergone a relativerelaxation in recent years. The end of the Iran-Iraq war (1988), the deathof Ayatollah Khomeini (1989), and the emergence of Ali Akbar HashemiRafsanjani as president are some of the factors affecting this development.A cursory analysis of the level of literate intellectual culture-print media, film industry, literature, and music-reveals the range andnature of some cultural activities in post-1979 Iran. For example, between1981-91, the number of book titles published annually increased from3,500 to 8,600, periodicals from 100 to 501, and public libraries from 415to 550 units, while the number of people using libraries rose from 4 million(1981) to 14 million (1991). In the film industry, despite a vigilantcensor, Iranian cinema matured and acquired a new character, a developmentdescribed as “the most stimulating event in arts” over the lastdecade. More films were made by the local film industry and screened ininternational film festivals in 1990-91 than during any single year prior tothe 1979 revolution.A paradoxical linkage between constraints on cultural activities andthe flowering of creative potential also applies to music. DespiteKhomeini’s fatwa banishing music from the national radio and TV for atime,’ it is now claimed that the creative range of modem Persian musicis unmatched in the sixty years of its recorded history. In literature, theemergence of new writers, new experiments in form and technique, aswell as a phenomenal growth in the readership, sale, and publication ofworks by contemporary Iranian authors have enriched the cultural sceneconsiderably? With sales of each best-selling title running between15,000 to 35,000, together with the impressive quality of the works produced,the literary arena appears to be more buoyant than at any otherperiod of recent Iranian history.” ...
Accommodation and Acceptance of Non-Muslim Communities within the Malaysian Political System
Authors: Mazaffar Chandra
Published: December 2020

To what extent has the Malaysian political system accommodatednon-Malay and non-Muslim communities? Why has this happened, andhow should political accommodation develop in the future?BackgroundTo understand the accommodation of non-Malay and non-Muslimcommunities, one must have a clear view of Malaysian history. Present-dayMalaysieit is worth repeating over and over agaik-evolved from aMalay-Muslim- polity. The illustrious Melaka kingdom, with Malay as itslanguage and Islam as its religion, marked the genesis of this polity, which,in a sense, has remained an integral part of this region for more than fivecenturies. Although this kingdom ended in 1511, its successor states retainedthe defining characteristics of Malay-Muslim polities in relation tolanguage, religion, culture, politics, and administration. British colonialismacknowledged these sultanates as Malay-Muslim polities and concludedtreaties and agreements with them on that basis.The vast demographic transformation wrought by colonialism did notchange the nature of these polities, for the Chinese and Indian immigrantsof the early twentieth century remained largely “on the outside”: they werepart of the economic enclaves created by colonial rule. Neither the colonialadministration nor the Malay rulers regarded them as citizens.It was only after the Second World War that the situation changed dramatically.Many Chinese and Indians-the overwhelming majority ofwhom were first generation immigrants-were given citizenship rights on ...
Classification of Sciences in Islamic Thought
Authors: Al Najjar Abdul Majid
Published: December 2020

The classification of sciences is not a purely descriptive science, for its aim is not limited to providing a statistical survey of existing human knowledge and to arranging the sciences in order to present a report describing what is already there so that it can be built upon in the framework of general epistemological growth. This science, rather, carries under its descriptive appearance an evaluative standard that views the description of existing sciences as a foundation for what should take place in the mind's orientations toward subjects of knowl­edge. This can occur on an educational level, by pointing toward the manner of comprehending and assimilating sciences, or on a creative level. by pointing toward new areas of intellectual discovery in accor­dance with what is necessary for the advancement of human life. Thus. this science bears some similarity to history, in its descriptive appear­ance of what is there in the field of human knowledge, and to logic, in its defining of what should take place in the processes of the intellect. As a result, it is called the "logic of sciences" and is simultaneously descriptive and evaluative. However its descriptive aspect, which likens it to history, and its evaluative aspect. which draws it toward logic, does not mean that it is "objective," as are history and logic. This is because its evaluative aim is not based on the primeval issues of the intellect, as are logic and other objective sciences, but on the existential situation of human­ity, in what the individual perceives of the reality of existence and his/her own position in that reality. Upon this perception is based the formulation of a science classification method that is in harmony with the situation that is subservient to the destiny drawn for itself by humanity ...
Islam and Contemporary Western Thought
Authors: Abdul Murad M. Hazim Shah ibn
Published: December 2020

The two books recently authored by Ernest Gellner and Akbar Ahmedon the subject of Islam and postrnodernism have attracted interest amongMuslims and non-Muslims. To me, it is a landmark in the continuing dialoguebetween Islam and the West. Has the rise of postmodernism in westernphilosophical thought meant an easier accommodation of Islam into contemporarywestern society, or is Islam intellectually at odds with the epistemologicalfoundations of postmodernism? These are some of the importantquestions addressed by Gellner and Ahmed. In view of the increasing culturaland intellectual globalization, not to mention the economic side, takingplace today, the place of Islam in contemporary thought and society can nolonger be safely isolated from "western" thought and culture.Unlike previous encounters, where victory was decided through militaryconfrontations, or in times of peace, where coexistence is maintainedthrough the separation of borders limiting influence and interaction, ours isa time when cultures and civilizations are interlocked. Hence, it is of theutmost importance that Muslims define their thought and philosophical positiondearly in relation to the West, if they insist on maintaining their identityand way of life in a world that is increasingly westernized. Part of theMuslim ummah's legitimacy derives from the sovereignty of its individualnations existing in the world community and from the intellectual strengthof its religious and philosophical position. Muslims cannot compromise onthat if they are to maintain their viability as an ummah in the contemporaryworld. Recent intellectual dialogues on Islam and the West, therefore,should acquire an important place in the Musim minds and agenda if theyare not to witness the further erosion of Islamic values and beliefs.In view of the importance of the discussions on Islam by Gellner andAhmed in their recent works, I now tum to an analysis of their books.Gellner on Islam, Rationalism, and PostmodernismAs opposed to previous binary polarities in history, Gellner believes thatour time is characterized by a competition between three irreducible ...
Medieval Philosophical Discourse and Muslim-Christian Dialogue
Authors: Aminrazavai Mehdi
Published: December 2020

As pluralistic societies in the West become the nonn and the "globalvillage" becomes a reality, ecumenical dialogues gain prominence.Ecumenical dialogues, which, like many other discussions, first beganamong scholars as an exclusively academic activity, now take place inchurches, corrununities, and other sociopolitical organizations. In theUnited States, in particular, attempts are being made to introduce educationalcurricula that are sensitive to the culture and religious orientations ofminorities.The very feasibility of a Christian-Muslim dialogue should be calledinto question. Can the Islamic world enter into a dialogue with the secularWest? Any dialogue or discourse requires a corrunon language, a sharedworldview, and some basic agreement on some of the fundamental axiomsaround which a worldview is formed. I fear that the Islamic world and theWest no longer have such a common language.In the present discussion, I will offer an analysis and interpretation ofMuslim-Christian dialogue that calls for a reflection on the readiness ofMuslims to have a meaningful dialogue with the West. I argue that the necessarycondition for a meaningful dialogue between traditional Islam andthe secular West does not exist and, therefore, that any attempt to do so atthis time either will not succeed or will become a superficial survey of whatwe have in common, such as the Ten Commandments. To elucidate, I willfirst offer a model of a successful dialogue between Muslims and Christiansbased on the medieval philosophical dialogue between Muslim and Christianphilosophers. I will then apply the conclusions drawn from this modelto contemporary attempts at such ecumenical dialogues.Any student of medieval philosophy can observe two distinct periodsin the history of medieval philosophy, defined here as early and later,each of which has distinct characteristics. The early period belongs to theChurch fathers who laid the groundwork for Christian philosophical andtheological frameworks. Early Christian philosophical writings of suchfigures as Augustine, Boethius, John Scotus, St. Anselm, Peter Abaillard,and others were responses to specific questions of an intellectual nature ...
The Philosophical Foundations of Islamic Political Economy
Authors: Khan Mohammed A. Muqtedar
Published: December 2020

Then we put thee on the right way, So follow thou that; And follownot the desires of those who know not. (Qur'an 45: 18)IntroductionWestern perceptions of Islam have always been colored by their fearof Islamic expansion and the historical rationality of the Crusades. Thecurrent preoccupation with the "clash of civilizations" debate and theextraordinary focus on "Islamic fundamentalism" have greatly politicizedthe discourse on Islam while preventing a fuller understanding of Islam.The tendency among Muslim scholars to allow the West to set the agendaof what should be studied in and about Islam has led to the delay of ijtihadin more important areas, such as Islamic political economy. In the age ofmodernization, thinkers in the West have rejected Islam as backward lookingand as an impediment to economic development. A fair interpretationof Islam, however, includes a complete understanding of the need fordevelopment and social welfare. The political economy of Islam, as thispaper will present, is a completely humanistic and internally consistentdevelopment and welfare-oriented paradigm.In the twentieth century, Islam has survived colonial domination,communist repression, and the rapid spread of liberalism. Today it has arapidly increasing membership of over one billion and is experiencing aresurgence from Malaysia to Sudan and Algeria and from Iran to thenewly independent republics of Central Asia. More and more nations withpredominantly Muslim populations are undergoing a burgeoning sense ofIslamic consciousness. To some, this is a cohesive global phenomenonwith potentially indelible consequences. They see it as a radical movementthat is antithetical to Western liberal values and a challenge to theirreligious zeal to universalize these values. Regardless of the political constructionsof Islam's revival, what is of the essence is that more and more ...
The Restoration and Conservation of Islamic Monuments in Egypt
Authors: Elwazani Salim A.
Published: December 2020

This book is about the care of the Islamic architectural heritage inEgypt. The book's salient ideas amount to an argwnent for the necessity ofcare based on the implied quality of significance attached to monwnentsand urban districts as material testimonies to the country's history and culturethrough successive Islamic periods. The argument is supported by aseries of papers dealing with the causes of physical deterioration of thesetestimonies and the strategies and procedures for preserving them.That existing buildings endure deterioration in their structural andmaterial integrity over time poses no question. Familiar climatic elements,such as temperature and humidity, as well as normal use, dictate an incessantrate of deterioration. But eminent dangers, especially for historic buildings,stem from the oppressive acts of humans and nature. Widespreadindustry, population growth, land development, and wars all contribute tohwnan-generated building threat and deterioration; floods, hurricanes, andearthquakes, on the other hand, spearhead a gamut of natural forces ofbuilding deterioration.Relishing the value of architectural heritage and recognizing the needfor its protection have prompted many nations to develop plans and programsof protection. To clarify issues crucial to protection efforts, debateintensified, particularly in Western Europe and the United States, sincethe early years of the twentieth century. These issues revolved aroundsuch sweeping questions as why (rationale), what (scope), and how(means and methods) to protect historic buildings. The "why" debate resolutionsshaped the philosophy of preservation, and such a philosophyshaped, in tum and at least in principle, the answers for the "what" and"how" questions.Architectural heritage protection endeavors entered the internationalarena during the 1960s. Worldly conventions, charters, and organizationscame into existence in order to foster cooperation between world membersin the area of preservation. This situation presented opportunities, often forthe first time, for developing countries to initiate or strengthen preservationefforts at home. These opportunities were enhanced through programs ofinternational bodies, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific,and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Council onMonuments and Sites (ICOMOS). However, opportunities to strengthen ...
The Short Vowels in Islamic Texts
Authors: Francisse Anne Eudoxie
Published: December 2020

lqra'! Read! Proclaim!Vowels (tahrik) are the life of the Arabic language; they breathe inits spirit (ruh). Vowels are the dynamic of the word; they regulate itsmeaning and determine for the verb its active or passive voice. Vowelsare nonlocal; "a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, orconstructing the flow of air from the lungs," as opposed to consonants,which do all of the above. Consonants are local. They are the only lettersfound in Arabic texts, whether handwritten or printed, as in the timeof the Jahinyah. Why? We deplore it in the multifold way of our multidisciplinaryapproach, for we are not living in the very intensive oral traditionof the Jahinyah. Space, time, and communication have demandsthese days.The Qur'an and the Sunnah, those unsullied fountainheads of Islam,have reached us completely vowelized. This paper is a "complimentary"plea for bringing life (ruh) to the Arabic Islamic texts by marking the shortvowels for the sake of those members of the ummah who are in the processof learning it.In his last address, the Prophet evoked "a law which you should preserveand be firmly attached to, a law clear and positive: The Book of Godand the Sunnah."At the end of his life, Muhammad (pbuh) had about 30,000 contemporarieswho had heard and memorized the Qur'an in whole orpart. Several of them could read and write and had committed theQur'an to writing in part or in toto .... All the revelations writtenby the Prophet's scribe were collected and stored in the house of'A'isha, the Prophet's wife and daughter of Abu Bakr, the firstcaliph.'Twelve years later, 'Uthman, the third caliph, felt the need to compile astandard copy of the Qur'an that would ensure the uniform pronunciationof the Qur'anic text throughout the world. During his rule, Islam had spreadfar and wide in distant lands inhabited by diverse nationalities. The ...