bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Socialization of Muslim Children in America
Authors: Rashid Hakim M.
Published: December 2020

IntroductionWithin the social and behavioral sciences, the study of socialization hasoccupied a central position. A commonly accepted definition that has beenoffered by Brim describes socialization as "the process by which individualsacquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that enable them to participateas more or less effective members of groups and the societym1 Thus,socializaton is a prooess that begins at birth and extends thmughout the courseof an individual's life. For the Muslim, this acquisition of knowledge, skillsand dispositions must be a process guided by the Qur'an and Sunnah. Theknowledge of Allah's will and the laws and patterns of His creation represent,in essence, all that can be known. The Qur'an is the guidebook in the questfor knowledge while the skills and dispositions needed by the Muslims arereflected in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAAS). His Hadith and Sunnahprovide the Muslim with a realistic conat within which to apply abilitiesand attitudes in an Islamic manner. It is doubtful that any Muslim wouldquestion the relevance of the Qur'an and Sunnah to the socialization process.However, when this processes takes place within a non-Muslim society likeAmerica, the complexity of their application becomes an issue that requiresconsiderable attention. This paper will seek to address this complexity bysuggesting a conceptual framework for examining the socialization of Muslimchildren in America. First of all, it will contrast Islamic and Westernperspectives on socialization. Secondly, in an effort to "Islamize" our thmkingabout socialization, it will offer a clefinition of successful Muslim socialization.Thirdly, the paper will contrast the Islamic and Western world-views anddiscuss their implications for the socialization of minority status groups inAmerica. Finally, the paper will suggest elements of a conceptual frameworkthat can be used to study the socialization of Muslim children in America.In sha'a Allah, this effort will serve as a stimulus for those who wish tosystematically study Muslim socialization in the American context.Western Perspectives on SocializationLevine has suggested that three different perspectives on the socializationprocess have dominated Western behavioral science theory and research, eachreflecting a specific disciplinary orientation. Cultural anthropology seessocialization as enculturation or the intergenerational transmission of culture.This point of view sees the child as essentially a blank slate (tabula rasa),or as an organism that acquires culture by being immersed in it. Theenculturation perspective, in its more sophisticated form also recognizes therole of cognitive processes in socialization. The desired outcome seems tobe an individual who has absorbed the culture in which he has been raised ...
Editorial
Authors: Syeed Sayyid Muhammad
Published: December 2020

The first decade of the 15th century Hijrah is over. It saw the establishmentof the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and was markedby the development of cooperation and collaboration between various Islamicorganizations and institutions around the world. The results have been mostencouraging. This collaboration has contributed toward the initiation of anera of discussions and debates on the Islamization of knowledge and thedevelopment of a methodology for the reconstruction of Islamic thought.Among the consequences has been the unfolding of various intellectual forums.One such intellectual forum for the last five years has been the AmericanJournal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS) published jointly by the IIIT andthe Association for Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS). We are greatly encouragedby its steadily increasing circulation and by the enhanced participationof social scientists as well as lay scholars.'AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, now Rector of the International IslamicUniversity (IIU). Malaysia, continues to send us his inspiring selection andcommentary of Qur'anic verses as the "Guiding Light:'In this issue, for the first time, we are induding a paper by Taha Jabiral 'Alwani, the President of the IDT and author of several scholarly titlesin Arabic. This paper is the English rendering of his lecture delivered inRabat, Morocco at a conference held under the aegis of the Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). He sketches a briefargument for establishing an Islamic alternative in thought and knowledge,not only for the benefit of Muslims, but for the common good of humanity.Another first is the paper by Eric Winkel, a multi-lingual political scientistof the faculty of IIU Malaysia, who provjdes us with an analysis of Habermasand Foucault. This paper entitled "Remembering Islam . . . " bringsthese postwar leaders of the Frankfurt school of anarchist and radical critiqueinto the discussion of the Islamic paradigm. Winkel explains thecharacterization of Habermas and Foucault of existing epistemologies as "pernicious,pervasive and truth distorting," and shows how their own vision ofthe possible future world is extremely restricted and inadequate. He suggeststhat we remember that Islam, as the divine guidance of Allah, provides thebasis for a truly emancipatory meta critique.Moving from philosophical issues to the more concrete, Ausaf Ali's paperon " . . . Islamization of Social and Behavioral Sciences" argues for a moral ...
Islamization of Anthropological Knowledge
Authors: Momin A. R.
Published: December 2020

The expansion of Western coloniaHsrn during the nineteenth and twentiethcenturies brought in its wake the economic and political domination andexploitation of the Third World countries. Western colonialism andethnocentrism went hand in hand. The colonial ideology was rationalizedand justified in terms of the white man's burden; it was believed that theWhite races of Europe had the moral duty to carry the torch of civilizationwhichwas equated with Christianity and Western culture-to the dark comersof Asia and Africa. The ideology of Victorian Europe accorded the full statusof humanity only to European Christians; the "other" people were condemned,as Edmund Leach has bluntly put it, as "sub-human animals, monsters,degenerate men, damned souls, or the products of a separate creation" (Leach,1982).One of the most damaging consequences of colonialism relates to a massiveundermining of the self-confidence of the colonized peoples. Their culturalvalues and institutions were ridiculed and harshly criticized. Worse still, theWestern pattern of education introduced by colonial governments produceda breed of Westernized native elite, who held their own cultural heritage incontempt and who consciously identified themselves with the culture of theircolonial masters.During the nineteenth century Orientalism emerged as an intellectualally of Western colonialism. As Edward Said has cogently demonstrated,Oriental ism was a product of certain political and ideological forces operatingin Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and that it wasinextricably bound up with Western ethnocentrism, racism, and imperialism(Said, 1978).Most of the colonized countries of the Third World secured politicalliberation from Western powers during the early decades of the present century.Regrettably, however, political liberation was not always followed byideological, cultural, and intellectual jndependence. For one thing, most ofthe ex-colonial countries continued with the colonial pattern of education.Secondly, most of them were drawn into the political and cultural orbit ofeither the United States or Soviet Russia. A subtle but pervasive form of ...
New Dimensions in Sociology
Authors: Abu Mahmood IJyas
Published: December 2020

Let us start with the title of the book. Its first part is hardly exciting.Several sociology publications currently carry similar titles: New Horizonsin Sociology, New Directions in Sociology, New Debates in Sociology, ormerely New Sociology. It seems that most people writing about sociologythese days must write something new or not write at all.What is new about this book can be seen from the second part of itstille, A Physico-Chemical Approach 10 Human Behavior-eye-catching, evenstartling. There have been organic, evolutionary, and ecological analogiesused by sociologists in the past, often with great success. However, physicochemicalanalogy is something else. If, by using this title. Dr. Beg had inmind to shock sociologists into reading his book from cover to cover, hemust be congratulated, for, no doubt, the title is intriguing, to say the least.The contents do not reveal too much about the book. However, theymust not be taken lightly. Wi.lson (1975) produced yet another "new" and assertedthat human values, even customs and traditions, are genetically transmittedfrom one generation to another. Since then, he has won a number of adherentsto his point of view. So here it is: a physico-chemical approach to sociology.If Harvard publishes treatises like Wilson's Sociobiology, how can we rejectHamdard's New Dimensions as being out of hand? After all , Wilson is azoologist with hardly a flair for sociology in his dossier.The author of this book, Mirza Arshad Ali Beg, is a trained andexperienced chemist with graduate degrees from Karachi (MSc.) and BritishColumbia (Ph.D.). He began in 1941 as a senior research officer at the PakistanCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) and in 1985 becamethe director of its facilities in Karachi. Since then, he has been promotedto the secretarial rank in this organization. Dr. Beg has also held severalimportant posts in national and international organizations.Apparently, Dr. Beg is a qualified, experienced researcher in chemistry.As such, it is to his credit that in this book he has ventured far afield fromhis area of specialization. This book is a testimony to the fact that sociologyis not, has not been, and must not be the exclusive domain of sociologists.All throughout its relatively brief history, sociology has benefitted from thecontributions of historians, philosophers, psychologists, even engineers. Thus,if a chemist is trying his hand this time, we must not be too shocked ...
The Muslim World
Authors: Azam Lkram
Published: December 2020

This book owes its origin to a major international conference held inApril by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists at Iowa State Universityin April 1983. The papers cover "a wide range of topics to match the widerange of crises in which the Muslim world finds itself." It includes forty-sixillustrative maps and figures and twenty-six tables. which make the texts moremeaningful.In recent times, the issues of Third World development and technologytransfer have stirred much controversy, resulting in a polarization of views.On one hand is the Third/Muslim World view that the so-called transfer oftechnology, whether from the capitalist or communist countries, iscounterproductive and exploitive, generating a client/dependency relationship.On the other hand, the donors feel that their "technological giveaways" promote"interdependence, collective self-reliance, and mutual interest." Between thesetwo extremes lies Muslim resurgence and Islamic revivalism, with Islam asa sociopolitical force providing its own ideological and institutional solutionsto the issues of development and technology transfer. The emphasis is onconscientious "value-patterned" socioeconomic development. Iowa StateUniversity's 1983 Conference and the present book focus on this motivatingtheme. They advocate alternate development strategies which are basicallyIslamic in spirit, substance, and system.In section 1 of the book, trends and issues typical of the Muslim worldare evaluated, specifically with reference to Pakistan. The first paper is acomparatively short study of coloniaJism (capitalist and communist) vis-avisthe Muslim world. The remedial recipe is an Islamic DevelopmentPolicy/Strategy. The second paper discusses the development dilemma of theIslamic countries, in the light of Islanuc values. The third author emphasizesthat Islamic development is holistic, aiming at the moral man in a moralsociety. Taken together, these first three papers form a contextual frameworkfor specific area case studies analyzing the influence of alien aid and alienatingdevelopment strategies ...
The ‘Ulama and Islamic Renaissance in Algeria
Authors: ElTayeb Salah ElDin ElZein
Published: December 2020

IntroductionThis work is concerned primarily with the activities of the Algerian ‘Ulamain the social and religious field. The most organized activities of Islamicreformism in Algeria started in 1931 with the establishment of the Associationof the Algerian ‘Ulama. The ‘Ulama declared the ultimate goal of theirAssociation to be only religious and cultural. The subsequent Islamicrenaissance which they instituted in Algeria concentrated on the independenceof the Muslim Creed, and social and cultural revivalism. The objective wasto reform the practice of Islamic religion along the lines of the Islam of Suhjiyuhand not the Islam of Sufi sects. This was pursued by attacking the negativeaspects of a1 vzwiiyuh (Sufi centers) and by encouraging the spread of altu‘lim al hurr (the ‘Ulama type of education).The most significant role of al buthal dini (religious reformism) wasthat it ventured to prepare the Algerian masses for the violent conflict withFrance. Had it not been for this movement, the Algerian masses would haveremained under the influence of the saints whose followers supported andconsolidated the French colonial administration. In the following pages, thequestion will be posed as to how the liberation of Algeria was facilitatedby the Algerian religious renaissance, which managed to liberate the consciousnessof the masses. As a result, the Algerian masses were preparedmorally and psychologically for political liberation from France.The Origins of Islamic Renaissance In AlgeriaThe origins of the Islamic renaissance in Algeria were directly linkedto the Suluflyuh movement, which flourished in ul Mushriq al Arubi during ...
Guiding Light
Authors: AbuSulayman AbdulHamid A.
Published: December 2020

TranslationIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious,Most Merciful.1. Now the ‘Ad behavedArrogantly through the land,Against (all) truth and reason,And said: “Who is superiorTo us in strength? What!Did they not see thatGod, Who created them,Was superior to themIn strength? But theyContinued to reject Our Signs!Surah Fussilat (41:15)2. Against them make readyYaur strength to the utmostOf your power, includingSteeds of war, to strike terrorInto (the hearts of) the enemies,Of God and your enemiesAnd others besides, whomYe may not know, but whomGod doth knowNhateverYe shall spend in the CauseOf God, shall be repaidUnto you, and ye shall notBe treated unjustly.Surah Al Anfal (8:60)3. He said: “(The power) in whichMy Lord has established meIs better (than tribute):Help me therefore with strength(And labour): I willErect a strong barrierBetween you and them: ...
Guiding Light Selections From the Holy Qur’an
Authors: AbuSulayman AbdulHamid A.
Published: December 2020

TranslationIn the name of A M , Most Gmcious,Most Merciful.1. O ye who believeShall I lead youTo a bargain that willSave you fromA grievous Penalty? -2. That ye believe in AllahAnd His Messenger, and thatYe strive (your utmost)In the Cause of Allah,With your propertyAnd your persons:That will be best for you.If ye but knew.Surah Al Saff (61:10-11)3. Allah hath purchased of the BelieversTheir persons and their goods;For theirs (in return)Is the Garden (of Paradise):They fight in His Cause,And slay and are slain:A promise binding on HimIn Truth, through the Law,The Gospel, and the Qur’anAnd who is more faithfulTo his Covenant than Allah?Then rejoice in the bargainWhich ye have concluded:That is the achievement supreme.Surah Al Tawbah (9:111)4. Ye shall certainlyBe tried and tested ...
Towards a Contemporary Philosophy of Islamic Science
Authors: Ibrahim Anwar
Published: December 2020

Our understanding of science itself as a body of knowledge and as asystem of analysis and research has changed over the last decades, just asover the last two centuries, or especially after the age of Enlightement inEurope, science has become more powerful, more sophisticated and complex.It is rather difficult to determine where science ends and where technologybegins. In fact there is a gmwing awareness that the physical or nam sciences,as a means of studying and understanding nature, are relying on the more“humanistic“ and cultural approaches adopted by the social sciences or thehumanities. The tradition of natural science is being challenged by newdiscoveries of the non-physical and non-natural sciences which go beyondthe physical world.Certainly research is vital for the growth and development of all sciencesthat attempt to discover and understand the “secrets” of nature. The validityof any scientific theory depends on its research and methodological premisesand even that-its proposition or theories (in the words of a leading cosmologistand theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking) -is tentative. Hawlung says: “Anyphysical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis:you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experimentsagree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the resultwill not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theoryby finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions ofthe theory.”The history of Western science is rooted in the idea of finding the ’truth’by objectivity. Nothing can be believed until there is a scientific proof ofits existence, or until it can be logically accepted by the rational mind. Theclassical scenario of scientific work gives you an austere picture of heroicactivity, undertaken against all odds, a ceaseless effort to subjugate hostileand menacing nature, and to tame its formidable forces. Science is depicted ...
Summary Report of the Round Table on Problems of Professional Translation in the Arab/Muslim World and the Contribution of Technology
Authors: Berrada Samia
Published: December 2020

Under the sponsorship of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) and the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a Round Table on the Problems of Professional Translation in the Arab World and the Contribution of Technology was held from June 1 to 3, 1989 at the King Fahd Advanced School for Translation in Tangier, Morocco. This was a successful meeting both because of the number and the quality of participants, all of whom were professionals and specialists in translation, terminologists and machine translation researchers from European and Arab countries. It was a unique occurrence of its kind, as President of FIT Mme Anna Lilova pointed out in the opening session, because it is the first time that the Federation has organized such a meeting in an Arab country. Presentations dealt with three main topics, a day being devoted to each: (1) the status of the translator in the Arab countries; (2) the translator and MAT (machine­assisted translation); and (3) terminology work in the Arab countries.In Arab countries translation is a tradition going back to the Abbasids, but even today it still does not have specific guidelines. Mr. Amid from UNESCO stressed the need for legislation, with the help of translation institutions, which would protect the rights of the translator. Mr. Rene Haeseryn, Secretary-General of FIT, in his presentation on "The FIT and its Main Role in the World Translation Movement;' pointed out the humanist goals of the Federation and its role in the protection of translators' rights. "We should protect the translators' rights, but also prepare him for the main choices of the future" was the primary concern which emerged from these working meetings. "Translation is a profession which presupposes training according to a well-thought out methodology" was the theme of various comtributions from the floor. Therefore, we should develop appropriate training suited to the needs and harmonize it in the various Arab countries. Also,· thanks to new technology, the profession of translation is now seeing its image change. The presentation by Veronica Lawson (FIT) of various systems (machine translation with or without human assistance) enabled us to gauge the progress made. But is the translator of Arabic ready to take up the challenge of machine translation? ...
An Early Crescent
Authors: Winkel Eric A.
Published: December 2020

An Early Crescent is about the exciting and greatly anticipated emergenceof ideas which will inaugurate the rededication and renewal of Muslim effortand spirituality. It is about the process of intellectually taking charge of theenvironment and the discourse dominated by the West. There are twodimensions to this process of taking charge. One is the Islamization ofKnowledge, and entails mastering the dominant idiom and then, from a positionof strength and confidence, creating a uniquely Islamic paradigm in the fieldof knowledge. The second dimension recognizes that “discourse” is not justacademic knowledge, but that discourse and knowledge are also inextricablytied into the environments and ecologies surrounding the Islamic community.The book is structured between the overview of Anwar Ibrahim and theepilogue of Abdullah Omar Naseef, two people deeply involved incontemporary politics, thinking, and policy making. Between this are writingsabout two dimensions of the process of taking charge of the dominant discourse,with the first part considering the Islamization of Knowledge and theepistemological characterization of the contemporary discourse, dominatedas it is by the West, and the second part dealing with the way the dominantdiscourse configures the environment and ecology surrounding everyone ingeneral, and the way it constrains the ummah specifically.Ziauddin Sardar‘s critique of the Islamization work plan centers aroundits veneer of positivism and the concommitant reification of the disciplines.Certainly there are overtones of positive theory building in the work plan,but it must also be remembered that the work plan is not designed to berevolutionary as much as corrective, and that it is aimed not so much atintellectuals as at students through the production of textbooks. And textbooksare certainly examples of knowledge-production. But no one who reads theimpassioned prose of al Faruqi can imagine that here is a man who wouldsimply pass an Islamic wand over the disciplines to Islamize them. On thecontrary, his descriptions of contemporary Muslim alienation imply that we ...
Dictionary of Qur'anic Terms and Concepts
Authors: Taher Mohamed
Published: December 2020

A long-awaited Muslim source and a nonorientalist handy reference book,this glossary (a more appropriate title for this dictionary) of the Qur'an fillsa major vacuum. To date, we had to rely solely on Penrice’s Dictionary andGlossary of the Qur'an. This process of generating sources (indexes,bibliographies, handbooks, dictionaries, glossaries, and the like) - a soleprerogative of the Western world-has recently been taken up by Muslims.A healthy trend in this regard is visible in the source under review.Though this book has covered mainly Qur’anic terms and concepts, ithas admittedly entered into the field of non-Qur’anic terms. This extensionof scope makes it more useful to the community of scholars and studentsof the Qur’an. As the author rightly mentions in his introduction: “In a fewcases, the Arabic terms used are the ones that have become traditionallyaccepted, even though they do not occur in the Qur’an (i.e., wudu') or occurin it in a different sense (i.e. qadhf); these include, in one or two cases,words which for some technical reason are to be regarded as ‘extra-Qur‘anic’even when words from the same root and with the same basic meaning occurin the Qur’an-i.e., bay'ah, though mubaya'ah (in perfect and imperfect forms,that is) occurs in the Qur'an” (pp. xiii-xiv).Mir has used the generally accepted meanings and notions in his scholarlywork. His explanations and notes are interesting and meaningful. For instance,explaining the term “Median Community” or “Ummah Wasat,” he goes onto say that the title of ”Median Community” is not only a prerogative, butalso carries with it a responsibility-the responsibility to stay on the medianpath and guide others to it (p. 132). Similarly, under the term “Repentance”we find “Adam, after he had sinned, repented and was forgiven by God (237).Thus, he was sent upon earth not to receive punishment for his disobedience,but in accordance with an already existing plan. Since Adam was forgiven,no original sin attaches to the human race” (p. 180). Similarly, we find atanother place: “Din has four meanings: 1. Submission . . . 2. A system ofbeliefs . . . 3. Law . . . and 4. Recompense . . .” (p. 49) ...
Islam and the of a Middle East
Authors: Mahmood Sohail
Published: December 2020

In her essay, Abul-Fadl argues that the dominant paradigm in the studyof the Middle East is inadequate, a view which leads to her assertion thata shift to a new paradigm is required. She maintains that her study is anattempt to create such an alternative outlook, one which surmounts the contemporaryruling paradigm. She suggests that this new paradigm be basedsolidly on Islam.To begin with, she argues that scholarship on the Middle East must admitthe opinion of a native mind and method of argument to the mediumof discourse, which itself must become more sensitive and more authenticallypluralist if it is to be at all exemplary of historical civilizations and ofworld truth. Without doubt, such a fresh approach will take some time todevelop, for this endeavor requires the rejuvenation of minds and capabilities.As this process begins to take place, Muslims will gradually become moreeloquent and capable of readjusting themselves into identifiable and feasibleflows so that they can build new schools of thought. She writes that the essaytakes the Islamic dimension as a continual factor which goes beyond thetransformation of politics at any given age (p. 2), and that acceptance andawareness of variance and multiplicity in the world of politics can only bebonafide and valuable if it is anchored in fidelity to an encompassing congruitywhich both permeates and surpasses this conglomeration. The encompassingcongruity is tawhid. This paradigm is designed by the tawhidepisteme and assumes at the outset that those modes, foundations, and parlanceare obtained from an Islamic worldview based firmly on the Qur’an and theSunnah .Abul-Fadl reminds her readers that as a designation, the term “MiddleEast” is itself dubious and questionable. She uses it to denote a region whichis more noticeably specified by its culture then by its territory. The concisenucleus of the region is linguistically Arabic and religiously Muslim, as overnine-tenths of its population shares in the principal cultural marks, values,faith, and customary manners of living. However, current Western politicalliterature on the region has stressed divergence and has insisted in viewing ...
Women and Social Justice
Authors: Kahf Mohja
Published: December 2020

The task undertaken in this book, the development of a “third approach”to the issue of women’s oppression superceding both feminism and traditionalism,is much needed and much neglected in the Islamic movement.Specifically, Ahmad analyzes the impact of the introduction of hudud (Islamicpenal code) laws in Pakistan and makes policy recommendations for theirreform. Although his analysis is not limited in usefulness to Pakistan, it islimited, however, by several shortcomings in argument, structure, and language.Ahmad’s strong points emerge in his empirical study of Pakistani familylaw. While he attempts to refute the criticism that the hudud laws discriminateagainst women, he also recognizes that the application of these laws in alegal patchwork fraught with contradictions has not helped women. For example,the Family Laws Ordinance of 1961 requires all marriages to be officiallyreported but, with common and Islamic opinion being contrary, thislaw is frequently neglected. So when the hudud laws of 1979 made adulterypunishable, women living in Islamic but unreported marriages were reportedfor adultery by vengeful ex-husbands. This particular problem would be solved,Ahmad argues, by punishing such men for slander, a neglected aspect ofthe Shari‘ah’s approach to adultery which is to women’s advantage. He arguesfor an end to “this vicious circle of immediacy, adhocism and temporarysolutions” (p. 48) in the application of the Shari‘ah, and for a more creative,comprehensive reform. His use of statistics from Pakistani courts is an attemptto ground his analysis in the living reality of Pakistani women, anattempt which is only infrequently made by Islamist writers on women’s issues,who usually hide behind obscure generalizations about the ideal society.It is also edifying to see an Islamist writer admit that “we should notdoubt the intent and motive of those who talk on these issues and take adifferent position” (p. 11). Too often this debate over the status of womenresults in bitter and useless finger-pointing in which the advocates of changein women’s conditions are labelled “Western,” as if one had to be Westernto see anything exploitative about the present treatment of Muslim women.Unfortunately, Ahmad does not stick to his promise and succumbs to a defensivediatribe against his ideological opponents, calling them ‘‘crypto-colonialists’’and emphasizing their emergence from the upper classes. The same charge ...
American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies
Authors: Abu-Rabi' Ibrahim M.
Published: December 2020

The eighth annual meeting of the American Council for the Study ofIslamic Societies was held at Villanova University on May 17-18, 1991. Themeeting featured a number of important sessions, ranging in theme fromthe Islamization of Knowledge to women and the Gulf war.The session on the Islamization of Knowledge was chaired by CharlesButterworth of the University of Maryland, and included the following: 1)Mona Abul-Fadl of the International Institute of Islamic Thought in Herndon,VA, who spoke on "The Islamization of Knowledge Interpreted: A MuslimIntellectual Response to Modernity"; 2) Tamara Sann of St. John Fisher Collegein Rochester, NY, who addressed the theme of"Islamic Historicism in Context";and 3) Theodore P. Wright, Jr., of SUNY, Albany, NY, who discussed "TheIslamization of Knowledge in Pakistan." Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi' of HartfordSeminary in Hartford, CT, was the discussant.Abul-Fadl started the session by discussing some of the salient featuresof the Islamization of Knowledge- its history, major themes, and its relationshipto modernity. She observed that there is no inherent contradiction betweenthe Enlightenment and Modernity project and the Islamization of Knowledgeplan. In a sense, the lslamization of Knowledge is essentially philosophicalin nature and, as such, it can sum the substantial achievements of Islamiccivilization as well as the contributions of the Western world. Moreover, shestre sed the need for developing a sound methodology that accounts for theintellectual achievements of humanity. As such, the Islamization of Knowledge ...
Islam and World History
Authors: Blankinship Khalid
Published: December 2020

The Western Scheme for the Periodization of HistoryAmong the greatest problems met with in historical work generally isthe frequent inability of the historian to liberate himself/herself from hidherown immediate background and environment and to cultivate a sense ofdetachment. Yet such detachment is necessary, for even if it will not leadto true objectivity, it will at least help produce more accurate results.Unfortunately, this detachment is the most difficult to achieve in preciselythose areas of the biggest, most familiar, and hence most importantassumptions. When these are skewed from the beginning, the entire thoughtprocess becomes skewed as well, with the result that all subsequent workis affected.This lack of detachment is outstandingly demonstrated by the ubiquitousWestern loyalty to a Eurocentric categorization and subdivision of world historythat informs virtually all Western historical thought. Dividing all of humanhistory into ancient, medieval, and modern periods revolving around WesternEurope, this schematization is promoted as if it were the final, fair, andobjective system for explaining all of history. It is then applied with thethoroughness one associates with state ideologies. All American students aretaught the tripartite ancient - medieval -modern scheme in high school. Itis also the basis for most history courses at the university level. Professorialappointments depend on it and thus do not encourage their holders to rebelagainst it. Textbook companies resist changing it because books holding tothis scheme are demanded by schools, colleges, and universities. Even theultraconservative American secretary of education, William Bennett, in 1988promoted this Western historical scheme and bemoaned its supposed decline.The Western schematization of world history is, in short, a hallowed traditionwhich it is difficult to ignore and still harder to break away from ...
Squaring the Circle in the Study of the Middle East
Authors: Abul-Fadl Mona
Published: December 2020

"Hail to thee blithe spirit, Bird thou never wert!" It was with a note ofelation that the Muslim reader greeted the publication of Islamic Liberalismin anticipation of a feat that was not to be. It looked as if Professor Binder,who has successfully engaged the sympathies of many Muslims, was aboutto crown his thirty-year-odd career on the study of the Middle East witha breakthrough. Expectations were heightened by a timely coincidence. Withthe appearance of another compact masterpiece constituting the refinementof a craft by an old guard of the castle, it looked as if Islamic Liberalismwas poised to storm the castle from within. There was evidently somebodyat the Chicago University Press (which published both books) who combineda keen feel for the market with a flair for irony. To an audience drilled tothe tune of militant Islam and its sombre variations, the mere conceptionof the idea of an Islamic liberalism promised a shift in the paradigm ofunderstanding a political Islam. Introduced on a note beckoning to thesignificance, the necessity, indeed the possibility of a dialogue between Islamand the West, it would moreover raise all kinds of expectations about thecanon in both the Western academy and the civilizational encounter. Theseexpectations can only be gauged by the persistent undertones of a countertenorthat seemed to be forever churning out more of the same. Instead ofsuccumbing to the seductive discourse on the "rage of Islam" and feeding ...
Islamic Law and Finance
Authors: Darrat Ali R.
Published: December 2020

This book is a collection of essays presented at a conference held inApril 1988 and organized by the Center of Near and Middle Eastern Studiesand the Law Department, School of Oriental and African Studies, Universityof London.Since the mid-I970s, there has been a significant revival of fundamentalIslamic values in several Muslim countries throughout the world. Indeed,a number of Muslim (or perhaps, Islamic) countries like Iran, Pakistan, andthe Sudan have recently taken practical steps towards the total Islamizationof their economic and financial structures. Among the basic characteristicsof an Islamic financial (banking) system is the prohibition of the paymentor receipt of a predetermined (fixed) interest rate which is viewed as usuryand thus prohibited. As an alternative, the Islamic financial system operatesunder the general principle of profit-loss sharing, which effectively transformsbanks into equity-based (investment) firms.As Mallat correctly points out in his preface, the Western notion of profitmaximization does not control the Islamic system. Rather, it is the Shari'ahwhich primarily governs Islamic finance. However, some contributors to thebook, notably William Ballantyne in his introductory chapter, appear to doubtthe feasibility of the Islamic system and its ability to operate in contemporaryeconomies. He argues that "what is required in today's climate, is [amongother things] a restructuring of the Shari'a to fit Western economic concepts"(p. 9-emphasis added).Nevertheless it is my belief, and perhaps the belief of many Muslimscholars in the field, that such a view is unacceptable, for it seems to bein direct conflict with the core of Islam. A basic tenant of Islam is that theShari'ah cannot be changed or restructured to satisfy other lines of thought.Indeed, voluminous contemporary research now exists that demonstrates theviability and relevance of pure Islamic teachings to today's complex economicenvironment. Examples of such research include Chapra (1985, 1991); Khan(1986); Habibi (1987); Darrat (1988); Darrat and Suliman (1990); and Darrat,Suliman, and Bashir (1991).The view that the Islamic economic system is superior to the contemporaryWestern interest-based economic system is not totally unique withMuslim scholars. Western economic thinkers have also shared a similar view.For example, prominent American economists like Henry Simon (1948) and ...
Epistemological Problems in Human Geography
Authors: Buang Amriah
Published: December 2020

IntroductionGeography is the study of the earth's surface as the space withm which thehuman population lives. The internal logic of this study has tended to splitgeography into two parts: physical and human. The identity of physicalgeography is the more discernible part, as it is concerned with the study, overtime, of the characters, processes, and distribution of inanimate phenomenain the space accessible to human beings and their instruments. Humangeography, on the other hand, is not so clearly defined, as it deals with problemswhich are, in the final analysis, multidisciplinary or extradisciplinary incharacter. Thus, although human geography can be consistently defined as thatpart of the social sciences which studies people solely in relation to space andplace, this study can range from synthesizing the relationship between humansocieties and the Earth's surface (in which people-environment relations areemphasized) to that of an all-encompassing coverage of all aspects of geographynot directly concerned with the physical environment.One corollary of such an all-encompassing coverage is the multiplicity ofapproaches in human geography. As geographers probe further into the truthof the human phenomena, be it the interrelationship of people (individuallyor as groups) in their physical or social environment, the spatial and temporaldistribution of human creations, or the organization of society and social processes,and as they draw increasingly from extraneous disciplines in the courseof such probing, it has become more and more obvious that it is now impossibleto forge and maintain a singular human geography.For instance, an economic geographer trying to understand the unequaldistribution of incomes among population groups in different places will be ...
Taqlid and Ijtihad
Authors: Al 'Alwani Taha J.
Published: December 2020

The Lexical and Technical Meanings of TaqlidThe lexical meaning and structure of the word “taqlid” clearly indicate thenegative connotations surrounding its technical meaning as well as its retentionof much of the literal sense. The Arabic root q-ld comes from qald, which means”to twist or to twine.” As most necklaces were twined or braided, the word cameto refer to necklaces, and the active form of the verb (taqlid) to putting on anecklace. An example from early Arabic poetry uses taqlid in this sense:They placed on her (round her neck) amulets,To ward off evildoers and enviers.The same word is also used to refer to the marking made around the neckof an animal destined for sacrifice during hajj. In addition, a camel is said tobe “necklaced” (muqallad) when a rope is placed over its head and around its neck.In a less literal usage, this word has the sense of placing responsibility onan individual, as in “The sultan charged (q-I-d) someone with a duty,” as charginga person in such a manner resembles putting a necklace around hidher neck.Here, the one who accepts the responsibility is as one who wears a necklace.‘The classical~uh’di efine taqlid as one’s ”acceptanceo f another‘s madhhQbwithout knowing the other person’s justification.” (In this definition, Madhhabincludes everydung that fills within the purview of ijtihad.) Although the fuqaha’have defined the term in different ways, all agree that it signifies the acceptanceof and acting upon another‘s word without trying to substantiate it. In other words, ...
Keynote Address to the International Seminar on Malik Bennabi
Authors: Ibrahim Anwar
Published: December 2020

The dominant theme me comes across in Bennabi’s writings is how essentialit is to cultivate ideas. He argued that proficiency and efficacy in nurturingideas is a vital sign of intellectual and cultural development. In elaboratingthe role of ideas in the development of civilization, he went to the extentof saying that a civilization ptospers only by the depth of its guiding ideas.I am in accord with Shaykh Diraz of al Azhar when, writing in his prefaceto Bennabi’s book The Qur’anic Phenomena, he praised him for the =titudeof his judgment, the zeal of his conviction, the precision of his terminology,and the beauty of his style. Apart from their profound intellectual implications,the pronouncements of Bennabi caw deep personal meanings for me.These attributes of Bennabi’s writings make him one of the most eruditeintellectuals of the Muslim world. Moreover, what I discern in these attributesis that they rightly portray him in his totality. To me he is not an intellectualor a recluse, simply captivated by the bliss of his own awakening and withoutan organic link with his faith. Most assuredly, his pen symbolizes his faith, hisconvictions, and his ideological strategy. More than anything else, it serves asa constant reminder of the inevitability of the inner struggle for both personaland collective evolution.Civilizations do not become great, acquire power, or wane by some mysteriousflux of nature. A civilization is the translation of ideas into intellectual capacityand material means to organize one’s environment. Ideas make the practiceof power possible. Ideas devise the practical tools for living in the world.And ideas question whether we have attained our goal or failed our potential.Bennabi tells us that those who do not have the moral courage to grasp theguiding ideas of their civilization have not only the repetition of history buttheir irrelevance to the mamh of time as their future. The Qur’an, the raisond’etre of the ummah, is not a mere invitation; it is the imperative to think and ...
The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
Authors: Al 'Alwani Taha J.
Published: December 2020

It is He Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, anddetermined it by stations, that you might know the number of theyears and the reckoning (of time) ... (Qur'an 10:5).Every community possesses a personality and certain traits that distinguishit from others. The ummah of Islam was blessed by Allah MostHigh with a distinctive personality so that it could serve as a communityof the median way (wasatiyah) and as a witness (shahadah): "Thus Weappointed you a mid-most nation, so that you might be witnesses over allmankind" (2:143).In view of the important civilizational role to be played by the Muslimummah, Allah created the elements in its personality with great carein order to ensure that the expected results would come to fruition andthat the ummah would become the best community ever brought forth:"You are the best nation ever brought forth to mankind" (3:110).Among the constituent elements of the ummah's cultural and civilizattionalidentity is its perspective on time, be it past, present, or future, andhow it is to be measured. The past consists of history, from which lessonsare to be learned. The present is the current reality, every moment of whichis to be used to the best advantage or invested. The future is that which isanticipated and planned for so that it may become more resplendent.The communities that went before Islam both understood and calculatedtime in order to achieve their goals and build their civilizations. Todiffering degrees, all of them were successful in their endeavor to markthe passage of time. However, every system they devised suffered fromcalendars featuring ten months in a year, others with widely varying numbersof days in a month, calendars that began in the spring while others ...
The predictive study to identify priority scientific and technological areas for the implementation of the Sdg No. 6 “Clean water and proper sanitary conditions”
Authors: Pisarenko T. V. , Kvasha T. K. , Paladchenko O. F. , Molchanova I. V.
Published: December 2020

The article is devoted to the research of the Forsyth method for priority areas in the field of supply, water treatment, water use and integrated water resources management to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 “Clean water and proper sanitation” in order to include them in the future list of priorities of scientific and technological development. Foresight-forecast research on the definition of priority areas was carried out in the context of national tasks of SDG 6 in three stages using a comprehensive method, which includes expert panels, scientometric and patent methods according to the developed methodology. The study involved experts, scientists and practitioners (mostly from the field of entrepreneurship), who submitted proposals and made expert assessments. Technological directions were determined with the help of the patent database Derwent Innovations, non-technological — according to the database of scientific publications Web of Science. According to the generalized results of the assessment of three stages and after clustering of all areas of research and technology according to this assessment (according to methodical recommendations) from the 24 technologies proposed by experts for four (6.1–6.4) national tasks of SDG 6 priority for inclusion in the future list of priorities. 12 directions of development on three (6.1–6.3) national tasks are offered.
Priority area “Life sciences, new technologies of prevention and common diseases treatment”: financing and impact analysis
Authors: Osadcha A. B. , Gavrys T. V.
Published: December 2020

In core foundation of the most important priority area of Ukraine “Life sciences, new technologies of prevention and common diseases treatment” are the current problems of modern Ukrainian society, labor productivity in all economy sectors. Rational distribution of funds and a high level of implementation of scientific (scientific and technical) outputs are the driving force of progressive technological structural changes in the economy and an important factor in ensuring the competitiveness of the national economy. The article presents the results of the author’s research on the state of implementation of one of the six priority areas defined by the Law of Ukraine “About Priority Areas of Science and Technology Development” for the period up to 2020, and 12 priority thematic areas of research, scientific and technical developments specified priority and approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 07.09.2011 No. 942 for the period up to 2020 (as amended in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 23.08.2016 No. 556, which supplemented priority thematic areas list with new areas aimed at ensuring national security, increasing the state’s defense capabilities, protecting the civilian population, medicine, the agricultural sector, as well as clarifying the wording of a number of priority thematic areas).