One of the most interesting and least-examined episodes in the career of Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), the influential Egyptian ideologue of Islamism, is his sojourn in the United States from November... Show moreOne of the most interesting and least-examined episodes in the career of Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), the influential Egyptian ideologue of Islamism, is his sojourn in the United States from November 1948 to August 1950. Egypt's Ministry of Education had sent the 42- year-old Qutb to the US to investigate American instructional methods and curricula, a task for which his career as an educator in Egypt had well prepared him. A number of materials exists that allow the researcher to reconstruct the main lines of Qutb's itinerary in the US and to explicate his thoughts on the essential nature of American society and culture. These include articles, 'letters home' written by Qutb and published in the Egyptian periodicals al-Risala, al-Kitab, andal-Hilaland, interestingly, documentary materials available at the University of Northern Colorado,'where Qutb studied in 1949. Show less
Mawlids, traditional festivals in honour of saints, are among the most popular, but also the most controversial Islamic traditions in Egypt. Millions of people - even half of all the Egyptians,... Show moreMawlids, traditional festivals in honour of saints, are among the most popular, but also the most controversial Islamic traditions in Egypt. Millions of people - even half of all the Egyptians, according to an unofficial estimate - participate in these festivals. In the public sphere, however, Islamists and conservative men of religion often find themselves side to side with many secularists, both vehemently opposing what they consider a shameful deviation from proper Islamic and/or modern culture. Show less
A growing body of scholarly work is devoting attention to how Muslim traditions articulate notions that might fit the standards of a modern polity. This research focus calls into question the... Show moreA growing body of scholarly work is devoting attention to how Muslim traditions articulate notions that might fit the standards of a modern polity. This research focus calls into question the extent to which such notions become ingrained in the norms of modern public spheres, which represent the communicative and legitimizing basis of potentially democratic political systems. The reconfiguration of the normative discourses and the institutional footing of Islamic 'reform' movements in the framework of public spheres can be termed 'public Islam'. Show less
Recent press coverage of what has been coined as 'curfi marriage' seems to bear witness to evolving sexual norms in Egyptian society today. More than to the phenomenon itself, for which no serious... Show moreRecent press coverage of what has been coined as 'curfi marriage' seems to bear witness to evolving sexual norms in Egyptian society today. More than to the phenomenon itself, for which no serious statistics are available, our attention should be drawn to the labelling procedures indulged by the press and 'popular literature'. Perceptions of sexuality and curfi marriage, and the way in which society is portrayed, reflect an attempt to incorporate the changing norms within a revived Islamic code. Reading the press, one discovers with astonishment an unleashed resentment of and blame on the youth and women. Show less
