Over the last years Dale Eickelman has been in close contact with Muhammad Khalid Masud while at the ISIM. Often, while travelling the globe and changing flights at Amsterdam's international... Show moreOver the last years Dale Eickelman has been in close contact with Muhammad Khalid Masud while at the ISIM. Often, while travelling the globe and changing flights at Amsterdam's international airport, the two would meet over lunch or breakfast. Eickelman paid frequent visits to the ISIM office, also in his capacity as member of the ISIM Academic Committee, and participated in several of its workshops. T h e friendship between the two scholars dates back to the 1980s. On the occasion of Masud's retirement, the anthropologist reflects on his career and their mutual interests. Show less
The AKMI1/ISIM Summer Academy brought together 20 nationalities at the Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul. For eleven days and nights, from early morning until late evening, the core of this... Show moreThe AKMI1/ISIM Summer Academy brought together 20 nationalities at the Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul. For eleven days and nights, from early morning until late evening, the core of this group - the invited participants (pre-doctoral candidates and recent Ph.D.s),2 and tutors, together with several of the locally invited lecturers - listened to and commented on lectures, presented and discussed one another's projects, and visited local research centres. Show less
Until 1996, six years after the publication of Muhammad Shahrur's Proposal for an Islamic Covenant, his sense of public was as austere as that expressed by Immanuel Kant in his famous essay on the... Show moreUntil 1996, six years after the publication of Muhammad Shahrur's Proposal for an Islamic Covenant, his sense of public was as austere as that expressed by Immanuel Kant in his famous essay on the Enlightenment. Kant argued that the printed word, unlike direct speech, offers the 'public' the possibility of judging ideas independently from the status or authority of their authors. Muhammad Shahrur acknowledges his lack of credentials in Islamic scholarship. Despite this deficiency, his courage in entering an arena of public discussion, previously reserved for trained jurists, has incited strong interest in his ideas among many educated speakers of Arabic throughout the world. Show less
