From 24 to 26 October 2003 an international workshop was held in Cairo under the title 'What Happened: Telling Stories about Law in Muslim Societies'. Representing the third event in the ISIM... Show moreFrom 24 to 26 October 2003 an international workshop was held in Cairo under the title 'What Happened: Telling Stories about Law in Muslim Societies'. Representing the third event in the ISIM programme on the anthropology of Islamic law, the workshop was organized with the Centre d'études et de Documentation économique, Juridique et Sociale (CEDEJ), the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale (IFAO), and the Dutch-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC), all based in Cairo. The convenors were Nathalie Bernard-Maugiron, Léon Buskens, Barbara Drieskens, Baudouin Dupret, and Annelies Moors. Show less
In collaboration with Utrecht University, Leiden University, and the University of Amsterdam, the ISIM organized a workshop on the anthropology of Islamic law in Leiden from 14 to 15 March 2003.... Show moreIn collaboration with Utrecht University, Leiden University, and the University of Amsterdam, the ISIM organized a workshop on the anthropology of Islamic law in Leiden from 14 to 15 March 2003. Convened by Leon Buskens, Khalid Masud, and Annelies Moors, the workshop brought together a group of scholars working on Islamic law and practice in different parts of the world, in the fields of anthropology, history, and legal scholarship. Show less
Muslim communities have never responded to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in a homogenous way. There have always been differences of opinion and approaches to dealing with HIV/AIDS. The following analyses... Show moreMuslim communities have never responded to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in a homogenous way. There have always been differences of opinion and approaches to dealing with HIV/AIDS. The following analyses Muslim attitudes towards fellow Muslims living with HIV/AIDS by comparing the approaches of two Muslim AIDS prevention and support groups in South Africa. Show less
A summer institute on Public Spheres and Muslim Identities took place in Berlin in July 2001 and at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in August 2002. It was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt... Show moreA summer institute on Public Spheres and Muslim Identities took place in Berlin in July 2001 and at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in August 2002. It was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Bonn) and administered by the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, on behalf of an international consortium of institutes for advanced study in Europe and the United States. The projects engendered by the summer institute facilitated discussions on theory and method across disciplinary lines, geographical regions, and historical periods. A follow-up meeting of two of the institute's working groups convened in Florence in September 2003. Show less
In recent years considerable attention has been paid in modern Islamic studies to the emergence of new Muslim intellectuals seeking to reformulate and reinvigorate elements of tradition and to open... Show moreIn recent years considerable attention has been paid in modern Islamic studies to the emergence of new Muslim intellectuals seeking to reformulate and reinvigorate elements of tradition and to open new avenues of inquiry to solve contemporary Muslim problems. This phenomenon has been seen, variously, as an ""Islamic reformation', 'Islamic modernism', 'progressive Islam', and 'liberal Islam', to cite but a few of the standard appellations currently in use. It has most frequently been associated with figures such as Abdolkarim Soroush, Fatima Mernissi, Nurcholish Madjid, Amina Wadud, Ali Bulac, Abdullahi an-Na'im, Khaled Abu el-Fadl, and Farid Esack - again, to name but a few. These writers have all undoubtedly made hugely important contributions to contemporary Muslim thought. It has, however, been extremely difficult to gauge the influence and impact of their ideas within the wider Muslim world. To a large extent, this is a problem of language - both linguistic and discursive. The majority of those associated with this trend tend towards an academic discourse which limits their readership to only the most highly educated. In a number of cases, key works have not been translated into Muslim languages, or face distribution problems and/or political barriers to wider dissemination. In short - and without seeking to belittle the crucial and in some cases revolutionary contributions that these writers have made - it could be argued that contemporary reformist Islam has become too closely associated with a narrow group of 'superstar' intellectuals. Show less
I lived for ten years on the 14th floor of a high-rise in Cairo. I was amazed to discover the vast variety of life on the rooftops that lay beneath me. I took photos, excited by the different... Show moreI lived for ten years on the 14th floor of a high-rise in Cairo. I was amazed to discover the vast variety of life on the rooftops that lay beneath me. I took photos, excited by the different scenes of daily life that I witnessed. The people who live on the rooftops have a different and separate life from the people who live in the buildings themselves; those residents as well as the pedestrians on the street below have no idea what goes on above them. Show less
In 1903, Duncan Black Macdonald (1863-1943), a prominent early scholar of Islam in the United States, wrote that Islam does not allow constitutionalism because the caliph 'cannot set up beside... Show moreIn 1903, Duncan Black Macdonald (1863-1943), a prominent early scholar of Islam in the United States, wrote that Islam does not allow constitutionalism because the caliph 'cannot set up beside himself a constitutional assembly and give it rights against himself. He is the successor of Muhammad and must rule, within [divine] limitations, as an absolute monarch.' Yet within a few years of that statement, some of the leading scholars of the Islamic world were arguing exactly the contrary. Muhammad ' Abduh (Egypt, 1849-1905) - the highest-ranking religious official in Egypt - wrote privately in 1904 that he supported a parliamentary democracy. In 1908, Mehmed Cemaleddin Efendi (Turkey, 1848-1917) - the chief religious authority of the Ottoman Empire, appointed directly by the caliph - said that he too supported constitutionalism. Also in 1908, two senior scholars of Shi'i Islam telegraphed their support at a crucial moment in Iran's Constitutional Revolution: 'We would like to know if it would be possible to execute Islamic provisions without a constitutional regime!' Show less
With the gradual opening of Iranian society in the second decade after the Islamic Revolution, a number of research centers and networks have been established. Scholarly interest in Iran has also... Show moreWith the gradual opening of Iranian society in the second decade after the Islamic Revolution, a number of research centers and networks have been established. Scholarly interest in Iran has also been shifting from examining the causes of the Revolution to investigating its consequences. Scholars are increasingly conducting research based on archival analysis, in-depth interviewing, participant observation and survey analysis to investigate social transformations that have taken place in Iran. Show less
In the Caucasus as elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, religion gained important momentum after the abolishment of stateatheism and the demise of communism. The renewed importance and visibility... Show moreIn the Caucasus as elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, religion gained important momentum after the abolishment of stateatheism and the demise of communism. The renewed importance and visibility of religion in this region is often explained as a return to, or revival of, pre-Soviet religious practices and beliefs. However, the religious dynamics in Georgia's southwestern autonomous region Ajaria radically contest such explanations. Here, the borders between Islam and Christianity are shifting in favour of the latter following increased confrontations with post-Soviet Georgian nationalism. Show less
The debates about the pros and cons of cloning in the media are usually dominated by views of the Christian churches, philosophers, and lobbyists. Yet the issues raised by cloning are, for several... Show moreThe debates about the pros and cons of cloning in the media are usually dominated by views of the Christian churches, philosophers, and lobbyists. Yet the issues raised by cloning are, for several reasons, affecting mankind in general and therefore cannot be solved by representatives and opinion leaders predominantly from the so-called 'West' only. Among these reasons is the fundamental question of whether our concepts of 'man', 'personhood', and consequently 'mankind' have to be reformulated in the light of recent scientific progress. It is obvious that a final, universally acceptable answer to this question cannot be arrived at if representatives of religions such as Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism are not included in this debate. Show less
The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, signifying the first Muslim woman to receive a Nobel Prize. The international recognition bestowed on Ebadi... Show moreThe 2003 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, signifying the first Muslim woman to receive a Nobel Prize. The international recognition bestowed on Ebadi has re-invigorated the fight for human rights and democracy in Iran and elsewhere. It has also provided a much welcome change in the international image o f 'Muslim woman' as victim of tradition to active agent of social and political change. Show less
The Production of Islamic Knowledge in Western Europe', one of the twelve parallel workshops at the Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting of the Robert Schuman Centre, European... Show moreThe Production of Islamic Knowledge in Western Europe', one of the twelve parallel workshops at the Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting of the Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute's Mediterranean Program (Florence, 19-23 March 2003), was devoted to the theme of ISIM's research project under the same name (see www.isim.nl). The workshop, directed by Martin van Bruinessen and Stefano Allievi, brought together a group of mostly young scholars presently engaged in research on various aspects of religious knowledge and authority. Show less
Many Palestinian-Americans in Chicago feel that the American media rarely offer a Palestinian perspective and turn to Arabic news channels, most notably Al Jazeera, for news that they feel... Show moreMany Palestinian-Americans in Chicago feel that the American media rarely offer a Palestinian perspective and turn to Arabic news channels, most notably Al Jazeera, for news that they feel accurately portrays and reflects their views. Until an Arab perspective is regularly included in the mainstream American media, Palestinian-Americans will continue to exclude American news channels from their daily television habits. Show less
The workshop Saudi Arabia between 9/11, the Iraq Crisis & the Future will take place in Leiden and Amsterdam from 20 to 22 February 2004. It is organized by Paul Aarts (University of Amsterdam)... Show moreThe workshop Saudi Arabia between 9/11, the Iraq Crisis & the Future will take place in Leiden and Amsterdam from 20 to 22 February 2004. It is organized by Paul Aarts (University of Amsterdam) and Gerd Nonneman (Lancaster University, UK). The project is sponsored by the ISIM, the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lancaster University and benefits from close support by the European University Institute's Robert Schuman Centre (Prof. Giacomo Luciani). Show less
Scholars frequently acknowledge the force of political Islam in shaping the Muslim societies of Africa and Asia, but seldom consider the role that Christian activism has played in these societies,... Show moreScholars frequently acknowledge the force of political Islam in shaping the Muslim societies of Africa and Asia, but seldom consider the role that Christian activism has played in these societies, particularly in the context o f Western imperialism and globalization. Of central importance here is the history of Christian missionary attempts to convert Muslims in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries - a period when the British, French, and Dutch colonial powers lent their protection to European and American evangelical groups that operated within their overseas empires. Show less
Feuds remain a part of the social fabric in Upper Egypt and often get reduced in the press as merely the result of backward 'clan' systems. Yet a wide range of arbitration and reconciliation... Show moreFeuds remain a part of the social fabric in Upper Egypt and often get reduced in the press as merely the result of backward 'clan' systems. Yet a wide range of arbitration and reconciliation councils exists to deal with local disputes including 'blood feuds'. Even though the media may not report on their successes, councils frequently resolve conflicts and play a role in curtailing the escalation of feuds and violence. These councils underscore the importance of reconciliation and peaceful solutions, rather than violent ones, in Upper Egyptian culture and tradition. Show less
The European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), created in 1997, is one of the most remarkable initiatives in the developing field of jurisprudence for Muslim minorities living in the West.... Show moreThe European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), created in 1997, is one of the most remarkable initiatives in the developing field of jurisprudence for Muslim minorities living in the West. Unlike the Fiqh Council of North America, established a few years earlier, the ECFR includes scholars from the Middle East, a sign that this particular legal discourse also affects believers in Muslim majority countries. Many of the issues at hand go beyond the state of post-migration. Consequently, the ECFR has to find a balance amongst a variety of views and expectations in Europe and beyond. Show less
Each religion constitutes a distinct system. Failure to recognize this once led many observers of Islam into error, and scholars have therefore tended to move towards purely Islamic categories.... Show moreEach religion constitutes a distinct system. Failure to recognize this once led many observers of Islam into error, and scholars have therefore tended to move towards purely Islamic categories. Universal categories, however, are needed in order for scholars to transcend boundaries between scholarly disciplines and to communicate effectively with the wider public. This is also true with respect to issues such as 'church' and 'mosque' in current debates on authority within Islam, and more precisely, on institutional authority. Show less
The presence of large number of Muslims in Western Europe in the last thirty years has given rise to considerable challenges for Islamic law and Western legal systems. Can the legal rules and... Show moreThe presence of large number of Muslims in Western Europe in the last thirty years has given rise to considerable challenges for Islamic law and Western legal systems. Can the legal rules and institutions of Islamic law be applied to contemporary Western Europe where Muslims are a minority? How should liberal democracies accommodate Muslims who continue to grant authority to Islamic law in their daily lives and social practices? Do the two sources of legal norms conflict, and if so can this conflict be resolved or managed? The satisfactory resolution of these issues depends on developments in a system of Islamic law for Muslim minorities which is often termed minority fiqh (fiqh al-aqalliyat). It is also dependant on getting the general theory of Islamic law right. Show less
