On the Apsheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan, in particular in the so-called 'green belt', regarded by many as a stronghold of traditional Shi'i religiosity, including such small towns as Nardaran and... Show moreOn the Apsheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan, in particular in the so-called 'green belt', regarded by many as a stronghold of traditional Shi'i religiosity, including such small towns as Nardaran and Mashtaga near Baku, the concept of having the 'gift' (vorki) of healing and telling the future has remained part of popular belief. Vorki is obtained from S hi'i imams and other holy people by means of dreams. Show less
Edward W. Said played a unique role in the contemporary Palestinian national movement. It is difficult to imagine it being reproduced by another individual Palestinian, a judgement that reflects... Show moreEdward W. Said played a unique role in the contemporary Palestinian national movement. It is difficult to imagine it being reproduced by another individual Palestinian, a judgement that reflects both Said's extraordinary qualities and the fundamental transformation of the environment in which he operated during the past three decades. Show less
Research on Muslim communities in Europe has recently shifted focus from labor and social policy concerns to issues of 'religion' and 'culture'. In particular, there has been a growing interest in... Show moreResearch on Muslim communities in Europe has recently shifted focus from labor and social policy concerns to issues of 'religion' and 'culture'. In particular, there has been a growing interest in the possible emergence of a specifically 'European Islam'. Through examining the religious attitudes and practices of Muslim girls in Belgium, the author investigates the viability of a 'European Islam' and in so doing poses questions about the nature of secularization, free will and individualization of religious practice and belief. Show less
The play Waanzee (Mad See) recently toured through the Netherlands. Based on the novel Waanzee by Robert Haasnoot, the play is a reconstruction of events in a small Dutch Protestant fishing... Show moreThe play Waanzee (Mad See) recently toured through the Netherlands. Based on the novel Waanzee by Robert Haasnoot, the play is a reconstruction of events in a small Dutch Protestant fishing community in 1915 and centers around the character of Arend Falkenier, a deeply religious man. Out at open sea he seeks to convince the captain and the crew that he received a divine message revealing that the end of time had come and that they were the only survivors and should head for the Eternal City of Jerusalem. To prove this prophecy he breaks his compass and cuts off the sails, claiming that God alone can lead them through him. He has three reluctant fishermen killed. A Norwegian freighter eventually finds the vessel and returns the surviving crew to safety. The stage version of Waanzee was performed in Arabic with actors from Morocco with supertitles in Dutch. Show less
The ISIM project 'Rights at Home: A n Approach to the Internalization of Human Rights in Family Relations in Islamic Communities' convened its third Sounding Board Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia... Show moreThe ISIM project 'Rights at Home: A n Approach to the Internalization of Human Rights in Family Relations in Islamic Communities' convened its third Sounding Board Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 15 to 17 January 2003. This meeting was organized in close collaboration with its Malaysian counterparts: the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and Sisters in Islam (SIS), an NGO committed to promoting the rights of women in the framework of Islam. Earlier sounding boards were convened in Yemen and Tanzania ( See ISIM Newsletter 10, pg.4, and 11, pg.4). Show less
Any effort at the reconstruction of Islamic thought, whether in the modern period or medieval period, has to sift through the debris of history in order to explore the limits of the material-cum... Show moreAny effort at the reconstruction of Islamic thought, whether in the modern period or medieval period, has to sift through the debris of history in order to explore the limits of the material-cum-historical in its encounter with what is transcendent. This is one of many lessons I took from the Muslim Intellectuals workshop in April 2000 organized by ISIM. This gathering to a large extent was also about history: how do Muslims with their inherited subjectivities navigate an era that is very different to what their forebears in time experienced? Show less
Abdulkader Tayob, ISIM Chair at the University of Nijmegen, talks with Muhammad Khalid Masud about his early career in Islamic studies, his sources of inspiration, his role as a Muslim intellectual... Show moreAbdulkader Tayob, ISIM Chair at the University of Nijmegen, talks with Muhammad Khalid Masud about his early career in Islamic studies, his sources of inspiration, his role as a Muslim intellectual, and his experiences in Nigeria and in the Netherlands. Show less
Jordan has been a particularly interesting location to observe the trends, patterns and dynamics of long-term emigration from Iraq over the last period of Baathist rule. Between the 1991 Gulf War... Show moreJordan has been a particularly interesting location to observe the trends, patterns and dynamics of long-term emigration from Iraq over the last period of Baathist rule. Between the 1991 Gulf War and the fall of Saddam Hussein, circulation between Iraq and all its other neighbours officially stopped periodically, whereas the flow of people, goods and capital never ceased across the border with Jordan, which remained Iraq's primary economic partner. The Jordanian authorities granted Iraqis almost unconditional entry; they allowed Iraqi international businessmen and cross border traders to skirt the embargo by using Amman as a base, tolerated the presence of the Iraqi intelligence services, and even admitted Iraqi opponents as long as they were not active politically. While airports in Iraq were closed due to the embargo, Jordan was the gateway to the outside worldÑnot only for the Iraqi business and political elite who were travelling internationally, but also for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi exiles who left the Middle East over that period. Show less
In a series of interviews with David Barsamian when Eqbal Ahmad was asked to comment on Edward Said's intellectual contributions, he summed it up as follows: 'I think the singular achievement of... Show moreIn a series of interviews with David Barsamian when Eqbal Ahmad was asked to comment on Edward Said's intellectual contributions, he summed it up as follows: 'I think the singular achievement of Said, as a literary critic, beginning with Orientalism, has been to put imperialism at the center of Western civilization... He put therefore the whole issue of Western expansion, domination and imperialism as central forces in defining the nature of civilization itself.' Reflecting, in turn, on why he dedicated his book Culture and Imperialism to Eqbal Ahmad, Edward Said wrote that 'it was because in his activity, life and thinking Eqbal embodied not just the politics of empire but that whole fabric of experience expressed in human life itself, rather than in economic rules and reductive formulas. Show less
Edward Said's death was front-page news in the Netherlands and a Dutch journalist's interview with him in 1999 was broadcast on national television. This is the kind of attention given only to... Show moreEdward Said's death was front-page news in the Netherlands and a Dutch journalist's interview with him in 1999 was broadcast on national television. This is the kind of attention given only to intellectuals of the stature of Sartre or Foucault. When he saw the interview on television, Pierre Audi, the artistic director of The Netherlands Opera, said that he had felt touched as though by the Allegro of Beethoven's great symphonies. Show less
Henna rituals associated with the marriage celebration have been gradually disappearing in urban Egypt in the past half-century. Yet the art of henna has recently been revived among certain circles... Show moreHenna rituals associated with the marriage celebration have been gradually disappearing in urban Egypt in the past half-century. Yet the art of henna has recently been revived among certain circles of young middle- and upper-class Cairene women who have reincorporated the tradition of henna painting into the pre-nuptial 'hennanight' party. Show less
During the last two decades the voluntary welfare associations' role in providing social services to the underprivileged in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been significantly enhanced.... Show moreDuring the last two decades the voluntary welfare associations' role in providing social services to the underprivileged in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been significantly enhanced. Important contributing factors to this development have been the process of political liberalization since 1989, increased economic hardship and rising levels of poverty (which were partly due to continuous state withdrawal from the domain of social welfare). Religious revival has also been a key factor and has greatly strengthened the role of voluntary associations with an Islamic background. Show less
Sahiba Sisters Foundation, an activist organization foremost preoccupied with Muslim women's realities, was invited to participate in the Rights at Home Project in early 2002. Initially there was a... Show moreSahiba Sisters Foundation, an activist organization foremost preoccupied with Muslim women's realities, was invited to participate in the Rights at Home Project in early 2002. Initially there was a level of apprehension about working with an institution that was primarily an academic institution, with academics who mastered theories but may not have hands on experience with complex situations on the ground. Also worrisome was the prospect of putting too much energy in empirical issues and methodological frameworks rather than on developing flexible responses to the needs of people on the ground. But the idea of working towards societal transformation using local knowledge and capacities was attractive to Sahiba. Indeed the Rights at Home approach filled a gap in local advocacy strategies since it went beyond idealistic notions of social justice and rights. Rather, Rights at Home promised to demystify and authenticate juridical positions and interpretations that were impacting the Islamic community in the area of family relations. Show less
The Berlin Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) was founded in 1996. ZMO is dedicated to the historical, social, and cultural study of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Apart from... Show moreThe Berlin Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) was founded in 1996. ZMO is dedicated to the historical, social, and cultural study of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Apart from conducting its own research programmes the institute promotes the development of research networks o n national and international levels. 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
