The caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten have certainly taken on different meanings since they were first printed in September 2005. In Europe, the larger... Show moreThe caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten have certainly taken on different meanings since they were first printed in September 2005. In Europe, the larger debate about the integration of Islam and Muslims became the framework for the discourse on this most recent controversy over Islam and Muslims. Nevertheless, the cartoon controversy provides an opportunity to question this framework as it both obscures as much as it clarifies the public debate on the controversy in particular, and about Islam in general. Show less
The ISIM “Rights at Home” Project rounded up its activities on 1 October 2005. The four-year Project focused on challenges and opportunities facing human rights activists in Muslim societies and... Show moreThe ISIM “Rights at Home” Project rounded up its activities on 1 October 2005. The four-year Project focused on challenges and opportunities facing human rights activists in Muslim societies and communities. The overall purpose of the Project’s sounding board meetings, regional workshops, advanced training workshops, and follow-up programmes was to rethink strategies, theories, and histories of human rights and Islamic legal theory. Show less
In spite of the relative prohibition of graphic representation of living beings, especially members of the Prophet’s family,1 as expressed by religious authorities in the Islamic world, colourful... Show moreIn spite of the relative prohibition of graphic representation of living beings, especially members of the Prophet’s family,1 as expressed by religious authorities in the Islamic world, colourful paper prints showing Ali, son-inlaw of Muhammad, and his sons Hassan and Hussayn, even the Prophet himself, are not rare in contemporary Iran. In this article the authors tell the story of how a picture of a Tunesian boy became the model for popular selling posters depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a beautiful young man.2 Show less
A violent insurgency in the ethnically Malay Muslim region of southern Thailand has claimed over a thousand lives since 2004. Although the conflict between the country’s southernmost provinces and... Show moreA violent insurgency in the ethnically Malay Muslim region of southern Thailand has claimed over a thousand lives since 2004. Although the conflict between the country’s southernmost provinces and the Thai state dates back at least a century, recently the ideology in which the conflict is expressed has changed markedly. Whereas a generation ago the goal was “liberation” of the ethnically Malay population from the former sultanate of Patani, today the spirit of the movement is expressed predominantly in Islamic terms. Show less
The Museum of Modern Art in New York (www.moma.org) exhibits seventeen artists who come from the “Islamic” world but do not live there. Depictions here show two perspectives used in Without... Show moreThe Museum of Modern Art in New York (www.moma.org) exhibits seventeen artists who come from the “Islamic” world but do not live there. Depictions here show two perspectives used in Without Boundary to defy the binary oppositions of current politics by resisting essentialist notions of who they are such as: “Islamic or not.” Show less
Over the years, the Tablighi Jamaat has expanded into what is probably indeed the largest Islamic movement of contemporary times. Despite its magnitude, its impact in sub-Saharan Africa has been... Show moreOver the years, the Tablighi Jamaat has expanded into what is probably indeed the largest Islamic movement of contemporary times. Despite its magnitude, its impact in sub-Saharan Africa has been largely neglected. This article, based on ethnographic field research, focuses on the Jamaat in The Gambia (West Africa) where particularly youth convert to Tablighi ideology, in what could be seen as a form of rebellion against the authority of their elders. In the process, established religious and social values are redefined. Show less
The spatial and social fragmentation of the Palestinian territories has not only weakened judicial and police systems, but also undermined classical conflict resolution mechanisms based on kinship... Show moreThe spatial and social fragmentation of the Palestinian territories has not only weakened judicial and police systems, but also undermined classical conflict resolution mechanisms based on kinship and other forms of social proximity. In this context, new religious mediators are gaining ground. The author shows that by appealing to “Islamic values” as the only remaining connecting principle, these new legal actors have played a key role in preventing the disintegration of now isolated communities. Show less
How the US has chosen to carry out and rhetoricize its War on Terror with the Malian government has had important consequences for the political and economic stability of northern Mali. Pre... Show moreHow the US has chosen to carry out and rhetoricize its War on Terror with the Malian government has had important consequences for the political and economic stability of northern Mali. Pre-existing political and economic disparities have grown since 2002, spurring deeper social and cultural shifts and bringing a group of young, reformist Muslim intellectuals to leadership roles in new kinds of community-based organizations. The author explores these processes and their implications for social networks and corporate identity in Malian society north of the Niger Bend. Show less
Professor Juan Cole delivered the ISIM Annual Lecture on 1 December 2005 at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. He argued that clerically-led Shiism in Iraq is undergoing a sort of reformation, in... Show moreProfessor Juan Cole delivered the ISIM Annual Lecture on 1 December 2005 at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. He argued that clerically-led Shiism in Iraq is undergoing a sort of reformation, in which leading figures are attempting to reconcile the principles of Islam with those of the Enlightenment. The current attempt by ayatollahs to engage with the ideals of Jean-Jacques Rousseau is among the more thoroughgoing and institutionally promising in modern history. This article is an adjusted version of his lecture.1 Show less
Attempts at understanding contemporary Islam through its intellectual history demand new analytical frameworks to be brought to bear on both Muslim religious thought and the academic study of... Show moreAttempts at understanding contemporary Islam through its intellectual history demand new analytical frameworks to be brought to bear on both Muslim religious thought and the academic study of religion. Contemporary scholars must thus begin to explore new approaches that build upon the traditional strengths of Islamic Studies while also taking into account contemporary realities that add new dimensions to the processes of producing and transmitting knowledge. This will require a self-conscious engagement with developments in fields ranging form the sociology of philosophies to media studies. Show less
In October and November 2005, France witnessed a series of riots and violent clashes between youths and its police. Laurent Chambon, a French sociologist, born in one of the Paris banlieues and now... Show moreIn October and November 2005, France witnessed a series of riots and violent clashes between youths and its police. Laurent Chambon, a French sociologist, born in one of the Paris banlieues and now living in the Netherlands, emerged, at that time, as an engaged social scientist worried by the islamization of the riots-discourse and by the way the French state handles the problems of the areas he knows so well from his childhood. Instead of riots of “youth gangs inspired by radical Muslims,” he argues in this interview that these riots should be seen as part of a movement against the “precariousness” of everyday life in the French banlieues. Show less
The members of the new Muslim elites emerging in European cities possess a number of crucial means that allow them to choose between different courses of action and move beyond the formal to more... Show moreThe members of the new Muslim elites emerging in European cities possess a number of crucial means that allow them to choose between different courses of action and move beyond the formal to more substantive forms of citizenship. This article follows the discursive practices of the City Circle, to analyse how its members play a role in deconstructing media myths about Islam and solving problems of collective uncertainty among young urban Muslims in London. Show less
In his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 1998, Mohammad Khatami proposed to analyse the principle elements of American culture in terms of Puritan history and influence. Similarly, in... Show moreIn his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 1998, Mohammad Khatami proposed to analyse the principle elements of American culture in terms of Puritan history and influence. Similarly, in an interview with CNN, he invoked Tocqueville’s Democracy in America to highlight the religious foundations of American democracy, a gesture that caused a vexatious envy among some American politicians and political pundits. In this essay the author argues that such references reflect not just Khatami’s erudition but also highlight central tenets in his political philosophy.1 Show less
Even as the situation in southern Thailand degenerates into one of daily violence, the Tablighi Jamaat continues to take its message to the remotest villages. Ernesto Braam accompanied a group of... Show moreEven as the situation in southern Thailand degenerates into one of daily violence, the Tablighi Jamaat continues to take its message to the remotest villages. Ernesto Braam accompanied a group of followers to a small mosque in the Thai province of Pattani. The aim of this missionary movement is both to renew the faith of its followers and to appeal to villagers to come to the local mosque more often. The Tablighi Jamaat has attracted thousands of followers in Thailand’s predominantly Malay Muslim Deep South. Show less
In August 2005, a military junta engaged in a bloodless coup in Mauritania that ousted President Maaouya Sid’ Ahmed Ould Taya. Supporters and critics of this coup both explain this event in terms... Show moreIn August 2005, a military junta engaged in a bloodless coup in Mauritania that ousted President Maaouya Sid’ Ahmed Ould Taya. Supporters and critics of this coup both explain this event in terms of a struggle for democracy. According to the author this analysis can neither explain the coup nor the popular support of it. Instead, she argues that environmental catastrophe has long acted as a catalyst for political change in Mauritania, just as in other countries in North Africa. Political instability in other countries will surely follow in the wake of more bad harvests. Show less
US foreign policy and political Islam today are deeply intertwined. Policymakers, particularly since 9/11, have demonstrated an inability and/or unwillingness to distinguish between radical and... Show moreUS foreign policy and political Islam today are deeply intertwined. Policymakers, particularly since 9/11, have demonstrated an inability and/or unwillingness to distinguish between radical and moderate Islamists. They have largely treated political Islam as a global threat similar to the way that Communism was perceived. However, even in the case of Communism, foreign policymakers eventually moved from an ill-informed, broad-brush, and paranoid approach personified by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s to more nuanced and pragmatic policies that led to the establishment of relations with China in the 1970s, even as tensions remained between the United States and the Soviet Union.1 Show less
The Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi has become known for what appear to be contradictory statements, for example, defending women’s rights one day and denying them another. Significantly... Show moreThe Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi has become known for what appear to be contradictory statements, for example, defending women’s rights one day and denying them another. Significantly though, such conflicting statements are based on a singular fidelity to Islamic texts. Rather than just explaining the apparent contradictions by referring to the contexts in which such statements are made, the author argues that only by moving beyond contextuality is it possible to capture and understand the power of texts in modern Islamic thought. Show less
In the last few years some British banks have begun to offer loans for house purchase which satisfy the Quranic prohibition of interest. This presents the paradox of a retention of cultural... Show moreIn the last few years some British banks have begun to offer loans for house purchase which satisfy the Quranic prohibition of interest. This presents the paradox of a retention of cultural difference being used to promote integration with the norms of the wider society. It raises concerns about the exclusion of less affluent Muslims. There is also some question as to whether the banks are in tune with the thinking of younger British Muslims. Show less
On 24–25 February 2006 in Frankfurt-Oder, Barbara Thériault and Frank Peter convened a workshop on Islam, European Societies, and the “Carriers” of National Identities. The workshop, co-organized... Show moreOn 24–25 February 2006 in Frankfurt-Oder, Barbara Thériault and Frank Peter convened a workshop on Islam, European Societies, and the “Carriers” of National Identities. The workshop, co-organized by the CCEAE (Centre canadien d’études allemandes et européennes) at Université de Montréal and ISIM, dealt with the incorporation of Islam in different national contexts. Show less
