Britain’s Shia community is currently engaged in a process of individualization and privatization of religious belief. The recent flourishing of lectures, community organizations, and films... Show moreBritain’s Shia community is currently engaged in a process of individualization and privatization of religious belief. The recent flourishing of lectures, community organizations, and films intended for youth points to the younger, English speaking generation as the primary locus of change. Exploring Shia activities during Muharram and Ashura, this article traces the changing nature of religious authority and the structure of community organization among the second generation of the Middle Eastern Twelver British Diaspora. Show less
Intercultural dialogue and cosmopolitanism are increasingly becoming a public policy focus. Art festivals, concerts, and a variety of public events explicitly promoting such agenda have been... Show moreIntercultural dialogue and cosmopolitanism are increasingly becoming a public policy focus. Art festivals, concerts, and a variety of public events explicitly promoting such agenda have been flourishing in southern European countries of recent immigration. Drawing on the Italian case, the author explores the performing arts’ cosmopolitan potential, asking how hierarchies are challenged and recreated when majorities request minorities to engage in cosmopolitan dialogue, on and off stage. Show less
Although the Syrian art scene is by and large characterized by artists working in traditional techniques like painting and sculpture, young artists are discovering new forms of expression such as... Show moreAlthough the Syrian art scene is by and large characterized by artists working in traditional techniques like painting and sculpture, young artists are discovering new forms of expression such as video art. Building upon a long tradition of artists offering social criticism, these artists comment in their work on presentday Syrian society. This article analyzes videos of two artists, locating their art in the context of current social and political debate. Show less
The editors of the Enzyklopädie Migration in Europa. Vom 17. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart (Munich, 2007) coined the phrase homo migrans to describe the phenomenon of human migration. This... Show moreThe editors of the Enzyklopädie Migration in Europa. Vom 17. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart (Munich, 2007) coined the phrase homo migrans to describe the phenomenon of human migration. This collaboration of German and Dutch historians was prompted by the current debate in their respective countries over Moroccan and Turkish immigration. This massive volume, however, covers only the past three centuries of migration including both to and from Europe. Show less
Perpetrated by the media and policy circles, the language of clash currently dominates interreligious and intercultural relations, overlooking the more common human practices based upon association... Show morePerpetrated by the media and policy circles, the language of clash currently dominates interreligious and intercultural relations, overlooking the more common human practices based upon association and cooperation. It is therefore high time to invoke the notion of “everyday cosmopolitanism” both as a scholarly inquiry and an ethical project. Show less
Imams serving in the Netherlands are confronted with diverse expectations. While practising Muslims first of all turn to imams for advice in religious matters, the government expects imams to show... Show moreImams serving in the Netherlands are confronted with diverse expectations. While practising Muslims first of all turn to imams for advice in religious matters, the government expects imams to show believers how to be a good Dutch citizen. But although many Muslims hold their imams in great esteem, the influence of the imam should not be overestimated. Young people in particular are looking in other directions for religious guidance. Show less
The image of Istanbul as capital of one of the world’s greatest empires is often used to emphasize its cosmopolitanism, a convenient marketing tool in today’s global economy. Just as historical... Show moreThe image of Istanbul as capital of one of the world’s greatest empires is often used to emphasize its cosmopolitanism, a convenient marketing tool in today’s global economy. Just as historical monuments are used to remind the tourist of Istanbul’s role as the cradle of civilization, the claim to cosmopolitanism employs the notion that, in Ottoman times, many religious and ethnic groups coexisted peacefully in the city. Yet in repackaging Istanbul in this way, certain signs of diversity are championed while others are notably passed over. Show less
In the current debate on migration to Europe, a central concern has emerged over the “marginality” of Muslim communities, in other words, their seeming failure to “integrate” into the mainstream... Show moreIn the current debate on migration to Europe, a central concern has emerged over the “marginality” of Muslim communities, in other words, their seeming failure to “integrate” into the mainstream life world. Migrants congregating in mosques or Muslim community centres, attending Islamic schools, wearing headscarves and exotic “traditional” clothes, and turning to non-European television programmes are seen as an anomaly in the social body of European societies. Underlying this anxiety is the implicit assumption that Muslim peoples have an exceptionally primordial attachment to “tradition”—some immutable “Islamic ways of life”—that is incompatible with modern European values and which stands in the way of their integration. Show less
The workshop “Transnational Relations and Muslim Diasporas” jointly organized by York University, Toronto, and the VU University, Amsterdam in cooperation with ISIM and the follow up to the one... Show moreThe workshop “Transnational Relations and Muslim Diasporas” jointly organized by York University, Toronto, and the VU University, Amsterdam in cooperation with ISIM and the follow up to the one held at York University, June 2007, took place in June 2008. Both are part of the project “Muslim Diasporas: Religious and National Identity, Gender, Cultural Resistance.“ The convenors of the workshop were Haideh Moghissi, Saeed Rahnema, and Halleh Ghorashi. Show less
This article discusses the work of two Egyptian artists who are inspired by the urban environment as well as by Sufism. Their art reflects two aspects of Cairene life: the frenetic activity and... Show moreThis article discusses the work of two Egyptian artists who are inspired by the urban environment as well as by Sufism. Their art reflects two aspects of Cairene life: the frenetic activity and density of communication that characterize cosmopolitan centres, and the more contemplative aspects of Sufism. The author argues that Sufi philosophies and practice mediate between the personal nature of spirituality and the realities of urban life in the present day. Show less
A glimpse into the family of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person to be tried in a US court for conspiracy in the attacks of 9/11, brings into focus the importance of understanding individual action... Show moreA glimpse into the family of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person to be tried in a US court for conspiracy in the attacks of 9/11, brings into focus the importance of understanding individual action and choice in religious behaviour. Though rooted in the same social and cultural background, the members of this family have embarked on radically different religious trajectories: Moussaoui and his brother are adherents of very different forms of organized Islam, while his mother looks inward for her faith, and his sister identifies with Judaism. Show less
Muslim Arab Sudanese consider light-coloured skin attractive and upper class, but in Egypt and the UK Sudanese refugees and migrants are considered “black”; in each country Sudanese Arab Muslims... Show moreMuslim Arab Sudanese consider light-coloured skin attractive and upper class, but in Egypt and the UK Sudanese refugees and migrants are considered “black”; in each country Sudanese Arab Muslims have developed different strategies to cope with this situation. While Egyptian racial categories demand association with the dominant, light skinned majority, in the UK the Sudanese aspire to neither the white majority nor black identity. Show less
All over the world Muslims observe and celebrate Ramadan, but how they do so varies greatly. This article describes everyday life in Djibouti during the recent month of Ramadan and brings into... Show moreAll over the world Muslims observe and celebrate Ramadan, but how they do so varies greatly. This article describes everyday life in Djibouti during the recent month of Ramadan and brings into focus the differences between rich and poor, men and women, local Muslims and foreign soldiers, as well as the government’s support for Sufi Islam to counter the influence of fundamentalist Islam. Show less
In October 2007, Malaysia sent its first astronaut into space. The thirty-six year old orthopaedic surgeon, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, was sent to the International Space Station on 10 October 2007... Show moreIn October 2007, Malaysia sent its first astronaut into space. The thirty-six year old orthopaedic surgeon, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, was sent to the International Space Station on 10 October 2007 and returned to earth on 21 October 2007. As the astronaut was a practicing Muslim the Malaysian space agency provided him with advice on religious practice in the form of a guideline for performing the Islamic rites at the space station, and adapted classical legal opinions on religious practice during travel to the new context of outer space. Show less
With the growing popularity of Islamic clothing in Indonesia in recent decades, Muslim fashion has become an increasingly hot topic among wearers of Islamic clothing. Indonesian Muslim fashion... Show moreWith the growing popularity of Islamic clothing in Indonesia in recent decades, Muslim fashion has become an increasingly hot topic among wearers of Islamic clothing. Indonesian Muslim fashion consists of various styles and trends, influenced by transnational factors yet maintaining a local flavour. This article traces the development of Muslim fashion in Indonesia and explores how Indonesian designers are involved in the production of sophisticated Islamic clothing designs. Show less
Contemporary Arab art increasingly attracts attention from both art institutions and scholars. By drawing on a variety of approaches, scholars in this field can put questions to major theoretical... Show moreContemporary Arab art increasingly attracts attention from both art institutions and scholars. By drawing on a variety of approaches, scholars in this field can put questions to major theoretical paradigms. Lest a scholarly opportunity be lost, we must remind ourselves at this stage what we do not know about contemporary Arab art, particularly in relation to historiography, concepts of artistry, audience cultivation, and the role of institutional support and funding. Show less
Artist Lida Abdul reflects on the character of home and place in a series of film installations created in Afghanistan, including What we saw upon awakening and War games.
With the growth of the Muslim population in the Netherlands more and more mosques are being designed by Dutch architects. But while architects approach mosque design as a display of either... Show moreWith the growth of the Muslim population in the Netherlands more and more mosques are being designed by Dutch architects. But while architects approach mosque design as a display of either traditional or modern values, for commissioners religion plays a crucial, if unspoken, role in the design. Through the design of their mosque commissioners aim to express their own vision of Islam and distinguish it from other visions. Show less
Rather than forming an actual terrorist threat, Muslim warriors in Bosnia have become prominent challengers to Bosnian Islamic leadership. By propagating Salafi teachings which target the forms of... Show moreRather than forming an actual terrorist threat, Muslim warriors in Bosnia have become prominent challengers to Bosnian Islamic leadership. By propagating Salafi teachings which target the forms of Islam practised by the Bosnian Muslims, this former ally came to be seen as a threat—not only because their presence fuelled stigmatization of Bosnia as a potential terrorist hotbed, but also because their Salafi ideas go against the very essence of Bosnian Muslim identity Show less
