The limits of normality in Swedish public schools are defined by the majority society.1 Structures that are somewhat invisible to participants in the school system uphold a structural... Show moreThe limits of normality in Swedish public schools are defined by the majority society.1 Structures that are somewhat invisible to participants in the school system uphold a structural marginalization of Muslim pupils and exclude them from normality. This is not only a question about what is taught in class as subjects or how questions about diet are resolved, it is also about how symbolic Muslim identities are viewed. This can be seen in the light of how time and space are structured in school. Show less
Abdolkarim Soroush (b.1945) is an Iranian philosopher-thinker whose innovative ideas on religious reform are sure to win him a place among the most prominent Muslim reformers of this century. A... Show moreAbdolkarim Soroush (b.1945) is an Iranian philosopher-thinker whose innovative ideas on religious reform are sure to win him a place among the most prominent Muslim reformers of this century. A graduate of Tehran University in pharmacology, Soroush undertook postgraduate studies in history and the philosophy of science at the University of London in the early 1970s. His searching mind, already familiar with Islamic and Western classical philosophical traditions, was captivated by modern philosophy. 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
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
From 15-18 June 2000, more than 200 persons participated in an international conference entitled, 'Afghanistan - Country Without State?', organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Afghanistan (AGA) and... Show moreFrom 15-18 June 2000, more than 200 persons participated in an international conference entitled, 'Afghanistan - Country Without State?', organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Afghanistan (AGA) and the Mediothek für Afghanistan e.V. in Munich. In the almost 30 presentations given, researchers as well as representatives of NGOs and political institutions addressed the central question of whether Afghanistan is a failed or failing state. Show less
The ISIM atelier, 'Africa and Islam: moral discourses on Islam and the construction of identities in local, national and transnational perspectives', will take place from February to May 2001. The... Show moreThe ISIM atelier, 'Africa and Islam: moral discourses on Islam and the construction of identities in local, national and transnational perspectives', will take place from February to May 2001. The focus will be on the dynamic relationship between supposedly global processes like Islamic resurgence, seemingly uniform Islamic and Islamist discourses, and the construction of local identities and transformations from the perspectives of local groups and communities. Show less
Events in Africa over the last two decades have puzzled many. Worsening poverty, corruption, as well as the repeated occurrence of coups or extreme civil violence, all conspire to give a cheerless,... Show moreEvents in Africa over the last two decades have puzzled many. Worsening poverty, corruption, as well as the repeated occurrence of coups or extreme civil violence, all conspire to give a cheerless, if not downright frightening, image of the continent. Are the causes of this crisis to be found in Africa's place in the world economy or in the continual disorder which afflicts the continent? Is the present turmoil a temporary setback or has it become a permanent condition? Why is there such breakdown of society? Will the present efforts for democratization ensure an improvement in the living conditions of the vast majority or merely benefit the elites? Has the continent been 'left behind by the rest of the world', as some have argued? Taken together, these issues raise the more general question of modernization. Show less
Postcolonial Africa has witnessed problematic processes of nation and state building, but in general the state structures as designed in late-colonial and early independence endure, including their... Show morePostcolonial Africa has witnessed problematic processes of nation and state building, but in general the state structures as designed in late-colonial and early independence endure, including their secular orientation. A major challenge for the state in Africa is to advance its respect for devotional diversity, because the secular state has an interest in religious diversity. Show less
There are many varieties of traditionalism in the West, but only one that really deserves a capital 'T', and only one that modified the understanding of both Islam in the West and modernity in the... Show moreThere are many varieties of traditionalism in the West, but only one that really deserves a capital 'T', and only one that modified the understanding of both Islam in the West and modernity in the Islamic world. This is 'Guénonian' Traditionalism, the fruit of the marriage of 19th-century oriental scholarship with the Western esoteric tradition, a movement established by the work of the French religious philosopher René Guénon (1886-1951). Born in the provincial French city of Blois, Gunon lived the last twenty years of his life in Egypt, where he died a Muslim and an Egyptian citizen just before the 1952 Revolution. Despite this, his books and articles draw far more heavily on Hinduism than Islam, and were all written in French and published in Paris. At first, Traditionalists were all Europeans, mostly converts to Islam; today, their number includes born Muslims in the Islamic world and the West. Show less
Al-Azhar University projects an image of a thousand year old institution that has symbolized the authority and reference point for Sunni Islam and has been involved in struggles for national... Show moreAl-Azhar University projects an image of a thousand year old institution that has symbolized the authority and reference point for Sunni Islam and has been involved in struggles for national independence. A jealous guardian of the Arabic language and its culture, al-Azhar has the pretension of exerting its influence throughout the entire Islamic world. Nevertheless, the idealized image that it projects is quite far from the complex reality al-Azhar actually faces, and the post 11 September 2001 period has made evident the challenges this institution is confronting. Show less
Satellite television stations are subtly challenging the state's monopoly over the means of persuasion and information in the Arab world. A Qatari-based television channel, Al-Jazeera's coverage of... Show moreSatellite television stations are subtly challenging the state's monopoly over the means of persuasion and information in the Arab world. A Qatari-based television channel, Al-Jazeera's coverage of Syrian politics exemplifies how satellite television is changing the conditions of communication between citizens and states in the Arab world and increasing the space for civil society, creating more moments in television that are not as controlled by states. The significance of the Syrian case lies in the fact that the Syrian regime is highly authoritarian and still maintains near total control of information and communication. The following examines Al-Jazeera's reporting of several issues considered highly sensitive according to the censorship policies of Syria's Ministries of Information and Culture and Guidance: political opposition in Syria, succession, and the impact of the peace process on the regime's survival ability. Show less
The periodical al-Manar al-Jadid was first published in January 1998 in Cairo. In the words of its editor-inchief, Gamal Sultan, its aim is: 'To establish a civilized and authentic intellectual... Show moreThe periodical al-Manar al-Jadid was first published in January 1998 in Cairo. In the words of its editor-inchief, Gamal Sultan, its aim is: 'To establish a civilized and authentic intellectual forum, to combat the waves of westernization, arbitrariness and opportunism in the Islamic world.' The initiators of the publication include such prominent Islamists as Muhammad cImara, Tariq al-Bishri, Yusuf Qaradawi, and Rashid al-Ghanushi, as well as activists of the younger generation, like kamal habib, a leading member of the Jihad Group in the 1980s. The new periodical is obviously linked to the famous al-Manar issued in 1898 under the patronage of Rashid Rida. Show less
In the past decade, Alevis in Germany have stressed their distinctness mainly in terms of culture when negotiating with the majority society. Since recently, however, an increased emphasis on... Show moreIn the past decade, Alevis in Germany have stressed their distinctness mainly in terms of culture when negotiating with the majority society. Since recently, however, an increased emphasis on religion can be observed, which is not so much due to a regained strength of religiosity. It is rather a response to changed public discourses and an adjustment to the prevailing legal and institutional conditions. In Germany, the issue of immigration has been treated in terms of cultural difference since long ago, the religious identity of the mainly Muslim immigrants having nearly no impact on integration policy. Yet since the end of the 1990s, when attention was drawn to fundamentalist tendencies among the Muslim youth, the religious dimension of immigration has been brought to the fore. Show less
Following the 'bread riots' of October 1988, the Islamist movement was the biggest benefactor of the introduction of democracy in Algeria, quickly amassing huge political support and winning... Show moreFollowing the 'bread riots' of October 1988, the Islamist movement was the biggest benefactor of the introduction of democracy in Algeria, quickly amassing huge political support and winning landslide victories in local and legislative elections. But instead of using its newly acquired power to install democratic principles throughout Algeria, the Islamist movement fell victim to its own aspirations. Today, as Algeria observes the tenth anniversary of the October riots, certain conclusions are self-evident. Overall, Algeria's Islamist leadership has proven ill equipped to handle its success or its own agenda. Show less
The announcement of Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad's death on Saturday, 10 June 2000, prompted panegyrics to his greatness and public displays of grief. Syrians Ð those who genuinely admired him... Show moreThe announcement of Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad's death on Saturday, 10 June 2000, prompted panegyrics to his greatness and public displays of grief. Syrians Ð those who genuinely admired him and even those who feared him Ð may have experienced sadness at his passing. Death has a way of generating mournful feelings, or at least of inducing apprehension about the future. Yet the political rituals praising his rule, likening his brilliance to the sun's and stressing his role as a 'man of the people', were not new to Syrians. Asad's image was omnipresent for much of his rule (1970-2000), and the rhetoric of flattery was commonplace. In newspapers, on television and during orchestrated events, Asad was repeatedly lauded as the 'father' and the 'gallant knight'. If only by dint of its repetition, all were fluent in this symbolic language of the Syrian state, which had become a hallmark of Asad's rule. Show less
Muslims in the United States have attempted to carve out identities that challenge evolving national norms, identities that often are at odds with those imposed on them by other Americans. Through... Show moreMuslims in the United States have attempted to carve out identities that challenge evolving national norms, identities that often are at odds with those imposed on them by other Americans. Through a review of three key areas of tension, the constructions of race, religion, and the nation, it can be argued that American Muslims may very well be making their greatest contributions to American pluralism. Show less
