Islam originated in the Arab peninsula in the 7th century. Currently, of the 175 million speakers of the Arabic language, some 90% are Muslim. The fact is, however, that they constitute only 15% of... Show moreIslam originated in the Arab peninsula in the 7th century. Currently, of the 175 million speakers of the Arabic language, some 90% are Muslim. The fact is, however, that they constitute only 15% of the estimated 148,750,000 Muslims of the world. As the second major proselytizing religion (second only to Christianity) to emerge within the Semitic tradition, Islam, in the past, spread to the various regions of the world through peaceful as well as military means. In that very long phase, it established itself primarily in Asia and Africa. Of the six most populous Muslim countries of the world - Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Iran - none are Arab, and in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has more Muslims than any of the Maghreb countries of North Africa. Show less
The women of Turkey are often characterized either as a secluded and inert mass oppressed by harsh patriarchal rules of Islam or as liberated citizens enjoying equal rights with men - thanks to... Show moreThe women of Turkey are often characterized either as a secluded and inert mass oppressed by harsh patriarchal rules of Islam or as liberated citizens enjoying equal rights with men - thanks to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's modernization reforms. The latter characterization has been promoted by the state and several privileged women, including the former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, and reinforced by the cross-national data that ranked Turkey higher on many gender development indicators than other Muslim populated countries. Show less
Mixed Christian and Muslim marriages have an impact which reaches beyond the lives of the spouses, their children, and their parents. These marriages affect the wider community in ways which can be... Show moreMixed Christian and Muslim marriages have an impact which reaches beyond the lives of the spouses, their children, and their parents. These marriages affect the wider community in ways which can be understood by identifying the enrichment and complications of family dynamics in West Bank households and by exploring the attitudes and reactions of spouses, which have shaped their interrelationships even at the level of the community at large. Their aspirations and fears about their children's futures, when placed within the context of social, political and religious developments, offers insight into the changing boundaries of the Christian and Muslim communities in the West Bank. Show less
In January 2000, a trip was made to Tanzania to make an inventory of the locally produced Islamic literature. Through the financial support of ISIM, 500 titles were collected for the ISIM library.... Show moreIn January 2000, a trip was made to Tanzania to make an inventory of the locally produced Islamic literature. Through the financial support of ISIM, 500 titles were collected for the ISIM library. In October 2000, a 6-month fieldwork period was embarked upon, which allowed for the gathering of another 700 books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines and ephemera in Tanzania and Kenya. In both countries some 30 bookshops (excluding the street vendors) were visited in 10 urban centres. The items in the collection are written in Swahili (approximately 50%), Arabic (30%) and English (20%). Apart from Gujarati and Urdu, which are sparsely used in East African Islamic publications, other languages seem to be of no importance at all. Show less
Review of: Ann E lizabeth Mayer Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics 3rd edition. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998. xix + 260 pp. ISBN (paperback) 0-8133-3504-3
This new Turkish encyclopaedia of Islam is an ambitious and wide-ranging project that will rapidly become an indispensable reference work for the study of social, political and cultural aspects of... Show moreThis new Turkish encyclopaedia of Islam is an ambitious and wide-ranging project that will rapidly become an indispensable reference work for the study of social, political and cultural aspects of the Muslim world. As stated in the preface to Volume 1, the work is a statement of pride and confidence in the Islamic religious and cultural heritage, at a time when the Muslim world is overcoming, with great determination, its long-held inferiority complex vis-a-vis the modern West. Accordingly, the TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi was conceived and designed by - and is being overwhelmingly executed from within - a community of Muslim scholars, mainly Turkish. It is thus markedly different in scope and in tone from Leiden’s Encyclopaedia of Islam. This latter is seen by the editors of the new encyclopaedia as primarily a project of European orientalists. Show less
For the study of Islam in the Malayo-Indonesian world it is of the utmost importance to know what kind of texts have been and are in circulation. As far as printed Malay (and Arabic) texts are... Show moreFor the study of Islam in the Malayo-Indonesian world it is of the utmost importance to know what kind of texts have been and are in circulation. As far as printed Malay (and Arabic) texts are concerned, in the last decade great progress has been made through the publications of, among others, Virginia Matheson and M.B. Hooker on Jawi Literature in Patani; Martin van Bruinessen on Kitab Kuning; and Ian Proudfoot on early Malay printed books up to 1920. In addition to knowledge of the availability and circulation of printed texts, that of manuscripts is of equal interest. Very important in this respect is the recently published work by Teuku Iskandar, Catalogue of Malay, Minangkabau, and South Sumatran Manuscripts in the Netherlands, 2 vols., Leiden 1999 (ISBN 90-71220-09-5). Show less
The Tablighi Jamacat founded by Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas (d. 1944) in a rural setting in Mewat, India, in the early 20th century spread over the entire globe in less than a decade. With its centre in... Show moreThe Tablighi Jamacat founded by Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas (d. 1944) in a rural setting in Mewat, India, in the early 20th century spread over the entire globe in less than a decade. With its centre in Delhi, the Jamacat currently operates in more than 80 countries. Attended by millions, its annual conference has now become the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj. Show less
The Naqshbandi order constitutes one of the leading Sufi orders (tariqa) in the Muslim world. Baha'al-Din Naqshband (d. 1389), the order's eponym, originated from Bukhara in Khorasan. During the... Show moreThe Naqshbandi order constitutes one of the leading Sufi orders (tariqa) in the Muslim world. Baha'al-Din Naqshband (d. 1389), the order's eponym, originated from Bukhara in Khorasan. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the order developed into a world-wide organization, spreading to areas as culturally and geographically distant as Central Asia, Eastern Turkestan, India, China, Afghanistan, and the then Ottoman Empire (including the Balkans). Show less
Muslim Traditions and Modern Techniques of Power, Yearbook of the Sociology of Islam deals with historical and contemporary articulations of the relation of tension between the civilizing impetus... Show moreMuslim Traditions and Modern Techniques of Power, Yearbook of the Sociology of Islam deals with historical and contemporary articulations of the relation of tension between the civilizing impetus of Muslim traditions, and modern forms, fields and techniques of power. These techniques are associated with the process of state-building, as well as with the related constraints of disciplining, normative cohesion, control of the territory and monitored social differentiation. Show less
On 15 May 1998, Dr J.G.J. Ter Haar (1941) delivered his inaugural speech as Professor of Persian Language and Literature and the Cultural History of Iran. The speech was entitled: In De Stilte Van... Show moreOn 15 May 1998, Dr J.G.J. Ter Haar (1941) delivered his inaugural speech as Professor of Persian Language and Literature and the Cultural History of Iran. The speech was entitled: In De Stilte Van De Sharia, Een debat over de islam in het moderne Iran (In the Silence of the Sharia; a debate on Islam in Modern Iran). The following is part of his conclusion. The entire speech has been published by the Research School CNWS, Leiden. Show less
