Is it possible to ignore the rules of the world and still enjoy the protection of the international community? Does the West need the Saudis more than they need us? This study seeks to answer these and other questions on the political and social development of Saudi Arabia in the seven years since the Gulf War. The book examines the ruling family's self-awarded birthright to wealth and power, and discusses the questions of Royal Law, human rights, censorship, the fear of radical Islam, and gender in the kingdom.

Muslims first appeared in the early seventh century as members of a persecuted religious movement in a sun-baked town in Arabia. Within a century, their descendants were ruling a vast territory that extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indus River valley in modern Pakistan. This region became the arena for a new cultural experiment in which Muslim scholars and creative artists synthesized and reworked the legacy of Rome, Greece, Iran, and India into a new civilization. A History of the Muslim World to 1405 traces the development of this civilization from the career of the Prophet Muhammad to the death of the Mongol emperor Timur Lang. Coverage includes the unification of the Dar a1-Islam (the territory ruled by Muslims), the fragmentation into various religious and political groups including the Shi'ite and Sunni, and the series of catastrophes in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that threatened to destroy the civilization. Features: Balanced coverage of the Muslim world encompassing the region from the Iberian Peninsula to South Asia. Detailed accounts of all cultures including major Shi'ite groups and the Sunni community. Primary sources. Numerous maps and photographs featuring a special four-color art insert. Glossary, charts, and timelines.

This book is a welcome addition to an all too scant literature on the Ismaili communities of Syria. In addition to a wide reading of Arabic sources and a deep familiarity with the existing scholarly literature, Professor Mirza also brings to light new manuscripts illuminating this history.
Syrian Ismailism tells the little-known story of the adaptability and survival of Ismailis in Syria in an era which seems as complex and difficult as our own. The late eleventh and twelfth centuries brought severe troubles, including the decline of the Fatimids, divisions among the Ismailis, the Saljuq-Sunni conquest of much of the Middle East, and the Crusades.

With a Foreword by Ira M. Lapidus. This is a welcome addition to the scant literature on the Ismaili communities of Syria. In addition to a wide reading of Arabic sources and a deep familiarity with existing scholarly literature, Prof. Mirza brings to light new manuscripts illuminating this history.

Why wasn't Islam the rallying point and battle cry of the anti-colonial movement in the Sudan? Why did the mainstream political parties and the first military regime maintain the 'secular' political structures of the colonial state? Why did the influential parties opt for an 'Islamic constitution' in the 1960s? Why did Nimeiry's regime change is course? This work attempts to answer these and related questions.
Three key issues are addressed within the framework of the relationship between Islam, society and politics: the manifestation of Islam in the particular context of Sudanese society; the politicisation / repoliticisation of Islam and the Islamicisation of politics; and the mechanisms that influence the rise of a specific Islamicist force or enhance calls for Islamicisation.

The theme of the conference presented in this work, Islam in a changing world: Europe and the Middle East, held in Copenhagen in June 1996, was the compatibility between Islam and universal norms and values, and the perspectives for dialogue and mutual understanding. Special attention was given both to the common features of today's Islamic groups and to differences between them. Patterns of internal Islamic co-operation and conflict were discussed, as were the ways in which political Islam influences the socio-political developments in the Middle East. Finally, the interaction between political Islam and the post-1989 challenges and opportunities of Euro-Mediterranean co-operation was also covered.

The theme of the conference presented in this work, Islam in a changing world: Europe and the Middle East, held in Copenhagen in June 1996, was the compatibility between Islam and universal norms and values, and the perspectives for dialogue and mutual understanding. Special attention was given both to the common features of today's Islamic groups and to differences between them. Patterns of internal Islamic co-operation and conflict were discussed, as were the ways in which political Islam influences the socio-political developments in the Middle East. Finally, the interaction between political Islam and the post-1989 challenges and opportunities of Euro-Mediterranean co-operation was also covered.

The Waqf (pious endowment in Islam) fulfilled vital political, social and economic functions. Reiter presents a picture of the role of Islam in mandatory Je.0rusalem through the resources of the Waqf. The Waqfs, as owners of 80% of the land in the old city of Jerusalem, and their socio-political influence, lie at the root of the present debate about the character and future of this Holy City. The prevalent image of institutionalized corruption within the Waqf system, involving beneficiaries, administrators and members of the elite is not completely supported by the findings ofthe present study.

The waqf (pious endowment) was a major Islamic institution in Jerusalem under British Mandate and it fulfilled vital political, social and economic functions. This book considers how the waqf adapted to modern times and reflects on its role in Islamic life in Jerusalem in the light of the political debate between the Palestinian Arab national movement and the Jewish Zionist movement. One of the weaknesses of Islamic endowments was the lack of proper supervision of their administration. The image of institutionalized corruption within the waqf system, involving beneficiaries, administrators, qadis and members of the elite, however, is not completely supported by the findings of the present study. Alongside cases of neglect and poor administration of waqf in Mandatory Jerusalem, there were numerous instances of estates being properly maintained and well managed. The waqfs own 80 per cent of the land in the Old City of Jerusalem, and their socio-political influence lies at the root of the present debate about the character and future of this holy city.

Orientalism, Zionism and Academic Practice explores the field of Israeli Middle East and Islamic Studies (MEIS) sociologically and politically, as a window onto the relationship between Orientalism, Zionism and academia. The book draws special attention to neoliberal discourse and praxis in everyday higher education, the interests of scholars, and the political form that commercialisation takes in specific disciplinary and geopolitical conditions by deconstructing structural and historical presuppositions and effective ideologies that overdetermine this junction of academia, orientalism and Zionism. The multi-layered study draws on various scholarly traditions and offers new evidence for, and insights in, historical and cultural-discursive discussions. It highlights paradigmatic gaps in reading Saidian orientalism, re-evaluates the origins and evolution of the local field, contributes to the study of everyday academic culture in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), and unveils the presupposed and the unsaid of the general and the specific field, exploring the intersection of an orientalist expertise, in a settler-colonial society, and everyday academic capitalism. The expertise of this sociological and discursive study make it an invaluable resource for academics and students interested in Israel and Middle East studies, Higher Education and the Sociology of Academia.

The Kuwaiti population includes around 100,000 people - approximately 10 per cent of the Kuwaiti nationals -whose legal status is contested. Often considered `stateless', they have come to be known in Kuwait as biduns, from `bidun jinsiyya', which means literally `without nationality' in Arabic. As long-term residents with close geographical ties and intimate cultural links to the emirate, the biduns claim that they are entitled to Kuwaiti nationality because they have no other. But since 1986 the State of Kuwait, has considered them `illegal residents' on Kuwaiti territory. As a result, the biduns have been denied civil and human rights and treated as undocumented migrants, with no access to employment, health, education or official birth and death certificates. It was only after the first-ever bidun protest in 2011, that the government softened restrictions imposed upon them. Claire Beaugrand argues here that, far from being an anomaly, the position of the biduns is of central importance to the understanding of state formation processes in the Gulf countries, and the ways in which identity and the boundaries of nationality are negotiated and concretely enacted.

Infibulation is the most extreme form of female circumcision. It plays an important role in the Islamic societies of northeastern Africa. Until now, the social significance and function of this practice has been poorly understood. This has been no less true of Western commentators who have condemned the practice than of relevant governments that have attempted to curb it. In Infibulation, Esther K. Hicks analyzes female circumcision as a cultural trait embedded in a historically traditional milieu and shows why it cannot be treated in isolation as a single issue destined for elimination. In its brief history it has been recognized as a pioneering piece of research with enormous consequences.

As Hicks demonstrates, much of the popular resistance to official efforts to eradicate infibulation has actually come from women. Circumcision constitutes a rite of passage for female children. It initiates them into womanhood and makes them eligible for marriage. Often, this is the only positive status position available to women in traditional Islamic societies. Hicks points out that although female circumcision predates the introduction of Islam into the region, the religious culture has successfully codified infibulation into the structural nexus of marriage, family, and social honor at all socioeconomic levels.

This volume explores various facets of the Islamic search for knowledge. It examines figures as diverse as Abu Najib al-Suhrawardi and Ibn al-'Arabi on the one hand, and Ibn Battuta and Ibn Jubayr on the other. The volume is divided into two main sections - Thought and Travel - but all the essays are linked by the common theme of the quest for knowledge. This collection offers insights which should be of interest all students and scholars of Islamic thought and travel.

This volume explores various facets of the Islamic search for knowledge. It examines figures as diverse as Abu Najib al-Suhrawardi and Ibn al-'Arabi on the one hand, and Ibn Battuta and Ibn Jubayr on the other. The volume is divided into two main sections - Thought and Travel - but all the essays are linked by the common theme of the quest for knowledge.;This collection offers insights which should be of interest all students and scholars of Islamic thought and travel.

Politics in Indonesia describes the attitudes, aspirations and frustrations of the key players in Indonesian politics as they struggle to shape the future. The book focuses on the role of political Islam; Douglas E. Ramage shows that the state has been remarkably successful in maintaining secular political institutions in a predominantly Muslim society. He analyses the way in which political questions are framed with reference to the national ideology, the Pancasila.

This study examines the attitude of Egyptian intellectuals towards the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in modern Egypt. Though acknowledging that Islam is the basis of every aspect of life in Egyptian society, the intellectuals believe that to establish an Islamic state would mean a return to the Middle Ages and that Western values do not necessarily contradict Islam. Without taking advantage of the scientific and technological progress achieved in the West, Egypt cannot solve its social and economic problems and move forward into the 21st century. How far will these liberal intellectuals influence the future in Egypt?

The term 'Swahili' describes the Muslim peoples of the East African coast, speakers of Kiswahili or closely related languages, who have historically filled roles as middlemen and merchants, the cosmopolitan products of a trading economy between Africa and the Indian Ocean world. This collection brings together anthropologists working on the greater Swahili world and the issues it confronts, dealing with societies from southern Somalia, northern Mozambique and the Comoro Islands, to Zanzibar and Mafia. The authors discuss a range of contemporary issues such as the shifting roles of Islam on the mainland coast; consumerism, conservation, memory and belonging in Zanzibar; how a Muslim society deals with HIV/AIDS; social change, development and political strategies in the Comoros; and Swahili women in London. The diversity of these themes reflects the diversity of the Swahili world itself: despite a cohesive cultural identity built upon shared practices, religious beliefs and language, the challenges facing Swahili people are multiple and complex. This book comprises articles originally published in the Journal of Eastern African Studies along with some new chapters.

This book is the first in-depth study of early Arab immigrants to Britain and provides a unique insight into their everyday lives. During the First World War, several thousand Arab seafarers arrived in a number of British ports; most came from Yemen and the neighbouring parts of Britain's Aden Protectorate. They represent the first significant Muslim communities to settle in Britain. The book focuses on Tyneside because this is the only area for which there are extensive local archival sources. Events on Tyneside are set in their national and international contexts. Throughout the interwar period, declining employment opportunities in shipping brought intense competition for jobs, and the Arab seamen found themselves unwanted guests; discrimination, abuse, regulation and control intensified.

This work focuses on the life and teachings of Islam's most dramatic and controversial mystic, Husayn ibn Mansur - better known as "al-Hallaj". It includes translations of his poetry and prose which are used to supplement contemporary 10th century accounts of the martyr's life. The author assesses the mystic's place in the traditional calling that he represents, and presents his conclusions in a single accessible volume designed for the general reader of religious traditions and philosophies.

For Iran, the years since Ayatollah Khomeini's death have been dominated by the need for political consolidataion and economic reconstruction. The book assesses the critical dilemmas of the regime both prior to and since the demise of its first spiritual leader. The vital issues of political succession and constitutional reform are addressed, contributing to an analysis of the structures and politics of power. How these have reflected upon economic policy is considered with close attention being given to the reform policies of Rafsanjani. Foreign policy and security issues are discussed in both regional and global terms and include a study of Iranian defence strategy and its controversial rearmament drive. The final chapter examines the direction and context of all of these major policy areas. It provides an analysis of whether the Islamic Republic truly represents a revolutionary alternative for the Third World or whether in fact it has developed in time to fall within a similar mould to other notable revolutions, casting by the wayside any uniquely Islamic agenda and alternatives.

The former Muslim republics of the USSR are struggling to strike a balance between the legacy of the Soviet regime and the revival of their own, traditional culture. This volume examines the religion, economy and demography of the areas as well as both internal and external relations.

Examines the role of God in medieval Islamic philosophy and theology in a new and exciting way. Renouncing the traditional chronological method of considering Islamic philosophy, Netton uses modern literary modes of criticism derived from structuralism, post-structuralism and semiotics.

A collection of Muslim traditions.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.