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.

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

The triple themes of this book - migration, pilgrimage and travel in Islam - are as old as the religion itself. The Prophet Muhammad made his famous archetypal "Hijra" (migration) from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, a year which became the Year 1 of the Muslim lunar calendar; the "Hajj" (pilgrimage) of Farewell enacted by the Prophet in 632 AD provided the paradigm for all future pilgrimages to the sacred Ka'ba in Mecca; while a much quoted hadith portrays the Founder of Islam counselling his followers that they should seek knowledge even as far as China. The concept of "Rihla" (travel) in search of knowledge thus became a primary motif in the lives of many medieval - and modern - Muslim scholars, jurists, collectors of tradition and, indeed, ordinary people.;The editor is also author of "A Popular Dictionary of Islam".

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

This study focuses on a famous work by a mediaeval Arab grammarian who was once called the "second Sibawayhi" (the pioneer of Arabic grammatical studies). Mughni l-Labib is an encyclopaedic work of immense richness, in which Ibn-Hisham (d.761/1359) analyzes the major syntactic elements of the Arabic language in a manner which has often been described as unique. What sets this work apart in particular from previous grammatical treatises of the mediaeval period is Ibn-Hisham's keen awareness of some of the semantic aspects of Arabic, many of which would normally fall within the domain of the rhetorician. In the Mughni he looks closely at the relationship between form and meaning, particularly in exegetical issues, in an attempt to further an understanding of the sacred work in the form of the Qur'an. This present study attempts to determine why the Mughni has always been held in such high esteem. It also assesses its significance in a wider social and historical context by demonstrating that Arabic grammar was a discipline that could never be studied in isolation without due consideration being given to the interrelated Islamic science of jurisprudence.

With Islamophobia on the rise in the US since 9/11, Muslims remain the most misunderstood people in American society. Taking as its point of departure the question of the compatibility of Islam and democracy, this book examines Muslims' sense of belonging in American society. Based on extensive interview data across seven states in the US, the author explores the question of what it means to be American or un-American amongst Muslims, offering insights into common views of community, culture, and wider society. Through a combination of interviewees' responses and discourse analysis of print media, Muslim Americans also raises the question of whether media coverage of the issue might itself be considered 'un-American'. An empirically grounded study of race and faith-based relations, this book undertakes a rigorous questioning of what it means to be American in the contemporary US. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology and political science with interests in race, ethnicity, religion and national identity.

"The clash of civilizations" has become a common phrase in discussions of U.S.-Middle East relations. This book explores the nature of the friction between the Muslim world and Western states, looking at legitimate perceptions and grievances on both sides involving historical, political, economic, cultural, psychological, and strategic elements.Arguing that "Islam versus the West" does not represent the arena of the next global ideological struggle, the authors examine specific issues of a bilateral nature that require careful handling to prevent the consolidation of states into opposing blocs. They discuss Islam's efforts to politically enhance the real power of Muslim states and to equalize relations with the West in the strategic arena; the enlarged role of Islam in the internal politics of Muslim countries; and the urgency of political, economic, and social change to break away from traditional authoritarian orders. A central theme of the book is that political Islam threatens the established order in most Muslim countries far more than it threatens the West and that violent confrontation can best be circumvented by integrating Islamist forces into the political process.

Events in the last decade have transformed the Muslim world: the Iranian Revolution, the Rushdie affair, the Gulf War. Other influences on Muslim society have perhaps been more penetrating but less obvious. The outside world now reaches into even the most closeted Muslim home through the various channels of the mass media. Processes of globalization have hit traditional cultures so hard and in such a way that they have raised issues for Muslims which can no longer be ignored; Muslims are now forced to engage these issues and to formulate responses to them. Matters which in the past might have been considered by the well-informed few are now debated throughout society by people at every level of social organization. This book examines how Muslims across the globe have responded to these changes and contradictions. It tries to capture and explore some of the debate, uncertainty and conflict which they have generated as Islam moves towards the 21st century. The case studies presented - of Turkish, Trinidadian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Egyptian, North American, Middle Eastern and British Islam - describe both the general global processes now affecting Muslims everywhere.

Understanding Political Islam retraces the human and intellectual development that led Francois Burgat to a very firm conviction: that the roots of the tensions that afflict the Western world's relationship with the Muslim world are political rather than ideological. In his compelling account of the interactions between personal life-history and professional research trajectories, Burgat examines how the rise of political Islam has been expressed: first in the Arab world, then in its interactions with European and Western societies. An essential continuation of his work on Islamism, Burgat's unique field research and 'political trespassing' marks an overdue challenge to the academic mainstream. -- .

In this challenging study of contemporary social theory, Bryan Turner examines the recent debate about orientalism in relation to postmodernism and the process of globalization. He provides a profound critique of many of the leading figures in classical orientalism. His book also considers the impact of globalization on Islam, the nature of oriental studies and decolonization, and the notion of `the world' in sociological theory. These cultural changes and social debates also reflect important changes in the status and position of intellectuals in modern culture who are threatened, not only by the levelling of mass culture, but also by the opportunities posed by postmodernism.

eBook available with sample pages: EB:0203427254

In the field of medieval Indian historiography, an eight-volume magnum opus, History of India as Told by Its Own Historians, by Sir Henry Myers Elliot (1808-53) and the editor-compiler of his posthumous papers, John Dowson (1820-81), was published from London between 1867 and 1877. These landmark volumes continue to retain their popularity even nearly hundred and fifty years later, and scholars still learn from and conduct their research on the basis of this work. However, an enterprise of this scale and magnitude was bound to suffer from some serious shortcomings. An eminent Indian scholar, S.H. Hodivala undertook the daunting task of annotating Elliot and Dowson's volumes and worked through all the new material, selecting or criticizing and adding his own suggestions where previous comments did not exist or appeared unsuitable. The first volume of Hodivala's annotated Studies, was published in 1939, while the second was published posthumously in 1957. Over the years, while the work of Elliot and Dowson has seen many reprints, and is even available online now, Hodivala's volumes have receded into obscurity. A new edition is presented here for the first time. Hodivala also published critical commentaries on 238 of about 2000 entries included in another very famous work, Hobson-Jobson (London, 1886) by Sir Henry Yule (1820-89) and Arthur Coke Burnell (1840-82). These have also been included in the present edition. These volumes are thus aimed at serving as an indispensable compendium of both, Elliot and Dowson's, and for Yule and Burnell's excellent contributions of colonial scholarship. At the same time these would also serve as a guide for comparative studies and critical appreciation of historical texts. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Islam has a very specific approach to commercial transactions, the law of contract, interest charges, indeed to the very nature of property. For financial institutions operating in an Islamic environment, or seeking to meet the requirements of communities committed to Islamic law, this poses a variety of problems. This important book investigates how such a challenge can be met in practice. The authors investigate the way Islamic banks work within different economic, financial, social, legal and religious environments. They take the reader through the basic principles involved, the issues that arise, and the difficulties that are often encountered. Drawing on detailed studies of Islamic banking in London, Jordan, Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan, they provide an understanding of how complex Islamic concepts impact upon the use of financial instruments, commercial priorities and services. Relationships with central banks, comparative analysis of financial statements and the role of Islamic banking in a development context are also covered. ISLAMIC BANKING will be essential reading to all those involved in the setting up and running of Islamic banking units in western countries, and a key resource for students of economics in the international arena.

Islamic banking and economics (IBE) is a fast-growing subject of vital interest in both East and West as Muslims change their attitudes towards investments and find ways to invest their funds according to the Islamic faith. Along with the rapid developments in Islamic banking there has been a concomitant increase in the quantity of relevant IBE material generated. Since IBE is a highly specialized cross-disciplinary field involving economics, business, marketing, religion, philosophy and culture, it is difficult for researchers to locate and obtain information without having to go through several secondary sources such as indexing and abstracting services. In this electronic age, it is essential for researchers to be aware of the various forms of information available for consultation. Yet, until now, the few previous works on IBE information sources have been limited to the coverage of materials available during the early 1980s, before the most recent period of expansion, and in addition the materials cited were often unpublished and therefore unobtainable. In answer to a long-felt need, "Information Sources on Islamic Banking and Economics" provides a detailed bibliography of IBE sources concentrating on the period 1980-1990 with some data from 1991 and 1992, and with the additional unique feature of setting out, for the first time, the information infrastructure of the IBE discipline. A comprehensive author index and a keyword subject index for important terms are provided, and only published - and therefore easily obtainable - items have been included. This book is essential reading for all researchers, economists, bankers and others who need information on the increasingly important field of Islamic banking and economics, and related areas.

First published in 1994. This book is focussed is on the global vision of the various components of the Islamic movement in Egypt from 1967 to 1981. It is, in fact, a case study of the perception of foreign policy issues and the international system by the Islamic movement.

The term 'Islamic cities' has been used to refer to cities of the Islamic world, centring on the Middle East. Academic scholarship has tended to link the cities of the Islamic world with Islam as a religion and culture, in an attempt to understand them as a whole in a unified and homogenous way. Examining studies (books, articles, maps, bibliographies) of cities which existed in the Middle East and Central Asia in the period from the rise of Islam to the beginning of the 20th century, this book seeks to examine and compare Islamic cities in their diversity of climate, landscape, population and historical background. Coordinating research undertaken since the nineteenth century, and comparing the historiography of the Maghrib, Mashriq, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia, Islamic Urbanism provides a fresh perspective on issues that have exercised academic concern in urban studies and highlights avenues for future research.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203401522

This book offers a comparative examination of Islamic welfare activities across urban areas in both Switzerland and Italy, in order to address general issues relating to the welfare engagement of Islamic organisations in Europe. Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors describes how Islamic organisations have been coordinated and structured in Geneva, Milan, Rome, and Zurich; four cities not yet analysed in the literature on Islamic welfare. It also explores the institutional opportunities and constraints that are able to influence forms of social religious activities at the local and international level, by bringing together two research fields that seldom speak to each other: social network analysis and political opportunity theory. This book will appeal to scholars of Sociology, Anthropology and Religious Studies dealing with the social and political inclusion of Muslims in Europe and the social activities of Islamic organisations in Western countries.

Based on unprecedented access to Kurdish-governed areas of Syria, including exclusive interviews with administration officials and civilian surveys, this book sheds light on the socio-political landscape of this minority group and the various political factions vying to speak for them. The first English-language book to capture the momentous transformations that have occurred since 2011, the authors move beyond idealized images of Rojava and the Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) to provide a nuanced assessment of the Kurdish autonomous experience and the prospects for self-rule in Syria. The book draws on unparalleled field research, as well as analysis of the literature on the evolution of Kurdish politics and the Syrian war. You will understand why the PYD-led project in Syria split the Kurdish political movement and how other representative structures amongst Syria's Kurds fared. Emerging clearly are the complex range of views about pre-existing, current and future governance structures.

Since the Islamic revolutionary movement overthrew the Peacock Throne (the Shah) in 1979 the Islamic Republic has maintained its credibility and the loyalty of the people of Iran. It has survived an extremely destructive war with Iraq, isolation from the West and the rest of the Middle East except Syria, and the death of the Ayaltollah Khomeini.

This book explores the social transformation of Iran in this period stressing the importance of political culture and ideology. It argues that the systematic building of a legitimate Islamic political culture is the key to the success of the regime.

The authors of the book address specific aspects of Iran's political culture within a general theoretical framework laid out in the introduction. There is discussion of a wide range of topics ranging from the relationship of the individual to society to Westoxication, from Shi'ism to the Islamisation of film culture.