The role of Islam in public spaces is one of the most prevalent political questions in Europe. Contestations around the construction of mosques, the ban of Islamic veils and populist rhetoric about "problematic" neighbourhoods indicate Europe's struggles with the place of its second largest religion. This book advocates for an analytical turn in the study of Islam in Europe using space as a central conceptual lens. While spatial approaches are gaining traction in the study of religion, migration, ethnicity, race, and politics, the chapters in this book argue that the critical potential of a spatialised analysis in the field of Islam in Europe remains largely unexplored. This volume presents a collection of nine empirical studies that offer insights into how scholars might exploit the category of space when analysing both current political issues and broader conceptual questions in the social sciences. And more specifically, how does a spatial perspective on Islam contribute to a deeper understanding of the formations of the state, ethnicity, race, secularism, gender, and colonial structures? Rethinking Islam and Space in Europe is a significant new contribution to racial and ethnic studies in Europe, and will be a great resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Politics, Sociology, Social and Political Geography, Anthropology and Religious Studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a 2021 special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

The movement away from secularist practices and toward political Islam is a prominent trend across Muslim polities. Yet this shift remains under-theorized. Why do modern Muslim polities adopt policies that explicitly cater to religious sensibilities? How are these encoded in law and with what effects? Sadia Saeed addresses these questions through examining shifts in Pakistan's official state policies toward the rights of religious minorities, in particular the controversial Ahmadiyya community. Looking closely at the 'Ahmadi question', Saeed develops a framework for conceptualizing and explaining modern desecularization processes that emphasizes the critical role of nation-state formation, political majoritarianism, and struggles between 'secularist' and 'religious' ideologues in evolving political and legal fields. The book demonstrates that desecularization entails instituting new understandings of religion through processes and justifications that are quintessentially modern.

This detailed analysis follows the rise and evolution of Hezbollah from an Islamic resistance movement to its role as a governing force in Lebanon, exploring the group's impact on the security and power dynamics in the Middle East. This is the first book of its kind to offer a comprehensive study of Hezbollah, providing an overview of the organization's key personalities, events, and structures over the past three decades. Inspired by the latest terrorism research and contemporary developments in the Middle East, the book reflects upon Hezbollah's religious foundations and its present role as a player in Middle East relations. Chapters place Hezbollah within the Middle East security environment, analyzing the rise of the Party of God within the context of Iranian-inspired Shi'a activism, examining the ideological underpinnings of the movement, and addressing its dominant political position post Arab Spring. This authoritative volume introduces the party's full range of activities, including resistance, propaganda, organized crime, and educational facilities. The content highlights Hezbollah's role as a social welfare provider-specifically, the types of aid given, the source of financing for the endeavor, and the challenge this role presents to the Lebanese state. Features maps, organizational charts, and a timeline of events Traces Hezbollah's journey from a resistance organization to its current position of power within Lebanese politics Presents summaries of major attacks and biographies of prominent members Discusses Iranian-inspired Shi'a activism and financing activities Includes an overview of the leaders, support, recruiting strategies, and attacks

As Europe goes astray, deeply conflicted about where it is both within and with the world, it does not know what it wants to know about, or do, with the racial subject. It is into this context of anxiety, and the Muslim subject as its most intense source, that I write Islamophobia. Islamophobia represents not merely a species of the racism constitutive of European modernity, but is rather symptomatic of deep contemporary transformations in (racist) power, knowledge and governance, propelled by technologies and economies of seemingly endless wars on/of terror. The Muslim, who is at once the terrifying object and dehumanised subject of race, is called to answer for Europe's existential fear of relegation. But who, or rather what is s/he? How might the Muslim speak about the world, its past and unfolding terror(s)? Which questions must s/he answer, and which answers are deemed acceptable? Presenting a speculative theory of the (post)racial subject of Islamophobia, this book is an attempt to build an adequate vocabulary for analysing the complexities of racism today, its potential futurity, and (Muslim) techniques for its dismantling.

The treatment of Muslims is the touchstone of contemporary European racism across its many nations and localities. We make a definitive case for two arguments in this book: firstly, the recognition of the accelerating and pervasive nature of Islamophobia in this region; and secondly, recognition that this process is being, can be, and will be challenged by counter-narratives that make the claim for Muslim humanity, plurality, space and justice. This book draws on new evidence from eight national contexts to provide an innovative kit of counter-narratives, which were presented and well received at the European Parliament in September 2018, and subsequently launched across Europe in national workshops in selected states. A synergy between leading academic researchers and the Islamic Human Rights Commission, Countering Islamophobia in Europe will be of value to EU institutions, governments and policy-makers, NGOs and media organisations, as well as researchers of multiculturalism, Islam, Muslims and immigration.

This illuminating and thought-provoking book questions whether classical Islamic capitalism, which has served Muslims so well for centuries, can provide a viable alternative world economic system. In the current recession - the worst since 1929 - this is surely a provocative question. But if Islamic capitalism is to emerge as a viable alternative, its nature and systems must be well understood. Murat Cizakca explores key issues within Islamic capitalism and finance, shedding light on whether the Islamic system can indeed be called 'capitalist', the principles on which the system was built, the institutions that were consequently developed, how they function and have evolved, and, perhaps, most importantly, whether they can be modernized to meet today's needs. Against the backdrop of rapid change in the Middle East, this book gives a solid background to the economic systems that will emerge in the world of Islam. An essential guide to the past, present and future of Islamic economy and finance, this compelling book will prove to be of particular interest to academics and researchers of economics, finance, economic and financial history and political science.

Shajar al-Durr-known as "Tree of Pearls"-began her remarkable career as a child slave, given as property to the Ayyubid Sultan Salih of Egypt. She became his favorite concubine, was manumitted, became the sultan's wife, served as governing regent, and ultimately rose to become the legitimately appointed sultan of Egypt in 1250 after her husband's death. Shajar al-Durr used her wealth and power to add a tomb to his urban madrasa; with this innovation, madrasas and many other charitably endowed architectural complexes became commemorative monuments, a practice that remains widespread today. A highly unusual case of a Muslim woman authorized to rule in her own name, her reign ended after only three months when she was forced to share her governance with an army general from the ranks of the Mamluks (elite slave soldiers) and for political expediency to marry him. Despite the fact that Shajar al-Durr's story ends tragically with her assassination and hasty burial, her deeds in her lifetime offer a stark alternative to the continued belief that women in the medieval period were unseen, anonymous, and inconsequential in a world that belonged to men. This biography-the first ever in English-will place the rise and fall of the sultan-queen in the wider context of the cultural and architectural development of Cairo, the city that still holds one of the largest and most important collections of Islamic monuments in the world. D. Fairchild Ruggles also situates the queen's extraordinary architectural patronage in relation to other women of her own time, such as Aleppo's Ayyubid regent. Tree of Pearls concludes with a lively discussion of what we can know about the material impact of women of both high and lesser social rank in this period, and why their impact matters in the writing of history.

This book is a collection of thought provoking and timely readings on a topic of increasing importance; business ethics in Islam. The chapters provide an excellent review and integration of diverse literature on Islamic business ethics within contemporary frameworks. The chapters are also an excellent source for ideas on future research projects. I would highly recommend this book for students of not only business morality and ethics, but also for those interested in comparative and cross-cultural management.' - Ahmed Amin Mohamed, German University in Cairo, Egypt'This landmark book of readings on the subject of Islamic Business Ethics edited by Professor Abbas Ali is a true gem. Unlike most volumes that are edited, this Handbook reads like a truly integrated wholeness of symmetry. The topics covered including those of individual rights, marketing ethics, and financial conduct are most germane in helping to understand the international business arena. Professor Ali's striking introduction to the topic - as well as the reflections of the top scholars regarding the topic - make this book superb. I highly recommend this treatise to executives and scholars and as required reading in Business Ethics courses in both undergraduate and graduate Schools of Business.' - Douglas M. McCabe, Georgetown University, US 'An intriguing journey into an important subject that is often neglected in the Muslim World. This collection represents a perspective on business ethics necessary for scholars and Muslim researchers to familiarize themselves with original Islamic precepts in the marketplace. Indeed, this Handbook is a must read and it is needed in a world where greed and material gains have increasingly become a motivational factor.' - Abdulrahman Al-Aali, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia The Handbook of Research on Islamic Business Ethics is an essential source for policymakers and researchers to gain an understanding of pressing ethical issues in the Islamic business world. The primary objective is to provide readers with an insight into the ethical principles that govern Islamic business conduct. These principles are articulated with a view to evaluating whether business actors uphold their social responsibilities and are committed to ethical values in their conduct. Exploring the interweaving relationship between Islamic business ethics and the market, this Handbook examines the critical role that ethics can play in ensuring that business thrives. It offers theoretical perspectives on research and goes beyond the conventional treatment of Islamic ethics. It debates important market issues and asserts that social actors in the Islamic business world should be cognisant of these issues so as to behave in a moral and responsible manner. Implications for researchers and for market conduct are illuminated. Readers wanting to familiarize themselves with day-to-day Islamic business ethics will find this Handbook an invaluable guide. Contributors: I.-ad-D. Ahmad, A.J. Ali, S.M.Al-Taee, M.A. Choudhury, D. Dajani, S. Elfakhani, T.A. Hojjat, M. Khan, S. Mazen, R. Mir, H.G. Rammal, H. Shahpari, Y.M. Sidani, J.A.J. Wilson, S.G. Yaseen, L. Zakariyah

Louis Massignon was a pivotal figure in awakening Western interest in Islamic studies, and although his work is well-known to students of Islam or French history, he is relatively unknown in the English-speaking world. Now in this fascinating biography Mary Louise Gude introduces a new audience to the eminent French Orientalist who dominatesd the field of Islamic studies for over 60 years. This account covers many aspects of Massignon's rich and complex life, beginning with his birth in 1883 in Paris until his death in 1962, and reveals how Massignon's extraordinary life unfolded during a time when relations between Islam and the West changed radically. Gude discusses how Massignon first discovered the Muslim world in the nineteenth century - the era of European colonial imperialism - and lived to witness the major events that reshaped Islam in the first half of the twentieth century, including the creation of the Arab states after World War I, the creation of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli War of 1948, and the independence of Algeria in 1962. Drawn from Massignon's own writings as well as other primary and secondary sources, this unique biography also includes theological discussions of Massignon's intellectual development and writings. Gude reveals Massignon to be a believer who rediscovered Christianity through Islam; a mystic involved in the political realities of his day; and an Islamophile who remained quintessentially French. What emerges overall is the story of a passionate, but ultimately elusive, man whose professional and personal commitments were inseparable. Today Massignon's work continues to engage scholars and students of Islam and interfaith relations, and, as abridge-builder between Christianity and Islam, his far-reaching influence is unequaled.

This book explores the intimate marital relationships of Indonesian Muslim married women. As well as describing and analysing their sexual relationships, the book also investigates how Islam influences discourses of sexuality in Indonesia, and in particular how Islamic teachings affect Muslim married women's perceptions and behaviour in their sexual relationships with their husbands. Based on extensive original research, the book reveals that Muslim women perceive marriage as a social, cultural, and religious obligation that they need to fulfil; that they realise that finding an ideal marriage partner is complicated, with some having the opportunity for a long courtship and others barely knowing their partner prior to marriage; and that there is a strong tendency, with some exceptions, for women to consider a sexual relationship in marriage as their duty and their husband's right. Religious and cultural discourses justify and support this view and consider refusal a sin (dosa) or taboo (pamali). Both discourses emphasise obedience towards husbands in marriage.

Although a large body of the great poetry of the Islamic world has been translated into English, except for a few fragments, the poetry of the Isma'ilis is still only accessible in the original. This anthology should enable lovers of devotional and mystical poetry to sample the great range and depth of Isma'ili poetry. The selection spans 1000 years of Isma'ili history, from the time of the Fatimid caliphate to the present day. It includes both sophisticated and popular verses from the Isma'ili poets of Arabia, Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, China, India and Pakistan composed in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Burushaski and Urdu. In addition to the theme of divine love and the virtues of the prophet and the Immans, the poems present some of the central ideas of the Isma'ilis and their esoteric interpretation of Islam.

The purpose of this study is to examine the rationale of Doris Lessing's development from classical realism to mysticism and forms of science fiction, and to consider the unifying motifs that appear throughout her novels in her consistent search for Sufi equilibrium. The selected novels represent significant stages in Lessing's work. Chapter one focuses on "The Grass is Singing", which represents the author's early, traditionally realistic writing, to show how far the preoccupations of Lessing's later novels find expression in this early work. Chapter two studies "The Golden Notebook", which marks a turning point in formal structure in Lessing's canon, and is selected as evidence of her interest in Sufism at that early stage. Chapter three concentrates on the study of "The Memoirs of a Survivor", which has elicited a comparatively limited amount of criticism, but which proves to be a major achievement when brought into line with Sufi methods of writing. Chapter four considers Lessing's science fiction series, "Canopus in Argos", trading sources from Oriental literature - a key which unlocks many areas of obscurity.

Relatively little has been written in English about the Islamic legal tradition, a serious deficiency in light of recent tensions in the Middle East and the Islamic revival in general. The body of Islamic law, or Shari'a, is central to the understanding of Islamic society and the current conflict between fundamentalism and modernism in the Islamic world. While acknowledging the regional differences in the local characteristics of the Shari'a, this work provides a straightforward introduction to procedure and punishment, discussing the major concepts, principles, and practices. The establishment of the Shari'a signified a progressive step in the development of legal practice as it modified the Islamic customs of retaliation and blood revenge. Nevertheless, Islamic law differs from common and civil codes due to its religious and virtually unchangeable nature.

Chinese-Islamic studies have concentrated thus far on the arts of earlier periods with less attention paid to works from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). This book focuses on works of Chinese-Islamic art from the late seventeenth century to the present day and bring to the reader's attention several new areas for consideration. The book examines glass wares which were probably made for a local Chinese-Muslim clientele, illustrating a fascinating mixture of traditional Chinese and Muslim craft traditions. While the inscriptions on them can be related directly to the mosque lamps of the Arab world, their form and style of decoration is characteristically that of Han Chinese. Several contemporary Chinese Muslim artists have succeeded in developing a unique fusion of calligraphic styles from both cultures. Other works examined include enamels, porcelains, and interior painted snuff bottles, with emphasis on either those with Arabic inscriptions, or on works by Chinese Muslim artists. The book includes a chapter written by Dr. Shelly Xue and an addendum written by Dr. Riccardo Joppert. This book will appeal to scholars working in art history, religious studies, Chinese studies, Chinese history, religious history, and material culture.

This book explores how stereotypes of "oppressed Muslim women" feed into the self-representations of women with a Muslim background. The focus is on women active in, and speaking on behalf of, a wide variety of minority self-organisations in the Netherlands and Norway between 1975 and 2010. The author reveals how these women have internalised and appropriated particular stereotypes, and also developed counter-stereotypes about majority Dutch or Norwegian women. She demonstrates, above all, how they have tried time and again to change popular perceptions by providing alternative images of themselves and of Islam, paying particular attention to their attempts to gain access to media debates. Her central argument is that their efforts to undermine stereotypes can be understood as an assertion of belonging in Dutch and Norwegian society and, in the case of women committed to Islam, as a demand for their religion to be accepted. This innovative work provides a "history from below" that makes a valuable contribution to scholarly debates about citizenship as a practice of inclusion and exclusion. Providing new insights into the dynamics between stereotyping and self-representation, it will appeal to scholars of gender, religion, media, and cultural diversity.

In Muslim countries, apostasy and blasphemy laws are defended on the grounds that they are based on Islamic Shari'a and intended to protect religion. But blasphemy and apostasy laws can be used both to suppress thought and debate and to harass religious minorities, both inside and outside Islam. This book - comprising contributions from Muslim scholars, experts and activists - critically and constructively engages with the theological, historical and legal reasoning behind the most restrictive state laws around the world to open up new ways of thinking. The book focuses on the struggle within Muslim societies in Iran, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia where blasphemy and apostasy laws serve powerful groups to silence dissent and stifle critical thought. The first part of the book covers the development of the law in shifting historical circumstances and surveys the interpretations of Qur'anic verses that seem to affirm freedom of religion. The second part examines the present politics and practices of prosecuting alleged blasphemers and/or apostates in Muslim countries. The third part looks to the future and where reforms of the law could be possible. Debates on Islam and freedom of expression are often cast in polarizing terms of rights versus religion, East versus West. This volume avoids such approaches by bringing together a diverse group of Muslim scholars and activists with the knowledge, commitment and courage to contest repressive interpretations of religion and provide a resource for reclaiming the human rights to freedom of expression and belief.

This book is a contribution to the nascent discourse on global health and biomedical research ethics involving Muslim populations and Islamic contexts. It presents a rich sociological account about the ways in which debates and questions involving Islam within the biomedical research context are negotiated - a perspective which is currently lacking within the broader bioethics literature. The book tackles some key understudied areas including: role of faith in moral deliberations within biomedical research ethics, the moral anxiety and frustration experienced by researchers when having to negotiate multiple moral sources and how the marginalisation of women, the prejudice and abuse faced by groups such as sex workers and those from the LGBT community are encountered and negotiated in such contexts. The volume provides a valuable resource for researchers and scholars in this area by providing a systematic review of ethical guidelines and a rich case-based account of the ethical issues emerging in biomedical research in contexts where Islam and the religious moral commitments of Muslims are pertinent. The book will be essential for those conducting research in low and middle income countries that have significant Muslim populations and for those in Muslim-minority settings. It will also appeal to researchers and scholars in religious studies, social sciences, philosophy, anthropology and theology, as well as the fields of biomedical ethics, Islamic ethics and global health..

This book examines various attempts in the 'West' to manage cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity - focusing on Muslim minorities in predominantly non-Muslim societies. An international panel of contributors chart evolving national identities and social values, assessing the way that both contemporary 'Western' societies and contemporary Muslim minorities view themselves and respond to the challenges of diversity. Drawing on themes and priority subjects from Islamic Culture within Euro-Asian, Australian, and American international research, they address multiple critical issues and discuss their implications for existing and future policy and practice in this area. These include subjects such as gender, the media, citizenship, and multiculturalism. The insight provided by this wide-ranging book will be of great use to scholars of Religious Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies, as well as Politics, Culture, and Migration.

The Beginnings of Islamic Law is a major and innovative contribution to our understanding of the historical unfolding of Islamic law. Scrutinizing its historical contexts, the book proposes that Islamic law is a continuous intermingling of innovation and tradition. Salaymeh challenges the embedded assumptions in conventional Islamic legal historiography by developing a critical approach to the study of both Islamic and Jewish legal history. Through case studies of the treatment of war prisoners, circumcision, and wife-initiated divorce, she examines how Muslim jurists incorporated and transformed 'Near Eastern' legal traditions. She also demonstrates how socio-political and historical situations shaped the everyday practice of law, legal education, and the organization of the legal profession in the late antique and medieval eras. Aimed at scholars and students interested in Islamic history, Islamic law, and the relationship between Jewish and Islamic legal traditions, this book's interdisciplinary approach provides accessible explanations and translations of complex materials and ideas.

A frank academic study of the Muslim holy scripture, the Qur'an, comparing it to the early extra-Qur'anic literature of Islam - and highlighting the differences and contrasts between the two. This exhaustive study goes on to analyse the Muslim holy book from a linguistic perspective, exploring some unconventional interpretations based upon the principle that in all Islamic matters, the last and definitive word is that of the Qur'an. It is the author's contention however, that the traditional Muslim view of Islam (based upon the infallibility of Hadith and Muslim scholars of early Islam) does not accurately reflect the reality of the Qur'an. In compiling this study, the author not only offers genuine insights into the sacred texts of Islam, but also pleads with Muslims to recognise some problems in their religious literature, and exercise more self-restraint in the face of objective criticism. To the Western world, the author asks that all Muslims should not be tarred with the same brush. "A few thousand - or more - militants who believe in terrorism do not represent the entire billion-strong Muslim community of today's world anymore than the few thousand slave traders of 18th century colonialism represent the entire Judeo-Christian world. Indeed, Islam has sprung from the same original source of Semitic monotheism of Abraham as have Judaism and Christianity; and, strangely enough, suffers from the very same problems of misrepresentations perpetuated through the centuries since its appearance."

How is science fiction from the Arab and Muslim world different than mainstream science fiction from the West? What distinctive and original contributions can it make? Why is it so often neglected in critical considerations of the genre? While other books have explored these questions, all have been from foreign academic voices. Instead, this book uses an own-voices approach to examine the nature, genesis, and history of Arabic and Muslim science fiction, as well as the challenges its authors face. Through personal narratives, these authors share their stories and their struggles with the censors, recalcitrant publishers, critics, the book market, and the literary establishment. Their uphill efforts, with critical contributions from academics, translators, and literary activists, will enlighten the sci-fi enthusiast and fill a gap in the history of science fiction. Topics covered range from culture shock to conflicts between tradition and modernity, proactive roles for female heroines, blind imitation of storytelling techniques, and language games.

This title, first published in 1983, is a significant study of one of the many revivalist movements which flowered in numerous Islamic societies in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and attempts to provide one particular assessment of the place of revivalism in the evolution of Islamic societies. The subject of this title is the Padri movement, and the community involved is that of the Minangkabau of Central Sumatra, one of the major communities inhabiting the Indonesian archipelago. In the process of considering the reconstruction of a society in the throes of an agricultural transformation, the historical development of the Indonesian village became the object of attention, encompassing the economic and social histories of individual villages. This title will be of interest to students of history and Islamic Studies.