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Music, Poetry And Identity In Badakshan, Tajikistan: Singing And Sounding Community, Chorshanbe Goibnazarov

Music & Performance in Muslim Contexts

An illuminating account of Ismaili music, spiritual poetry and social change in Badakhshan.

In the riverine valleys of the Pamir Mountains of Tajik Badakhshan, a thriving millennium-old community of Nizari Ismaili Muslims created a unique spiritual culture in which the performance of music and poetry plays a central role. This book focuses on the central musical and poetic tradition of the Pamiri Ismailis, qasīda-khonī (also known as maddo), tracing its origins, evolution, delocalisation and relocation.

This book introduces readers to leading performers of qasīda-khonī and to the Ismaili gnosis that inspires its music and poetry.

• Based on six …

The Ghannouchi Test: The Compatibility Of Religious Ideas And Secular Democracy, Andrew P. Sheppe

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Secular, democratic societies and governments evolved out of religious societies and defined themselves partially in opposition to religious authority. This historical relationship has led to a debate about the compatibility between religious ideas and modern, secular society. Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde posited that secular, democratic societies still depend on religious foundations. Jürgen Habermas disagrees, claiming that processes of rational dialogue can provide sufficient support.

Two prominent twentieth century theologians, Reinhold Niebuhr and Abraham Joshua Heschel demonstrate that democratic systems are enriched and protected by theistic ideas, thus supporting Böckenförde’s dictum. However, they both recognize the importance of epistemic humility and a …

An Exhibition And Protest Of Executions In Iran, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

An exhibition and protest of executions in Iran was held in Washington, D.C. in June 2025. Portraits of 2000 men and women who were killed or executed in Iran since the 1980s were displayed on the National Mall in front of the Capitol. The Iranian Resistance estimates that 30,000 activists were massacred in one period in 1988. Executions of prisoners have continued steadily, making Iran the world’s leading executioner of men and women. In recent years, there has been a sharp escalation in the number of executions of prisoners. A United Nations Special Rapporteur reported that over 800 persons were …

The Enduring Legacy Of The Habsburg Islam Policy: Muslim Communities In Central And Southeast Europe, Sevgi Adak, Thomas Schmidinger

Exploring Muslim Contexts

Examines contemporary legal and political structures governing Muslim communities in Central and Southeast Europe.

When Otto Habsburg – son of the last emperor of the Austria-Hungarian Empire Karl I – died in 2011, among those who prayed at the funeral was Mustafa Efendi Cerić, the Reis-ul-ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the highest Islamic office in the country. This was to honour the long-lasting relationship between the bygone empire of the Catholic Habsburgs with Bosnian Muslims. The cornerstone of this relationship was the 1912 Islam Act (Islamgesetz) of the Habsburgs, which granted Islam legal recognition and incorporated it into …

The Intended Meaning Of The Text And Its Impact On Analyzing Usul Texts: A Descriptive Usul Study, Mansour Ibn Torki Ibn Motlek Elthobite

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Arts and Humanities

Among the cognitive tools that can be utilized to attain scientific knowledge is "text analysis."This process involves examining texts from various perspectives, with a primary focus on understanding the intended meaning of the text.This analysis goes beyond merely interpreting the text’s surface meaning and delves into the underlying purpose of the Usul text.Such an approach makes the Usul text relevant and effective across different fields and times.This study aims to clarify the concept of the intended meaning of Usul texts and highlight the key methods through which this intended meaning can be discerned, such as through explicit mention, implication, title, …

Google Maps Comments On Business Activities In Light Of The Purposes Of Islamic Law, Hanadi Rasheed Rasheed Al-Saadiai

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Arts and Humanities

Title: Google Maps comments on business activities in light of the purposes of Islamic law. Objective: To clarify the provisions of Google Maps' comments on commercial activities through the purposes of Islamic law, and the validity of Islamic law for all times and places. Findings: Google Maps, a free service provided by Google that helps in knowing directions, crossing roads, road conditions, and business lists, provide customer comments. These comments/reviews have proven their marketing power, acting like a magnet that attracts customers. Given that the purposes of Sharia equal the meanings and wisdom that the lawmakers implement in the legislation …

The Effect Of Custom In Restricting The Absolute According To Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen Based On The Book "Al-Sharh Al-Mumti" On "Zad Al-Mustaqni", Jowzaa Bint Badi Al-Otaibi

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Arts and Humanities

This research aims to highlight the role of custom (ʿurf) and how it is used to restrict the absolute (muṭlaq) according to Sheikh Ibn ʿUthaymīn, particularly through his book Al-Sharḥ Al-Mumtiʿ. The study also examines his other works and whether custom played a pivotal role in his interpretation of texts, as well as how he addressed the temporal and spatial changes of customs through a close reading of Al-Sharḥ Al-Mumtiʿ and his other writings. The research clarifies the significance of custom for Sheikh Ibn ʿUthaymīn, the conditions for applying custom, and the criteria for restricting …

Hadiths And Reports On The Legality Of The Call To Prayer, Sultan Bin Abdullah Al Othman

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Arts and Humanities

This research is concerned with collecting hadiths about the legality of the call to prayer, studying them, and explaining its strangeness, and I have reached results, including: I collected ten situations in which the call to prayer is prescribed, which are: the call to prayer for the five daily prayers, before the dawn prayer, before the Friday prayer, when the devils are present, for those who are possessed, and in The ear of the newborn, to expel worries, to those who have bad character, to teach, and to something that happens All of them are authentic except for: the call …

An Alternative To The Liberal World Order: China, Brics, And Middle East Diplomacy, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Kotchaphop Kornphetcharat, Juan Pablo Sims

Journal of Middle East and Islamic Studies

This paper explores how China and BRICS are emerging as strategic alternatives to the liberal international order, particularly in the realm of diplomacy and mediation for periphery states in the Middle East. Drawing on a realist theoretical framework, the study argues that these platforms offer pragmatic, interest-based avenues for engagement that contrast sharply with the conditionalities and normative expectations of Western-led institutions. Through case studies such as China’s mediation in the Iran–Saudi Arabia normalization and the expansion of BRICS+ to include Middle Eastern actors, the paper demonstrates how sovereignty, non-interference, and multipolarity have become central organizing principles for a new …

Comparative Study Of Halal Certification Procedures In Southeast Asia And Middle Eastern Countries, Miura Sekar Nurindra, Nurwahidin Nurwahidin

Journal of Middle East and Islamic Studies

Halal certification is one of the important aspects that can promote the advancement of the halal sector worldwide. Halal certification can be used for products such as food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, services, and others. Each country has provisions, processes, and requirements related to halal certification applications and procedures in their country. The purpose of this study is to explain the comparison of halal certification procedures in various parts of the world using case studies in Southeast Asia countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia and countries in the Middle East such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. This research is …

Interview With Robert Cliver, Jacey Terrill

What Happened Here

This is a transcript of an oral history interview with Robert Cliver, a professor of History at Cal Poly Humboldt for eighteen years. He is highly critical of the administration’s choices during the protest and greatly supports the protesters, not only in their right to protest but in their messaging. He explains his negative views on the Israeli government, while also emphasizing that the protesters did not act from antisemitic sentiments. Much of his interview comes from the perspective of a historian, and knowing this document may be used by historians in the future, he extensively explains his reasoning. He …

The Style Of The Al-Qasr In Surat Al-Tawbah In Light Of The Context Theory, Abd Elrahim Elhabil

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This research presents an analytical description of the style of the Qasr in Surat al-Tawbah in light of the context theory, explaining the concept of palace and its methods and their relations with the context of the text and the context of the maqam, and the importance of the structures of the internal structure and its components in semantic condensation. It also shows the importance of context in the formation of roads and their relationship in terms of contiguity or divergence.The study concluded a set of results, the most important of which are: that negation and exception are the most …

الأخلاق في الديانات الوضعية في الهند, Ahmad M. Z. Alotaibi, Marwa Kharma

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال تجلية موضوع الأخلاق في أديان الهند: الهندوسية، والبوذية، والسيخية، والجينية. وجاءت هذه الدراسة في تمهيد وأربعة مباحث: جاء التمهيد لبيان تأثر الأديان الهندية بالهندوسية، وجاء المبحث الأول: للحديث عن الأخلاق في الديانة الهندوسية، وتناول فيه الحديث عن عدد من القضايا أبرزها نظام الطبقات الهندوسي، وجاء المبحث الثاني للحديث عن الأخلاق في الديانة البوذية، وتناول الباحثان فيه موقف الديانة البوذية من النظام الطبقي ومدى محاربتها له، وجاء المبحث الثالث للحديث عن الديانة السيخية ومحاربته للنظام الطبقي والموقف من المرأة والحديث عن آليات محاربة الطبقية في المجتمع السيخي، ثم جاء المبحث الرابع للحديث عن الأخلاق في الديانة الجينينة، وأنها وإن …

Paradise Lost Thrice: Exile And The Abrahamic Religions In Aciman, Werfel, And Ashour, Malak K. Hosny

Theses and Dissertations

Exile is an integral part of the history of all three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This thesis compares between literary narratives of the exile of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It explores the notion that having been exiled from Eden with the fall of Adam and Eve, and having each religion’s prophet’s story intrinsically tied with exile, the believers’ exile is then the third in a layered cycle of exile. Having lost the paradise, believers tend to search for earthly paradises that they attach themselves to, and then tragically lose those as well. The thesis’ three primary literary texts …

Exploring The Role Of Religious Media In Shaping Public Perceptions Towards Climate Change In Egypt, Hebatullah Ashour Abdel Fatah Ibrahim Ashour

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change poses significant threats globally, with particular vulnerability noted in developing nations like Egypt. While effective communication is crucial for societal engagement, the role of influential actors like religious media within specific cultural contexts remains under-explored. This thesis investigates the role and communication practices of religious media (Islamic and Coptic Christian) concerning climate change in Egypt, a country where religious institutions command significant public trust and influence. Existing literature highlights gaps in understanding how these specific media outlets navigate and frame climate change discourse.

Employing Framing Theory and Communication for Development (DevCom) Theory as a combined framework, this study …

“Perfect Hearts And Pure Pages”: The Transmission And Recitation Of The Qur’An In Mamluk Cairo—The Shāṭibiyya As A Case Study, Jonathan Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

The Ḥirz al-Amānī wa-Wajh al-Tahānī of Abū al-Qāsim b. Fīrruh al-Shāṭibī (d. 590/1193) became one of the most widely studied texts associated with the recitation of the Qur’an. A didactic versification of Abū ʿAmr al-Dānī’s (d. 444/1053) Kitāb al-Taysīr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabaʿ, the Shāṭibiyya was composed in Ayyubid Egypt and transformed the discipline of the variant readings (qirāʾāt). Despite its popularity and acknowledged impact upon the discipline, the Shāṭibiyya remains a relatively untapped resource for understanding the Qur’an in its recited form. This thesis studies the recitation of the Qur’an in Mamluk Cairo through the Shāṭibiyya, …

Dreamvisions+: Virtualizing Medieval Poetics In Multimedia Performance, Mac Waters

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

DreamVisions+ is a transdigital and transhistorical odyssey into the realm of fiction and truth, reality and virtuality. Rooted in the tradition of late medieval dream-vision poems—wherein religious or political allegories unfold through dreaming protagonists—DreamVisions+ stages a multimedia dream vision of the digital age, reading medieval dream visions as proto–virtual reality. Through the creation and analysis of DreamVisions+, a full-length solo multimedia performance, I synthesize live electroacoustic music, XR technologies, and 3D game environments with medieval textual and visual iconography to construct a porous, unstable dream world that collapses medieval and digital imaginaries.

Situating my work within broader political …

The Foundational Legal Principles Related To Regulating Social Media., Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Azzab

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

Title of the research: The fundamental rules related to controlling social media , This research revolves around controlling social media through the various legal evidence, including the controls and legal rules that these evidence outline, if followed according to the correct legal approach drawn for them, they will be a protective shield from t he dangers and harms of social media on the individual and society . This research is related to an important issue, which is the issue of controlling social media, and this research aims to clarify the relationship between the agreed upon and disputed lega l evidence …

Ib-Adat, Anum Naseer

Masters Theses

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Musnad ʿAbd Allāh Ibn Al-Zubayr Al-Ḥumaydī As An Early Source Of Madanī Isnād: A Source Critical Study, Heba Mohamed Gaafar

Theses and Dissertations

The transmission of ḥadīth has been a subject of intense debate, particularly regarding the authenticity of early compilations. Musnad al-Ḥumaydī is a ḥadīth collection that has not received significant scholarly attention despite its potential to shed light on early ḥadīth transmission. This study critically examines Musnad al-Ḥumaydī by analyzing its structure, sources, and methodology, focusing on its relationship with Sufyān b. ʿUyayna, the primary transmitter of its ḥadīth. By applying isnād analysis and source criticism, this research challenges the assumption that early ḥadīth compilations were unreliable or retrospectively constructed. Al-Ḥumaydī did not simply collect narrations. The study demonstrates that Musnad …

Who Really Invented Servant Leadership?, Essraa Nawar

Library Articles and Research

"That program gave me tools and vocabulary I still carry today—frameworks like transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making. But one concept stood out to me more than any other: servant leadership.

Robert Greenleaf’s idea that a great leader begins as a servant—putting others’ needs first, listening deeply, and nurturing the growth of others—felt less like something I was learning, and more like something I was remembering.

Because I had seen it before. Not in business school. Not in theory. But in faith, family, and the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ."

“Gray Areas In The Land Of The Setting Sun”: Unresolved Legacies, Contested Identities, And Economic Stakes In The Western Sahara Stalemate, Driss Zaim-Sassi

Senior Theses

While colonialism across the globe has mostly been dismantled following World War II, nations across the globe continue to deal with unresolved colonial legacies and resource-driven conflicts. As a result, we continue to see regional instability affecting vulnerable regions. Understanding the stalemate in the Western Sahara conflict highlights the complex interplay between history, identity, and economic motives, emphasizing the critical need for nuanced approaches in conflict resolution and diplomacy. My research investigates the roles of key factors that sustain the diplomatic stalemate in the Western Sahara conflict through an in-depth analysis of Morocco’s territorial claims, the ideological differences around identity …

Drone Strikes In Pakistan, Muhammad Shumail

Capstones

my capstone maps all the drone strikes in Pakistan from 2004 to 2018. it show how many drone strikes were conducted during each president tenure and how many civilians were killed.

https://techman96.github.io/drone-strikes/

Capturing The Intersection Of Black-American, Muslim Males And Education: Exploring Their Attitudes, Perceptions, And Lived Experiences Within An Islamic Consciousness, Kirk A. Talib-Deen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation explored the lived realities of Black-American, Muslim males and their attitudes, perceptions, histories, and endurances toward higher learning in America. It attempted to join and contribute to the more significant, historical, and extant conversations and literature on Black-American males and education, as well as their successes and failures. This dissertation adds to the dearth of literature on the intersection of Black-American, Muslim males, and education, and using jazz as an epistemological way of navigating and organizing the content, the research works to uncover, locate, and define an Islamic consciousness. While negating racist histories concomitant with the American narrative …

Moiré And Its Ineffable Liquidity: A Study Of Pictorial Watered Silk In The Works Of Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini And Raphael, Olivia Birkelund

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores pictorial moiré in Renaissance Italian paintings, arguing that its liquid appearance held spiritual and humanist resonances beyond luxury. Through dissemblant facture, artists Giovanni Bellini, Mantegna and Raphael rendered a moiré with overtones of the Incarnation, sacred fluidity, and fertility, creating meditative sites of theological and cultural meaning.

Raised Spirits The Visceral Journey Of Black Generational Female Trauma And The Transcendent Healing Power Of Spiritual Dance, Wendy Ann Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Black female bodies have endured sustained trauma globally since the transatlantic slave trade, and it continues into 2025. The collective consciousness has carried the generational burden and mobilized it within the womb. Powell uses this intergenerational knowledge to frame the basis for spiritual dance practices as a healing praxis.

The Beautiful Game On A Muslim Pitch: How Football And Religion Are Shaping Identity And Society, Aaron W. Hughes, Leif Stenberg

Exploring Muslim Contexts

Examines how football and religion act together to shape both identity and society in Muslim contexts.

This book showcases how football and religion are becoming increasingly interlinked in Muslim contexts in order to interact with and influence both identity and society. The first part of the volume is devoted to issues of identity, showing how football aids in its construction, maintenance and subversion. The second part reveals the deep-rooted connections between football and political and religious establishments by demonstrating how these organisations frequently use the game to disseminate or propagate their larger messages.

Altogether, the contributors reveal how football has …

Declining Democracy Amid Historical Legacies: Democratization Across The Maghreb, Jacob Sagers

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Institutions and security forces are vital in determining democratization’s success or failure, but how do they interact with civilians to counteract, or support, existing regimes? Hopes for a fourth wave of democratization were dismantled over the past decade as the Arab uprisings have had inconclusive results, posing a threat to the ideological basis for U.S. foreign policy and Western states' legitimacy. Broad economic and Western foreign policies applied worldwide over the past few decades have also been ineffective at supporting this process and producing sustainable democratic transitions. But what specifically about these factors in the Maghreb gave way to Tunisia’s …

The Effectiveness Of International Courts In Contributing To Rebuilding And Resolving Conflicts In Societies Post-Genocide, Garrett Connely

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

In the aftermath of mass atrocities, international courts have emerged as key mechanisms for delivering justice and fostering post-conflict reconciliation. Rooted in the precedent set by the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, these institutions aim to prosecute crimes that often go beyond national legal systems. However, their effectiveness remains contested, largely due to their dependence on state cooperation and the complexity of post-conflict environments. This project examines the societal impact of international courts in two significant cases – Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Through a comparative analysis of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal …

The Impact Of Islam In The History Of Catholic Evangelization In Northwest Nigeria, Shichet Nache

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Today, Nigeria is home for both Christians and Muslims. Before the arrival of Christianity and Islam in Nigeria, there was the indigenous African Traditional Religion (ATR). The different cultures, tribes, or ethnic groups in Nigeria had different modes of worship and religious practices in the light of this African Traditional Religion. Today, many Nigerians are either Muslims or Christians. Christianity and Islam have now dominated African Traditional Religion. Trade played a significant role in the transportation and establishment of Islam and Christianity in Nigeria. Northern Nigeria began to have contact with Islam between the ninth and eleventh centuries, while …