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Introduction: Intersections Of Gender And Genres In Medieval Judaism, Christianity, And Islam, Linda G. Jones

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

The introductory essay describes the aims of this special volume, which are to analyze the intersections between religion and gender in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic cultures, as reflected in diverse pre- and early modern textual genres, and to explore the relationships between gender and genres. Toward these ends the authors interrogate how a given textual genre, as well as the gender of the author/compiler and the intended audience, might influence the representations of gender. The introductory essay summarizes the seven articles constituting the volume, highlights the points of contact and differences among them, and reflects upon their broader significance to …

The Masculinization Of Grief In Arabic Adab Literature: Ibn ‘Abd Al-Rabbih’S Al-‘Iqd Al-Farīd, Linda G. Jones

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

This article explores the relationship between masculinity and literary expressions of grief in premodern Islamic cultures based on “The Book on Women Mourners, Condolences, and Elegies,” from the adab anthology, al- ‘Iqd al-farīd (The Unique Necklace), compiled by the Cordovan belletrist Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih (d. 940). While Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih’s selection of literary specimens by female authors has been studied in depth, the far more numerous examples of male-authored bereavement literature have not been analyzed in detail. Hence this article has two aims. First, it will examine the relatively neglected genres of Arab-Islamic bereavement literature featuring grieving …

Gender And Genres In The Ādāb-I Menāzil, Özgen Felek

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

Gender and gender roles routinely appear across different genres of Islamic literature. Since each genre’s handling of the subject of gender is evaluated within the borders of that genre, studies in the field have been based on specific texts or genres. The Ādāb-ı menāzil (“Manners of the Household”), written by ʿAbdü’l-Laṭīf ibn-i Ṭurmış Ḳaramānī (d. 1516), is a unique Ottoman Turkish text that brings together the perspectives of different genres. It is a book of morals, advice, and religious knowledge written for women, as Ḳaramānī explicitly declares in the preface. The work includes Qur’anic verses, hadiths, stories, and legends …

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal Of Gender And Sexuality 61.2 (2026)

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Black (Muslim) Lives Matter: African American Muslim Social Activism, Jacob C. Riccioni

The Hilltop Review

Over the past eight years, the Black Lives Matter movement has advocated for marginalized communities within the African American population and called for police brutality and anti-black racism to be abolished. With the rise of Black Lives Matter in contemporary society, I am left wondering, do African American Muslims support the Black Lives Matter movement? There is no simple answer for African American Muslim leaders and laypeople because the Black Lives Matter movement supports LGBTQ+ rights, which some Muslims do not condone, and some rallies have broken out into riots. Religious leaders and scholars are split between supporting Black Lives …

German Imperialism And Applied Orientalism: German Encounters With The Ottoman Empire, 1850-1918, Matthew David Penix

Dissertations

Edward Said’s influential treatise on culture and imperialism, Orientalism, specifically called out German scholars of the Islamic “Orient” as being different. The lack of a formal German empire in Muslim lands seemed to preclude a culture of Orientalism. This dissertation examines the lived experience of Germans who traveled and worked in the Ottoman Empire from 1850-1918. As German interests sought their “place in the sun” during the decades before 1914, the Ottoman Empire became a major field of business investment, military-to-military contact, and missionary endeavor for Germans acting at the behest of both state and private interests. Their experiences formed …

The Experiences Of Undergraduate Saudi Students In The Stem Trajectory: A Closer Look At Major Choice And Persistence Intentions, Manal Almalki

Dissertations

STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are a key source of economic progress in many countries. As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia works toward an innovative and knowledgeable economy, more qualified national professionals in STEM are needed. Nevertheless, the problem of STEM attrition is still insufficiently explored in Saudi Arabia, which may indicate a gap between skills of the Saudi workforce and the country’s need for economic development. Therefore, this study attempts to provide more information about the STEM trajectory in Saudi Arabia, underline possible attrition points that require more attention, deliver a better understanding of the factors that …

Confidential Publics: Digital Reconciliation And Queer Muslim Identities, Mariam Mustafa

Masters Theses

In this paper, I trouble constructions of community through exploring temporal spatial configurations of support for queer-identified Muslims living in America. I assert that when community is not something one can physically access, use of the internet to create temporary spaces of community is critical in assessing identity reconciliation between intersectional conflicting identity. As it relates to queer Muslims, where there is a distinct lack of public community, the level of crisis some individuals face is explored through their use of online vehicles to establish social support systems that would otherwise not be available. My paper provides a framework in …

The Visa By Hisham Al Gakh, Houssem Ben Lazreg

Transference

Translated from the Arabic by Houssem Ben Lazreg.

In Jerusalem By Mahmoud Darwish, Uri Horesh

Transference

Translated from the Arabic by Uri Horesh.

Devoile Ou Degage: An Examination Of The Debates Surrounding Female Islamic Dress In France, Kristen Canavan

Honors Theses

In 2003, the French state appointed the Stasi Commission to determine whether or not “ostentatious symbols” should be banned in public schools. Their investigation concluded that the wearing of Muslim headscarves in public schools defied the principle of secularism and in March of 2004, legislation was passed banning all religious symbols, including the Muslim hijab in public schools. Six years after Law No. 2004-228 was passed, the Sarkozy administration passed a similar law also targeting Muslim women. Known as the “burqa ban” (an erroneous term used to describe the niqab) Law No. 2010-1192 forbids the concealing of one’s face …

Prism, Spring 2015, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

"Veiled With A Special Veil": Rabi'a Of Basra And The Ascetic Reconfiguration Of Identity, Olga Solovieva

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Silence, Declaration, And Circumstance: Rethinking Women’S Roles In Saudi Arabia, Ashleigh Elizabeth Dunham

Masters Theses

The canon of academic research on Saudi Arabian women still fails to address the stereotypical images that represent them. While Anglo-American models of feminism may benefit American women, they cannot and should not be a lens through which Americans view Saudi women, as American and Saudi cultures are fundamentally different. Because of this issue, Anglo-American feminism along with the obvious problems of racism and Islamophobia contribute to the American assumption that Saudi Arabian women lack agency and control of their lives. The resulting ideologies continue to influence American ideas about Saudi Arabian women’s access to the opportunities that non-Saudi women …

Notes On Contributors

Transference

Brief biographical notes on contributing translators.

Prism #60, February 2012, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Peace And War In The Qur'an And Juridical Literature: A Comparative Perspective, Liyakat Takim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Qur'anic period of Islamic history took place in a social context of significant diversity. A number of important verses in the Qur'an reflect this diversity and encourage Islamic believers to seek peaceful coexistence with those of other faiths, especially those designated as "people of the Book," specifically Christians, Jews and Sabeans. In the later classical period of Islamic history, the exegesis of Islamic jurists markedly de-emphasized peaceful coexistence in favor of interpretations encouraging conquest and religious uniformity. Although the classical jurists have exercised enormous interpretive authority in subsequent Islamic history, their authority was never understood to be absolute or …

Department Of Comparative Religion - Newsletter

Comparative Religion Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Taifa Of Denia And The Medieval Mediterranean, Travis Bruce

Dissertations

This dissertation treats the Muslim kingdom of Denia on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Through a singular political program, the eleventh-century rulers of Denia created a maritime kingdom based on the resources and networks of the Mediterranean. Denia played a unique role as a Mediterranean polity, developing economic links with Christian Barcelona, Sardinia, Pisa and Genoa that would connect Muslim and Christian populations over several centuries. The dissertation demonstrates the importance of economics in the Muslim-Christian relations of the western Mediterranean using Latin archival documents, Latin and Arabic narrative sources, and archaeological and numismatic evidence. It explores the extent to which …

Insider Vol. 10 No. 1 Spring 2009, College Of Arts & Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

A Publication for Friends of the College of Arts and Sciences

Family Functioning And Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy: A Study Of First Year Malaysian Undergraduate Students, Melati Sumari

Dissertations

The findings of the study show that the relationships between family functioning subscales and career decision-making self-efficacy subscales were between small and moderate. The study also found that each family functioning subscale contributed less than 15% of the variance in career decision-making self-efficacy. The total variance accounted for by the six family functioning subscales was small (32%). Important findings of the analyses of variances include: (a) male students perceived their families as more dysfunctional than female students; (b) Chinese students perceived their families as more dysfunctional than Malay and Indian students; (c) students in science majors perceived their families as …

Ayatollah Khomeini And The Islamic Revolution In Iran, Dustin John Byrd

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the events leading up to the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the role of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in bringing about that revolution. It attempts to demonstrate the social, psychological, political, and religious factors that led to the rise of Khomeini as the leader of the revolution. It furthermore focuses on Khomeini's strategy to oppose, destabilize, and eventually overthrow the Shah of Iran through various means. This thesis is limited to the study of Khomeini as a revolutionary figure, not as a head of state, and therefore I do not examine Khomeini after the overthrow of the …

Sylvia L. Thrupp: The Chicago Years (1946-61), Joel T. Rosenthal

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Announcements, No.32 2001

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Promoting Child Protection Through Community Resources: Care Arrangements For Ethiopian Aids Orphans, Steven L. Varnis

International Conference on African Development Archives

One of the key development challenges posed by AIDS in Ethiopia is providing care for the vastly increased number of orphans resulting from the pandemic. The organizational initiatives and policy responses will have an impact on a wide range of developmental indicators, as well as on the formative experiences of millions of Ethiopian children in the years to come. This paper explores the strategies and basic assumptions of community based care—which has become the orthodox approach to orphan care in Africa. Two limitations of this approach are discussed. First, it is often based on an outdated understanding and assessment of …

Civil Society In Palestine: A Palestine Profile, Shadia Kanaan

Masters Theses

One definition of civil society dominated all theoretical and historical perspectives when it comes to the special case of civil society in Palestine. "Civil society is concerned with a society's total self re-producing ability through its inner strength in a manner that is distinct from the state" (Bishara 1995, 143). The hypothesis of this work is that civil society in Palestine existed and flourished in spite the absence of a national state and had played a fundamental role in the social and economic development of Palestinian society throughout its history. Civil society in Palestine poses an exception to the theory …

Western News, October 5, 1989, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Michael earns faculty scholar award, Week-long Homecoming celebration begins Oct. 8, Scholar of Islamic history to give Eliade lectures, 10 named Martin Luther King Ir./Cesar Chavez/ Rosa Parks Professors, WMUK seeking $125,000 in listener support

Western News, March 31,1988, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: University has small; steady improvement in first-year retention rate, AIDS brochure distributed to WMU community, Dick Gregory to address mentoring, Five faculty members awarded Middle East study tour, Asian Forum attracts international speakers, Gilchrist to address writers' conference

Wmu Board Of Trustees Regular Meeting March 4, 1988, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Correspondence
• Remarks by the President
• Gift Report
• Grant Report
• Personnel Report
• Recommendation regarding Draper/Siedschlag and Burnham Residence Halls
• Recommendation regarding Student Room and Board and Apartment Rental Rates
• Recommendation regarding Naming of Rooms - Welborn Hall
• Authorization to Conger Degrees
• Recommendation regarding Honorary Degree
• Budget Model Presentation for 1988/89
• Remarks by the Provost
• Report regarding Sports Pass/Student Fee
• Update on Western Student Association Constitution Vote
• Public Comments
• Adjournment
• Attachment A - Remarks by President Diether H. Haenicke
• Attachment B - Remarks by Provost George M. Dennison
• Attachment C - WMU Office of …

Western News, February 20, 1986, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Nearly 400 students to vie for scholarships Feb. 22, Arts and Sciences Forum to focus on role of college in teacher training, Mead Corp. awards gift of $25,000, Henderson announces appointments in admissions, Nominations due for service award, Person needed to head faculty development, Natural resources and people topic of book, Burian re-elected head of health agency