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The Role Of The ʿUlamā’ In The Thoughts Of ʿAbd Al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghudda, Emad Hamdeh

Publications

Despite his influence and contribution to scholarship in the modern Muslim world, the life and works of ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghudda are underrepresented in Western academic literature. This article is a first initiative at a broader assessment and contextualization of Abū Ghudda’s life and thoughts. I present a picture of a scholar who sought to represent traditional Islam in its most unpopular moments. In particular, I examine Abū Ghudda’s prevailing thoughts and opinions concerning “proper” scholarship and demonstrate how the role of the ʿulamā’ in the thoughts of Abu Ghudda is primarily a continuation of a scholarly tradition rather than …

A Fractured Family And Its Heirs: Seljuq Power And The “Sunni Revival” In The Middle East, 1000-1200 Ce, Elijah Sloat

History Summer Fellows

The Seljuq Turks were a group of nomadic warriors who converted to Sunni Islam by the end of the tenth century. Over the course of the next half century the Seljuqs conquered the majority of what we now call the Middle East. One Seljuq dynasty in particular, known to historians as the Great Seljuqs, positioned themselves as the dominant political power in the region as well as champions of Sunni Islam. Scholars refer to this period of Seljuq control as the “Sunni Revival” and debate heavily whether Seljuq political and religious practices were the cause of this “Revival,” as well …

The End Of A Nation: Warithuddin Muhammad And Muslim Identity In The Nation Of Islam, Derek R. Galyon

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Warithuddin Muhammad’s tenure as the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI) saw the attempted implementation of universalist doctrine that differed significantly from the particularism practiced by the movement’s founding prophet, Elijah Muhammad. Despite an apparent desire to distance the movement from Elijah Muhammad’s teachings of the intrinsic link between Blackness and Islam, race remained important for both Warithuddin and his followers. By partially embracing universalist interpretations that purported to view each race as inherently equal from an Islamic viewpoint, Warithuddin could easily be characterized as having tried to “deracialize” the Nation of Islam. With this shift, one would expect …

Who Cares About Islamic Law?, Lama Abu-Odeh

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The legal transplant in the Arab world, perhaps even in the Islamic world writ large, hasn’t had much luck by way of close study in US legal academia. Compared to its scholarly treatment in other non-Western contexts, such as Latin America and East Asia, the absence is glaring. This was not for want of scholarly interest in law in the Arab/Islamic world. Much has been published on Arab constitutions for instance, and you’ve had a few speakers in this lecture series, opine on the topic. Nor has there been lack of scholarly interest in types of legislation that had become …

Supplanting The Wrong With The Right: A Synoptic Overview Of Christian And Islamic Reactions Towards The Subject Of Heresy, Brett G. Barnard

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Whenever there is a faith that is claiming to be the “one true religion,” just what is it that defines that most sinister of opposition known as “heresy?” Is it the choices made by these aforementioned “heretics” to hold beliefs that are contrary to the mainstream? Or is the way in which “orthodox” authorities have historically asserted their own superiority while legally eliminating the competition? When overlooking monotheistic belief systems that claim universal theological authority, such as Christianity and Islam, what stands out the most is the fact that the greatest threat almost always comes not from exterior rivals, but …

Proliferating A Culture Of Fear: Islam In A Post 9/11 America, Setareh Motamedi

Political Science Student Papers and Posters

The threat of terrorism perceived by the American public has been shaped by a series of traumatic events over the past decade. In the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001, fear of terrorism has extended beyond the threat of terrorist groups. Much of the American public considers not only terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, but the entire religion of Islam to be a security threat. In much of this security discourse, ideas of hatred, violence, and terror have become associated with Islam. This study explores that association, and aims to identify what motivates existing stereotypes. Drawing on research from …

Damar On Fridays, Maja Sadikovic

Theses

Abstract

These poems are about the first hand witnessing of the Balkan war and its visceral repercussions, ripping of families across generations and continents due to religious intolerance, and an identity crisis within the diaspora of the former Yugoslav people. They interact with appeals of loss, in terms of bodies, memory, and material, despair within the identity of the self in and outside of religion, and the perception of love and belonging, but not necessarily in that order. They are largely inspired by victim story-telling, translations of conversations with natives of the former Yugoslavia and their children, and ramifications of …

"I Do Feel The Fire!": The Transformations Of Prison-Based Black Male Converts To Islam In South Central, Malcolm X, And Oz, Kameron J. Copeland

Journal of Religion & Film

Historically, imprisoned Black male converts to Islam have been known for their narratives of redemption and struggles for religious freedom behind bars. While Islam possesses a strong visible presence throughout predominately Black areas of inner cities, it has become a natural feature of Black popular culture in mediums such as hip-hop, film, and literature. By the 1990s, the portrayal of Islamic conversions yielding Malcolm X-style transformations among young Black men, who formerly embodied self-destructiveness, were visible in films featuring Black male protagonists. The prison-based transformations typically involved highly influential Black Muslim leaders improving the social conditions of the inmate, the …

'People Are Enemies To What They Don't Know' Managing Stigma And Anti-Muslim Stereotypes In A Turkish Community Center, Crystal Paul, Sarah Anna Becker

Faculty Publications

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, anti-Muslim discourse and sentiment has become pervasive in the West. Using a collaborative ethnographic approach, we observe how participants at a Turkish Community Center (TCC) cultivate stigma management strategies against the cultural backdrop of post-9/11 anti-Muslim stereotypes. In our analysis, we use Goffman's work on stigma and critical race theory to explore the socially embedded nature of stigmatization processes for Turkish Muslims in a local community center. Our findings reveal how aspects of Turkish culture and Islam, together with a structural context …

Al-Ghazālī'S Conception Of The Purification Of The Self: Reflections From Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm Al-Dīn (Revival Of The Religious Knowledge), Soha Ahmad Helwa

Theses and Dissertations

Al-Ghazālī's name and his book Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn are attached to self-purification, which is an essential part in the religion of Islam. This study does not seek to analyze all the details of Al-Ghazālī's program to purify the self. Rather, it focuses on delineating a framework - from Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn - concerning his understanding of self-purification. This framework mainly includes his method of purifying the self. In the midst of this, many of Al-Ghazālī's psychological insights are extracted, under the umbrella of the Islamic perspective of psychology. Among these insights are some related to his perception of the human …

Towards Peaceful Islam: Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (Jai) As A New Social Movement, Nuurul Fajari Fadhillah

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The Ahmadiyya religious group has been present in Indonesia since the 1920s. The reli- gious group is divided into two different subgroups, namely Gerakan Ahmadiyah Indone- sia (GAI) and Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI). In the reform era, the JAI community has to face a less favorable situation. The Heresy Fatwa issued by Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) in 1980 had put this group into an even more difficult position. The reform era government seemed to give a greater opportunity for anti-Ahmadiyya dominant Islamic groups to commit violence towards this group. JAI communities in various areas expe- rienced various forms of discrimination …

Cries From Syria, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Cries from Syria (2017), directed by Evgeny Afineevsky.

Orientalism: The Constructed, Violent Muslim “Race”, Clarissa Stephenson

Eddie Mabry Diversity Award

No abstract provided.

Desconocido: Conversion To Islam In México, Ashley E. Dunn

International Studies Honors Projects

Unless proven otherwise, subaltern subjects are assumed to lack agency. Through an exploration of conversion to Islam in México in the southern state of Chiapas, in the north along las fronteras, and in Mexico City, this project intervenes in discourses that deny the subaltern agency. Through the analytical frameworks of coloniality, this project redefines the choices that converts make and their expressions of faith as acts of creation, as inherently authentic, and as articulations of their desires. Converts to Islam in México serve as a case study of modes of resistance against the epistemological powers of coloniality.

Salafism, Wahhabism, And The Definition Of Sunni Islam, Rob J. Williams

Honors Program: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

My capstone deals with the historical definition of Sunni Islam, and how it has changed in approximately the past 200 years. Around 1800, Sunni Islam was pretty clearly defined by an adherence to one of four maddhabs, or schools of law: the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools and are all based in nearly a millennium of legal scholarship. Since 1800, however, numerous reform movements have sprung up which disavow previous scholarship and interpret Islamic law their own way. However, certain reformist groups, such as Traditionalist Salafis and Wahhabis, claim that their version of Islam is the only “pure” …

Muslim Families In The United States, Trevan Hatch, Loren Marks, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

Jn 2004, we drew attention to the fact that almost all of the social science research on religion and families examined Christian families-and only Christian families (Dollahite, Marks, & Goodman, 2004). Specifically, we noted a "conspicuous" absence of research on both Muslim and Jewish families (p. 422). We have made a pronounced effort to include both Muslim families and Jewish families in the American Families of Faith project, and virtually all of our work includes both along with Christian families from various denominations. Some of our recent work has focused solely on Muslim families or Jewish families (e.g., Alghafli, Hatch, …

Islamic Influence On Spain: Discussion Of Women’S Rights And Islamic Influence, Samreen Uzzama

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Current sentiment in the West surrounding Islam stems from a variety of factors: terror attacks, lack of understanding the Islamic faith and cultures that practice the religion, and stereotypical depictions in the media of Muslims as terrorist or as oppressed women. Arab societies oppress women via laws, such as the law that prevents women from driving or the law that prevents women from being outside of the house without being accompanied by a man, both in Saudi Arabia. These depictions, especially of Saudi Arabian practices or similar practices from other nations, are generally available to the West, via media, web, …

Examining Veiled Muslim Women's Experiences In Educational Institutions In France And The United States And Decolonizing The Curriculum To Reflect Their Stories, Katherine Ruprecht

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis examines through qualitative data how the dominant narrative shapes the experiences of women in France who wear hijab and in the United States who wear hijab or niqab at educational institutions. This research focuses on what roles do cultural symbolism, colonial ideology and political propaganda play in continuing the dominant narrative in this context in both France and the United States. This study further advocates based on its findings that educational institutions must promote more cross-cultural dialog and a larger representation of accurate depictions of Muslim women. This research states that this can be achieved through “decolonizing” the …

Resilience In Seeking Refuge: Religious Coping Strategies In Muslim Refugees From Syria, Nabiha Hasan

Social Work Theses - Archive

The recent shift of attention onto Syrian refugees has resulted in much media coverage and discussion regarding this population. This study delved into the religious coping strategies of Muslim refugees from Syria. Participants were derived through a DFW-based nonprofit organization. Questions asked of participants were including but not limited to resiliency and religious coping mechanisms. Major themes developed from this study included: religious ideologies, challenges as new religious minorities in the United States, resettlement issues, and benefits of resettlement. Results showed high correlation between resilience and religious beliefs.

Positionality And Feminisms Of Women Within Sufi Brotherhoods Of Senegal, Georgia Collins

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

Are Christian College Students Equipped To Share Their Faith With Their Muslim Friends?: A Plan Of Action, Tim Orr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to Pew Research Center, the U.S. Muslim population will double by 2030. Training the church to reach this group of people is vital. This project proposes that the Christian college is the best resource to train students to reach their Muslim friends and neighbors for Christ because these institutions have at their disposal a rich reservoir of resources that are vital to providing the biblical, theological, missiological, sociological, and cross-cultural knowledge that is necessary to be effective witnesses for Christ. The project also identifies four important components to successful ministry to Muslims. The four components include spiritual vitality, cultural …

Refractions Through The Secular: Islam, Human Rights And Universality, Zara Khan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Universal human rights (HR) are often theorized as philosophically neutral. Because they do not espouse any particular theory of the human being, it is argued, they can be reasonably appropriated by all. In this thesis, I explore HR’s universality claim, by focusing on the discourse’s secular foundation. In the universal human right to freedom of religion, I find a distinctly modern grammar of ‘religion,’ one that separates ‘religion’ from politics and power, law from morality, and the public and private realms. The modern concept of religion also espouses a secular theory of the human, insofar as the human is defined …

Engagement And Resistance: African Americans, Saudi Arabia And Islamic Transnationalisms, 1975 To 2000, Jeffrey Diamant

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the 1960s, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has financed missionary efforts to Muslims around the world, attempting to spread a Salafi form of Islam that professes strict adherence to Islamic sacred scripture. The effects of this transnational proselytization have depended on numerous factors in “host countries.” This project explores the various impacts of Saudi transnational religious influence in the United States among African-Americans. By relying on previously unused documentary sources and fresh oral histories, it shows how Saudi “soft power” attempted to effect change in religious practices of African-American Muslims from 1975 through 2000. It provides the most detailed …

Crossing Paths: Musical And Ritual Interactivity Between The Ḥamadsha And Gnawa In Sidi Ali, Morocco, Christopher J. Witulski

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The processions occurring in Moroccan pilgrimages--such as those in Sidi Ali, a small town situated in the mountains outside of Meknes and Fez--are important sites that instigate an aesthetic negotiation within nearby possession ceremonies. The many musical groups that punctuate the cacophonous atmosphere during the annual pilgrimage are affiliated with a many of the country’s diverse mystical brotherhoods, including the gnawa, ḥamadsha, and ʿīsāwa. Through a detailed ethnographic description of processions and rituals from two of these groups, this article outlines ways in which musical tastes flow between the different events, informing the aesthetics of both outdoor …

Penceritaan Peristiwa Isra' Dan Mi'raj Oleh Sheikh Daud Al-Pattani. Kajian Teks Dan Pengaruhnya Dalam Masyarakat Islam Di Pattani, Thailand / Saref Masae, Masae Saref

Student Works (2010-2019)

The book Kifayah Al Muhtaj written by Shiekh Daud AlFatani is one of the books written in jawi script regarding the story of Isra and Mikraj. Sheikh Daud completed writing this book in the year 1224H. The purpose of this study is to study the event of Isra and Mikraj focusing on the book, detailing the study of Isra and Mikraj. It is also to find out the response of the book in the understanding Isra and Mikraj. This study is to evaluate the historical source of this book.The method of collecting the data and analysing the data is through …

Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Pembayaran Zakat Di Syarikat Tersenarai Awam Di Malaysia / Adibah Ab Wahab, Ab Wahab Adibah

Student Works (2010-2019)

Zakat is one of the main religious dues in Islam. Zakat does not only purify one’s wealth but also a mechanism to uplift the socio-economy of the ummah. According to National Fatwa Committee, business entities which formed under principle of syakhsiyyah i’tibariyyah (legal entity) are obliged to pay zakat under the the principle of khultah (group ownership). However, factors which influence business entity’s zakat payment are still not properly defined and very limited researches done on this. The aim of this research is to identify zakat payment influencing factors in business entities and take Public Listed Companies (PLCs) as research …

The Formative Years Of An Iconoclastic Salafi Scholar, Emad Hamdeh

Publications

Despite his great influence on modern Salafism and Islamic studies, relatively few works focus on the life of Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī (d. 1999), a scholar whose life and brand of Salafism are marked by controversy and stand in stark contrast to madhhab Traditionalism. This article provides a translation of one of his autobiographical interviews. I shed light on the biographical details of Albānī’s formative years, namely his sour relationship with his father, quarrels with the Albanian community in Syria, and his controversial professorship at the University of Medina. Among the arguments I make is that Albānī created an image …

What All Americans Should Know About Women In The Muslim World: An Introduction, Amy Y. Evrard

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

This brief introduction to the “What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World” series provides information about women in the Muslim world, why they are important for Americans to understand, some challenges that arise in the study of Muslim women, and what these particular papers bring to bear on the topic.

The Franchising Effect On The Al-Qaeda Enterprise And Related Transnational Terror Groups: Patterns Of Evolution Of Al-Qaeda Affiliates In The 21st Century, Nicholas Benjamin Law

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The attacks of September 11, 2001 by Al-Qaeda-sponsored militants represented a high- water mark for the terrorist organization in its self-styled journey to become the inspirational Islamic vanguard for disenchanted Muslims across the globe. In the years that followed these attacks, the Al-Qaeda enterprise underwent a constant rate of evolution and mutation, resulting in a phenomenon of parallel and like-minded Islamist groups pledging allegiance to Usama bin Laden and his ideological vision of a global jihad. Instead of strengthening the overall organization, this expansion diluted the command and control of Al-Qaeda senior leaders in their ability to shape the overall …

Bahram & Camila, Bahram, Camila, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Bahram tells the story of the Afghanistan's 1992 government collapse and subsequent civil wars that destroyed the city of Kabul. "There was war in every alley, every house, every area and every village. 60,000 people were killed." Their family emigrated to Pakistan and after living there for some time, some relatives of a friend from their village travelled to Pakistan and required lodging so they stayed with Bahram's family. In some developing and under-developed countries, the custom of arranged marriage to child and infant daughters is practiced. These house guests demanded their one-year-old daughter be given in marriage to a …