DOCSLIB.ORG

Overlapping Sacred Spaces: Islam, Pluralism and the Hegemony

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Overlapping Sacred Spaces: Islam, Pluralism and the Hegemony Overlapping Sacred Spaces: Islam, Pluralism and the Hegemony of ‘Human Rights’ Submitted by: Michael Arnold A dissertation submitted to the Islamic College in Collaboration with Middlesex University in accordance with the requirements of the degree of MA in Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Arts. Abstract: The focus of this research is the conceptualization of religious minorities in Islamic thought, the relationship of ‘human rights’ to religious freedom and pluralism, and the features of the Islam – human rights discourse as they relate to religious liberty and minority rights and explores the potential of an alternative to the human rights approach to pluralism and religious freedom based on Islamic universalism identified in the dissertation as ‘overlapping sacred spaces’. Such a study is important because of the increasing focus on the relationship between Islam and human rights in the wake of the Arab Spring and the emergence of extremist groups such as ISIS. The research approach adopted in this dissertation includes critically examining the concept of universal human rights and its relation to pluralism and religious freedom in conjunction with probing the Islamic tradition and history for scripturally rooted answers to the contemporary problem of pluralism. This dissertation recommends that further research be conducted into Islam’s theology of difference in addition as well as means of providing foundations for the affirmation of the religious other, in addition to necessary research in the field of practical implementation. Acknowledgements: I am first and foremost indebted to the staff at the Islamic College, particularly Mr. Rezaee and Mr. Ahmed Bawab who have seen me through some of the most challenging years of my academic, professional and personal life. I am also greatly indebted to my supervisor for pushing in me in the rights direction. I am indebted to my wife Nancy, who originally encouraged me to apply to MA Islamic Studies course at the Islamic College and for being patient with me through the years. Thank you for walking with me on this journey. I am indebted to my parents who constantly encouraged me and who were always willing to engage in critical discussions with me. To my friend and brother Talal who always pushed me to think critically during our conversations. Finally, no power or ability comes except through God, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….....4 1.1 Background……………………………………………………………………………………………….4 1.2 Research Focus………………………………………………………………………………………….6 2. The Divergent Concept of ‘Right’…………………………………………………………………………....7 2.1 The Distinction Between ‘Is’ and ‘Ought’………………….………………………………....7 2.2 The Concept of ‘Right’ in Western Philosophical-Legal Tradition ………………...8 2.3 The Qur’ānic Conception of ‘Right’…………………………………………………………....10 3. Human Rights, Pluralism and Religious Freedom………………………………………………..11 3.1 Universalism and Human Rights……………………………………………………………....11 3.2 The Islam – Human Rights Discourse………………………………………………………..14 3.3 The Human Rights Approach Religious: Liberty and Pluralism ………………….16 4. The Religious Other in Islam…………………………………………………………….………………….19 4.1 Non-Muslims in Islamic Law. ………………………….…………………………………….....19 4.2 Competing Perspectives in Classical Islamic Discourse: Universalistic vs. Communalistic Perspectives…………………………………………………………………………..22 2 4.3 A Legacy of Pluralism: Non-Muslims Under Muslim Rule.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24 5. Contemporary Muslim Responses to Pluralism and Minority Rights……………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………...…..27 5.1 Overview……………………..…………………………………………………………………............27 5.2 ‘Conservative’ Approaches: The Imperative of the Legal……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…28 5.3 Liberal Approaches: The Search for an ‘Overlapping Consensus’ ...…………….31 6. Islamic Universalism and the Concept of ‘Overlapping Sacred Spaces’…………...……34 6.1 Islamic Universalism and the Moral Imperative of Ijtihād…………………………...34 6.2 Theological Roots of Islamic Universalism………………………………………………..35 6.3 The ‘Medina Document’ ………………………………………………………………………......36 7. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…37 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…39 3 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The modern states that make up today’s Muslim world1 are composed of individuals from a diverse array of linguistic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Even in states where Muslims form a large majority, there continues to exist significant numbers of religious and ethnic minorities. This diversity in turn, gives rise to a series of important and potentially divisive questions, which present challenges related to issues of political representation, political and social autonomy and religious liberty. Finding morally defensible and politically viable answers to these questions is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The framework of international human rights, premised as it is on equality between all human beings “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion”2 is the primary framework in which the efficacy of approaches to diversity have been, and continue to be evaluated. Thus, any system or approach that gives the appearance of violating the principles of equality outlined in various the conventions which form the backbone of the human rights framework is deemed illegitimate, in as much as they are deemed to contradict the predominant understanding of human rights. The classical Islamic formulation regarding non-Muslim minorities, based as it was on categories of exclusion, is problematized as an impediment to the realization of the human rights project in predominantly Muslim societies. Consequently, for this and other related reasons, Islam is often perceived as a monolithic entity and treated in the literature as a ‘challenge’ to the human rights project, reflecting what Sabah Mahmood refers to as “Islam’s burden of proving its compatibility with liberal ideas…”3 According to Mahmood, rather than asking how Muslims can become better liberals, we may be better served by asking how the world is (or can be) lived differently, 1 defined as the ORIC 2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2, http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/. 3 Mahmood, S., “Is Liberalism Islam’s Only Answer?”, in Abou el Fadl, K., Islam and the Challenge of Democracy, ed. Cohen, J. and Chasman, D., (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), p. 74. 4 confronted as we are with the historically unprecedented homogenizing force of modernity that does not allow space for alternative visions.4 The nature of the relationship between Islam and human rights has received a great deal of attention in academia, and has become a common point of discussion in public discourse particularly in light of the uprisings that have shaken the predominantly Muslim Arab middle east since 2011. This discussion is situated within the larger discussion regarding the universality of human rights and covers a broad range of issues related to Islam and the realization of human rights in the Muslim world.5 Claims to have re-established the shariah as the basis of governance by groups such as ISIS and musings to resuscitate a largely mutated form of the classical provisions of minority law have provoked anxiety amongst non-Muslim citizens of states undergoing Islamization programs. Consequently, the issue of religious liberty and minority rights in Islam has received a significant amount of attention. This is due in no small part to the prevalent view that Islam is an impediment to the realization of human rights in the Muslim world and irreconcilable with modern understandings of equality. As a result, contemporary approaches to issues of human rights and pluralism in Islam and the issue of religious minorities in Muslim societies have generally adopted models based on a Rawlsian understanding of political liberalism. Despite the usefulness of this approach in highlighting the significant spaces for overlapping consensus between divergent comprehensive doctrines and visions of the ‘good’, they have generally failed to take into account the normative history of the Islamic tradition with regards to pluralism. Additionally, the nature of the discourse itself effectively negates Islam’s theological potential to foster an alternative vision in response to the challenge of pluralism based on the concept of ‘overlapping sacred spaces.’ (Needs brief definition) As part of the ongoing exploration of solutions to the challenges of religious pluralism this paper seeks to critically examine the conceptualization of minority rights in Islamic thought with the purpose of exploring Islam’s theological potential to foster an alternative 4 Ibid. 5 Baderin, Mashood A. ''Islam and the Realization of Human Rights in the Muslim World: A Reflection on Two Essential Approaches and Two Divergent Perspectives''. Muslim World Journal of Human Rights 4, no. 1 (2007) 5 to the homogenizing tendency of modernity based on the concept of overlapping sacred spaces and what Arnold Toynbee referred to as the Islamic tradition of the brotherhood of man.6 1.2 Research Focus A major focus of this research is on developing a critical understanding the human rights discourse, as it is imperative to developing an analytical perspective from which to view the vast body of literature on the subject. Since the literature on Islam and human rights is primarily comparative in nature,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Implications for Radicalization Theory & Practice on Pakistani
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works Faculty Publications 6-2019 Cultural Diversities: The Implications for Radicalization Theory & Practice on Pakistani College Campuses Marcia Hermansen [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/theology_facpubs Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Hermansen, Marcia. Cultural Diversities: The Implications for Radicalization Theory & Practice on Pakistani College Campuses. AFKĀR (Research Journal of Islamic Studies), 3, 1: 63-84, 2019. Retrieved from Loyola eCommons, Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works, This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Publications at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. © Marcia Hermansen, 2019. AFKĀR Volume: 3, Issue: 1, June 2019 Scan for download Cultural Diversities: The Implications for Radicalization Theory & Practice on Pakistani College Campuses Dr. Marcia Hermansen Professor of Theology and Director Islamic World Studies Loyola University Chicago, USA Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This article was prepared for a 2018 conference convened at AIR University Islamabad on ‚Radicalization: Perceptions, Realities and Challenges of Campus Life‛. Focussing on a conference sub-theme of ‚culture‛, the article reviews academic literature on the topic of youth radicalization, noting where existing analyses and proposed strategies largely geared to European and American contexts are either relevant for or unsuited to Pakistani universities and colleges.
    [Show full text]
  • Catastrophic Terrorism
    CATASTROPHIC TERRORISM Report of the Meeting organised by the Centre of International Studies University of Cambridge November 18–19, 2002 The participants Inset left: Sandra D. Melone, European Centre for Common Ground. Inset right: Professor the Rt Hon Shirley Williams, Baroness of Crosby, Liberal Democrat Leader, House of Lords. Standing (left to right): Merli Baroudi, Economist Intelligence Unit; Peter Cavanagh, Centre of International Studies; Louis McCagg, Centre of International Studies; Dr Brendan Simms, Centre of International Studies; Stephen Fidler, Financial Times; Dr Yezid Sayigh, Centre of International Studies; Timothy J. Winter, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge; Steven Simon, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Sitting (left to right): Ged R. Davis, Shell International; Charles B. Curtis, Nuclear Threat Initiative; Lord Wilson of Dinton, GCB, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge; Professor James Mayall, Centre of International Studies; Ambassador Richard W. Murphy, Council on Foreign Relations. CATASTROPHIC TERRORISM Report of the Meeting organised by the Centre of International Studies University of Cambridge November 18–19, 2002 2 Introduction Professor Sir Alec Broers Vice Chancellor, University of Cambridge 3 Toward a More Holistic Response to Terrorism Charles B. Curtis, President, Nuclear Threat Initiative 7 Catastrophic Terrorism Stephen Fidler, Chief Reporter, Financial Times 20 The Participants INTRODUCTION Professor Sir Alec Broers Vice Chancellor, University of Cambridge AJOR EVENTS often strengthen our determination to take action; in short, to Mdo things that we otherwise might not have done. This was clearly illustrated by the Centre of International Studies’ response to Septem- ber 11, which provided the stimulus to establish a new programme to address broader issues of world instability.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Article (PDF)
    Open Theology 2019; 5: 347–365 Phenomenology of Religious Experience III: Visuality, Imagination, and the Galym Zhussipbek*, Zhanar Nagayeva Lifeworld Epistemological Reform and Embracement of Human Rights. What Can be Inferred from Islamic Rationalistic Maturidite Theology? https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2019-0030 Received May 05, 2019; accepted August 07, 2019 Abstract: The authors argue that there is an epistemological crisis of conservative Islamic scholarship and Muslim mind, rooted in the centuries-old confinement of a role for reason within strict limits, and in the disappearance of rationalistic discursive theology (kalam) as a dynamic science. Moreover, epistemological crisis is exemplified by seriously insufficient level of protection of human rights under Sharia when judged by contemporary principles of human rights. This crisis demands a necessity of undertaking epistemological reform, which denotes the incorporation of international standards of human rights and justice into the epistemology and methodology of producing Islamic norms (usul al-fiqh). It is argued that the key epistemological premises of rationalistic Islam, such as acceptance that human reason can find goodness and badness independently from revelation and non-acceptance of ethical voluntarism, may offer a good ground to make epistemological reform, which would induce the Muslims to critically approach and reinterpret the pre-modern religious interpretations and to construct an Islamic legal and ethical system that is appropriate for the context of the 21th
    [Show full text]
  • Selected Reflections on the Muslim World in the Aftermath of 9-11
    Selected Reflections on the Muslim World in the aftermath of 9-11 Anas Malik* 9-11 was a major shock to many Americans and people around the world. On live video feeds, recognized symbols of the economic and military might of the biggest power on the planet were destroyed and damaged. In the US, the corporate mass media has relayed a message of a new “war on terror”, and for many Americans this has provided the interpretive framework for understanding many post-9-11 developments. While much has changed in the wake of 9-11, important continuities remain and some existing trends have been reinforced. Developments have been more complex than simplistic generalizations claiming that “everything has changed”. One preoccupation of American scholars has been the question of whether 9-11 was the dying gasp of militant groups or a harbinger of greater things to come. This overarching question has been addressed elsewhere (eg., Fuller, 2002). Another suggestion has been that we are seeing not a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West, but a battle “within Muslim civilization, where ultraconservatives compete with moderates and democrats for the soul of the Muslim public” (Hefner, 2001). In place of responding to a “grand” question, this essay offers selected reflections on mid-level developments in the post-9-11 period as they impact Muslims. These observations are loosely linked and do not rely on a single, consistent theoretical framework for understanding the world. While some Realist assumptions are used, the essay does not survey or evaluate existing Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, Vol.1, No.2, Summer 2002 201 social science theory as it relates to 9-11.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam and the West: Locating the Culprits of an Increasingly Troubled Relationship
    ANALYSIS June 2013 Islam and the West: Locating the culprits of an increasingly troubled relationship Peter Cowan The recent murder of a British soldier by homegrown jihadis and the subse- quent Islamaphobic backlash has arguably played into a transcendent narra- tive centring on the seeming incongruence of 'Islam' with 'European' values. It has been suggested that fiscal disarray and threats to the political integrity of the EU are relational to this tension. In recent years EU policymakers have increasingly utilised what has been termed 'prescriptive liberalism' which has polarised relations with Muslims in the region. In this essay it will be sug- gested that selectivity in the media and shortcomings in education are the real culprits in driving wedges between communities and fuelling the intran- sigence of both 'European' and 'Islamic' rejectionist movements. Peter Cowan: Islam and the West: Locating the culprits of an increasingly troubles relationship 2 I n a 2010 lecture entitled, “Can The West Live With Islam?”, Abdel Hakim Murad, the British Sufi and Dean of the Cambridge Muslim College, suggested that in light of Eu- rope's failure to articulate a common cultural and economic vision, answering 'no' to this very question may be the lowest common denominator of what constitutes 'Europeanness'. He has written elsewhere that the failures evident in the European project have led Europe to rely increasingly upon a militantly secular identity seen as endogenous from the enlightenment, which has manifested itself as 'prescriptive liberalism' in the public sphere and brought European policy makers into conflict with Islam and Muslims residing in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Scholastic Traditional Minimalism: a Critical Analysis of Intra-Sunni Sectarian Polemics
    Scholastic Traditional Minimalism: A critical analysis of intra-Sunni sectarian polemics Tajul Islam Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervised by: Professor Ian Richard Netton The University of Exeter Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies March 2015 Acknowledgements Firstly I express my deepest gratitude to my family who have supported me during my undergradute/post graduate years. I owe it to my friends, Arafat Latif, Ridwaan Haris and Wasim Afzal (Pakka) for helping me in my times of need, including health, wealth and emotional support. A special thanks to Professor James Dickins, Dr Mustapha Sheikh, Mrs Sofia Rehman at the University of Leeds, and Mrs Sarmishta (Sarmi) Ghosh, Vicky Colton and Julie Gay at the University of Exeter for their kind support and patience with me. I also extend my gratitude to my internal examiner Professor Rob Gleave and external examiner Professor Hugh Goddard for their constructive criticism and scholarly insight, the result of which has made this a better thesis. And lastly and most importantly thanks to my supervisor and mentor (pīr-o-murshid), Professor Ian Netton for his guidance, humour, and inspiration along the way. 2 Abstract This thesis is an analytical exploration of the influence of medieval theology on contemporary scholastic traditionalist polemics within Sunni Islam. Intra-Sunni sectarian polemics as an emerging area of study is relatively untouched as opposed to sectarian violence. A detailed mapping of the theological terrain from the genesis of Sunni ‘orthodoxy’ and the perennial tensions within the classical theological tradition and how they have manifested parochially into the contemporary scholastic traditionalist trends of the Barelwi, Deobandi, Ahl-i-Ḥadīth and Wahhābī within the backdrop of the Sufi-Salafi contestation of Sunni authenticity is timely.
    [Show full text]
  • British Muslim Converts: an Investigation of Conversion and De-Conversion Processes to and from Islam
    BRITISH MUSLIM CONVERTS: AN INVESTIGATION OF CONVERSION AND DE-CONVERSION PROCESSES TO AND FROM ISLAM Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Mona Alyedreessy Under the supervision of Dr. Rupa Huq Dr. Heidi Seetzen Professor. David Herbert Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Kingston University, London 2016 The candidate confirms that the work is her own and appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others Table of Contents Acknowledgments v Abstract vi Glossary vii Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Research Aims, Objectives and Questions 1 1.2 Muslims and Colonial History 8 1.3 The Global War on Terror 12 1.4 Early English Muslim Converts to Islam 14 1.5 Organisation of Chapters 20 Chapter II Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 22 2.2 Theoretical Approaches to Religious Identity Formation 22 2.2.1 Postcolonial Identities 27 2.2.2 The Relationship Between Religion and Ethnicity 32 2.3 Theoretical and Sociological Approaches to Conversion 34 2.3.1 The Islamic Fitrah 35 2.3.2 Missionary Influences 36 2.3.3 Western Conversion Theories 39 2.4 Theoretical and Sociological Approaches to De-Conversion 41 2.5 Summary 45 Chapter III Methodology 3.1 Introduction 47 3.2 The Research Design 47 3.3 Interview Techniques 49 3.4 Sampling Methods: Fieldwork 52 3.4.1 The Study Sample 54 3.5 Reflexivity 60 3.5.1 Situating Myself 62 3.5.2 Pilot Study 64 3.6 Challenges with Interviews 65 3.7 Data Analysis 66 3.8 Summary 68 Chapter IV Pre-Conversion Period 4.1 Introduction 69 4.2 The
    [Show full text]
  • Islam-And-The-Problem-Of-Evil-Winter
    230 12 Islam and the Problem of Evil Timothy Winter Islam ’ s theological, ethical and mystical traditions have adopted a range of approaches to the question of evil. They share, however, a rootedness in the Qur’ ā n, a text which repeatedly attends to the fact of human suf- fering, having emerged in a society which it proclaimed to be miserably deluded by false belief and custom and in which the physical environ- ment was harsh and human comforts were few and basic. The travails of its fi rst adherents, who underwent severe persecution at the hands of the pagan Meccan aristocracy, ensured that the Qur ’ā nic vocabulary was replete with categories of grief ( ḥuzn ), misery ( shaqā wa ), pain ( alam ) and injustice ( ẓulm ), constants which defi ned a form of Arabian life held to be so insupportable that it triggered the birth of a new religion which sought to challenge Arab suffering and bring about a ‘ healing and a mercy ’ (17:82). Especially signifi cant as a catalyst in defi ning the new religion ’ s treatment of God’ s action in the world and Islam ’ s response to human- ity ’ s ‘ creation in suffering ’ (90:4) was the founder ’ s own experience. Orphaned in childhood and living in straitened circumstances, watching all but one of his seven children die and experiencing recurrent ostra- cism and abuse at the hands of his own kinsmen, the Prophet, accord- ing to a report attributed to his widow ʿ Ā ‘ isha, ‘ suffered more than any man ever did ’ . 1 In later times a belief developed that prophets necessarily endure excruciating physical and mental traumata as part of the sacrifi ce they make in proclaiming God ’ s word.
    [Show full text]
  • Al-Ghazali and the Golden Rule: Ethics of Reciprocity in the Works of a Muslim Sage
    Journal of Religious & Theological Information ISSN: 1047-7845 (Print) 1528-6924 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wrti20 Al-Ghazali and the Golden Rule: Ethics of Reciprocity in the Works of a Muslim Sage Justin Parrott To cite this article: Justin Parrott (2017): Al-Ghazali and the Golden Rule: Ethics of Reciprocity in the Works of a Muslim Sage, Journal of Religious & Theological Information, DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1281067 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2017.1281067 Published online: 09 Mar 2017. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wrti20 Download by: [New York University] Date: 10 March 2017, At: 01:52 JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS & THEOLOGICAL INFORMATION http://dx.doi.org/./.. Al-Ghazali and the Golden Rule: Ethics of Reciprocity in the Works of a Muslim Sage Justin Parrott New York University in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The golden rule (“do unto others as you would have them do Islamic ethics; interfaith unto you”) has become an important focal point in modern inter- dialogue; comparative faith dialogue with Muslims. As an ethical concept, it can be religion; theology and transferred, more or less, intact between different religions and philosophy philosophies, with or without the authority of scripture. This arti- cle aims to assist interfaith efforts with Muslims by examining the use of the golden rule in the works of 12th century Muslim mys- tic, ethicist, and theologian AbuH¯ amiḍ¯ al-Ghazzal¯ ¯ı (“Al-Ghazali”).
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Introduction Marcia Hermansen This volume brings together detailed ethnographic and historical work on diverse Sufi orders operating in the United States. While it is generally observed that the Indian mystic Inayat Khan introduced Sufism to the United States in 1910,1 it was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that we find larger numbers of Americans participating in movements related to Sufism, together with growing public awareness of the phenomenon. The themes of “what is a Sufi?” and “what is the relationship of Sufism to ‘orthodox’ or ‘mainstream’ Islam?” are ones that vex this study and are often debated among American Sufis themselves, taking on new dimensions with an upsurge in Islamic revival on a global scale beginning in the 1970s. As American popular culture and the popular imagination is always changing and evolving, both in its self-understanding and in its view of Islam, Muslims, and Muslim-majority countries, the realities and the images of Sufism encountered by Americans have likewise not remained static. Participants in the movements studied here are therefore situated in and view themselves against a diverse and contested background of both the Islamic and the Sufi. The appeal and significance of the chapters gathered here is that many of them provide for the first time detailed reports on certain Sufi orders by scholars who have carried out in-depth participant observation of the movements involved. Such studies are able to provide us with rel- evant examples of the current and ongoing challenges facing small and somewhat exotic religious groups in diverse American contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Studies in the Twenty-First Century
    15 mm front 153 mm 8 mm 17,1 mm 8 mm front 153 mm 15 mm 15 mm The study of Islam and Muslim societies has changed drastically during the (eds) SandwijkBuskens & Van last three decades. The traditional methods of philology and intellectual history have met with considerable criticism by younger generations of scholars who have started to look at the social sciences, notably anthropology and social history, for guidance. These changes have been accompanied by the rise of new fields, such as Islam in Europe and in Africa, and new topics, such as gender, or the renaissance of older topics, most notably Islamic law. Scholars have successfully overcome older, unproductive oppositions, especially between the study of texts and practices. Islamic Studies in the Twenty-first Century: Transformations and Continuities brings together a series of essays surveying these transformations written by prominent scholars in the field. They analyse major innovations and new directions to take, but are also conscious of underlying continuities with a venerable tradition of almost two centuries. The collection is an excellent introduction to state of the art debates for both graduate students and senior scholars. Islamic Studies in the Twenty-first Century Twenty-first the in Studies Islamic Léon Buskens holds a chair for Law and Culture in Muslim societies at Leiden University and is director of the Netherlands Institute in Morocco Edited by Léon Buskens and Annemarie van Sandwijk (NIMAR). From its foundation in 2009 until the end of 2015 he was the first director of the Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies (NISIS).
    [Show full text]
  • Part Iia 2021-22
    PART IIA 2021-22 Paper B1a – Intermediate Hebrew Paper B1b – Intermediate New Testament Greek Paper B1c – Intermediate Sanskrit Paper B1d – Intermediate Qur’anic Arabic Paper B2 – Israel in Exile: Literature, History and Theology Paper B3 - The Shaping of Jewish Identity (332 BCE – 70 CE) Paper B4 – The letters of Paul Paper B5 - The Johannine Tradition Paper B6 – Christianity in Late Antiquity (to circa 600) Paper B7 – Themes in World Christianities: Context, Theology and Power Paper B8 – Christ, Salvation, and the Trinity Paper B10 – Philosophy of religion: God, freedom and the soul Paper B11 – Ethics and faith Paper B13 – Theology and Literature Paper B14 – Modern Judaism: Thought, Culture, and History Paper B15 – Introduction to Islam Paper B16 – Life and thought of religious Hinduism and of Buddhism Paper B17 – Philosophy: Meaning [Philosophy Faculty] PAPER B1A – INTERMEDIATE HEBREW Paper Coordinator: Dr James Aitken Course description This paper is intended for those in their second year of studying Hebrew. The study of the Hebrew texts is designed (apart from their intrinsic interest) to lead students on to a fuller appreciation of the grammar, vocabulary and syntax of prose texts. The lectures will focus mainly on linguistic aspects of the texts, but students are expected to acquire an appreciation of the exegetical and literary aspects of the set passages. An understanding of essential text-critical questions, using BHS, will be required. Students will expected to show knowledge of the basic features of BHS and to display an understanding of the grammar and syntax of Hebrew prose. Learning Outcomes By the end of the year students should be able to (a) translate intermediate Hebrew texts into English, and translate short prose English passages into classical Hebrew using appropriate syntactic structures; (b) parse and comment on the meaning of Hebrew words; (c) identify common syntactic structures of classical Hebrew prose; (d) explain some aspects of the content and interpretation of the set texts; (e) discuss some basic issues in textual criticism.
    [Show full text]