NUR FALL / WINTER 2018 The Magazine of The Center for Arabic & Islamic Studies مركز الدراسات العربية واإلسالمية 1 Nūr: CAIS magazine — Spring 2018 (Vol. 4, No. 1) final draft.indd 1 11/7/2018 12:41:37 PM What’s inside? FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Scholarly and timley articles from St. Bonaventure faculty and friends and students Art Exhibit reviews with sneak peeks Grand Opening of the Center for Arabic and Islamic Studies Book reviews and recommended readings Spotlight on SBU students AND MORE... Nur: The Light Magazine © Design and layout by Amina Golden-Arabaty 2 Nūr: CAIS magazine — Spring 2018 (Vol. 4, No. 1) final draft.indd 2 11/7/2018 12:41:39 PM What’s inside? FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Crossing the line – the lines of politics, cul- ture, religion, gender and more – this is the theme of this issue of Nūr. Crossing any Change is afoot at CAIS! Regular readers of line can be a positive or negative experi- Nūr will notice a new look and format. In the ence, by which one can delight in diversity three years since it was first published, Nūr or demand uniformity. It can lead to new has gone from a slim newsletter into a sub- insights and understanding, or sometimes stantial magazine. This reflects the growth in to greater conflict. These facets of cross- CAIS as seen also in our new location and ex- ing various lines are explored here through panded facilities on the St. Bonaventure cam- the scholarship and experiences of St. pus which we officially opened in September. Bonaventure faculty, students and friends. As CAIS begins anew, I would like to reiter- Dr. Ibrahim Zabad, Professor of Political Sci- ate its unique Mission as a foundation for ence at St. Bonaventure, documents the on- crossing lines peacefully and respectfully: going difficulties experienced by Egypt’s Cop- tic Christian community amid political turmoil in the Middle East. Lutheran pastor Rev. Amy Inspired by the historical encounter Walter-Peterson offers a different perspec- between Francis of Assisi and the tive by relating her experiences teaching in Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil in 1219, the Egypt over two decades. Fr. Victor Edwin, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies an Indian Jesuit father, explores aspects of at St. Bonaventure University seeks Shi‘ite Islam gleaned from his extensive ex- to promote an understanding of Arab perience of inter-religious dialogue in India. and Islamic cultures, an appreciation of both their historical and contem- porary significance in the global Student perspectives on crossing cultural community, and respectful relations and religious lines are also provided by CAIS between Muslim and Christian peo- students, Emily Palmer and Grace Ferris, who ple. flexed their knowledge of Arabic and Islam re- cently in Morocco, and by CAIS intern Amina Golden-Arabaty, who spoke about her expe- Fr.Michael Calabria ,O.F.M., PhD rience as a Muslim-American at the gathering of the Franciscan Federation in summer 2018. Books and art exhibits reviewed in this is- sue continue this theme as demonstrated by Empress: the Reign of Nur Jahan, a fas- cinating study of a Mughal empress by Dr. Ruby Lal (Emory University) who spoke on campus last spring. A review of The World of the Fatimids highlights the religious di- versity in Egypt’s medieval caliphate; and Learn more about a review of the Aga Khan Museum’s latest the Center for Arab exhibit – Emperors and Jewels – illuminates and Islamic Studies the intercultural aspects of the Mughal pe- online www.sbu.edu/ riod with dazzling jeweled works of art. CAIS 3 مركز الدراسات العربية واإلسالمية final draft.indd 3 11/7/2018 12:41:39 PM Religious Minorities in Egypt BY: IBRAHIM ZABAD gypt is suffering and its sorrows are multi- another shock that buried all those rosy expecta- plying by the day. The political convulsions tions struck Egypt: To the dismay of the peaceful that the country experienced since the protestors, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) won the ill-fated Arab Spring have just accentuat- Presidential elections while the even more fanati- ed and heightened Egypt’s troubles and cal and puritanical, the Salafists won a large num- torments. With population exceeding 90 ber of parliamentary seats, a tragic outcome that million, Egypt is the most populous Arab country, a cemented “Islamists” as the major political force in Esolid US ally, and a pillar in the Israeli-American po- Egypt. It was downhill from this moment on. Tur- litical order in the region. Despite its potential, Egypt moil gripped the country: very few were happy with nowadays has sadly become an ‘absent’ or sleeping this unexpected outcome; some became furious power. But this has not always been the case. To the and scared of the oppressive policies of the MB that contrary, Egypt used to be a giant in Arab politics, obviously aimed at Islamizing Egyptian politics and an indispensable power, a pivotal state, a trend-set- probably transforming Egypt into a Sunni theocra- ter, a hub of culture and arts. At one point, Gamal cy in the long run. These prospects were horrifying Abdel Nasser, the charismatic president, conceived for many Egyptians--the secularists, the leftists, the of Egypt as a great regional power that occupies the feminists, the supporters of the fallen regime, the center of three worlds: the Arab, Islamic and Afri- officer corps, the security apparatus, among many can. Egypt was a major founder and weighty play- others. A broad coalition formed and called upon er in the non-alignment movement that sought to the military to intervene to rescue Egypt from its chart a neutral option for developing countries that dismal fate. The military carried out a coup d’état. desired to avoid unnecessary entanglement in the The counter-revolution has just won and a new cosmic competition between the Soviets and the dictatorship emerged. Egypt was once again back Americans during the Cold War. However, with the where it started. The Arab Spring was a nightmare. passing of Nasser, Egypt has steadily declined and The revolution ended. Hopes crashed. Pessimism lost much of its regional power, its stability, and its set in. Some parts of Egypt, especially the Sinai gravitas. Worse, with the signing of the Camp David Peninsula, have become a battleground between Peace Treaty (1978), it dealt its regional role a fatal Salafi-Jihadists and the Egyptian security forces. blow. Egypt as a regional great power has effective- ly become a memory; the country has now become he gap between what Egypt could completely beholden to its constraining peace have been/should have been and its treaty with Israel and to its obsequious alliance currents status is indeed vast. Egyp- with the U.S. The accords meant the withdrawal tians suffer from wounded pride and of Egypt from the Arab-Israeli conflict, subservient slighted nationalism and mournfully alliance with the US and acknowledging Israeli he- lament their country’s status as a shy gemony in the region. Egypt never truly recovered player and a playground for the Saudi Wahha- from this self-inflicted wound. President Mubarak Tbis, tiny but ambitious Qatar, the colossal USA, who assumed authority after the assassination of and the belligerent Israel. Egypt has not found President Sadat in 1981 sought to maintain the sta- its place in the sun, a place that befits its histo- tus quo, created a brutal dictatorship, and square- ry, its potential and the aspirations of its citizens. ly placed Egypt in the American-Israeli orbit. With Mubarak, Egypt even sank into deeper slumber. ts domestic politics is extremely polarized. Is- Then, the awakening came: the initially promising lamists are angry at the current regime for re- Arab Spring that overthrew Mubarak’s stultified moving the MB president from power and for gerontocracy. Egyptians saw what Tunisians accom- the brutal treatment of the MB protestors. plished in a couple of weeks and they took to the Liberals are unhappy either with an authori- streets treating audiences throughout the world to tarian regime that suppressed liberties. Left- unforgettable spectacles in Tahrir Square: a stun- ists, Nasserists, communists, socialists and a host ning and raw demonstration of people’s power.I of other Egyptian nationalists are furious as Egypt In mere three weeks, the regime that suffocated has once again become an American Satellite Egypt was gone and new era of prosperity, freedom and Israeli ally that stands by idly watching Israe- and democracy seemed to be within reach. Free li non-ending oppression of the Palestinians and elections were held, political parties mushroomed the relocation of the American embassy to Jeru- and competed, and civil society prospered. Then salem. It is not a secret at all that Egypt supports 4 Nūr: CAIS magazine — Spring 2018 (Vol. 4, No. 1) final draft.indd 4 11/7/2018 12:41:39 PM Trumps’ initiative to resolve the Palestinian-Is - ernment oppression is way easier than dealing raeli conflict, an initiative so unscrupulous that with societal discrimination, which could be subtle even the domesticated and collaborationist Pal - and indirect and even unobservable to foreigners. estinian Authority (PA) refused to even consider. gypt has a tiny Shiite minority—the most omestic oppression is at an all-time optimistic estimates put the number at high. Public criticism of the regime is 1%. Yet the Shiite community has expe - not a remote option and if done could rienced tremendous hardships despite easily land critics in jail where abuse the fact that it is tiny, quiet, and utterly is rampant. Human Rights Watch re - non-threatening to the Sunni character of ported that security forces in Egypt Egypt.