Intellectual Discourse (Journal)
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The Hadhrami Diaspora in Southeast Asia: Identity Maintenance or Assimilation? Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk & Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim (Eds.)
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“Jordan First”: Tribalism, Nationalism and Legitimacy of Power in Jordan
Get PDFAbstract: The significance of tribal identity in Jordan can be seen in the special relationship of traditional institutions with the state, which shows both the fluctuation in the concept of tribalism and how tribalism can be better understood by viewing it through the perspective of “Jordanian nationalism”. This relationship has created confusion on the local and national levels about how the state system should work through its institutions. Furthermore, the process of democratization is only a façade; Jordan is supposedly a constitutional monarchy, but in fact the king holds absolute power. The parliament’s autonomy has been minimal, in other words, the parliament is a symbol of democracy but is widely perceived as non-representative. This paper examines the regime security strategy “Jordan First” and the particularity of Jordanian identity through its relationship to the concept of a Jordanian national consensus
Democracy and democratization in contemporary Muslim societies: A theoretical analysis
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of democracy and democratization on contemporary Muslim societies. The institutional and philosophical approaches to democracy and democratization are inseparable. The paper investigates the relationship between the philosophical dimension of Western democracy and the Muslim philosophy of life and concludes that the democratization of contemporary Muslim societies leads to serious and destabilizing ideological polarization and division of Muslim societies into supporters of secularism and political Islam. The Islamist-secularists relation radicalizes: (1) when the Islamists are prevented from capturing power through democratic institutions and (2) when the advanced Western democratic states cooperate with non-democratic secular elites of Muslim societies. The destabilizing role of democracy can be moderated if the Islamists are engaged in the democratic process, and the debate between the Islamists, the secularists and the West – based on the view that the West should conceive Islam as an alternative weltanschauung [worldview] – focuses on issues that are human properties, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or language. The institutional approach to democracy provides a common ground for cooperation and dialogue between the Islamists, the secularists and the West
Women in the Malaysian parliament: Do they matter?
Get PDFThis paper explores the impact of women’s representation in the lower house (Dewan Rakyat) of the Malaysian Parliament. It is an attempt to see whether women representatives in the Dewan Rakyat are able to make any impact or difference in parliament, in the context of making policy output more women-friendly. Available studies conducted mainly in the West have shown that women legislators are more responsive to women’s interest than their male counterparts, developing distinctive sets of concerns and priorities and taking leading parts in formulating policies that favour women. Through textual analysis of nine years of the Malaysian Parliament (1999-2007), this paper examines the issues that have been introduced and discussed by the women and the impact they made in parliament. It also reveals the critical actors initiating or introducing women-related issues
The Significance of Toshihiko Izutsu’s Legacy for Comparative Religion
Get PDFAbstract: Toshihiko Izutsu explored the Oriental philosophies and clarified their comprehensive structural framework by using comparative philosophy and linguistic philosophy. Izutsu made three contributions that are deemed especially crucial to the study of comparative religion. First, the attitude of empathy he proposed and applied to himself, and his strict methodology of semantics in interpreting philosophical texts. This attitude is also important when one is trying to understand the faith of others. Second, his delineation of the scheme of the basic structure of Oriental philosophy for the comparative study of religions. Third, his study of Oriental (mystical) philosophy is a significant contribution to the study of mysticism. However, there are still problems which remain to be addressed in comparative religion
Making Sense of Ḥijāb and Niqāb in Contemporary Western Societies
Get PDFḤijāb, an Islamic ethico-religious and socio-cultural symbol, is increasingly becoming visible in the Western public arena giving rise to a debate over its compatibility with dominant Western culture and values. Placing it in an argumentative genre, the paper highlights the sociological, religious and cultural rationales for the increasing visibility of the Islamic dress code among young Muslim women. It provides a discursive framework based on a cultural sociology through which ḥijāb and niqāb could be accepted
Objectivity and the Scientific Study of Religion
Get PDFThe concern for and the debate on “objectivity” in the scientific study of religions led scholars to advocate two major approaches known as “History of Religion” and “Phenomenology of Religion.” Both approaches are claimed to be “descriptive” and “value-free” as they stringently enforce the principle of epochê or distanciation to ensure objectivity. However, there are scholars who argue that objectivity (be it “descriptive” or “value-free”) is ontologically questionable and epistemologically impossible. It is a selfdefeating concept and a myth. They argue that objectivity is principally and directly concerned with “the object” under investigation regardless of the types of approach used
