Intellectual Discourse (Journal)
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The Arab spring: Its origins, evolution and consequences… four years on
Get PDFThe Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have long been laden with tensions and instabilities. However, the recent Arab Uprisings, better known as the Arab Spring, have intensified volatility, turning this “hot-spot” into a veritable tinderbox whose potential for explosion has far-reaching national, regional and global implications. This review analyses and describes the events leading to the Arab Spring. It also examines the impacts and ramifications of the upheavals on the national, regional and international levels. The review argues that the Arab Spring has both changed and charged some of the region’s thorniest problems - from the rise of political Islam to civil wars to rivalries between key regional powers. It raises important questions concerning the impact of the Arab Spring: were these uprisings a deceptive and transient phase of popular anger, or were they a genuine harbinger leading to genuine democratic transition? The review focuses also on the online networking and digital technologies as effective methods of aggregate activism to by-pass state owned media. Finally, the review offers an assessment of whether MENA is destined for a political impasse or that political wisdom and prudence will prevail and save the region from the brink of destruction
Traditionalism and the ascendancy of the Malay ruling class in colonial Malaya. By Donna J. Amoroso
Get PDFExploring the agenda-setting potential of homeland online newspapers on perceptions of elections issues among diasporic Nigerians in Malaysia
Get PDFThe increasing transnational migration of people and availability of homeland newspapers on the web have stimulated interest in the understanding of the use and effects of homeland media on a nation’s foreign residents. This study explores the relationship between the agenda covered in three Nigerian online newspapers (N=260) and how they were perceived by Nigerian students in Malaysia (N=350) during the 2011 Nigerian presidential election. Specifically, the issues in online newspapers and their location (homepage and index) and length were compared with the issues perceived as being important by Nigerian students in Malaysia. Comparing content analysis data with survey responses, the findings revealed a modest but plausible support for the agenda-setting potential of the online newspapers. In view of the established correspondence between issues that are salient in the news and issues perceived by the readers, the study establishes the importance of homeland online media to political cognitions and actions among diasporic Nigerians. It also suggests the need to explore other cues in the online newspapers capable of raising the salience of issues in the perceptions of the Nigerian diaspora
A judicial review of political questions under Islamic law
Get PDFThe contemporary Arab world has witnessed uprisings and turmoil as a result of alleged power-overreaching by political elites. Consequently, people call for democracy with emphasis on constitutionalism, accountability and protection of human rights. Yet, the voice of the judiciary seems not to be heard in championing these values in many Muslim nations despite the clear roles Islam places on the judiciary regarding political matters. This paper therefore analyses the power of judicial review on political questions from the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence. It finds that the power of judicial review and its main institution existed in early Islamic periods after the demise of the Prophet (SAW). The paper concludes that failure to observe judicial review in many contemporary Muslim countries results in the absence of effective checks on the powers of the rulers by the judiciary
3rd International Language Conference (ILC) 2014 on language teaching, learning and research: Inspiring teachers, engaging learners
Get PDFSayyid Quṭb’s critique of fiqh
Get PDFSayyid Quṭb’s views on fiqh (jurisprudence) have been the subject of significant critique. This paper seeks to understand the bases of such criticisms through a qualitative content analysis of his exegesis and other writings. We begin with a brief survey of the views of scholars who have spoken in favour of and against him, followed by a brief biographic profile of Quṭb. This paper focuses on Quṭb’s critique of three key issues. First, the terms “Fiqh al-Awrāq” (jurisprudence of papers) and “Fiqh al-Ḥarakah” (dynamic jurisprudence) as employed during his discourse on fiqh are analysed. Second, his interpretation of the concept of “Dār al-Islām” (Land of Islam) and “Dār al-Ḥarb” (Hostile Land) that led to criticisms by jurists are analysed through a comparison with the views of other jurists. Third, his discourse on the application of the concept of al-marḥaliyyah (stages) in jihād, that caused misunderstandings among jurists, is analysed in the context of a response to the need for developing dynamic jurisprudence for contemporary communities. The study endeavours to dispel ambiguities and present an objective account of Quṭb’s discourse on fiqh