55 research outputs found
De-mystifying the Muslimah: Exploring Different Perceptions of Selected Young Muslim Women in Britain
No full textIn this research I argue that although Islam as a faith is inherently emancipatory, Muslim
women are doubly marginalised: by patriarchal interpretations of their faith within Muslim
communities and by pluralist society that often does not understand the faith-based values
and practices of Muslim women. The empowerment of Muslim women is crucial not just for
the women themselves but also for socio-political dynamics within the Muslim community
and its relationships in pluralist society. It is from this context, and acknowledging the paucity
of academic literature written by Muslim women, that I set out to give voice to them, so that
their opinions may be heard in discourses that they think are relevant to their lives. By
encouraging Muslim women to take voice and by facilitating mechanisms for these voices to
be heard, this research presents alternate narratives of Muslim women that challenge
dominant media imagery of the oppressed and subjugated Muslim woman. These narratives,
which are by and for Muslim women, portray instead the inherent diversity in the category
'Muslim woman' and thus add more facets to the category 'woman'.
I used an ethnographic methodology that involved participants as contributors in the creation
of new knowledge. Semi-structured interviews with 45 young university-educated Muslim
women and 7 group discussions were used as initial data-gathering tools. The penultimate
ethnographic stage involved Muslim women creating 3-minute long self-representational
digital stories (DSTs), which consist of an autobiographical narrative accompanied by still
pictures. This was a process of self-reflection for the women and an opportunity to take voice
and to be heard. The subsequent screening of these DSTs to audiences who were not
Muslim resulted in discussion and active debate about the reasons for prevalent
(mis)understandings of Muslim women and stereotypes were challenged. In its initiation of
more balanced representations of Muslim women this research empowers Muslim women,
and by contributing to dialogue and cohesion it also empowers pluralist society as a whole.
This research clarifies the overlapping priorities and identities of young British Muslim
women and initiates new discourses, as narrated by the women, on subjects including
religious interpretation and practice, feminism, media representation and social cohesion. In
the research findings I propose an evolving British-Muslim identity among Muslim youth (in
this case young women) which is distinct from that of their parents; a theological articulation
of a 'feminist' struggle for women's rights; and the need to engage with the media and others
to create positive representations of Muslim women. Experiences with DSTs indicate the
potential of personal narratives and interaction for the purposes of inter-community dialogue
Nationalism, Patriotism and Political Ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: an Analysis
Get PDFSir Syed Ahmad Khan (Founder of Aligarh Muslim University) was born into a noble Muslim family in 1817; he was a distinguished scholar while working as a lawyer at the British East India Company. After realizing the worthless condition of Muslims, his approach to western education for the benefit of the Muslim community became a priority. This study contemplates that Sir Syed was religiously oriented and very politically aware of nationalism and patriotism. The author uses primary data and also secondary data. The author also explores his main books and articles; the author aims to examine Sir Syed's nationalist and political ideas concerning political significance for Muslims in India. The writer would like to know the result that, what is the reason, Sir Syed was against the Indian National Congress. At the same time, the whole Indian society was afraid of the British, but Sir Syed maintained his good relations with the British, and he also showed the loyalty of the Muslims towards them. This study found the conclusion about Sir Syed that he became a symbol of communal harmony.
Assessing the influence of an institutional Muslim life program on the Muslim student university experience
No full textInstitutional Muslim life programs at universities in the United States are growing in number and their importance is often highlighted in supporting Muslim university students through avenues like providing a safe space, spiritual education, counseling, and fostering community building with the greater campus. While literature exists on their historical development and presence at universities, minimal research has been conducted on the measured impact that these institutional programs have on Muslim student life experiences. This study aims to fill that void and employs a mixed-methods case study design to examine the influence that one public state university institutional Muslim life program has on the Muslim student experience. Through site observations, a questionnaire, and individual and focus group interviews with students and program administrators, student perceptions of institutional Muslim life and its level of influence were analyzed. With student voices as the main source of data, the findings of this study demonstrate that institutional Muslim life program does in fact influence the Muslim student experience in a variety of ways, including that on a communal, institutional, and personal level. The data showcases that an institutional Muslim life program facilitates for Muslim students to develop greater levels of faith understanding and spirituality and that it also serves as a way to obtain capital. Furthermore, the findings relay that while Muslims in America may be in the midst of a tense and hostile social climate, the primary motivation for most Muslim students to engage with institutional Muslim life programming lies not in countering anti-Muslim sentiment, but in connecting with their faith and spirituality on a personal level. This study provides measured data that Muslim university students do benefit from institutional Muslim life programs and serves as encouragement for educational institutions and administrators to consider supporting and establishing these kinds of institutions within their communities.Ed.D.Includes bibliographical reference
Islamic marketing : insights from a critical perspective
No full textThis paper seeks to encourage a critical dialogue within the realm of Journal of Islamic Marketing. It invites marketing scholars and practitioners working on various topics related to Islam and Muslim societies to adopt fresh theoretical and methodological positions that would enhance our understanding of multiple marketing and market dynamics in Muslim societies. The author suggests that the advancement of knowledge in the area of Islamic marketing requires reflexivity and self-critique. The paper highlights the constructive value of critical approach to the development of marketing theory and practice. This paper reflects the author’s personal viewpoint on the production of knowledge and improving practice in the realm of Islamic marketing
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The Shi'a Muslims of the United Provinces of India, c 1890-1940
Get PDFThis dissertation examines religious, social and political change among the Shia
Muslims of the United Provinces of colonial India, c. 1890-1940. Focusing especially,
upon the towns of Lucknow and Amroha but discussing the region as a whole, it traces
the formation of a community identity among Shia Muslims, and questions how
disparate Shi'a populations were able to construct a consciousness of solidarity. The
dissertation is based on a combination of archival and printed sources in English and
Urdu.
The first chapter assesses processes of sectarian organisation and the formation of a
number of Shia institutions and societies in Lucknow in the thirty year period from
1890, including several madrasas and the All India Shi'a Conference. The second chapter
examines manifestations of religious renewal among Indian Shi'as. Forms of religious
proselytisation are discussed, particularly the contribution of the printing press and the
changing role of preaching. The development of religious conflict is outlined, through
examinations of religious debates and the reformation of Muharram rites.
A third chapter examines Shia responses to the so-called '`Aligarh movement',
considering reactions to educational reform and the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental
College at `Aligarh. A fourth chapter discusses Shia responses to the campaigns of jihad
and pan-Islamism current among many Muslims in the early twentieth century. Together,
these two chapters demonstrate the expansion and politicisation of sectarian differences,
and the attempts by some Shi'as to organise separately from wider Muslim institutions.
The final chapter assesses a series of Shi'a-Sunni conflicts in Lucknow in the 1930s. It
examines some of the contributory factors and discusses the conflicts in the light of the
processes of sectarian organisation discussed in earlier chapters. The conclusion
evaluates the implications of the thesis for our understanding of Indian Shia Muslims
and, more generally, of sectarian identities and conflicts in Indian Islam
Indigenous Islam: A Guidebook to the Muslim Students Association of ASU as an Institution of American Muslim Culture
No full textabstract: Building sustainable American Muslim institutions is critical for the development of an embedded, productive and contributing American Muslim community. The Muslim Students Association is a springboard for emerging young American Muslim leaders to learn how to develop American Muslim organizations, network and provide services for the community. This guidebook is designed to sustain the growth of this organization at ASU
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From Qawwali to Sufi Rock: Contemporary Expressions of Muslim Devotional Literature
No full textAli Asani, professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic religion and cultures at Harvard University, gave a fascinating talk entitled, From Qawwali to Sufi Rock: Exploring Contemporary Expressions of Muslim Devotional Literatureon Friday, February 11 in the Meyerson Conference Room at the University of Texas at Austin. Hindi Urdu Flagship students joined UT faculty and graduate students to hear Asani describe the modern Sufi rock phenomenon epitomized by Salman Ahmad and his band Junoon. Asani outlined Ahmad’s personal musical, religious, and political journey and attempted to place Sufi rock in the broader tradition of Muslim devotional literature.
A native of Kenya, Asani received both his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in the comparative study of religion and his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University. He currently directs the university’s Ph.D. program in Indo-Muslim Culture and chairs the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He also serves as the associate director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program.
A scholar of Islam in South Asia, Dr. Asani’s research focuses on Shia and Sufi devotional traditions in the region. In addition, he is interested in popular or folk forms of Muslim devotional life, and Muslim communities in the West. His books include The Bujh Niranjan: An Ismaili Mystical Poem; The Harvard Collection of Ismaili Literature in Indic Literatures: A Descriptive Catalog and Finding Aid; Celebrating Muhammad: Images of the Prophet in Muslim Devotional Poetry (co-author); Al-Ummah: A Handbook for an Identity Development Program for North American Muslim Youth; Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literatures of South Asia;Let’s Study Urdu: An Introduction to the Urdu Script and Let’s Study Urdu: An Introductory Course.
Dr. Asani has been particularly active post-Sept. 11 in improving the understanding of Islam and its role in Muslim societies by conducting workshops for high school and college educators as well as making presentations at various public forums. More recently, he has been involved in the Islamic Cultural Studies Initiative, an international professional development program for high school teachers in Kenya, Pakistan and Texas intended to promote a culturally and historically based approach to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. He has also served on the American Academy of Religion’s Task Force on the teaching of religion in schools. In 2002, he was awarded the Harvard Foundation medal for his outstanding contributions to improving intercultural and race relations at Harvard and in the nation.Asian Studie
Syed Ahmad and His Two Books Called ‘Asar-al-Sanadid’
No full textAbstractThe earliest writings of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–1898), the famous Muslim social reformer and educationist, were in the field of History, including two books on the monuments and history of Delhi that bear the same title, Asar-al-Sanadid. This paper compares the first book, published in 1847, with the second, published in 1854, to discover the author's ambitions for each. How do the two books differ from some of the earlier books of relatively similar nature in Persian and Urdu? How radically different are the two books from each other, and why? How and why were they written, and what particular audiences could the author have had in mind in each instance? How were the two books actually received by the public? And, finally, what changes do the two books reflect in the author's thinking? These are the chief questions that this paper seeks to explore.</jats:p
سرسیدکامقام:حالی وشبلی کی اردوشاعری کی روشنی میں
No full textSir Syed Ahmed Khan is known as a Muslim reformer of the 19th century. He played an important role in introducing modern Urdu verse and prose. He himself was a prominent author, editor and compiler. Altaf Husain Hali is a well known poet, prose writer and critic etc. Shibli Naumani is another great name of Urdu literature. Shibli was a distinguished scholar, writer and poet. Hali and Shibli were close companions of Sir Syed. They discussed the personality and achievements of Sir Syed in their verses. The article analyses the status of Sir Syed in the light of the verse of the said two great names of Urdu.
Discrimination of Muslim minorities at work in Muslim majority countries: the case of Turkey and Pakistan
Get PDFPast Conferences - EDI 2019 Rotterdam Accepted Papers: https://www.edi-conference.org/downloads_8.phpCopyright © 2019 The Author(s). In the context of increased incidents of religious sectarianism in Turkey and Pakistan, two Muslim majority countries, this paper explicates the religious discrimination that Muslim minorities face at work. First, we examine religious diversity in both countries, and explore the identity and agency of religious minorities at work. We then draw on 17 interviews each with individuals from Muslim minority groups in Turkish and Pakistani workplaces, we demonstrate how religious discrimination is experienced in the context of a country (i.e., Turkey) where the secular system is under considerable strain and a country (i.e., Pakistan) where Islamic egalitarian principles enshrined in the national constitution have patchy implementation. The study reveals religiously inspired bias (Turkey and Pakistan),fealtry or biat (Turkey) and Takfiri extremism (Pakistan) as significant mechanisms by which intrafaith relations are shaped and religious ties serve as both a privilege and a disadvantage. Thus, the study uncovers a number of invisible constraints, which deteriorate the agency of religious minorities at work. We theorise what happens to religious equality at work when a secular or egalitarian system is challenged by a particular interpretation of religion.https://www.edi-conference.org/downloads_8.ph
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