50 research outputs found
A Scalable Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Framework for High-Resolution Land Surface Temperature Modeling
No full textThe application of Shari’ah and international human rights law in Saudi Arabia
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThe present dissertation provides an analytical and comparative study of the application of Islamic law (Shari’ah) and international human rights law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It provides an analysis of the sources of Islamic law as well as the sources of international law to set the background for analysis and defines the nature of both laws. It also tackles the subject of the domestic application of international human treaties in Saudi Arabia.
In addition, it examines some reservations Saudi Arabia has entered to some of the international human rights treaties it has ratified, specifically the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It also sheds some light on the political, cultural and religious obstacles to the realisation of norms protected by international human rights treaties in the country, and in other countries for that matter, clearly stating the impossibility of implementing the provisions of the international human rights treaties in their entirety. This is due to the various political and legal developments towards the internationalization of the concept of human rights. It observes that despite the existence of the international human rights treaties, which aim at reinforcing a universal realisation of international human rights, these rights cannot be possibly realised by all countries.
To stress the importance Saudi Arabia attaches to the issue of human rights, the dissertation discusses some rights of women before Saudi courts in family matters, an issue which has been criticised by some international human rights treaties, and examines to what extent the country has managed to tackle the issue of domestic violence, particularly violence against women. It provides an overview of the major causes of domestic violence against women in Saudi Arabia, presents some cases of domestic violence before Saudi courts and sheds some light on the measures taken by the Saudi government to combat domestic violence against women. It also tackles this issue both in the international and domestic legal frameworks, clearly stating the Islamic standpoint on the issue, namely that Islamic law, and Saudi Arabia for that matter, whose laws are essentially derived from the two main sources of Shari’ah. It also discusses the common forms of violence against women in Saudi Arabia and suggests a number of recommendations towards more effective protection of women against violence in the country.
The dissertation concludes by presenting a number of obstacles in the way of executing judicial decisions in the Kingdom as well as the obstacles which negatively affect the performance of the new code of law practice. It also presents some recommendations concerning personal status law obstacles and hindrances to progress and attempts to answer the research questions it has posed
Astrology in literature: how the prohibited became permissible in the Arabic poetry of the mediaeval period
No full textThis thesis is concerned to position the art of astrology within the context of classical Arabic poetry, primarily by investigating and elucidating attitudes to the notion of
qadar (fate) and the ideology in which it was embedded. These attitudes were revelatory of the broader world view of the Arabs of those periods, and their shifts from those held in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras tell us a good deal about the importance given to the nature and role of fate and about the various understandings of its influence. The pre-Islamic Arab's notion of qadar was in some ways similar to that of the early Muslims: both emphasised predetermination and the irresistible power of fate. But while the jahilf (Pre-Islamic) Arabs identified fate with the malign power of dahr (Time), the Muslims believed the power of fate lies in the hands of God the
Omnipotent, who alone is responsible for the fate of the whole universe. Thus the astrology of the pre-Islamic era was one aspect of divination (kihana) and claimed to be
able to reveal in advance an individual's destiny, which could be avoided by taking certain precautions. These precautions, however, were considered effective only in
relatively trivial cases; they were useless in the areas of major impact: a person's happiness or misery (shaqiiwa aw sa ada), sustenance (rizq) and one's term (ajal), the
three inevitable and irresistible manifestations of fate. In the Islamic period not only these major aspects of life are governed and controlled by the Omnipotent; the destiny
of the universe, in even its most minute details, is determined and controlled by God alone. Astrology was considered to be of no value whatsoever, and its practitioners were subject to the death penalty. These two irreconcilable views are evident in early Islamic poetry, which reflected clearly the response of poets, and society, to astrology from the perspective of qadar.
When the orthodox caliphate was replaced by dynastic rule the status of astrology was changed dramatically. The idea that the stars, as indicators, play a role in the life of
human beings found popowerful supporters in some governors of the Islamic world, who allowed astrology to fulfil a public function regardless of the hostility of the official
religion of that society. This social phenomenon generated rich material of a controversial character in the realm of literature. Investigating the factors, motivations
and impact of mediaeval political, theological and philosophical attitudes to astrology, in relation to the notions of free will and predestination, is the concern of this study
Blind Source Separation Algorithms Using Hyperbolic and Givens Rotations for High-Order QAM Constellations
No full textThis paper addresses the problem of blind demixing of instantaneous mixtures in a multiple-input multiple-output communication system. The main objective is to present efficient blind source separation (BSS) algorithms dedicated to moderate or high-order quadratic-amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations. Four new iterative batch, BSS algorithms are presented dealing with the multimodulus (MM) and alphabet matched (AM) criteria. For the optimization of these cost functions, iterative methods of Givens and hyperbolic rotations are used. A prewhitening operation is also utilized to reduce the complexity of design problem. It is noticed that the designed algorithms using Givens rotations give satisfactory performance only for a large number of samples. However, for a small number of samples, the algorithms designed by combining both Givens and hyperbolic rotations compensate for the ill-whitening that occurs in this case and thus improves the performance. Two algorithms dealing with the MM criterion are presented for moderate-order QAM signals such as 16-QAM. The other two dealing with the AM criterion are presented for high-order QAM signals. These methods are finally compared with the state-of-the-art batch BSS algorithms in terms of signal-to-interference and noise ratio, symbol error rate, and convergence rate. Simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform the contemporary batch BSS algorithms.Manuscript received September 6, 2016; revised April 27, 2017 and August 9, 2017; accepted October 31, 2017. Date of publication November 24, 2017; date of current version February 13, 2018. The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Prof. Frederic Pascal. This work was done when S. A. W. Shah was an M.S. student at the Department of Electrical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. This work was supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Office of Sponsored Research under Award OSR-2016-KKI-2899. This work was done when S. A. W. Shah was an M.S. student at the Department of Electrical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. (Corresponding author: Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri.) S. A. W. Shah was with the Department of Electrical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 34463, Saudi Arabia. He is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar (e-mail: [email protected]).Scopu
Probiotic significance of Lactobacillus strains: a comprehensive review on health impacts, research gaps, and future prospects
No full textA rising corpus of research has shown the beneficial effects of probiotic Lactobacilli on human health, contributing to the growing popularity of these microorganisms in recent decades. The gastrointestinal and urinary tracts are home to these bacteria, which play a vital role in the microbial flora of both humans and animals. The Lactobacillus probiotic, i.e, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, are highly recognized for their remarkable probiotic qualities. The current study aims to highlight the beneficial effects of probiotics in different health conditions, point out the research gap, and highlight the future directives for the safe use of these probiotics in several health issues. Most importantly, we have added the most recent literature related to the characteristics and usage of these probiotics in clinical and pre-clinical settings. Based on the above statement, we believe that this is the first report on the application of probiotics in human diseases. By providing a deeper knowledge of the complex functions these probiotics play in both human and animal health, our analysis will direct future studies and developments in this rapidly developing field
Between Istanbul and Gujarat: Descriptions of Mecca in the Sixteenth-Century Indian Ocean
No full textIn 1543, a quarter century after the Ottoman conquest of the Holy Cities, the Meccan jurist, hadith scholar, and chronicler Jar Allah Muhammad Ibn Fahd (d. 1547) completed a short work devoted to the construction projects undertaken in the city by the Ottoman sultans Selim I (r. 1512–20) and his son Süleyman (r. 1520–66). The work is highly unusual from the perspective of the Arabic historiographical tradition and constitutes the first comprehensive response by an Arab chronicler to the emergence of an Ottoman imperial architectural idiom around the turn of the sixteenth century. The article situates Ibn Fahd and his work in three interrelated contexts: (a) the incorporation of Mecca and Medina into the Ottoman domains; (b) the emergence of an Ottoman architectural idiom and visual interest in the description of the Holy Sanctuaries across the Indian Ocean, from Istanbul to Gujarat; and (c) the competition between the new Custodians of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and other Islamic rulers, past and present. In particular, the article focuses on the challenges posed by the sultans of Gujarat, who were also quite interested in the Holy Sanctuaries. This interest is captured in Muhyi al-Din Lari’s (d. 1526–27) description of the pilgrimage and the Haramayn, which was written for the Gujarati sultan Muzaffar Shah II (r. 1511–26).
</jats:p
Medina in the Ayyubid period and the Shi'a influence upon it
No full textThe underlying concern of this thesis is to shed light on the history of Medina during the Ayyubid period, discussing and analysing the Shi'a emergence in the city in that time, and the transfer to them of power, the judiciary and the key religious positions. It also discusses their influence over the various facets of life there. The study comprises an introduction, six central chapters and a conclusion. The first chapter includes a general introduction, beginning with a historical background of pre-Islamic Medina, and then proceeds to present an overview of the importance of the subject and the reasons for choosing it. It then moves on to an exposition of the key issues which the study will discuss, and the methodology which it follows. The second chapter provides a concise account of the significance of Medina in the Islamic sources (the Qur'an and the hadith), discussing the role of the city and its inhabitants in their support for and propagation of Islam. It also gives a short account of the history of Medina following the death of the Prophet up until the Umayyad period, and briefly discusses the key historical events during that period. The
third chapter examines the state of the Islamic World prior to and during the Ayyubid period, and discusses the key historical events that occurred in Medina at that time and
their connection with what was happening in the Islamic World. The fourth chapter studies and analyses the emergence of the Shi'a in Medina during the Ayyflbid period, and examines certain accounts of this. It also tracks the history of the Shia in Medina prior to the Ayyübid period by providing critical examples of some of the accounts on the subject. The reasons behind the emergence of the Twelver Shia doctrine in Medina during the
Ayyübid period will also be studied and analysed, and the chapter will explain how the Shi'a came to assume the key political and religious offices in the city. Their relations with other Shi'a sects will also be examined, and the way in which their control of Medina came to an end will be discussed. The fifth chapter discusses political life in Medina during the Ayyubid period and the influence of the Shia upon it, studies and analyses the political
relations between the emirs of Medina and each of the neighbouring tribes, the emirs of Mecca, the sultans of the Ayyubid state and those of the Banü Rasül in Yemen, and
explains the influence of the Shi'a on these relations and the role which they played in the political life in the city. The sixth chapter discusses social life in Medina during the Ayyubid period and the influence of the Shia upon it, by studying the composition of civil society and its groupings, the distinguishing features apparent in each grouping, and the elements of social life and its economic conditions, as well as the constructive interplay between them, in order to present an accurate picture of the city's social life. The seventh chapter discusses the state of learning in the city during the Ayyübid period and the Shia
influence upon it, by examining some of the accounts mentioned by certain historians and travellers. It will also include a refutation of these negative accounts by presenting a thorough, extensive description of the state of learning in Medina, through studying the teaching lectures which were current in the Prophet's Mosque and the madrasas of that time, the kuttabs, the syllabuses, the teaching methods, the most notable 'ulama' and their key works, the role of the Sunni 'ulama' in the flourishing of learned activity and, lastly, the Shi'a influence upon it. The eighth chapter summarises and discusses the study's most
important findings and draws conclusions from them, before making suggestions for future research
Between obedience and rebellion: a field study on the young women of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
No full textThis research explores the perceptions young Saudi women in Jeddah have of their lives. It seeks to uncover the role and different degrees that obedience and rebellion feature in the everyday lives of the young Saudi women in Jeddah. The subjects of the research were young Saudi women aged 16-21, all living in Jeddah at the time of the study and studying at either high school or university. The study employed a qualitative methodology to identify the extent of obedience and rebellion and their manifestations in the young women’s daily lives. The research relied on in-depth semi-structured interviews as the principal data collection method. By analysing the data derived from this process, I sought to explore the range, subtleties and continuum of rebellion and obedience in terms of three major themes: Hijab, gender relations, and young women’s private spaces. The study found that the participants associated Hijab with high social and religious values and had great respect for it. The conceptualization and practice of wearing Hijab, was associated with freedom and access to ‘the public sphere’ for many participants.In contrast, the study found that Qiwama (Guardianship), a religious Islamic concept that regulates family life, was much less respected by the participants, at least in its traditionalist incarnation that prevails in Saudi Arabia. The traditional Qiwama, per the findings, is a patriarchal structure that results in the reproduction of the social reality that marginalizes women, relegating them to follower status. The female participants rejected this as an incorrect interpretation of religious text. A majority of participants also pointed out that the definition of rebellion differs from one generation to the next. In fact, the participants noted that the actions of young Saudi women that are often classified as rebellious are actually demands for personal rights and an attempt to remove some of the restrictions they face in a subtle way that does not directly clash with family, religion and state policy.This study is important because it represents the unique contribution of giving a voice to young Saudi women to narrate their experiences and explore their ways of subtly negotiating with or conforming to social realities and by so doing enables the examination of the connections between obedience, rebellion, or subtle negotiation
Sectarian influences within Islam in Britain with special reference to community
No full textAlthough much is heard from the Media of the Muslim `community' in Britain, the latter is in fact far from presenting a united front. There are divisions between
generations and ethnic origins, and a diversity of religious practice and doctrine. There are many different religious groups at work that originate from the subcontinent, and reflect this wide range. Organisations like Young Muslims UK, Tabligh-i Jamaat, and schools of thought represented by the Deobandis and Barehvis,
to name but four, play a vital role in the life of many Muslims. They both link them back to their roots in the subcontinent and influence the direction that Islam will take in Britain.
The Muslim population in Britain is approaching two million. It is involved in a process of redefining itself as a minority in an alien culture. For the older generation
the conflict has been cultural, their own ethnicity being under seige from the values of the receiving culture. Islam becomes an important ally of ethnic identity. For many
Muslims born in Britain, however, the process is more complex. Their parents' values can seem as strange, or even stranger, than the values of the receiving culture. For
this increasing percentage of the population, their religion can offer an identity. Stimulated by Islam's global revival and the West's reaction to it, some Muslims are attempting to discover a faith stripped of cultural accretions which are considered to be unlslamic. In the process they hope to find the universal Islam which can be practised in any environment. They feel that this is the key to establishing a successful British Islamic community.
The ideal of ammah has always been central in Islam, but now becomes an important concept in the development of Islam in Britain. There are several questions to
be considered: To what degree does an unmrah exist? What is its form? How is it likely to change? What effect will it have on the development of Muslims seeking a more localised identity in Britain? Within this context, what will be the effect of the various organisations and schools of thought at work amongst Muslims? To what degree will they shape the development of Islam in Britain? Are they free from
'cultural accretion' or are they firmly rooted in idiosyncratic local expressions of the faith? Will Islam in Britain be moderate, or strongly revivalist in nature under their influence? Are they unifying or divisive forces? Can they hope to resolve traditional differences and work together in the new environment of Britain?
In spite of the increasing interest in the Muslim presence in Britain, very few
major works have looked at the influence of these various groups in the context of these questions. I know for myself that I could have used this kind of study when working for my M. A. in Religious Studies, and I know of many students in the same position. I feel that this study will therefore contribute not only to the study of Islam but also to the study of the various minority faiths found in Britain
