158 research outputs found
Conversion of African Americans to Islam : a sociological analysis of the Nation of Islam and associated groups
Get PDF'Conversion of African Americans to Islam: A Sociological Analysis of the Nation of
Islam Associated groups' is an empirical study of the religious experience of people
who had/have distinctive features in terms of race, ethnicity and historical experience.
The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how African Americans' (AAs) conversion
experience in general, and the Nation of Islam associated groups' conversion in
particular, differ from the studies of recruitment and conversion in the sociology of
religion and New Religion Movements (NRMs). More specifically, their recruitment
and conversion experiences to Islam diverge from those who converted to mainstream
Islam. The study investigates how AAs' historical experience, soci-economic
difficulties and the racism they encountered shaped and influenced their religious
understanding.
Research methods involved participant observations, a survey questionnaire, interviews,
conversations, personal communications and correspondence. To collect ethnographic
data eleven months field research was conducted mainly in the Chicago area and on two
short visits to Detroit, and three years continued communications with Muslim officials
and academics in the area. During the field research and afterwards through personal
communication 181 survey questionnaire responses were received, and 23 Muslim
officials, academics and ordinary Muslims were interviewed through semi-structured,
unstructured interviews, conversation and correspondence.
The thesis begins with a brief history of Islam and Muslims in general and the African
American Muslims (AAMs) in particular. More emphasis is given on the historical
development of the Nation of Islam (NOl). Then in Chapter III, discussions of schisms
in the history of the NOT are examined from sociological perspectives of social and
religious movements. In Chapter IV I aimed to formulate my own perspective to
analyse and study the conversion experiences of AAMs to Islam. I used a multivariate
approach, considering selectively widely held conversion and recruitment theories in the
sociology of the religion. I consider in Chapter V the predisposing conditions for AAMs
that influence their decision-making to join in the NOT, for example, political and
nationalistic sentiments and socio-economic deprivations. In Chapter VI I have applied
different terms to describe their religious experiences, such as conversion, alteration and
reversion. I have analysed further their encounters with the NOT, the methods of
recruitment they used and their major motives for joining the NOT and converting to
Tslam. In the concluding chapters (Chapter VII VTTT) I describe the different responses
of AAMS to Islam following the death of Elijah Muhammad. It is found out that the
Islamic appeal has polarised. While Farakhan's NOT appeared to continue the tradition
and style of the old NOI with the emphasis on nationalistic and socio-economic factors,
Tmam W. D. Mohammed's community turned more to the religious and spiritual aspects
of Tslam. These different approaches led to a polarisation of the appeal of Tslam to
AAMS.
This thesis contributes to knowledge in four key areas; the sociology of religion and
religious movements, the sociology of social and nationalistic movements, religious and
Islamic studies
Otak Sosial dalam Pendidikan Islam: Kajian Pemikiran Daniel Goleman
Get PDFSocial Intelligence, Daniel Goleman in his work, social intelligence, reveals that social knowledge is separated into two classes, namely special social concerns and social positions. Current Islamic education is rarely linked to the brain framework or neuroscience. Meanwhile, from one side, according to Pasiak, the school itself follows neuroscience related to efforts to improve students' brains. Call it the accelerated learning hypothesis, quantum learning, the brain being put together advances thus. Despite these problems, Islamic teaching today is considered more as an exchange of information, underscoring the achievement of mental domination. The aim of this research is to examine in more depth the role and function of the brain in humans. More specifically, how the brain is used as the basis for character education carried out by educators so that the education carried out is successful as expected. This research attempts to examine this problem from an Islamic perspective. This exploration is a subjective examination in the context of writing a survey. This research uses literature research that discusses the importance of the topic and compares the results with findings in other research on similar topics and ultimately produces an idea. To obtain data the author used sources found in libraries such as books, journals and the internet. Based on this study, the social brain can be optimized by training students' attitudes and manners and developing social sensitivity with an Islamic material approach
Developing domain-specific mashup tools for end users
Get PDFThe recent emergence of mashup tools has refueled research on end user development, i.e., on enabling end users without programming skills to compose own applications. Yet, similar to what happened with analogous promises in web service composition and business process management, research has mostly focused on technology and, as a consequence, has failed its objective. Plain technology (e.g., SOAP/WSDL web services) or simple modeling languages (e.g., Yahoo! Pipes) don't convey enough meaning to non-programmers. We propose a domain-specific approach to mashups that "speaks the language of the user", i.e., that is aware of the terminology, concepts, rules, and conventions (the domain) the user is comfortable with. We show what developing a domain-specific mashup tool means, which role the mashup meta-model and the domain model play and how these can be merged into a domain-specific mashup meta-model. We apply the approach implementing a mashup tool for the research evaluation domain. Our user study confirms that domain-specific mashup tools indeed lower the entry barrier to mashup development. Copyright is held by the author/owner(s)
A reappraisal of attitudes to the 'People of the Book' in the Qur'an and hadith, with particular reference to Muslim fiscal policy and the covenant of 'Umar
Get PDFEThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
Intellectual property laws and Islam in Malaysia.
No full textPhDThis study is undertaken on the premise that Islam and Islamic law is to be taken into
serious consideration in any future legislative reform of laws in Malaysia. Islam being
the religion of the country and the strong religious sentiment of the Muslims (who
form the majority in Malaysia) cannot be overlooked or dismissed lightly by the
legislators in Malaysia. Reformation of intellectual property laws is timely, as we are
now approaching to the dateline set by GATF-Trips agreement which aim is to
improve our standard of intellectual property protection. This study seeks to analyze
and evaluate the current legislation pertaining to intellectual property in Malaysia in
terms of the philosophy and rules governing the existence, ownership and exercise of
these rights and their consistency and inconsistency with Islam and Islamic law. The
main objective of this study is to prove that a coherent and logical conceptual
framework of ownership of intellectual property can be derived from an Islamic
perspective which not only offers the basis of rights but also defines the scope of
these rights. From the point of ownership of rights, support can be obtained from the
normative framework of property rights within the traditional classification of 'mal'
(property) and 'haqq al-milkiyyah' (ownership rights) under Islamic law. From the
point of exercise of rights, the exact scope can be defined from the analysis of
fundamental concepts which have been developed by Muslim jurists. It has been
established that Islam and Islamic law offers a sound and systematic paradigm, which
in deeper analysis, can satisfy both our current obligations under international
treatises, as well as our responsibility to practise our religion to the fullest
Astrology in literature: how the prohibited became permissible in the Arabic poetry of the mediaeval period
Get PDFThis 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
Local Community Involvement for Indonesian National Bridge Management Systems
No full textWithin the Indonesian national road network, Bina Marga, assisted by regional offices (Balai), manage nearly 18,000 bridges scattered across 34 provinces. Maintaining its reliability is vital as inland transportation remains the most effective mobility means for ± 270 million inhabitants. Therefore, as a road service provider under the Ministry of Public Work and Housing, they aim to achieve a high maturity level in public infrastructure asset management (PIAM) practices. It is done by improving the current Bridge Management Systems (BMS) 1992 guideline. However, managing such a vast network is challenging. The limited human resources in quality & quantity hinder Bina Marga and Balai to strive for reliable data and adequate routine maintenance. Inspired by Indonesian collectivism, the study explores local community involvement to improve bridge data quality and adequate routine maintenance, i.e., BMS x Locals. Its objective is to recommend Bina Marga to improve the current BMS practices through a BMS x Locals guideline. The study sketches the current state of BMS, identifies drivers in outsourcing locals, identifies the type of works and groups, identifies locals’ willingness to be outsourced, and generates situational strategies. The research question is formulated as: How can the local community be involved as the external resources to assist Bina Marga’s in Indonesian Bridge Management Systems (BMS). This study uses interviews and desk study to collect data on six Bina Marga & five Balai NTB officials, and five locals in West Nusa Tenggara province. In addition, various data analyses are performed, consisting of Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), Multi-criteria Decision-Making Analysis (MCDA), SWOT & TOWS analysis. The study results and the BMS x Locals guideline have been validated by a high-level Balai official. For the result, CLD reveals that Bina Marga is struggling for a high PIAM maturity level because of the absence of specific quadrennial strategic planning (RENSTRA) and limited human resources in BMS, making them unable to obtain reliable data and perform adequate routine maintenance within a year. It also identifies Bina Marga’s drivers to outsource locals: up-to-date data monitoring, additional human resources, economy, and public engagement. The MCDA, amounting to 4 analyses, identifies nine criteria: cost, time, bridge literacy, technological literacy, labouring skill, quality, continuity, level of education, and age. Such criteria generate inventory and condition data – conducted by local university elements and cleaning works (garbage, rubble, grass, and drainage) – by locals in the municipality’s list. Locals’ willingness to be outsourced is also unveiled through CLD, consisting of economy, i.e., additional income and knowledge & local pride. Moreover, SWOT & TOWS analysis identifies 11 strengths, 12 weaknesses, 9 opportunities, and 10 threats for BMS x Locals; and generates situational strategies (maxi-maxi: 7, maxi-mini: 7, mini-maxi: 6, and mini-mini: 7). Finally, synthesised situational strategies amounting to 1 to 2 items have been presented according to the empirical challenges. Based on the research outcome, BMS x Locals guideline is recommended to Bina Marga and Balai comprising six primary activities: screening, assessment of capacity, organisation forming & linking, planning & design, implementation, and monitoring & evaluation.Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineerin
Adapting authoritarianism: institutions and co-optation in Egypt and Syria
No full textThis PhD thesis compares Egypt and Syria’s authoritarian political systems. While the tendency in social science political research treats Egypt and Syria as similarly authoritarian, this research emphasizes differences between the two systems with special reference to institutions and co-optation. Rather than reducibly understanding Egypt and Syria as sharing similar histories, institutional arrangements, or ascribing to the oft-repeated convention that “Syria is Egypt but 10 years behind,” this thesis focuses on how events and individual histories shaped each states current institutional strengthens and weaknesses. Specifically, it explains the how varying institutional politicization or de-politicization affects each state’s capabilities for co-opting elite and non-elite individuals.
Beginning with a theoretical framework that considers the limited utility of democratization and transition theoretical approaches, the work underscores the persistence and durability of authoritarianism. Chapter two details the politicized institutional divergence between Egypt and Syria that began in the 1970s. Chapter three and four examines how institutional politicization or de-politicization affects elite and non-elite individual co-optation in Egypt and Syria. Chapter five discusses the study’s general conclusions and theoretical implications.
This thesis’s argument is that Egypt and Syria co-opt elites and non-elites differently because of the varying degrees of institutional politicization in each governance system. Rather than view one country as more politically developed than the other, this work argues that Syria’s political institutions are more politicized than their Egyptian counterparts. Syria’s political arena is, thus, described as politicized-patrimonialism. Syria’s politicized-patrimonial arena produces uneven co-optation of elites and non-elites as they are diffused through competing institutions. Conversely, the Egyptian political arena remains highly personalized as weak institutions and individuals are manipulated and molded according to the president’s ruling clique. This is referred to as personalized-patrimonialism. As a consequence, Egypt’s political establishment demonstrates more flexibility in ad hoc altering and adapting its arena depending on the emergence of crises.
This study’s theoretical implications suggest that, contrary to modernization and democratization theory’s adage that institutions lead to a political development, politicized institutions within a patrimonial order actually hinder regime adaptation because consensus is harder to achieve and maintain. It is within this context that Egypt’s de-politicized institutional framework advantages its top political elite. In this reading of Egyptian and Syrian politics, Egypt’s personalized political arena is more adaptable than Syria’s. These conclusions do not indicate that political reform is a process underway in either state
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