1,981 research outputs found
A Comparative Survey on Islamic Riba and Western Usury
No full textThe article addresses the theme of usury taking into account various viewpoints and traditions, pausing in particular on the Western and Islamic notions of lending at interest, in order to outline its distinctive features in the present days as well as throughout its historical evolution. The author applies a comparative research method, examining both the differences and similarities between the Western and Muslim concept of usury so to present an accurate picture of the phenomenon. In fact, the article aims at answering the latest questions concerning the possibility for the Muslim model to be a valuable resource in overcoming the keep going financial crisis
Iranian Festivals and Political Discourse under the Abbasids
No full textCelebrations of the two main festivals of the Iranian calendar, Nawrūz and Mihraǧān, are part of the general phenomenon of presence of Iranian strands in social and political culture of the Abbasid centuries. Through a critical approach to the sources, the author verifies the assumption that Iranian festivals were a politically relevant element of Abbasid culture and customs. The political relevance of Nawrūz and Mihraǧān is then discussed with regard to its relations with contemporary Islamic political discourse as a whole, in order to verify two recent interpretations of Islamic political theory and practice in the formative centuries. Sources hereby considered lead to the conclusion that Nawrūz and Mihraǧān are clearly embedded into Abbasid political discourse. Those festivals, in fact, concurred to the construction of a hierarchic legitimacy. At the same time, incompatibility or competition between them and Islamic political theory remained merely exceptional
High prevalence of Werner's syndrome in Sardinia. Description of six patients and estimate of the gene frequency.
No full textSeveral patients with Werner's syndrome in a large family group in Sardinia were ascertained three years ago and reported briefly by Rabbiosi and Borroni (1979). Since then two sisters from a second family and a single case from a third family were ascertained. The three families originated from the Northern part Sardinia and no connection between them was found. We provide a detailed clinical description of six of these patients and attempt to estimate the prevalence and the gene frequency of Werner's syndrome in Sardinia. The prevalence was calculated as 1:94,914 for the two districts of Sassari and Nuoro and as 1:202,766 for the whole island. This is the highest prevalence thus far ascertained. Using Dahlberg's formula we obtained an estimate of the gene frequency q = 0.003288 and thus a frequency of Werner's syndrome of 1:92,515. A more rigorous estimate gave a gene frequency q = 0.001483 and thus a frequency of Werner's syndrome of 1:454,505, but because of the small sample size this estimate should be taken with caution
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