1,540 research outputs found
Desiring the east: a comparative study of Middle English romance and modern popular sheikh romance
No full textThis thesis comparatively examines a selection of twenty-first century sheikh romances and Middle English romances from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that imagine an erotic relationship occurring between east and west. They do so against a background of conflict, articulated in military confrontation and binary religious and ethnic division. The thesis explores the strategies used to facilitate the cross-cultural relationship across such a gulf of difference and considers what a comparison of medieval and modern romance can reveal about attitudes towards otherness in popular romance.
In Chapter 1, I analyse the construction of the east in each genre, investigating how the homogenisation of the romance east in sheikh romance distances it from the geopolitical reality of those parts of the Middle East seen, by the west, to be "other". Chapter 2 examines the articulation of gender identity and the ways in which these romances subvert and reassert binary gender difference to uphold normative heterosexual relations. Chapter 3 considers how ethnic and religious difference is nuanced, in particular through the use of fabric, breaking down the disjunction between east and west. Chapter 4 investigates the way ethnicity, religion and gender affect hierarchies of power in the abduction motif, enabling undesirable aspects of the east to be recast.
The key finding of this thesis is that both romance genres facilitate the cross-cultural erotic relationship by rewriting apparently binary differences of religion and ethnicity to create sameness. While the east is figured differently in Middle English and modern sheikh romance, the strategies they use to facilitate the cross-cultural erotic relationship are similar. The thesis concludes that the constancy of certain attitudes towards the east in both medieval and modern romance reveals a persistence of conservative values in representations of the east in romance
Aspects of capacity enhancement techniques in cellular networks
No full textFrequency spectrum is the scarce resource. From mobile operator’s point of view, efficient utilization of the radio resources is needed while providing maximum coverage, and ensuring good quality of service with minimal infrastructure. In high capacity demanding areas, multilayer networks with multiband and multi radio access technologies are deployed, in order to meet the capacity requirements. In his doctoral thesis, Usman Sheikh has proposed a “Smart Traffic Handling” strategy, which is based on user’s required service type and location. Smart traffic handling scheme efficiently utilizes the different layers of the network, balances the load among them, and improves the system capacity. Power resources at base station are also limited. Usman Sheikh’s proposed “Power Control Scheme for High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network” improves the cell edge user experience, while maintaining the fairness among the other users in a cell. With the help of a proposed power control scheme, a user far from the base station can also enjoy the better quality of service.
Generally, mobile operators use macro cells with wide beam antennas for wider coverage in the cell, but future capacity demands cannot be achieved by using only them. “Higher Order Sectorization” is one possible way to increase the system capacity. Usman Sheikh proposed new network layouts called “Snowflake” and “Flower” tessellations, for 6-sector and 12-sector sites, respectively. These tessellations can be used as a basis for making a nominal network plan for sites with higher order sectorization. These tessellations would be helpful for simulation purposes. Through his work, he has also tried to highlight the importance of deploying “Adaptive MIMO Switching” in Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the fourth generation of wireless networks.
In future, the fifth generation of wireless networks is expected to offer thousand times more capacity compared to LTE. The novel concept of “Single Path Multiple Access (SPMA)” given by Usman Sheikh is a revolutionary idea, and gives a possibility to increase the system capacity by a giant margin. SPMA can be considered as a right step towards 5G technology.
Usman Sheikh’s work is of high importance not only from mobile operator’s point of view; rather his contributions to the scientific community will also lead to better user (customer) experience. His work will definitely benefit the mankind in utilizing the limited resources in an optimum and efficient way
Heirs of the Sheikh Izala and its Appropriation of Usman Dan Fodio in Niger
No full textAbstractThe academic accounts of Islamic reform in Niger have focused on the Izala movement, reducing it to an anti-Sufism. When these representations stress the wahhabi-salafi tendency of this movement, not only Izala appears as the Sufi foe, it is also viewed as a brand of Islamic discourse of foreign origin. This article shows that these accounts have told only part of the genealogy of Izala. References to Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio’s 19th century jihad are pervasive in Izala discourse despite the fact that he was affiliated with the Qadiriyya Sufi order. Dan Fodi’s acts, deeds and ideas are consistently read as Izala moments. The evidence presented is based on the pronouncements made by two Izala organizations. Both illustrate how the Izala reform has continuously appropriated and reinvented the legacy of Usman Dan Fodio, recasting this historical figure as the “true” Sunni and the Sheikh of the Sunna. Theoretically, what is at stake here is not so much how Izala operates, but how accounts of this movement have relied on a dichotomy Sufi/Anti-Sufi which contributes to rigidify our categories and therefore handicap our conceptual apparatus. In this sense, while highlighting how Usman Dan Fodio has become a “lieu de memoire”, this article seeks to shed some light on the genealogy of this Islamic reform discourse, and interrogate the categories used to characterize it. What the Izala appropriation of Usman Dan Fodio achieves is not so much a call to redefine Izala, as a readjustment of our conceptual map, which seeks to make sense of this movement.RésuméLes études d’Izala au Niger ont surtout porté sur des caractères qui ont réduit ce mouvement de réforme islamique à un anti-soufisme. À travers les représentations qui mettent en exergue ses tendances wahabi-salafistes, Izala apparaît non seulement à l’opposé du soufisme, mais est aussi perçu comme un mouvement venu d’ailleurs. Cet article démontre que ces représentations ne font qu’une généalogie partielle d’Izala. En effet, malgré son appartenance à la confrérie Qadiriyya, Usman Dan Fodio inspire beaucoup les discours et les pratiques Izala. Dans les milieux Izala, son œuvre, ses actes et ses idées sont aujourd’hui perçus comme de véritables moments izala. La thèse avancée par l’auteur repose sur les discours et les représentations de deux organisations qui illustrent toutes les deux la façon dont Izala se réapproprie et réinvente l’héritage d’Usman Dan Fodio tout en le célébrant comme le véritable sunnite et cheikh de la sunna. D’un point de vue théorique, l’intérêt de la démarche ici est moins d’analyser le mode d’action d’Izala, que de noter la façon dont la littérature sur ce mouvement s’est surtout inspirée d’une dichotomie soufi/anti-soufi, qui, dans le cas d’espèce, contribue à une rigidité des catégories et de l’appareil conceptuel que nous utilisons pour rendre compte de ce mouvement. De ce point de vue, en analysant comment Usman Dan Fodio est présenté comme un “lieu de mémoire”, cet article voudrait porter un éclairage nouveau sur la généalogie de ce discours de réforme et en même temps interroger les catégories utilisées pour le décrire. En fait, l’intérêt de cette appropriation d’Usman Dan Fodio réside moins dans l’interpellation à redéfinir Izala que dans la nécessité de repenser notre dispositif conceptuel face à ce courant
"Music as an Interfaith Tool: The Meeting of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with the Novum Gaudium Gregorian Chant Choir"
No full textThe world of qawwālī is marked by the dazzling passage of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948-1997), to the extent that one could say that there is a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ Nusrat: before him, no qawwāl had ever released so many recordings or been so successful. The great majority of the Westerners surely listened for the first time to qawwālī thanks to Nusrat’s intense voice. His meetings with musicians from different backgrounds took him to the most diverse audiences, as did his appearances in various film scores.
In this article I take into exam the reception of the qawwālī as a musical genre in itself in the West: even if the listeners could not understand its poetical mystical texts in Urdu, Hindi and Farsi, the genre was clearly perceived as ‘devotional’ and ‘spiritual’ mainly thanks to the intense climate typical of the musical genre itself and thanks to Nusrat peculiar voice that entered different spiritual Western circles. From this contextualisation, I focused on a case study, a particular interfaith musical meeting that took place in 1994 at the ‘Time Zones’ Festival in Bari, Italy, at the San Sabino Cathedral, between the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Party and the Gregorian Chant Choir Novum Gaudium directed by Benedictine father Anselmo Susca (1929-2012). After this meeting, in 1997, a CD entitled Oriente / Occidente was released for the label Materiali Sonori. The concert and its CD can be considered as an example of a true interest in interfaith spirituality that was typical of the epoch and that somehow vanished after September 11th 2001
Alowo (Political posters in Nupe Ajami)
No full textThe entire manuscript is available for download as a single PDF file. Higher-resolution images may
be available upon request. For technical assistance, please contact [email protected]. Fieldwork Team: Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi (Principal Investigator), Alhaji Abubakar A’ishatu (Local Project Manager), Usman Abdullahi Nagya (General Field Facilitator) and Mohammed Yahaya Isah (Gatekeeper), Technical Team: Prof. Fallou Ngom (Director African Studies Center), and Eleni Castro (Technical Lead, BU Libraries). This collection of Nupe Ajami materials are copied as part of the African Studies Center’s African Ajami Library. Access Condition and Copyright: These materials are subject to copyright. All rights reserved to the author. For use, distribution or reproduction contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]). Citation: Materials in this web edition should be cited as: Kurfi, Mustapha Hashim, Ngom, Fallou, and Castro, Eleni (2019). African Ajami Library: Digital Preservation of Nupe Ajami Materials of Middle Belt, Nigeria. Boston: Boston University Libraries: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/38121. For Inquiries: Please contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]).Provenance and Condition: This manuscript is owned by Sheikh Alhaji Abdurrahman Aboki, the Chief Imam of Central Mosque of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida—Niger state (from Middle Belt, Nigeria). This is one of the manuscripts he shared with us during our video interview with him in 2019.These materials are collectively called "Political posters in Nupe Ajami." The four (4) posters were unlike most Ajami manuscripts in sub-Saharan Africa, since the scribe -- Alhaji Abubakar used the Mashriqi style rather than the Maghribi. These posters speak to the importance of Nupe Ajami in the people’s day-to-day activities. They also point to the fact that Ajami script has been used for both sacred and secular purposes. Included below is a summary of the contents of each poster:
1. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections. It depicts the image of the then Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who eventually emerged the winner for the second term. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019" and the second line says "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the political party's logo. The last Nupe Ajami inscription, beneath the candidate's image (in red) also says "For president." Lastly, the candidate’s name is written in Latin script.
1. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections. It depicts the image of the then Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who eventually emerged the winner for the second term. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019" and the second line says "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the political party's logo. The last Nupe Ajami inscription, beneath the candidate's image (in red) also says "For president." Lastly, the candidate’s name is written in Latin script.
2. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, under the platform of the opposition party -- the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who lost to Muhammadu Buhari. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019." The second line from the top reads "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the party's logo. The last inscription (in red) says "For president" then followed by the candidate's name written in Latin script.
3. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of a gubernatorial candidate in Niger State, Alhaji Abu Sani (Lolo) of the ruling party -- the All Progressive Congress (APC), who was bidding for a second tern and won. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote Governor 2019." The longer second line from the top says, "Vote Governor for the Progress of the state." The logo at the center is that of the candidate's political party. To the left (in yellow) reads "Vote Governor" followed by Alhaji Abu Sani Bello (Lolo) boldly written in capital letters using the Latin script.
4. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of a gubernatorial aspirant in Niger State, Alhaji Umar Nasko of the ruling party -- the opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote Governor 2019." The logo to the left is that of the political party. The longer second line from the top says, "Vote Governor for the Progress of the state." The Nupe Ajami inscription to the left, a little below the center (in red) reads "Vote Governor." Then the name of the aspirant Alhaji Umar Nasko is written in Latin script.The contents of this collection were developed with support of the Title VI National Resource Center grant # P015A180164 from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government
The notion of Mahdiyyah as conceived by Sheikh ʿUsmān Dan Fodio
No full textThe belief in the expected redeemer or the Mahdī is a well-known concept in the history of Islam. However, the notion has been opened to several interpretations and misinterpretations from various Islamic sects, each asserting that its own version of the Mahdiyyah is authentic and valid. As a result, several Islamic movements were orchestrated under the banner of the Mahdiyyah; prominent among them in Africa are those of Muhammad Ibn Tumart (1080-1130), the patron of the Muwaḥḥidūn State in north Africa, Muḥammad AÍmad ibn ʿAbdullāh (1844-1885), the architect of the Mahdist State in the Sudan (1881-1898) and Sheikh ʿUsmān Dan Fodio (1754-1817), the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate. This article explores the authenticity of the notion of the Mahdiyyah in Islam, which constitutes the basis for the main discourse of the study, namely, the status of the Mahdiyyah as conceived by Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, and the resultant impact of the Sheikh’s Mahdiyyah on the Sudanese Mahdiyyah
Nilai Pendidikan Karakter dalam Novel Tahun-tahun yang Hilang Berdiri Tegar di Bawah Bayang-bayang Syekh Yusuf Karya Rully Ferdiansyah
No full textAbstract. This research is a qualitative research with descriptive analysis method which aims to describe:
(1) the socio-historical background of Rully Ferdiansyah as the author of the novel Years of the Lost
Standing Strong in the Shadows of Sheikh Yusuf and (2) the value of character education contained in
novel The Lost Years Standing Strong in Shaykh Yusuf's Shadow. The primary data of this research is the
novel Years of the Lost Standing Strong in the Shadow of Sheikh Yusuf, while the secondary data of this
study was obtained through a written interview with Rully Ferdiansyah as the author of the novel. The
source of the data for this research comes from the novel Years of the Lost Standing Strong in the
Shadows of Sheikh Yusuf and a written interview with Rully Ferdiansyah as the author of the novel. Data
collection was carried out in three stages, namely reading techniques, note-taking techniques, and
interview techniques. The data that has been obtained is then analyzed through four stages, namely
data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. This research uses the
theory of sociology of literature by Rene Wellek and Austin Warren. The results of the study show that
(1) Rully Ferdiansyah as the author of the novel Years of the Lost Standing Strong in the Shadows of
Sheikh Yusuf was born in Serang, Banten, precisely on August 30, 1985. Rully Ferdiansyah is of SundaBanten ethnicity and adheres to the teachings of Islam. The author is an environmental activist and antisocial disease activist in Cilegon. In addition, the author is a demisioner at the Banten Arts Council for
the 2017-2018 period in the literary committee and also as a functionary of ICMI Banten for the 2019-
present period, (2) In the novel Years of the Lost Standing Strong in the Shadows of Sheikh Yusuf, it is
found five main characters in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Education and Culture
which include: religiosity values (20.68%), integrity values (16.37%), nationalist values (11.20%),
independent values (10.34%), and mutual cooperation value (6%). The value of integrity, which is the
fifth value, in this novel is in second place under the value of religiosity
Keywords: Novel, socio-historical setting, five values of character educatio
THE CONCEPT OF HONESTY AND JUSTICE IN THE DOCTRINE OF SHEIKH KHUDOYDOD VALI
No full textThis article provides a methodological analysis of the views of Highness Sheikh Khudoydod Vali on honesty and justice. In the article, the author tries to substantiate the essence of Sheikh Khudoydod Vali’s views on honesty and justice. In the views of Sheikh Khudoydod Vali, he encourages his interlocutors and murids to do the same, to live with honest and pure food, pure faith and strong faith, and to fight against injustice
The image of Arabs in mainstream cinema on the basis of the film figure of sheikh
No full textThe main task of this article is a brief presentation of the evolution of the sheikh figure in Hollywood, mainstream cinema. From silent cinema and creations of Rudolf Valentino as an oriental lover, the author analyzes changes and transformation of the sheikh character in western cinematography and specifically focuses on the perception of Arabs and Muslims in a frame of desert romance movies. The paper examines characteristic features of sheikh film figure and presents a typology of
his various attributes
“Sheikh Abdurrauf Kang Abangsa Syekh Hamzah Fansuri”: Examining the Relationship Between Two
No full textThe phrase "Sheikh Abdurrauf is in the same tribe as Hamzah Fansuri" in the Cirebon tripe manuscript sparked debate among researchers regarding the relationship between Sheikh Abdurrauf and Hamzah Fansuri. This debate became interesting because a collective memory was found among the people of Singkil Aceh, who believed that there was a nephew-uncle and student-teacher relationship between them. Collective memory is strengthened by two sites, which are the graves of Sheikh Ali Al Fanshuri (father of Sheikh Abdurrauf) and his younger brother, Sheikh Hamzah Fansuri, in two areas in Singkil. Through critical analysis of literature and in-depth exploration of collective memory and sites, the author concludes that the two of them had a familial relationship as nephew and uncle, and they even had a student and teacher relationship at the beginning of Sheikh Abdurrauf\u27s educatio
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