Providing an in-depth and extensive analysis of the concept of power as articulated by Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah (1935–2010), this case study analyses the systemic conceptualisation of power and his argumentation of sacralising Islamised power. The volume also offers a quick overview of how the concept was understood and articulated by other Shi‛ite jurists such as Ayatollah Khomeini. Examining Fadlallah’s oeuvre, in particular his seminal book Islam and the Logic of Power [ al-Islam wa-mantiq al-quwwa ], this book focuses on the narrative itself, which played a central role in the radical transformation that occurred in the Shi‛te concept of empowerment and its recognition as a necessity. The analysis of Fadlallah’s conceptualisation and argumentation illustrates the mechanism of sacralising righteous power as well as the means of gaining it. Fadlallah reinterpreted Shi‛sm as a project of empowerment to initiate and sustain an “impulse of power” amongst the Lebanese Shi‛tes in the most critical moment of modern Lebanese history. Dealing with the concept of power in Shi‛te political thought from a theoretical perspective, the study has an innovative approach that offers an insight into how the transformative narrative is constructed and what makes it convincing. Shedding light on the content and logical structure of Fadlallah’s argumentation, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students researching contemporary politics, Islam, and the Middle East.

The 1970s witnessed a mushrooming of Islamic movements and ideas which was described variously as Islamic revival, Islamic resurgence and Islam on the march. Whether as part of the majority or minority, whether under capitalist or socialist regimes, Muslims have been moved by this reawakening. But what really are the causes and nature of this Islamic resurgence? Is it a purely religious revival? Or is it a social and political movement that must be understood in the context of the Muslim’s conditions and milieu? Will it really lead to the establishment of an Islamic socio-political order or will it end up as an instrument of struggle between Muslim ruling elites and their opposition? And what are the foreign policy implications of these developments? Do they necessarily lead to a more militant and hostile attitude towards the West? These questions and more are tackled by the contributors to Islam and Power. First published in 1981.

Sharper and more to the point than is the norm, The Power of Islam in a Europe of Tomorrow shows how Islam is influencing and altering European societies. With a wealth of examples drawn from both Denmark and other countries, Jespersen and Pittelkow describe a number of problems: Muslim parallel societies, the lost reliance, the oppression of women, the attacks on the free- dom of speech and democracy, crime and soci- etal dissolution, radicalism and anti-Semitism.

An original, rigorously researched volume that questions long-accepted paradigms concerning land ownership and its use in Africa.

The traditional Islamic boarding schools known as pesantren are crucial centres of Muslim learning and culture within Indonesia, but their cultural significance has been underexplored. This book is the first to explore understandings of gender and Islam in pesantren and Sufi orders in Indonesia. By considering these distinct but related Muslim gender cultures in Java, Lombok and Aceh, the book examines the broader function of pesantren as a force for both redefining existing modes of Muslim subjectivity and cultivating new ones. It demonstrates how, as Muslim women rise to positions of power and authority in this patriarchal domain, they challenge and negotiate "normative" Muslim patriarchy while establishing their own Muslim "authenticity." The book goes on to question the comparison of Indonesian Islam with the Arab Middle East, challenging the adoption of expatriate and diasporic Middle Eastern Muslim feminist discourses and secular western feminist analyses in Indonesian contexts. Based on extensive fieldwork, the book explores configurations of female leadership, power, feminisms and sexuality to reveal multiple Muslim selves in pesantren and Sufi orders, not only as centres of learning, but also as social spaces in which the interplay of gender, politics, status, power and piety shape the course of life.

Egypt, 1925: the Muslim world is in turmoil over Mustapha Kamal Ataturk's proposal to abolish the caliphate in Turkey. The debate over Islam and politics re-ignites as traditional political systems dissolve under pressure from European powers and most Muslim countries lose their sovereignty. Into this debate enters Ali Abdel Razek, a religious cleric trained at Al-Azhar University, arguing in favour of secularism in his essay 'Islam and the Foundations of Political Power', translated here and published in paperback for the first time. Scholarly features include A substantial introduction that places the essay in its context and explains its impact An appendix of Razek's sources with full publication details Explanatory notes beside Razek's original footnotes Additional notes about particular people, events or vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to modern readers

This volume explores the two themes of equity in employment for Muslim women, and the identity and aspirations of Muslim youth in an age of Islamophobia in Western countries through conceptual and empirical studies of employment discrimination and alienation in the UK and the Netherlands. To these accounts are added a worldwide perspective on how women (and especially ethnic minority and Muslim women) experience, and try to overcome ethno-religious discrimination in entry to employment. The themes of Muslim women and youth struggling to survive are illustrated by accounts of teachers from Gaza who are providing ‘alternative families’ for children traumatised and orphaned through Israeli attacks. The idea of peaceful resistance, and Islamic patience in the face of persecution is developed throughout the book, and applied in a variety of settings.

When the Umayyads, the first Islamic dynasty, rose to power shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632), the polity of which they assumed control had only recently expanded out of Arabia into the Roman eastern Mediterranean, Iraq and Iran. A century later, by the time of their downfall in 750, the last Umayyad caliphs governed the largest empire that the world had seen, stretching from Spain in the West to the Indus valley and Central Asia in the East. By then, their dynasty and the ruling circles around it had articulated with increasing clarity the public face of the new monotheistic religion of Islam, created major masterpieces of world art and architecture, some of which still stand today, and built a state apparatus that was crucial to ensuring the continuity of the Islamic polity. Within the vast lands under their control, the Umayyads and their allies ruled over a mosaic of peoples, languages and faiths, first among them Christianity, Judaism and the Ancient religion of Iran, Zoroastrianism. The Umayyad period is profoundly different from ours, yet it also resonates with modern concerns, from the origins of Islam to dynamics of cultural exchange. Editors Alain George and Andrew Marsham bring together a collection of essays that shed new light on this crucial period. Power, Patronage, and Memory in Early Islam elucidates the ways in which Umayyad lites fashioned and projected their self-image, and how these articulations, in turn, mirrored their own times. The authors, combining perspectives from different disciplines, present new material evidence, introduce fresh perspectives about key themes and monuments, and revisit the nature of the historical writing that shaped our knowledge of this period.

The twentieth century saw the rapid rise of groups of Muslims who use Islam as an ideological weapon for their political ends. This is commonly referred to in scholarly and media writings as Islamism, and its proponents are designated as ‘Islamists’, not Muslims, in order to stress that they are attributing an ideological dimension to Islam. There are many Islam-oriented groups, but, as might be expected, the use of scriptural language is a common characteristic of their rhetoric. For instance, they all use scriptural references as an immutable source of authority in the social, ethical and political spheres. While they do not always share the same strategies and goals, these groups nevertheless resort to the same sources of authority and deploy similar terms of reference. Unlike some Islam oriented parties, the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) in Morocco does not focus on commonly used precepts such as madawiyya (a return to Islamic principles), shumuliyya (a comprehensive application of Islam in all spheres of life) and al da’awa al nidaliyya (a call for struggle to bring about the Islamization of both state and society). Over recent decades, there has been an increasing presence of mass Islam-oriented movements and parties with an important role in national politics. The PJD represents a good regional sample for measuring the impact of different internal politics and political contexts on Islam-oriented political movements and parties' ideological orientations and political communication in Morocco. This book explores the PJD’s political ideologies since its re-emergence under its current name, and investigates the factors which shape its political ideologies. In addition, it examines the party’s political communication, and uncovers its use of communication technology, particularly the Internet, in its political advertising strategies.

This book explores the political and ideological motivations behind the formation of the Nahdlatul Ulama-affiliated political party, and Abdurrahman Wahid's rise to the Presidency of Indonesia after having led NU for 15 years away from formal politics. It sheds light on the complex and historical rivalries within Islam in Indonesia, and how those relationships inform and explain political alliances and manoeuvres in contemporary Indonesia.