Islamic Divorce in the 21st Century shows the wide range of Muslim experiences in marital disputes and in seeking Islamic divorces. For Muslims, having the ability to divorce in accordance with Islamic law is of paramount importance. However, Muslim experiences of divorce practice differ tremendously. The chapters in this volume discuss Islamic divorce from West Africa to Southeast Asia, and each story explores aspects of the everyday realities of disputing and divorcing Muslim couples face in the twenty-first century. The book’s cross-cultural and comparative look at Islamic divorce indicates that Muslim divorces are impacted by global religious discourses on Islamic authority, authenticity, and gender; by global patterns of and approaches to secularity; and by global economic inequalities and attendant patterns of urbanization and migration. Studying divorce as a mode of Islamic law in practice shows us that the Islamic legal tradition is flexible, malleable, and context-dependent.

This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of Eastern Christian churches in Europe, the Middle East, America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Written by leading international scholars in the field, it examines both Orthodox and Oriental churches from the end of the Cold War up to the present day. The book offers a unique insight into the myriad church-state relations in Eastern Christianity and tackles contemporary concerns, opportunities and challenges, such as religious revival after the fall of communism; churches and democracy; relations between Orthodox, Catholic and Greek Catholic churches; religious education and monastic life; the size and structure of congregations; and the impact of migration, secularisation and globalisation on Eastern Christianity in the twenty-first century.

Mulki Al-Sharmani undertakes a close textual analysis of the hermeneutics of selected Islamic feminism scholars as they engage with the Qur'an, Hadith, and different textual genres in Islamic interpretive tradition. She focuses on the relevant works of nine prominent scholars located in North America, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. Bringing their works into conversation with one another, Islamic Feminism critically examines the epistemological and methodological contributions and challenges of these scholars. Al-Sharmani shows how these scholars' engagements with the question of gender also yields new insights into the interplay between Islamic theology, ethics, and law. Drawing on extensive multi-sited ethnographic research, Al-Sharmani examines the societal significance and limits of the studied scholarship and how it informs and is informed by multidimensional Muslim gender activism in both global and local contexts. Towards the latter aim, Al-Sharmani focuses on two case studies: the global movement Musawah, and Egyptian Islamic feminism in the aftermath of the 2011 Revolution.

Reading the Qur’an in the Twenty-First Century considers the development of Qur’anic interpretation and highlights modern debates around new approaches to interpretation. It explores how Muslims from various theological, legal, socio-political and philosophical backgrounds think about the meaning and relevance of the Qur’an, and how their ideas apply in the contemporary world. The book: reflects on one of the most dominant approaches to interpretation in the pre-modern period, textualism, and the reaction to that in Muslim feminist readings of the Qur’an today. covers issues such as identifying the hierarchical nature of Qur’anic values, the criteria for the use of hadith in interpretation, fluidity of meaning and ways of ensuring a degree of stability in interpretation. examines key Qur'anic passages and compares pre-modern and modern interpretations to show the evolving nature of interpretation. Examples discussed include: the authority of men over women, the death of Jesus, shura and democracy, and riba and interest. Abdullah Saeed provides a practical guide for interpretation and presents the principal ideas of a contextualist approach, which situates the original message of the Qur’an in its wider social, political, cultural, economic and intellectual context. He advocates a more flexible method of interpretation that gives due recognition to earlier interpretations of the Qur’an while also being aware of changing conditions and the need to approach the Qur’an afresh today.

Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century helps readers understand terrorism, responses to it, and current trends that affect the future of this phenomenon. Putting terrorism into historical perspective and analyzing it as a form of political violence, this text presents the most essential concepts, the latest data, and numerous case studies to promote effective analysis of terrorist acts. Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century objectively breaks down the who-what-why-how of terrorism, giving readers a way both to understand patterns of behavior and to more critically evaluate forthcoming patterns. New to the 8th Edition Provides a more intense exploration of religion as a primary cause of contemporary terrorism. Focuses on the role of social media in recruitment and propaganda. Examines the radicalization and recruitment by ISIS to fighting and to domestic young people to carry out attacks at home. Explores the growing threat – and reality – of cyber attacks. Updates the material on the networking of terrorism today.

A comprehensive guide to Islamic legal scholarship, this Handbook offers a direct and accessible introduction to Islamic law and the academic debates within the field. Topics include textual sources and authority, institutions, substantive legal areas, Islamic legal philosophy, and Islamic law in the Muslim World and in Muslim minority countries.

Is there a controversial issue in the contemporary world that does not involve religion? Whether it's a debate over the beginning of life, or on sexuality and family life, or on the stewardship of humans over the environment, almost all of the most contentious matters that impact today's society involve people's deeply held religious beliefs. Battleground: Religion helps clarify these complex topics by examining how various religious beliefs and practices impact current political, social, and cultural debates. Each of the approximately 100 entries examines a hot-button issue—from war and peace to the culture wars—and discusses, in a balanced and objective way, the points of view on these topics from all parts of the religious spectrum. Students will come away from Battleground: Religion with a better understanding of the issues that they will be encountering for years to come. Each entry includes a bibliography or resources for further information.

The spread of Islam and the process of Islamisation (meaning both conversion to Islam and the adoption of Muslim culture) is explored in the twenty-four chapters of this volume. Taking a comparative perspective, both the historical trajectory of Islamisation and the methodological problems in its study are addressed, with coverage moving from Africa to China and from the seventh century to the start of the colonial period in 1800. Key questions are addressed. What is meant by Islamisation? How far was the spread of Islam as a religion bound up with the spread of Muslim culture? To what extent are Islamisation and conversion parallel processes? How is Islamisation connected to Arabisation? What role do vernacular Muslim languages play in the promotion of Muslim culture? The broad, comparative perspective allows readers to develop a thorough understanding of the process of Islamisation over eleven centuries of its history.

The book, Economic Empowerment of Women in the Islamic World, discusses the economic, social, and political rights and status of women in Islam, which is theoretically given by the Islamic Jurisprudence (Shariah law). The chapters in this volume will address historical practices in comparison to the status of women in the contemporary Muslim world. Men and women in Islam, regardless of their age, social class, and education, are equal as citizens and individuals, but not identical in their rights and responsibilities. It can be observed from Islamic history that in the early age of Islam, women were given full confidence, trust, and high responsibilities in leadership, educational guidance, and decision-making.This volume will try to clarify the confusion in the status of the women in Islam that is presented by the media, as it is assumed that theoretical Islamic empowerment of women bears little relation to the real conditions of women in modern Muslim societies. It has been widely claimed in the media that Muslim women suffer more than men in Muslim societies and communities in terms of insecurity, domestic abuse, and low access to education and medical care. It is also stated in the press and media that absence of good governance also results in gender inequality and violation of the rights of Muslim women.This volume also aims to provide the solutions for the empowerment of women in the Islamic world. We assumed that without good governance, the status of women is not likely to improve. Muslim women have the potential to play a fundamental role in curbing corruption, social ills, violence, and crime in the Muslim world. This volume will make the case that in order to achieve stability and prosperity, the government must ensure a platform for women to participate in decision-making and hence benefit from the rights they are accorded in Islam.By covering a range of perspectives on the economic lives of Muslim women around the world, it hopes to shed light on the problems faced and to offer possible solutions to the empowerment of women in the Islamic world.

This volume identifies and elaborates on the significance and functions of the various actors involved in the development of family law in the Middle East. Besides the importance of family law regulations for each individual, family law has become the battleground of political and social contestation. Divided into four parts, the collection presents a general overview and analysis of the development of family law in the region and provides insights into the broader context of family law reform, before offering examples of legal development realised by codification drawn from a selection of Gulf states, Iran, and Egypt. It then goes on to present a thorough analysis of the role of the judiciary in the process of lawmaking, before discussing ways the parties themselves may have shaped and do shape the law. Including contributions from leading authors of Middle Eastern law, this timely volume brings together many isolated aspects of legal development and offers a comprehensive picture on this topical subject. It will be of interest to scholars and academics of family law and religion.