Suchergebnisse

Representatives of one of the world's largest Muslim organizations, the Indonesian Nandlatul 'Ulama (NU), propagate an "Islam of the archipelago" (Islam Nusantara) that harmonizes Islamic practices and local culture. They paint a picture of a pluralist and inclusive Indonesian Islam that accommodates diverse local cultures, contrasting it with a potentially homogenizing "Arabization" - a term used in reference to the perceived ideological radicalization of Islamic lifestyle. Strikingly, in Madura, a region that is considered a stronghold of the NU, there is an affinity to "Arabness" that is not primarily dedicated to questions of the right interpretation of Islam but rather to local hierarchies, social life, political influence, and economic activities. Madurese engagement with cultural markers that are labelled as "Arab" is relatively ambivalent in nature. On the one hand, the Madurese treat "Arabness" as a symbol of Islamic piety that illustrates a special connection to the Holy Land, access to religious learnedness, and the power of blessings. On the other hand, the Madurese can be critical of Arabic culture and customs, especially Wahabist ideology. In the context of pilgrimage to the holy Muslim sites of Mecca and Medina, Madurese Muslims newly imagine and localize "Arabness". By transferring Arabic cultural markers into economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital, Madurese Muslims make "Arabness" meaningful beyond debates about Islam Nusantara and Arabization. (Asien/GIGA)

Introduction: History of A Coptic Imagination -- Lamenting Islam: Copto-Arabic Maledictions of An Assimilated People -- Fertile as Sheep: Medieval Islamic-Arabic Representations of Copts -- Imagining Conversion: Coptic Caliphs and the New Muslim Martyrs -- The Pope's Mangled Genitals: Persecution and Suffering in the Coptic Consciousness -- Conclusions: Remembering Copticness.

The controversy over the selection of a national language & the course of Arabization in postcolonial Algeria is examined. The independence movement that originated under the leadership of Abd al-Qadir & concluded with the formal declaration of separation in July 1962 is documented. It is suggested that early educational policies that instituted the teaching of Arabic in French elementary schools commenced the Arabization process; however, the paucity of qualified Arabic instructors delayed the realization of change. It is noted that Arabization resembled a socialist nationalist movement rather than focusing on the promulgation of religious or cultural ideology. An analysis of Kateb Yacine's Le Polygone Etoile ([The Polygon Star] 1966) reveals the linguistic alienation experienced by many Algerians; nonetheless, Yacine's preference for writing in a French dialect confounded attempts to establish an Algerian literary tradition. The novels of Assia Djebar are explored to demonstrate the problematic of being both Algerian & female in a patriarchal postcolonial Algeria. It is concluded that Algerian intellectuals viewed the process of Arabization as a reaffirmation of Arabo-Islamic heritage, rather than an absolute denial of their French past. J. W. Parker

The forging of Iraq -- The British mandate -- Oil and urban growth -- The ideology of urban development -- The intercommunal fight -- Nationalization and Arabization

THERE IS NO PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST EVEN IF THERE ARE NO WARS, SAVE FOR LEBANON. THE COUNTRY IS A MICROCOSM OF ALL WARS WAGED EVERYWHERE ELSE. THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES THE HOPE FOR PEACE WHICH LIES IN MULTIPLE NEGOTIATIONS AMONG CONCERNED LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL PARTIES. HISTORY SINCE 1948 IS OFFERED IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS AT ISSUE. THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF ARABIZATION ARE EXPLORED AS WELL AS ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED IN A COMPREHENSIVE RESOLUTION ON PEACE IN LEBANON.

The task -- falls to the area specialists : national interests, knowledge production, and the emergence of an informal network -- The all-pervading influence of the Muslim faith : the perils and promise of political Islam -- A new amalgam of interests, religion, propaganda, and mobs : interpretations of secular mass politics -- What modernization requires of the Arabs -- is their de-Arabization : imagining a transformed Middle East -- A profound and growing disturbance -- which may last for decades : the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the limits of the network