Islamic Identities

While reading through a survey of articles and opinions concerning the construction of the “Ground Zero Mosque,” the question of who gets to define the limits of social groups continuously rose to my mind.  None of the authors explicitly brought up the question – most just assumed that they (or the people they cite) had … Continue reading →

Leila Ahmed’s A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America is a historical look at the controversial modern history of the wearing of hijab in Ahmed’s home country of Egypt and also in the United States of America. Ahmed attempts to synthesize numerous academic accounts of the practice of veiling, many … Continue reading →

In the article “Islam and Democracy,” Asef Bayat reminds us of the persistent Western interpretation of the East (the Middle East in particular) as a society regulated by religious extremism and incompatible with democratic principles. Bayat suggests that this view originates from three sources: “The first is the continuing prevalence of Orientalist/essentializing thought in the … Continue reading →

In the world today through the media, newspapers and internet an idea of Jihad is perpetuated throughout a variety of communities. The lack of understanding of the concept of Jihad and how radical groups have used it continues to strike fear into society. While this fear is understandable, the concept of Jihad needs to be … Continue reading →

Juliane Hammer’s article, “Performing gender justice: the 2005 woman-led prayer in New York”, describes the events of March 18th 2005, when Muslim men and women gathered for a historical Friday prayer. What made this event historical were namely these three things: the prayer and sermon was led by a woman, the call to prayer was … Continue reading →

Tariq Ramadan’s book, Islam, the West, and the Challenges of Modernity, discusses the misconceptions both of Muslims and Westerners that Islam is not compatible with modernization. While the West is generally seen as a rational bastion of human rights, the Muslim world is portrayed by the media as a backward part of the world in … Continue reading →

Perhaps no other work of modern literary theory has had such a deep and lasting impact on the fields of Near East, Middle East and Islamic Studies than Edward Said’s Orientalism. Said is arguably among the most influential public intellectuals of the late 20th century. Modern scholars of these fields have found within his work … Continue reading →