Western Islam Research Articles

Revisiting the Concepts of Centre and Peripheries in Islamic Art with Geographic Information Systems (GIS): the Creations of Western Islamic Societies

Abstract The aim of this paper is to review the concepts of centre and peripheries in Mediterranean Islamic art during the late Middle Ages. Traditionally, the idea of a unique Eastern production centre was widespread in historiographical debates; however, in the framework of current research projects, the need to review the well-established concepts of centre and peripheries has been identified. In this context, this paper considers the geographical distribution of muqarnaṣ in the Mediterranean basin between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries from the Almoravid period. In this framework, a double aspect has been analysed to examine: 1) how muqarnaṣ spread from the Almoravid Empire to other Mediterranean areas, and 2) if those Western muqarnaṣ can be related to the Eastern ones or if, on the contrary, they can be considered an independent manifestation of a new production centre located in an area traditionally considered peripheral. To achieve this aim, a geodatabase including the Mediterranean muqarnaṣ ensembles has been created. Different categorised analyses have been developed with a Geographic Information System (GIS), as well as an element concentration analysis, with the Heatmap plugin in the QGIS software, to determine where the centres with the highest concentrations of muqarnaṣ are located. On the basis of the different analyses, innovative cartographic materials have been developed and are included in the study. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the traditional view of a unique production centre in the case of muqarnaṣ should be discarded.

Factors associated with chronic headache among adults: results from a Ravansar noncommunicable disease cohort study.

Headache is the most common disorder of the central nervous system, and one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases. We aimed to determine factors associated with chronic headache among adults in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This was a cross-sectional study that recruited 10 063 participants from the baseline data of the Ravansar noncommunicable disease cohort study in western Islamic Republic of Iran in 2021. Participants who had headaches for ≥ 15 days per month for ≥ 3 months were considered as having chronic headache. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations. The prevalence of chronic headache was 10.49% (n = 1054), and was significantly higher among females (14.55%, n = 769) than males (5.98%, n = 285) (P < 0.001). The risk of chronic headache among married females was 73% higher than among single females. Among male smokers, the risk of chronic headache was 1.47 times higher than among non-smokers [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 2.06]. The risk of chronic headache among depressed males was 2.59 times higher than among non-depressed males (95% CI: 1.28, 5.22); and among depressed females the risk was 2.38 times higher than among non-depressed females (95% CI: 1.76, 3.23). Among males who lived in rural areas, the risk of chronic headache was 84% lower than among those who lived in urban areas; and among females who lived in rural areas it was 81% lower than those who lived in urban areas. Being menopausal and having normal sleep were significantly associated with lower risk, while comorbidity was associated with higher risk, of developing chronic headache. Depression, urban residence, smoking, comorbidity, and being married were associated with an increase in the risk of developing chronic headache, while higher education level, menopause and normal sleep were associated with a decrease in the risk of developing chronic headache.

ڕۆڵی ژن لە ململانێی نێوان فیرەقەکانی ئۆپۆزسیۆن و دەسەڵاتی عەباسیدا(132- 232ك)

During the Abbasid reign, compared to the previous eras, women had more freedom and came forward in many fields. As a result of that, they were able to play their roles politically. One of the movements which were in strong conflict with Abbasid authority was the Kharijites movement. On both eastern and western Islamic sides, women carried out their activities publicly and secretly and supported the movement considerably. Due to their easy comings and goings and lack of censuring on them, they had the task of transferring political and military messages. The Alawites, as an opposition movement of the Abbasid authority, since the beginning of the establishment of the state stood against the authority and considered themselves worthy of the Caliphate. In this arena, Alawite women had a remarkable role in politics and in delivering political messages among Alawite leaders, and consequently, they encountered imprisonment and violence. Another opponent group of the Abbasids was the Barmakids. Although they were initially supporters of the Abbasid authority and held high positions, eventually, due to a lot of interference and some wrong steps, for instance; secret marriages with girls in the Abbasid family, their relations deteriorated, and this is known as the disaster of the Barmakids fall. Regarding the Zandiqs, after their leader’smurder, some Zandiqi women were threatened by the Abbasids, and even the sources have talked about how some relatives of Zandiq leaders died as a result of their intimidation. Another prominent role of women in the conflicts between the authorities and the opposition was the action of spying by women. Even during the reign of Caliph Al-Ma'mun, about 1,700 old women were used for being aware of people’s conditions. Despite that, women were sent, in the guise of business people, employers, and doctors, to areas where opposition parties had hegemony to be aware of the movements and activities of the Abbasid opposition movements.

Environmentalism in Modern Islamic Philosophy

Islamic environmentalism is an intellectual movement whose representatives discuss contemporary environmental problems in the language of Islamic theology. This field includes Shariah-based environmental law, environmental activism, and environmental philosophy. This article is an overview of the genealogy of this philosophical trend: key names will be listed and their contributions to the development of this movement will be analyzed. For example, the legacy of Sayyid Hossein Nasr, considered the founding father of Islamic environmentalism, will be examined in detail. The religious and ethical program of this philosophical movement will be analyzed in detail. The categorical apparatus to which Islamic eco-activists, philosophers, and ulema turned as the Islamic environmental agenda expanded will also be examined, such as how the concepts of khalifa, hima, and misan were conceptualized. Philosophers whose writings we will turn to include Iraqi philosopher and jurist Mawil Izzi Dien, British eco-activist Fazlun Khalid, Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Jumaa, and representatives of so-called “Western Islam” Ziauddin Sardar and Tariq Ramadan. The example of Indonesia will be used to examine how Islamic eco-theology has formed the basis of a multilevel environmental policy. The thesis of the fundamental contradiction underlying Islamic environm entalism is put forward. On the one hand, this movement in its present form genetically dates back to the European protest movements of the 1960s and 70s, which opposed the culture of mass consumption, impersonal materialism, and overproduction. On the other hand, an equally important part of the rhetoric of a number of Islamic modernists, including on ecology, is the emphasis on the break with Western neoliberal values. The special role of social media in the promotion of Islamic eco-activism is noted separately.

Quasicrystals and art: interesting new facts

Quasiperiodic ornamental patterns represent only a small percentage of patterns when compared to the entire body of periodic patterns. Decagonal pattern is known since twelfth century Iran and fourteenth century western Islam (Andalusia and Morocco). A rich spectrum of octagonal patterns exists at the latter localities (fourteenth century and later), whereas a sole example of a dodecagonal pattern comes from Morocco. Later copies exist in all these regions. My most recent studies were concentrated upon the Andalusian and Moroccan regions, in which the fourteenth century (and later) wall mosaics occur as uninterrupted coatings of entire walls so that the motif of individual panels had to be adjusted to secure continuity of their underlying bar-and-band structure. In Andalusia, the tetragonal structure of the panels and their complexes were locally adjusted to become octagonal quasiperiodic. Only two geometric types of such octagrids were derived in Andalusia, in agreement with the rarity of quasiperiodic ornaments in general. In Morocco, before the panel substructure became heavily masked by an overflow of rosettes of several sizes, the mosaic panel was based on an octagonal quasiperiodic grid and ornamental rosettes were placed in it, disposed in the form of concentric octagons. As a prominent example, the octagonal motif of the Nejjarine Fountain and its plaster encasement will be discussed.

Artistic Transfers from Islamic to Christian Art: A Study with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The aim of this article is to present the main aspects of the methodology employed in my research concerning artistic transfers in the late medieval Mediterranean from Islamic to Christian art, with a special focus on the Iberian Peninsula. The starting point of the research was the selection of certain artistic elements incorporated into western Islamic art during the Almoravid period (in particular, the muqarnaṣ and the pointed-horseshoe arches), to analyse their spread in western Islamic art and beyond. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied to create two databases and assess the distribution of these elements in the Mediterranean framework between the 12th and 15th centuries. As a result, different analyses and cartographic material developed with the GIS are thus included in this work. The GIS made it possible to analyse not only geographic aspects of the distribution of these elements but also other complex phenomena related to the muqarnaṣ and the pointed-horseshoe arches in a quantitative way, which allowed me to raise some preliminary hypotheses concerning the use and distribution of both elements in the Mediterranean framework.

Discourse on the Authority of Sunnah and Hadith in the Perspective of Daniel W. Brown

Islam in Western thought has a very bad brand image and relative image. One Orientalist named Daniel W. Brown criticized the hadith and sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad for their nonconformity with textual and contextual passages. The study aimed to find out specifically about Brown's understanding of Hadith and Sunnah, factors that influenced Brown in criticizing both. The method approach chosen in this study is the qualitative method, while the data used is sourced from literature studies in the form of works written by Brown himself and other people's works on Brown's work and thoughts. The results of the study mentioned that Brown is an orientalist who is an expert in the field of historians who explore and study hadith and Sunnah using data, and the propositions of the Qur'an and hadith. Brown criticized the Sunnah and hadith not for personal gain or by order, but he criticized them because he was an expert in history. Brown mentioned found two tendencies of understanding the content in hadith, namely, the restriction of traditionalist and modern scriptures .

Tafsir in the Non-Arab Muslim World – II

This is the second special issue of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies that focuses on the topic of Qur’ānic exegesis or tafsīr al-Qur’ān in the non-Arab world. While the first special issue (Volume 6, Issue 4, 2021) mainly analysed Qur’ānic exegesis in Southeast Asia and Africa, this second issue extends its focus from Western Islamic lands to the Eastern parts (Ottoman to the Indian subcontinent), particularly Qur’ānic exegesis in Persian and its reception west of Iran, tafsīr in the Ottoman and Turkish Republic periods, Azerbaijani Qur’ān commentaries, and tafsīr in the Indian subcontinent.

Violence and warfare in Medieval Western Islam

ABSTRACT Studies bearing on the relationship between religion and violence in Islam are numerous. So are those on Ibn Khaldūn’s theory of the State, which bases the latter’s emergence on the ‘natural’ violence of peripheral tribes. This contribution aims to put the general theory that can be drawn from these studies into perspective by confronting it with some local examples: the Andalusian Taifas, the Almoravid emirate and the Almohad caliphate. These case studies highlight the diversity of forms taken by state violence and warfare in Islamic contexts. The integration of ´seculaŕ or profane patterns in the killing of enemies or in warfare, and the justification of violence sometimes by religion, sometimes by popular wisdom or common sense, contradict the fairly widespread essentialist discourses on the congenital relationship that Islam and violence maintained from the beginning. On the contrary, these processes highlight the complexity and diversity of the discursive justification of physical violence.

Intestinal parasitic infection among mentally handicapped students in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most common public health problems in populations with poor hygiene. Consequently, mental retardation increases the risk of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among mentally disabled young people in Hamadan, western Islamic Republic of Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 318 students in 9 special schools in 2017. Triplicate faecal specimens for each student were subjected to stool analysis using direct wet mount, sedimentation concentration, and permanent staining technique. Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. Out of 318 students, 135 (42.5%, 95% CI: 37.1-47.9) were infected with intestinal parasites. Prevalence rates for females and males were 45.2% (61/135) and 40.4% (74/183) respectively. Protozoan infections (42.5%, 135) were more numerous than helminthiasis (0.6%, 2). Blastocystis hominis (28%, 89) was the most common parasite, followed by Giardia lamblia (9.7%, 31), Entamoeba coli (9.1%, 29) and Trichomonas hominis (6%, 19). The high prevalence rate of intestinal protozoan infection reflects poor personal hygiene among the students and inappropriate environmental conditions. Therefore, specific public health measures are required for the mentally handicapped students in special schools.

Quasicrystalline patterns in western Islamic art: problems and solutions

The quasiperiodic ornamental patterns of western Islam in Spanish Andalusia and in Morocco were produced by a modification of the multigrid method instead of tile composition, which was used for central discs of some Moroccan panels. The infrequent decagonal patterns are based on quasiperiodic sequences of unit and tau bars in the Alhambra and Fez. The much larger body of octagonal quasiperiodic patterns has quasiperiodic sequences of unit and √2 bars, so-called S and L bars, with frequently present, and ornamentally used, bar fragmentation and interchange. The octagonal patterns from the Alcázar in Sevilla, the Alhambra in Granada, and from Cordoba, are based on conscious modifications of overall tetragonal tiling schemes composed of elongate hexagonal and several types of isometric Alicatado tiles in bar-like arrangements. Bands, based on simple and on complexly fragmented bar sequences, alternate in differently organized schemes. Two different modifications of ‘octagonalization’ were used, producing several octagonal tiling varieties each. The octagonal wall mosaics in Morocco are panels largely based on octagonal bar sequences with different degrees of bar fragmentation and interchange, and with progressively loser composition rules with time. These are masked by large ornamental rosettes, especially by an oversize central rosette, which may entirely obscure the bar background of the panel. In both areas, the bar-and-band sequences point to a conscious mathematical design and organization of tiling and ornamental patterns used by their creators.

Studying Islam in Western and Non-Western Contexts

Abstract This essay provides an introduction to the following set of papers that deal with some of the methodological and theoretical issues that the study of Islam poses for the academic study of religion. It argues that, while still somewhat problematic, recent years have seen a number of younger scholars—particularly in Europe and the so-called Muslim World—engage in and wrestle with these theoretical issues. The result is that the study of Islam has come a long way since the apologetic aftermath of September 11, 2001.

Polychrome glazed ware production in Tunisia during the Fatimid-Zirid period: New data on the question of the introduction of tin glazes in western Islamic lands

The production of polychrome decorated ceramics began in Ifriqiya in the 9th century under Aghlabid rule, with continuity during the 10th century under the Fatimids. These comprised finely painted brown and green designs with a characteristic yellow background (a transparent lead glaze containing iron oxide). This production was substituted in the 11th century by a polychrome production over a white tin opaque glaze. The hypothesis stating that tin glazes were introduced in Tunisia after the Fatimids took over Egypt has been recently proposed. However, polychrome ceramics with a white opaque background have been found in 10th century archaeological sites which might indicate otherwise. A ceramic assemblage found at the site of Bir Ftouha dating from the Fatimid-Zirid period which contains polychrome with both transparent yellow and white opaque backgrounds has been analysed. The white opaque glazes do not contain tin but were opacified by the addition of large quartz particles. This study supports the theory that tin glazes reached Tunisia after the Fatimid occupation of Egypt and is the first step to answering many open questions regarding the spread of tin glaze in the Mediterranean, the role of the Fatimids and the connections of Ifriqiya with Islamic Spain and Sicily.

El Occidente islámico en la obra de al-Muqaddasī

En el presente artículo se hará una aproximación a la obra geográfica de al-Muqaddasī (380/990), Kitāb aḥsan al-taqāsīm fī maʿrifat al-aqālīm (La mejor división para el conocimiento de las provincias). Su concepción geográfica y su metodología sistemática lo convierten en uno de los mejores representantes de la literatura geográfica del siglo X. Aunque su obra abarca la geografía del imperio controlado por los musulmanes (mamlaka), el trabajo se centrará exclusivamente en Occidente islámico, del que al-Muqaddasī ofrece una visión muy interesante, tanto por su origen oriental como por las fuentes utilizadas (no viajó a al-Andalus y es poco probable que lo hiciera al Mágreb, lo cual no resta objetividad a su trabajo). Como cultivador del género de al-masālik wa-l-mamālik (Los caminos y los reinos), se ocupó de los topónimos y rutas principales occidentales, los cuales detalla exhaustivamente en su obra. Pero su labor de especialista fue más allá, interesándose por aspectos propios de la geografía física y humana. Por esta razón, en su obra ofrece muchos detalles sobre las poblaciones de las zonas descritas (costumbres, tipos de comida, vestimenta, religión etc...), aportando un testimonio único y preciso de gran valor para todos los interesados el Occidente islámico medieval.

Socioeconomic-related inequalities in self-rated health status in Kermanshah city, Islamic Republic of Iran: a decomposition analysis.

Socioeconomic-related inequalities in health are a major public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. Little evidence is available on socioeconomic-related inequalities in health in different regions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study aimed to determine socioeconomic-related inequality in poor self-rated health in adults in Kermanshah city, western Islamic Republic of Iran. This cross-sectional study with stratified sampling obtained data on socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, behavioural risk factors and self-rated health of 2040 adults (≥ 18 years) in Kermanshah city. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. The concentration (C) index and C curve were used to determine the socioeconomic-related inequality in poor self-rated health. A decomposition analysis of the C index was done to identify the factors explaining socioeconomic-related inequality in poor self-rated health. The crude and age-adjusted prevalence of poor self-rated health was 13.8% and 18.1%, respectively. The estimated C for the whole sample was -0.295, indicating that poor SRH was concentrated in the poor. The decomposition results suggested that socioeconomic status (45.5%), having a chronic health condition (11.9%) and smoking (7.3%) were the main factors contributing to the concentration of poor self-rated health among those of lower socioeconomic status. The concentration of poor self-rated health among the poor in Kermanshah city warrants policy attention. Policies aimed at reducing inequality in wealth distribution and risky health behaviour and preventing chronic health conditions among the poor may mitigate socioeconomic-related inequalities in poor self-rated health in Kermanshah.

Introduction to Special Issue on “Exploring New Assemblages of Islamic Expert Education in Western Europe”

What constitutes ‘relevant’ and ‘apt’ Islamic knowledge and expert education of future Islamic authorities in Western Europe? This central point of departure of this Special Issue is a burdened question in the current public and political debate in Western Europe. In the last decades, higher education on Islam in Europe has predominantly taken place in two domains: in the publicly funded university context as Islamic Studies, and in the privately funded context of mosques, madrasa’s and teaching institutes, often with strong links to Muslim countries of origin. In recent years, however, different answers have been formulated to this question; alternative initiatives have been taken—or are in the making—to train Islamic experts who are preparing for professional and academic careers in Europe. Publicly funded universities have started to organize imam training or Islamic theology programs, notably in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. Furthermore, private confessional Muslim institutes are now recruiting lecturers who also graduated from Western Islamic Studies university programs. This Special Issue focuses both theoretically and empirically on these new aspirations, initiatives, debates and practices of those various actors who navigate between and beyond. To understand these developments, we need a theoretical framework that is able to deconstruct the power related epistemological narratives constituting these dichotomies. Therefore, we will use this introductory editorial article to elaborate on how these spaces/places of departure are not absolute or analytically stable, but per definition uncertain, blurry and constantly ‘in the making’, constituted by what David Scott has called ‘a problem-space’. Moreover, in addition to thinking only in terms of ‘interstices’ in order to overcome these dichotomies by way of ‘bonding or bridging’, but which often seems to presume an essential character to both ends, we suggest to consider these alternative initiatives in terms of ‘assemblages’.

Mediating Indonesian Islamic Center in the Era of Post-Islamism

Islamic centers emerged when Muslims in the West had difficulties to build a mosque. As a majority, Indonesian Muslim communities do not need to adopt the concept of Western Islamic Center. Nevertheless, establishing Islamic Center is quite popular among Indonesian Muslims. This paper argues that the establishment of Islamic Center is a practice of post-Islamism in Indonesia, in which Islam is interpreted in a specific way that juxtaposes religiosity and leisure, mixes between ‘the sacred’ and ‘the profane’. Taking the Mataram Islamic Center as a case study, this study explores how discourse of the Islamic Center shapes its establishment. Applying critical discourse analysis, this study takes several units of analysis, i.e. the mediation practices of the center and the visiting practices of the visitors. This study finds that there are two prominent discourses, namely the center as a religious space and the center as a tourist space, both of which do not defeat each other. Keywords: Islamic center, critical discourse analysis, post-Islamism, space mediation.

Follow-up and renewal in the employment of the Islamic architectural heritage (Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo and Meikat Mosque in Medina as a case study)

The concept of employment for the Islamic architectural heritage takes great place and attention by architects or those who study and analyze the Islamic heritage in architecture. However, most of the architectural applications that appear on the ground focus on the physical aspect of that heritage as it represents the visual image of it and the most relevant aspect of the memory of Islamic societies in the Eastern and Western Islamic world. This causes the problem of the artisanal transport of the heritage of the Islamic architectural heritage without looking at this heritage objectively and understanding the social and cultural circumstances and causes that led to its emergence as it is. The research assumes that the Islamic architectural heritage possesses rich intellectual and material resources that can be utilized nowadays in contemporary projects if they are removed from imitation and direct form transport. The research focuses specifically on the architecture of the mosques and selects two old models, the Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo and the Mashhad in the ninth century AD, and the Meikat Mosque in Medina and Mashad at the end of the 20th century. The research aims at shedding light on the concept of followers in the building of contemporary Islamic mosques as a mechanism for employing the Islamic architectural heritage and identifying the defects in the process of followings and the surrounding areas in the building of contemporary mosques.

The Reality of Treatment with Sports in the Western Islamic World in Light of the Texts of Medical Heritage

The Reality of Treatment with Sports in the Western Islamic World in Light of the Texts of Medical Heritage

Islam and Buddhism: The Arabian Prequel?

Conventionally, the first Muslim-Buddhist encounters are thought to have taken place in the context of the Arab-Muslim expansions into eastern Iran in the mid-seventh century, the conquest of Sind in 711 and the rise of the Islamic empire. However, several theories promoted in academic and popular circles claim that Buddhists or other Indians were present in western Arabia at the eve of Islam and thus shaped the religious environment in which Muhammad’s movement emerged. This article offers a critical survey of the most prominent arguments adduced to support this view and discusses the underlying attitudes to the Islamic tradition, understood as a body of ideas and practices, and Islamic Tradition, understood as a body of texts. Such theories appear to be radical challenges of the Islamic tradition insofar as they seek to reinscribe the presence of religious communities in conventional narratives of Islamic origins that do not acknowledge them. On the other hand, they often operate with an unreconstructed reliance upon the sources of the Islamic Tradition. The assessment focuses ondescriptions of the Ka’ba and objects associated with it as well as on a story about an Indian physician who diagnosed an illness of Muhammad’s wife Aisha. While Indian or Buddhist connections with western Arabia and early Islam do not appear to be entirely impossible, the evidence does not amount to a persuasive case for the early seventh century.