Islamic Issues Research Articles

Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, Islamophobia, and the Internet

Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, Islamophobia, and the Internet is a collection of articles by contributors who have been teaching classes about Muslims and Islam especially in the Western contexts. This book is edited by Courtney M. Dorroll, an Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Wofford College in South Carolina. As an academic at a small college, the editor is alert to the challenges presenting advices on how to teach this important but sensitive issue of Islam to new academics and students in the communities. In the age of misrepresentations and stereotypes of Islam, this book is considered important to teachers and students as a means to encourage them to thoughtfully engage with the topic of Islam. The original idea of Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, Islamophobia, and the Internet is initiated from a talk given by Richard C. Martin, a Professor Emeritus of Religion at Emory University. He gave a talk at Wofford College under an invitation from the editor of this book, Courtney M. Dorroll. Professor Martin has written and edited several books including Defenders of Reason in Islam: Mutazilism from Medieval School to Modern Symbol and Rethinking Islamic Studies: From Orientalism to Cosmopolitanism . In this book, the contributors especially shared their personal struggles and address the challenges of teaching about Islamic religion while the media mostly promote Islamophobia and violence. They proposed some approaches to Islamic studies pedagogy and provided some suggestions to better structure the course. These approaches and suggestions are based on their own experiences facing the students and parents who might initially fear the topic related to Muslims and Islam. In order to encourage a deeper engagement in this course, the contributors include collaborative teaching models by doing reading and media suggestions. This approach will result in a broader thinking of students on this subject. It can be said that by reading this particular book, students are exposed to challenging ideas of Islamophobia and encouraged to confront these ideas fairly and objectively. More importantly, this book provides a fair and open discussion of an important issue in teaching about Islam.

Islamic Finance Education and the Curriculum of Deeni Madaris (Religious Seminaries)

Sharī‘ah governance is a unique element of the Islamic financial system in which Ulama (Islamic scholars) play a fundamental role. Deeni Madaris (religious seminaries) are the major channels for the education of the Ulama. This study analyzed and compared the syllabi of Deeni Madaris (religious seminaries) taught in Dars-e-Nizami (full-time) and Takhasus fil Fiqh /Takhasus fil Ifta (specialization in Islamic jurisprudence and Fatwa granting process) as offered by different schools of Islamic thought regarding Islamic finance education. A survey was conducted among the academics of these religious institutions regarding the structure of the syllabus followed in their respective institutions. The questionnaire focused on exploring the respondents’ opinions about the status of the curriculum concerning Islamic finance and their efforts for the inclusion of contemporary studies in it, specifically those regarding Islamic finance and jurisprudence issues.

Forming the image of Other: Religion in the Geopolitical Maps Around Jungar and Kalmyk Khanates

The first third of XVIII century was very important for Kalmyks and Jungars. The political affairs, where Kalmyks, Russians, Jungars and Manchus as well as the external issues have been communicated, had been closely related with the religious matters, led to intensification of regional political processes. In Kalmyk khanate the Buddhist affairs were under the supervision of the famous Shakur Lama, and it was during his rule when the Islamic issue had had some importance, because it had been closely related with the plan to establish the Kalmyk-Crimean khanate (perhaps, initially the Ottomans’ idea). In Jungaria the situation was even more complex due to the policy of Qing, when the leaders of this khanate were accused in conversion to Islam. The rare word “Thomkar” from Russian archival materials illustrates very special skill of Qing officials - it was “created” for Jungars to define them as being “converted” to Islam. The meaning of all these events allow to suppose, that religion at the time under consideration became the state tool for implementation of the virtual geopolitical maps to change the “usual” image of someone into “necessary” “enemy face”.

The Moderation (Wasatiyah) Paradigm in the Malay World: Thoughts of M. Kamal Hassan

Kamal Hassan, fondly known as Prof. Kamal is a symbolic academician in a well-versed personality of virtue, adab (good manners), and hikmah (wisdom). He has been accredited as one of the intellectual leaders of Madarasah al-Wasatiyah or movement of moderation and ideologue of Islamization of knowledge in the contemporary Malay world. He is also one of the leading figures in the area of contemporary Islamic thought and Malay civilization. His literature is vocal on the issue of Islam and modernity, Wasatiyah or Islamic moderation, Islamicization of human knowledge, Integrated Islamic education, secularism and secular education, the relationship between East and West, human rights and civil society. His metaphysical views have been often quoted in the literature of Muslim intellectuals and activists in Southeast Asia. Moreover, his philosophical thought of a justly balanced approach of Wasatiyah is also worth mention. The noteworthy highlights in his literature and speech promote Muslim leaders and scholars to examine: what collective moral responsibility they have, as a moderate nation or Ummah Wasat, to build a better world and a better nation—Khaira Ummah. There were many reasons for the intellectual decline of Muslims and the Muslim world. One of the reasons by moving away from the moderate and comprehensive understanding of the Qur’an. There is undoubtedly an urgent need to retract the philosophy of Ummah Wasat based on divine knowledge rooted in humanistic and societal life. Hence, Kamal Hassan fetched the thoughts in his lectures, articles, and books to relevantize the philosophy of moderation in Islam.
 Keywords: Wasatiyah, Moderation, Justly Balanced Path, Islamization of Knowledge, Kamal Hassan and Malay World.

The Characteristic and Issues in Liberal Islam in Malaysia

This article is intended to discuss about the issue of liberal Islam in Malaysia. Liberal Islam is a religion that contradicts the true religion of Islam. This widespread liberation of liberal Islam is extremely dangerous as it is clearly against the Quran and al-Hadith. In addition, the beliefs brought by these followers are also incompatible with the true teachings of the Islamic religion and Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (ASWJ). Followers of liberal Islam are more emphasizing the law based on common sense rather than referring to al-Quran and al-Hadith. The question arise in this situation is what is the threat brought by the followers of liberal Islam in Malaysia? How is the development of liberal Islam in Malaysia? To answer this question, this article has three objectives. Firstly, this article was created to identify the concept of liberal Islam. Secondly, to identify the characteristics of liberal Islam. Thirdly, to identify the issues in the Islamic society in Malaysia that are related to liberal Islam This qualitative research uses content analysis to analyze all the data that has been collected. Through this approach, the findings of the study are liberal Islam is a dangerous threat to the Muslim community in Malaysia. In addition, this liberal Islamic understanding can influence the thinking of the Muslim community in Malaysia as the people in Malaysia are still not open about this concept.

PENGARUH ELIT POLITIK INDONESIA DALAM KEBIJAKAN LUAR NEGERI INDONESIA

Kelompok kepentingan menjadi saluran bagi masyarakat dalam mengekspresikan opini atau pandangannya kepada pemerintah yang dimana partisipasi masyarakat dalam pembuatan kebijakan bisa juga menjadi tekanan dan menimbulkan masalah baru untuk para pembuat kebijakan dalam mengimplementasikan kebijakan yang diputuskan. Berkaitan dengan hal tersebut, tulisan ini membahas bagaimana kelompok Islam Radikal berusaha mempengaruhi kebijakan luar negeri Indonesia melalui isu Palestina. Selanjutnya akan dibahas menggunakan teori kepemimpinan yang dikemukakan Margareth yang menyatakan bahwa pemimpin menjadi aktor penting dalam pembuatan kebijakan luar negeri dalam interpretasinya yang juga dipengaruhi politik domestik. Teori persuasi elit politik yang dikemukakan Snyder yang menyatakan elit politik menggunakan isu etnis dalam mencapai tujuan politiknya. sebagai kelompok penekan yang digunakan dan saling mendukung dengan partai oposisi pemerintahan Jokowi yakni Gerindra dan PKS yang memiliki kesamaan ide mengenai anti imperialisme dan penjajahan asing berupaya memperbesar pengaruh dengan melakukan mobilisasi massa dalam tujuannya mencapai kursi di pemerintahan dan mempertahakan posisinya dalam masyarakat dengan penyebaran ide dan pemahaman terkait isu Islam. Oleh karena itu, upaya meredam gejolak politik dalam negeri dan mempertahankan kepemimpinan serta kredibilitasnya serta untuk semakin aktif dalam perpolitikan luar negerinya, Jokowi berusaha memberikan apa yang diinginkan oleh masyarakat yang memperjuangkan ide-ide tersebut dengan ikut fokus dalam perjuangan kemerdekaan Palestina dan menekan kelompok oposisi yang berusaha menurunkan kepemimpinan dalam pemerintahannya bahwa pihak yang memiliki kedudukan dan pengakuan dalam pemerintahan.

The Impact of EU-based Populism on Turkey-EU Relations

ABSTRACTThe May 2019 EP elections once again highlighted the current cultural backlash throughout Europe against progressive values such as cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism, which impacts on the ‘future of Europe’ debate, raising important questions for the evolution of Turkey-EU relations. Even though Turkey is no longer a hot topic in EU political parlance and public opinion, opposition to Turkish EU membership continues in the form of nativism, particularly with reference to the issues of immigration and Islam, as the cases of AfD in Germany and UKIP in Britain show.

Skill Issues for Islamic Financial Institutions-Reasons and Solutions

This study focuses on the skill issues of the Islamic financial institutions that impact on the industry negatively. For the Islamic financial industry to develop according to the standard level, it needs proper skills. Therefore, this paper clarifies the issue first and then reasons for skill gaps in the Islamic financial industry. Shortage of centers and training courses for creating talents in Islamic finance field slows down the industry. In addition, the current unqualified staff of Islamic financial institutions effect on the Islamic financial industry. Shortage of skills in the Islamic finance field is not always due to the insufficient number of staff, but because that current staff do not possess all related Islamic financial knowledge, such as legal, Shariah and modern finance system. Therefore, this paper presents suitable methods for developing and producing Islamic finance professionals. Establishing centers and colleges for producing knowledgeable Islamic financial staff is an important method for developing the Islamic financial industry. In addition, opening training courses by Islamic financial institutions can also be a good tool for developing necessary skills of the current Islamic financial employees. Keywords: Islamic Finance, Skill Issues and Islamic Financial Institutions DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/89-14 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Ma’na al-’Ilaj al-Nafsy wa Asalibuhu fi al-Turats al-Islamy

Soul therapy is one of the important issues in Islam. It has been greatly drawing the intention of majority Muslim scholars until now. By referring to their valuable works, this article tries to describe and analyze the concept of soul therapy in Islam. Ontologically, Muslim scholars believe that the soul, as one of the Almighty’s creations, should be always maintained, purified and heald when something goes wrong. Epistemologically, they explore the concepts and methods of this therapy from the singns given by the Qur’an and the explanation of the Prophetic traditions, which are all based on the Aqeeda Islamiyah, starting with the reconstruction of the concept and the worldview of oneself especially regarding the reality of himself. This brief study requires further research from the various brilliant works of the Muslim scholars as well as to elaborate comprehensively the concept of the soul and it’s therapy.

"Asri Musulmanliq" (1924–1927) – the First Muslim Journal of Crimea

The research features the first Muslim Crimean magazine "Asri Musulmanliq" ("Modern Islam"): its history, structure, typological and problem-thematic peculiarities, etc. The authors refer to the situation of the Muslims of Crimea in the 1920s, the history of the National Administration of Religious Affairs of Muslims of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and its media organ, the monthly religious, scientific and philosophical journal "Asri Musulmanliq" (1924–1927). The topics of the Journal are considered in close cooperation with the life of the Muslim Ummah of the Crimean Peninsula, the leading trends of the time, and the tasks of the authors of the publication. The authors concentrate on the religious and moral content of the journal, which tried to enlighten its Muslim readers, and the Soviet realities with their model of the "new man". The Journal contained numerous articles on the dangers of drinking, the need to observe hygiene and get rid of prejudices and superstitions, on the equal rights of men and women, including education, etc. All these ideas had their roots in the norms of Islam. However, they also corresponded with the social renewal and healthy lifestyle, promoted by the Soviet press in the 1920s. According to the authors, "Asri Musulmanliq" was a unique publication. Its articles: 1) revealed the ideological views and main directions of the activity of the National Administration of Religious Affairs of Muslims of Crimea; 2) combined the realities of the new era with traditional Islamic issues and Crimean Tatar’s journalism. The latter originated from I. Gasprinsky’s editions, which dwelled on the civic and religious education, women's rights, unity of the Turkic world, etc.

PERAN PEREMPUAN SHAHABIYAH DALAM PERIWAYATAN HADITS

Women in the early days of Islam were given the opportunity as given to mento gain knowledge. To them the Messenger of Allah taught science in the form of his traditions, and they were also permitted to narrate the hadith that they received to others. Women narrated traditions directly from the Prophet, or through friends, both male friends and female friends. The hadiths that they have narrated are many and quite varied, concerning issues of faith and Islam in general, the problem of muamalah, especially matters related to women's issues, family life and household

Islam Moderat dan Problem Isu Keislaman Kontemporer di Masjid Nasional Al-Akbar Surabaya

This article attempts to examine mainstreaming of the Moderate Islam together with the problem of contemporary Islamic issues at Al-Akbar National Mosque Surabaya. The article observes a number of issues such as liberalism, radicalism, and pluralism in the view of the Muslim preachers (dā‘i) of Al-Akbar National Mosque. The mainstreaming of the Moderate Islam has been a manifestation of recognition and reverence of the mosque management, especially the preachers in regard with a number of different religious entities in Islam. Responding to the issues, the preachers assert that the Moderate Islam contains not merely conformity with the context of socio-cultural aspect, but also the manifestation of “Islamness” which is compatible with understanding of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah. What is meant here by the Islamness is a characteristic of religiosity, which puts emphasis on three aspects, namely al-tawāsuṭ, i‘tidāl, and tawāzun. Commonly, the cultivation of moderatism values at Al-Akbar National Mosque rests on the process of teaching, study, and da‘wa (preaching) activities. These activities have been implemented in persuasively subtle manner focusing on peaceful religious messages. The preachers argue that although moderatism has been usually seen as acceptance toward heterogeneity, it does not refer to any acknowledgement of such heterogeneity as a part of truth in one’s belief.

A Comparative Analysis of the Theological Polemics of Muslim Brotherhood and Salafiyyah

The experience of the Muslim Ummah in the 19th and 20th centuries has given rise to various revivalist thoughts aimed at reclaiming the lost glory of Islam and returning Muslims to their right position. The Muslim Brotherhood current Salafiyyah groups represent the largest revivalist trend in current time. Despite having the common mission of revitalizing the Ummah, the two trends are always at loggerhead over pressing issues of Islam. Hence, the research focuses on theological polemics as case study for the multitudinous contention between the two trends. Library research methodology was adopted. Findings of the research show that both trends share common fundamental creeds and that the popular theological dichotomy between them is due to various factors namely: the degree of priority attached to creeds, attitude towards equivocal matters of creed such as anthropomorphic status of Allah and lastly theologizing matters which are juristic. The research recommends the needs for the Salafiyyah group to focus on theological training rather than the traditionally theological polemics which was a product of refutation against the evolving heretic sects that are ideologically not existing today.

Mapping of Muslims’ Understandings on Gender Issues in Islam at Six Universities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

There is considerable disagreement among Muslims in how Islam says about many gender issues. One factor that influences the ways in which people understand gender issues in Islam and deal with the associated controversy is the approach they take when reading and interpreting Islamic texts. Some research has been done on the variety of thoughts on Islamic studies, but mapping thoughts comprehensively on gender issues not yet explored. This paper maps the Muslims’ understanding of six contentious gender issues in Islam into three approaches: textualist/conservative, semi-textualist/moderate, and contextualist/progressive approaches. I document the diversity of thought among feminist and non-feminist Muslim intellectuals on gender issues (in the light of their faith) using documentation and in-depth interview techniques. 25 respondents (male and female) from six universities in Yogyakarta were selected in this research. Textualist/conservative and contextualist/progressive scholars show the most strongly contrasting views on gender issues in Islam. Semi-textualist/moderates present their views relatively flexibly: sometimes their views match those of the textualist/conservatives: sometimes they align closely with the contextualist/progressives. Based on their views and the arguments they present, semi-textualist/moderates’ and contextualist/progressives’ views seem close to the stance adopted by many Islamic Feminist. [Masih terdapat perbedaan pendapat antar umat Islam memahami isu gender. Salah satu faktor berpengaruh dalam pemahaman isu gender pada Islam adalah hal kontroversial dalam pendekatan pembacaan dan penafsiran teks agama. Beberapa penelitian telah mengkaji keragaman dalam pemikiran keislaman, namun pemetaan pemikiran secara komprehensif mengenai isu gender belum banyak. Tulisan ini memetakan pemahaman para feminis tentang enam isu gender dalam Islam di tiga kelompok (1) tekstual – konservatif, (2) semi tektual – moderat, dan (3) kontekstual – progresif. Artikel ini mengambil lapangan di 6 universitas Yogyakarta dengan wawancara lebih dari 25 informan laki – laki dan perempuan baik feminis dan non feminis. Kelompok tektualis dan kelompok kontekstual merupakan dua kelompok yang saling bertentangan dan kelompok semi tekstual lebih pada fleksibel. Terkadang pandangan ke tiga kelompok bergeser saling mendekat dan menjauh. Berdasarkan pandangan dan argumentasi ke tiga kelompok tersebut, semi tektual dan kontekstual menggambarkan kecondongan lebih banyak pada adopsi feminis muslim].

Islamic Radicalism: Between Accusation and Reality

This paper discusses about islamic radicalism is accusation or reality. The essence is that similar acts of radicalism are also carried out by people of other religions in the world. This signifies that radicalism is actually not an issue of Islam, but it is a matter of the human race, whatever religion is adopted. Apart from various views that unilaterally claim that radicalism is synonymous with Islam, the reality can be said that radicalism is also carried out by followers of other religions. The manifestation of acts of violence committed by the human ummah which do not exclude any legitimate religion that they adhere to is driven by despair towards various highly unwanted phenomena. Terror acts are the last alternative after various other choices have a dead end.

Trends in Public Administration Research: A Content Analysis of Iranian Journal Articles (2004-2017)

ABSTRACTThis study aims to examine the trends of public administration research in Iran during 2004–2017. A total of 520 articles from three databases have been reviewed and analyzed using content analysis. Results are reported based on research themes, purposes, orientations, methods, and authorship. Comparisons are made across two time spans and by journal type. Findings indicate that the focus of public administration research has been on issues of public administration, Islam and public administration, administrative performance, and organizational behavior in the public sector. Observations reveal that recent Iranian research studies have more explanatory purposes and often apply qualitative methods. The study also concludes that the Iranian public administration research has advanced considerably over the past 14 years, but more efforts are needed to fill in the gap in such important areas as new public service, civic participation, globalization, policy making, sound governance, and policy implementation.

The Issue of the Commercial Court Limited Competency in Settling the Commercial Disputes

The people’s need for justice through a special court is perceived urgent from time to time. The Commercial Court is an ad-hoc court but its competency has affected the competency of other permanent courts that are already established. The problems need to be answered in this writing regarding the multifunction of Commercial Court. The objectives of the writing, inter alia, to examine the possibility of the Commercial Court has specific rules to restrain its competency. Consequently, there is a need to have a law that specifically limits the competence and the procedural law of the ad-hoc court. The Commercial Court often resolves bankruptcy disputes. It is also used as a solution for the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) disputes which should be able to enter the criminal domain. It can also be used to solve the Islamic financing issues and other business issues that should be the realm of a permanent judicial institution. The existence of such a rule that limits the competency of the Commercial Court can be a way out of fulfilment of needs of the judiciary to reduce the overlap of court competency among the Indonesian judicial institutions

The Emergence of Violent Narratives in the Life-Course Trajectories of Online Forum Participants

Online discussion forums have been identified as an online social milieu that may facilitate the radicalization process, or the development of violent narratives for a minority of participants, notably youth. Yet, very little is known on the nature of the conversations youth have online, the emotions they convey, and whether or how the sentiments expressed in online narratives may change over time. Using Life Course Theory (LCT) and General Strain Theory (GST) as theoretical guidance, this article seeks to address the development of negative emotions in an online context, specifically whether certain turning points (such as entry into adulthood) are associated with a change in the nature of sentiments expressed online. A mixed methods approach is used, where the content of posts from a sample of 96 individuals participating in three online discussion forums focused on Islamic issues is analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to assess the nature and evolution of negative emotions. The results show that 1) minors have a wider range of sentiments than adults, 2) adults are more negative overall when compared to minors, and 3) both groups tended to become more negative over time. However, the most negative users of the sample did not show as much change as the others, remaining consistent in their narratives from the beginning to the end of the study period.

NORM CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC BANKING IN INDONESIA ON MURABAHAH INSTRUMENT TOWARDS BEYOND BANKING

The dynamics of Islamic banking since 2008 has grown rapidly after the enactment of Law Number 21 Year 2008 concerning Islamic Banking. Murabahah products undergo several stages of review or assessment in order to achieve compatibility between the fundamental aspects of its welfare and operations. The existence of various perceptions and implementations so far has become an important issue to be studied, considering the standardization of technical product which is a minimum standard, required as a reference for implementation products. This study used a type of doctrinal research, with textual inference procedures and qualitative descriptive analysis. The presents of Sharia or Islamic issues, legal issues and operational issues are several characteristics of norms stated in the Islamic Banking Law regarding murabahah instrument. Standard Book of murabahah products based on the Financial Services Authority Regulation which contains the capacity and service standards that are derived from important norms and guidelines in the operation of murabahah instrument. Understanding and implementing the Islamic banking industry brings together two dimensions of value, that are the value of professionals in the financial world and the value of compliance with sharia principles, one of which is the rules of commercial transaction that are not mixed with the rules of credit. These fundamental indicators determine the norm characteristics of Islamic banking in Indonesia. Thus, the construction of legal reforms for Islamic banks as beyond banking is well realized.

Muslims in Udmurtia: the present state and ways of maintaining their confessional identity

The present article is an attempt to evaluate the Islamic communities of Udmurtia in the broad context of current cultural, religious and social developments. The research is rather urgent: often the so-called “Islamic issues” are far from being positively referred to in the current media . This inadvertently contributes to the shaping in the public notion of an “Islamic Wahhabi terrorist” stereotype, which is then being automatically applied to everybody who worships in the mosque or clad in “Islamic” clothes. This incorrect perception of Muslims cannot be rectified or even improved by the existence of over 20 Islamic cultural organizations, which nowadays operate in Udrmurtia. The research methods include the analysis of various statistical data as well as collecting and the subsequent analysis of information regarding the activity of various Muslim communities as officially published in the on-line media. The result of the analysis can be summarized as follows: the cooperation between various Islamic cultural organizations and other national and cultural institutions can help to integrate newcomers in the already established religious structures. It has to be also stressed that the Islamic organizations have a significant potential to maintain the historical and cultural balance, which helps to build up connections between siloed organizations and individuals on one hand side and to stop the spreading the xenophobic and extremist ideas on the other. The avenues include among others a dialogue between Islamic communities and State organizations as well as pedagogical, parental and other groups, which aim to address wide circles of the local population.