Islamic Project Research Articles

Keuangan Sosial Islam dalam Tinjuan Maqosid Syariah

Islamic economics emerged as part of a larger project of Islamization in the field of economics. The Philanthropy is a concept that already exists in Islam, which aims for good. The effectiveness of philanthropy in efforts to reduce social inequality is inseparable from the role of philanthropic institutions that manage these activities. While the concept of maqasid sharia is the concept of benefit. And realizing benefit is the keyword for humans to recognize what is good for them. The rationale for benefit comes from the Qur'an and al-hadith, which are used by humans to create ijtihad and determine the idealized benefit in their lives and lives. Initially, the discourse on the concept of Maqashid Syariah was a separate sub-topic of the discipline of Ushul fiqh.

Civil Society in the Middle East During the Arab Spring and Socio-Political Transformations of the Late 2010s and Early 2020s

The paper analyses the development of civil society in the key Arab countries of the Greater Middle East – Egypt, Tunisia and Syria – through the 2000s and early 2020s. The research mainly focuses on identifying specific features of civic activity developing by various Islamic and Islamist organizations. Methodologically the paper utilizes a set of methods borrowed from history, sociology, Islamic studies and political science. The source base of the research includes a wide range of primary materials on the civic activity in various countries of the region and the author’s interviews conducted with politicians and public figures in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria. The author identifies and analyses the key factors that led to civil society activism and the multidirectional development of civil society organisations and activism in countries in the Middle East region during the “Arab Spring” and social protests of the late 2010s and early 2020s. He carefully examines the transformation of civil society in the Arab Middle East in close relation to new socio-political developments in the West in the 2010s and 2020s and the phenomenon of growing social and political subjectivity exhibited by Muslim diasporas in Europe. The article postulates the hypothesis of the emergence of leader countries with significant influence on Islamist civil society actors in the Middle East through whose influence the “Islamic project” is reinforced as a factor structuring civic engagement in key Arab states in the Middle East.

Islamic Infrastructure Project Finance: A Literature Review

Infrastructure plays an important role in supporting economic growth and competitiveness of a country, and well-developed infrastructure is often considered as the foundation for economic growth (Abdurraheem & Naim, 2018); (Amel et al, 2020). Infrastructure investment and economic growth are interrelated, because infrastructure improvements will have an impact on increasing economic growth, which in turn will encourage infrastructure investment (Selim et al, 2019). Infrastructure projects have a very large scope, long time span, and involve many stakeholders, and the need for investment in infrastructure also becomes less liquid (Mohamad, 2015). Infrastructure projects have two important characteristics that must be considered in terms of financing. The first is the long-term investment period and the second is the high cost involved in infrastructure projects (Manzoor et al, 2017). Most large-scale infrastructure projects are financed non-recourse to the sponsoring companies, this type of financing is commonly known as project finance (Camacho, 2005). Project finance has been implemented globally in infrastructure financing both in developed and developing countries. The current condition faced by developing countries, besides the high investment value required and short-term for financing in infrastructure development are the high interest rates (United Nations, 2021). Project finance with a sharia scheme (Islamic project finance) is expected to be one of the best alternatives in overcoming infrastructure financing problems. Sharia financing is the most appropriate instrument for infrastructure financing because the basic asset is the project itself that it can be used as a method for financing infrastructure investment (Abdulkareem & Mahmud, 2019) and other activities that are prohibited by Islamic finance principles (Rarasati et al, 2013). Keywords: Infrastructure; Long-term Investment; Project Finance; Sharia Scheme; Sukuk.

FRANSA’DAKİ TÜRK-İSLAM ALGISININ SİYASİ YANSIMALARI

İslam korkusu anlamına gelen İslamofobi Batı’da Müslümanlara karşı duyulan ayrımcılık, nefret, düşmanlık ve kin besleme gibi hisleri ifade etmektedir. Soğuk Savaş’ın son bulması ile birlikte Batılı ülkeler komünizmin yerine geçecek yeni düşman olarak İslamı seçmişler ve İslamı terörizmle bir tutmuşlardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı Fransa’daki İslamofobik politikaları ortaya koyarak bu politikaların yansımalarını analiz etmektir. Bu amaçla çalışmada şu soruların cevabı aranmaktadır: Avrupa ve Fransa’daki İslamofobi’nin ve İslomofobik politikaların temel nedeni nedir? Bu politikaların Fransız siyasetine ve toplumuna yansımaları nasıl olmuştur? 11 Eylül terör saldırısı sonrası gündeme getirilen Avrupa İslam’ı ve Fransa İslam’ı projesinin temel amacı nedir? Nitel çalışma olan bu araştırmada, elde edilen verilere göre yorumlayıcı yöntem izlenmiştir. Veriler ise literatür taraması sonucu elde edilmiştir. Ayrıca çalışmada Fransa gibi Avrupa ülkelerindeki Müslümanların, İslam karşıtı politikalar karşısında nasıl bir strateji izlemeleri gerektiği hususunda çözüm önerileri sunulmaktadır.

Islamic finance in the eyes of businesses and population of the CIS countries

In recent decades, Islamic finance has expanded its presence to many countries, including the post-Soviet space. The results of our research based on focus groups (in-depth discussions) with the population and business representatives have shown the public attitude to interest and usury, societal views on the place of Islamic banks and Islamic finance in the economy. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of Islamic financial projects implemented in the CIS countries have been revealed. The paper identifies forms of self-organization following the principles of Islamic finance in the conditions of their low accessibility for business and the population. Focus groups have allowed us to identify a serious demand for education and expansion of knowledge in this area. A wide palette of opinions and public perceptions of Islamic finance from positive and negative sides is shown.

“Darkening the Dark”: Assessing the Impact of Banditry on Educational and Socio-Economic Development in Northern Nigeria

Over these last few years, the Northern region of Nigeria has been ignited with spates of students’ abductions and ransom demands which throw parents, security agents, and government (both federal and states) into confusion. In fact, it has become an existential threat such that national dailies break even with captivating, yet regrettably stylistic reportage of this ugly menace. The popular discourse for this threat is rooted in the motive for financial gains. In contrast, this paper situates it within the context of education eradication and Islamization project. In this light, the paper aims to pigeonhole the interface between the rising menace of banditry in the Northern Nigeria and the mission of annihilating western education which would further set the region on the track of socio-economic backwardness and form the catalyst for Islamization. The current form of banditry has a close relationship with known terrorist groups in the Nigerian state ( Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Ansaru) and therefore, has common ideology of eradicating education in the region and setting the center stage for Islamization. Abduction of students and ransom collections are just logic in furtherance of the ideology. The paper does not involve field work; hence it adopts a qualitative approach that draws data from scholarly works, newspapers, and publications from international bodies. It recommends therefore, that government adopt a stick and carrot approach; provide more security around schools and prosecute identified sponsors and apprehended bandits.

‘Islamization of Knowledge’: a Utopian dream or a viable project? A critique of the views of two prominent Iranian proponents of the ‘Islamization Project’

ABSTRACT The main argument of the present paper is that although the intention of at least some of those individuals who are trying to produce ‘Islamized Knowledge’ may be admirable, the methods and approaches they have adopted is not conducive to the aim they have in mind. The paper consists of the following parts: a short introduction (Sec. 0); a brief history of the ‘Islamization of Knowledge’ (Sec. I); A brief account of the main tenets of the theoretical framework which informs the present study, namely, Critical Rationalism (Sec. II); a short assessment of the general defects of all projects of Islamization of knowledge (Sec. III); a critical evaluation of the views of two contemporary Iranian advocates of the ‘Islamization of Knowledge’ (Secs. IV & V); and the conclusion (Sec. VI).

Introduction: “Love Jihad”: Sexuality, Reproduction and the Construction of the Predatory Muslim Male

The Introduction to this Special Issue on ‘“Love Jihad”: Sexuality, Reproduction and the Construction of the Predatory Muslim Male’ provides a theoretical overview and suggests an analytical lens for how to understand “Love Jihad” and related notions of Islamization through marriage, sexuality, and reproduction. We define “Love Jihad” as the notion that Muslim men intentionally and strategically allure and entrap non-Muslim women with the intent to marry and convert them to Islam as part of an Islamization project. We suggest a two-fold understanding of the concept of “Love Jihad”. First, the concept needs to be understood as a globalizing trope, originating from India and spreading to a wide range of cultural and national contexts across the world. Second, we propose to understand the specific term “love jihad” beyond its referential specificity, and thereby broadening it into an analytical concept for exploring related concepts (such as “sexual jihad” and “demographic jihad”), as well as related notions of Muslim men as sexual predators (in certain geographical settings known as “rapefugees”). We therefore include in our analysis related notions such as Islamic womb fare, “grooming”, “The Great Replacement”, and “unethical conversion” in marriage where they relate to flows of gendered nationalist imaginaries of the Muslim “Other”. The aim of this Introduction—as well as the Special Issue—is to contribute to the study of Islamophobia as a global phenomenon and to deepen our understanding of the gendered imaginaries of anti-Muslim nationalist formations across the world.

Исламский финтех: цифровизация исламских финансов

Over the past decade, the development of the fintech sector has been becoming one of the characteristics of Islamic finance. What are the key markets? Who are the investors? What areas of business are Islamic fintech companies represented by? This paper considers above questions by investigating more than 240 Islamic fintech companies, the data on which gathered from IFN Fintech Landscape and Crunchbase. The results of our study show that, firstly, the geography of origin and coverage of Islamic fintech companies is not limited to the countries of the Middle East (79 companies) and Southeast Asia (71), but also includes the developed markets of Western Europe (58 companies) and America (20). Moreover, the most attractive jurisdiction for the incorporation of such companies is the UK (18% of all Islamic fintech companies were created here). In the Middle East, such a center of gravity is the UAE (13%). Two markets in Southeast Asia – Indonesia and Malaysia – form almost a quarter (24%) of the global Islamic fintech. In addition, Islamic fintech is expanding financial inclusion in Africa, where 11 Islamic fintech companies have been established; secondly, 91% of all Islamic fintech projects were created in the last 10 years, and 58% in the last 5 years. The peak of activity in this sector fell on the period of 2017 and 2018, when 37 and 39 companies were created, respectively; thirdly, we classify the Islamic fintech into seven broad categories namely, P2P financing (39 companies), neobanks (38), payment services (37), asset management (35), blockchain and cryptocurrency (20), charity (16), real estate (15), among which the most successful cases are considered. In addition, 44 business initiatives were initiated in the field of other near-financial services, including business consulting, analytical support, etc.; fourthly, based on the financial data for 72 Islamic fintech companies in Crunchbase, we estimate the total volume of investments in the Islamic fintech at more than $2.44 bln, almost half of which fell on neobanks ($1.2 bln). If we exclude three mega-investments of more than $300 mln, then the average investment into one Islamic fintech company is $19.9 mln, and if we exclude eight investments worth more than $100 mln – $9.1 mln. Investors of Islamic fintech companies are mainly venture capital funds that finance businesses on the risk-sharing principle. The geography of such funds is not limited to the countries of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, but also includes Western countries (USA, UK, Germany, and Switzerland). We note that at the initial stage, many Islamic fintech projects undergo business mentoring and acceleration programs in special accelerators, including the leading Y Combinator (USA); fifth, we identify five Islamic fintech companies from the CIS, besides, we find Russian-speaking founders of five Islamic fintech companies established in the UAE, Singapore and UK. In addition, we identify Russian venture fund that has invested in two Islamic fintech companies in Bahrain and UAE. Thus, the features of Islamic fintech that we have identified show that the complex and intertwined world of finance is not constrained by borders and prejudices, but the only investment efficiency criteria is the optimal risk-to-reward ratio.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВНІСТЬ ГЕОЕКОНОМІЧНИХ ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЙ В КОНТЕКСТІ ІСНУЮЧИХ ТА ПОТЕЦІЙНИХ ГЛОБАЛЬНИХ ПРОЕКТІВ

The article is devoted to the problem of the formation of a complex contradictory postglobal world, where traditional centers of power are losing their own potential, and new ones are only undergoing formation, acquiring, with the exception of the Chinese and Islamic projects, only regional significance so far. In this context, it has been determined that the key driving factor for the destruction of the global environment is the accumulated contradictions pushing the institutionalized participants to conflicts and clashes. It is noted that the latter will not have the character of traditional wars, because their main goals contradict modern pragmatism and practicality in the process of realization of national economic interests in the global burden. It is shown that the only option for the states, which do not have, do not want or cannot create their own regional or global centers of influence, is deglobalization with the concentration of efforts on supporting the domestic economic complex and implementation of the self-sufficiency strategy, which guarantees the preservation of economic sovereignty and the possibility of a relatively stable existence in the long run. The article shows that in this regard it is necessary to provide maximum support to the national corporate sector, eliminate participation in dubious and costly global collective projects, increase funding for innovation-oriented sectors of the economy and to organize an effective vertical of power and governance. At the same time, it is stated that those economic centers that are able to ensure regional influence (Brazil, India, Turkey, Iran) today, due to their involvement in the implementation of such projects, feel significant difficulties and economic problems. This is due to the need to bear the economic and political costs of expansionism and to guarantee stability and influence in the region. The article stresses the necessity to reorient key state strategies in favor of self elaborated design of national economic complexes and resource findings, making the transition to the deglobalization costful and risky.

The Islamization of Knowledge and Its Efforts to Neutralize The Idea of Liberal Islām: A Descriptive Study

This study deals with the conflict between the Islamization of knowledge and the liberalism of Islam. The necessity of the project of Islamization of knowledge is to be purifying from Western influences and elements in thought and human sciences because they do not suitable the Islamic world view. The phenomenon of liberal Islam became one of the challenges of Islamization of knowledge to reach its goals. The study aims to present the efforts that have been made to neutralize the idea of liberal Islam. The study was based on the descriptive approach by studying the concept of Islamization of knowledge and liberal Islam and tracing the history of them in Indonesia and Malaysia. From the results of the study: The researchers concluded that the Islamization of knowledge project has exerted its efforts in various activities to implement the neutralization of the elements that are affected by the Western world view in science and thought generally. Most of the activities revolved around editorial and publishing activities, discussions, lectures and scientific debates, and the establishment of social and scientific institutions or organizations.

The Roots of the Sadrist Movement: Muhammad al-Sadr, Religious Authority, and Sociopolitical Practice

Based on Ba'th Party archival records, interviews, and secondary sources, this article aims to reconstruct and contextualize the story of Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, the Shi'i cleric who led a grassroots religious movement in the 1990s that still plays a major role in Iraq. The article argues that the Sadrist movement and its project of social Islamization were a result of Sadr's enlistment of grassroots support to challenge his rivals in the Shi'i religious field during a leadership vacuum amid the decline of the clerical establishment's influence.

APPROPRIASI TEORI KRITIS OLEH PARA PEMIKIR MUSLIM

Critical Theory, especially of the Frankfurt School variant, is one of the theoretical and methodological lenses used quite often by contemporary Islamic thinkers. One thinker who is explicit in his adoption and adaptation of the thinking of the Frankfurt School is Fawzia Gilani-Williams who proposes an "Islamic Critical Theory". This article responds to her thought and at the same time departs from it to explore further the acceptance of this neo-Marxist thought in the discourse developed by Muslim intellectuals. At the same time, this article provides a response to the Islamization project of this idea, but also shows that at the most basic critical point, there is a parallelism between the Islamic ideals and the ideological ideals of the Frankfurt School Critical Theory.

APPROPRIASI TEORI KRITIS OLEH PARA PEMIKIR MUSLIM

Critical Theory, especially of the Frankfurt School variant, is one of the theoretical and methodological lenses used quite often by contemporary Islamic thinkers. One thinker who is explicit in his adoption and adaptation of the thinking of the Frankfurt School is Fawzia Gilani-Williams who proposes an "Islamic Critical Theory". This article responds to her thought and at the same time departs from it to explore further the acceptance of this neo-Marxist thought in the discourse developed by Muslim intellectuals. At the same time, this article provides a response to the Islamization project of this idea, but also shows that at the most basic critical point, there is a parallelism between the Islamic ideals and the ideological ideals of the Frankfurt School Critical Theory.

Islam as the Core Methodology of International Relations in Islamic Universities in Indonesia

This condition reminds us of the vital role and urgency of developing a methodology of Islamic international relations. In response to this issue, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of the development and application of Islamic international relation methods in Indonesian Universities, in this case, taking the example of three universities: Darussalam University (UNIDA) Gontor, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), and UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. These three universities were chosen because they officially declared the development of Islamization or integration of science in the curriculum of the international relations study program. This study aims to analyze the methodological model of Islamic international relations in three universities to be compared and evaluated for their implementation. This type of research was qualitative descriptive by taking the research settings at UNIDA, UMY, and UIN Sunan Ampel. Data collection techniques were through observation, interviews, and limited discussion. Data analysis utilized an interactive model with a four-component analysis approach: data reduction, data analysis, data clarification, and drawing conclusions carried out actively and interactively with source persons as the primary data sources equipped with several secondary sources. This study found that these three universities used three different methods in embodying the concept of Islam in international relations. UNIDA Gontor has its Islamization project, UMY has Islam as the curriculum characteristic, and UIN Sunan Ampel has the integrated twin tower concept. Although these three models have elementary differences, they have the spirit of developing the internalization of Islamic studies in the study of international relations.

Jejak Pesantren di Madura; Dari Islamisasi hingga Dinamika Lembaga

Many researchers need to work hard to build the history of the Islamization of Madura so that it is fully structured. This is because facts have mingled with legend. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the Islamization of Madura with historical facts obtained from library and field data. The approach used in this research is qualitative with historical sociology perspective. The results of this study reveal that there are two paths to Islamization of Madura, namely the royal path and the path of the da'i or better known as Walisongo. The royal line necessitated that the Islamization of Madura was through the royal leaders and nobles. Because the kings are Muslim, their descendants follow Islam and are followed by the residents under them who also embrace Islam. Meanwhile, from the da'i line, the process of Islamization of Madura is a continuation of the mega project of Islamization of the Nusantara which was very massive between the 7th century to the 15th century. Both paths are strengthened by pesantren - as typical Islamic educational institutions of the Nusantara - which are spread throughout Madura.

Http://jibas.org/index.php/jibas/article/view/2

This article briefly throws lights on the growing new trend of mobilizing Islamic finance in Infrastructure projects globally and nationally, in Pakistan. An estimate of global infrastructure needs has been studied in the light of some steamed reports. The potential of Islamic finance, especially Sukook model on preferal basis, has been described as an alternative building block of Islamic project financing.

The Effectiveness of Islamic Project Module Towards Formation KEMAS Kindergarten Children Values

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of using the Islamic Project© Module by preschool teachers in the development of KEMAS kindergarten children in the state of Kelantan. This module seeks to provide significant and critical data on the integration of values in subject-matter teaching. The Modified Delphi technique was used to get consensus for the different module components. Experts from different educational fields fully involved in the module development. The respondents were 100 teachers from 100 government sponsored-kindergarten in the rural areas (TABIKA KEMAS) in Kelantan. All participating teachers were given 3 days of intensive training before implementing the Moral project approach. Using Kirkpatrick's 4-Level Assessment Model, the results of this study clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of this intervention model. Repeated measure of the ANCOVA analysis also showed that there were significant differences in comparisons between the intervention (experimental) and control groups. The findings further revealed a significant increase in teacher practice score change between the intervention and control groups over time (F-stat = 528.71, p-value = <0.001); and control over time (p-value = <0.001). Additionally, a significant increase in teacher attitude score change between the intervention and control groups (p-value = <0.001) was also recorded.

«Арийский миф» как фронтирный случай изобретения традиций и исторического воображения незападных национализмов

Автор анализирует особенности генезиса и истории арийского мифа в иранском, индийском и таджикском национализме как фронтирных случаях развития национализма.
 Автор анализирует развитие арийского мифа во фронтирных националистических воображениях: во-первых, предполагается, что индийские националисты имели опыт использования арийского мифа, но арийская идея никогда не принадлежала к числу центральных в идеологии национализма; во-вторых, автор полагает, что иранские политические элиты, которые пытались модернизировать и вестернизировать Иран, использовали арийский миф, потому что пытались подменить мусульманские религиозные основания иранской идентичности арийскими, воображаемыми ими как более светские; в-третьих, таджикские националисты, как полагает автор статьи, смогли использовать арийский миф только после десоветизации страны и распада СССР как один из инструментов политической мобилизации для борьбы с радикальным исламским проектом.

Markets of Islam: performative charity and the Muslim middle classes in Turkey

ABSTRACT This article examines the ways in which middle class Muslims in Turkey talk about Islamic ‘community’ and analyses these discourses in relation to the phenomenon of market Islam. The evidence is drawn from the author’s ethnographic fieldwork with donors, managers, and volunteers of a government friendly Islamic NGO, the Light House (Deniz Feneri Sosyal Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Derneği) in 2009–2010, followed by subsequent trips in 2013 and 2015. I argue that Islamic charity is not merely a calculative economic behaviour or a reflection of deep-seated religious values, but rather a performative site of market Islam. In seeking to reconcile a faith-based understanding of charity with diverse interpretations of the neoliberal economy, I show that middle-class Muslims adhered to two discourses of ‘community’: whereas donors saw charitable giving as a market-enhancing mechanism, NGO managers defined their charitable work as part of an Islamic project focused on economic redistribution. Although they conceptualized the relationship between faith and markets in divergent ways, both discourses of market Islam posit ‘community’ as an intrinsic component of governing the poor in Turkey.