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Islamic Capital Markets and Products: Managing Capital and Liquidity Requirements Under Basel III
by Simon Archer Rifaat Ahmed KarimEnsure Basel III compliance with expert analysis specific to Islamic Finance Islamic Capital Markets and Products provides a thorough examination of Islamic capital markets (ICM), with particular attention to the products that they offer and the legal and regulatory infrastructure within which they operate. Since Islamic banks act as asset managers, attention is paid to the regulatory challenges which they face in the light of Basel III, as regards both eligible capital and liquidity risk management. The authors of the chapters are professionals and practitioners, and write from experience. The editors also contributed to some of the chapters. The markets and products covered include Islamic equities, Islamic investment certificates (Sukūk) which are Shari'ah compliant alternatives to conventional bonds, and Islamic Collective Investment Schemes. The coverage of legal and regulatory issues includes an examination of the implications for ICM of securities laws and regulations and of Basel III, as well as collateralisation issues. Shari'ah compliance aspects, in terms both of the selection criteria for Islamic equities and of the 'purification' of impermissible components of income, are also examined in some detail, as are the implications of Basel III for eligible capital in general and for Shari'ah compliant capital instruments in particular. A similar analysis is also made of the implications of the Basel III requirements for liquidity risk management and high quality liquid assets (HQLA), including Shari'ah compliant HQLA. The book concludes with three case studies, two describing the ICM in Malaysia and Bahrain and a third which describes Sukūk issued as Shari'ah compliant capital instruments, followed by brief concluding remarks by the editors.
Islamic Capital Markets: The Structure, Formation and Management of Sukuk (Islamic Business and Finance Series)
by M. Ishaq Bhatti Imam Uddin Rabia Sabri Muhammad Omer Rafique Muhammad AsadUllahThis book offers a unique, in-depth, and up-to-date overview of Islamic banking and finance, capital markets, and sukuks at the grassroots level. It deals with one of the most potent and increasingly popular financial instruments. It defines and explores the differences between conventional and Sukuk bonds and also examines the integration of Sukuk in various country contexts and both Muslim and non-Muslim economies. The book consists of five core topics. First, it describes the evolution of the Islamic finance industry and capital markets; second, it discusses the basic features and instruments of Islamic banking; and third, it illustrates the current state of capital markets and Islamic finance. The book then examines the development of Sukuk in Islamic capital markets and Shariah perspectives and, finally, briefly discusses the structure of Sukuks and its development in the context of Pakistan. In a nutshell, this book provides a basic understanding of Islamic financial instruments, their implementation in different regions, and their points of differentiation from conventional modes of finance; therefore, it will be a useful addition to the literature for scholars, researchers, and students of Islamic banking and finance.
Islamic Civilization
by Sayyid Abul Mawdudi Syed AkifMawdudi argues that the true understanding of Islamic civilization is possible only by having access to the soul of that civilization and its underlying fundamental principles - belief in God, the angels, the Prophets, the Revealed Books and the Last Day - rather than to its manifestations in knowledge, literature, fine arts, social life or its system of governance.
Islamic Civilization in South Asia: A History of Muslim Power and Presence in the Indian Subcontinent
by Burjor AvariMuslims have been present in South Asia for 14 centuries. Nearly 40% of the people of this vast land mass follow the religion of Islam, and Muslim contribution to the cultural heritage of the sub-continent has been extensive. This textbook provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as the general reader, with a comprehensive account of the history of Islam in India, encompassing political, socio-economic, cultural and intellectual aspects. Using a chronological framework, the book discusses the main events in each period between c. 600 CE and the present day, along with the key social and cultural themes. It discusses a range of topics, including: How power was secured, and how was it exercised The crisis of confidence caused by the arrival of the West in the sub-continent How the Indo-Islamic synthesis in various facets of life and culture came about Excerpts at the end of each chapter allow for further discussion, and detailed maps alongside the text help visualise the changes through each time period. Introducing the reader to the issues concerning the Islamic past of South Asia, the book is a useful text for students and scholars of South Asian History and Religious Studies.
Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives: The First 1,000 Years
by Chase F. RobinsonReligious thinkers, political leaders, lawmakers, writers, and philosophers have shaped the 1,400-year-long development of the world's second-largest religion. But who were these people? What do we know of their lives and the ways in which they influenced their societies? In Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives, the distinguished historian of Islam Chase F. Robinson draws on the long tradition in Muslim scholarship of commemorating in writing the biographies of notable figures, but he weaves these ambitious lives together to create a rich narrative of Islamic civilization, from the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century to the era of the world conquerer Timur and the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in the fifteenth. Beginning in Islam’s heartland, Mecca, and ranging from North Africa and Iberia in the west to Central and East Asia, Robinson not only traces the rise and fall of Islamic states through the biographies of political and military leaders who worked to secure peace or expand their power, but also discusses those who developed Islamic law, scientific thought, and literature. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of rich and diverse Islamic societies. Alongside the famous characters who colored this landscape—including Muhammad’s cousin ’Ali; the Crusader-era hero Saladin; and the poet Rumi—are less well-known figures, such as Ibn Fadlan, whose travels in Eurasia brought fascinating first-hand accounts of the Volga Vikings to the Abbasid Caliph; the eleventh-century Karima al-Marwaziyya, a woman scholar of Prophetic traditions; and Abu al-Qasim Ramisht, a twelfth-century merchant millionaire. An illuminating read for anyone interested in learning more about this often-misunderstood civilization, this book creates a vivid picture of life in all arenas of the pre-modern Muslim world.
Islamic Commercial Law
by Muhammad Yusuf SaleemA concise study of the practices in Islamic commercial lawFilling a gap in the current literature, Islamic Commercial Law is the only book available that combines the theory and practice of Islamic commercial law in an English-language text. From the experts at the International Islamic University Malaysia, the book examines the source materials in the Qur'an and Hadith, and highlights the views and positions of leading schools of Islamic law, without burying the reader in juristic minutia. It combines theory with practice to address the needs of students while providing a pragmatic treatment of Islamic contracts. It provides diagrams for individual contracts to reveal the type and nature of the contractual relationships between parties and discusses all types of fundamental transactions, including sales, loans, debt transfers, partnerships, and more.Written by experts from the International Islamic University Malaysia, the leading organisation in research in Islamic financeCloses a vital gap in the English-language literature on Islamic commercial lawFeatures end-of-chapter questions to enable self-testing and provoke critical thinkingAn ideal guide for current students, researchers, and practitioners, Islamic Commercial Law offers a concise yet comprehensive coverage of the subject.
Islamic Conversation: Sohbet and Ethics in Contemporary Turkey (Routledge Islamic Studies Series)
by Smita Tewari JassalThe book evaluates on-going ethical conversations to learn how emotional communication is received, teachings are internalized, and a religious world-view is brought to life. Exploring how religious values saturate people’s consciousness to induce subtle shifts in moral and ethical sensibilities, this book is about people’s practices that illuminate how Islam is lived. Based on fieldwork conducted in Ankara between 2010 and 2016, the study enquires into people’s ethical, religious, and moral motivations through the use of the ethnographic method and "thick description". Conversations and interviews with officials, community leaders, students, entrepreneurs, professionals, and blue-collar workers were subjected to close scrutiny to foreground societal change and churning. To capture perspectives absent or deliberately overlooked in mainstream public discourse and scholarship, fieldwork was conducted in locations ranging from homes, offices, and university dorms to the shrines of saints. In listening closely to how people talk about their religious practices, the book addresses the question of how Islamic subjectivities are being forged in Turkey. The study unveils how people are pushed to re-think old practices and attitudes in the process of reinterpreting Islam in light of contemporary concerns. Filling a gap in the literature where micro-level, grounded analyses of culture and society are relatively rare, this book is a key resource for readers interested in the anthropology of religion and gender, ethnography, Turkey, and the Middle East.
Islamic Culture Through Jewish Eyes: Al-Andalus from the Tenth to Twelfth Century (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Literatures)
by Esperanza AlfonsoIslamic Culture Through Jewish Eyes analyzes the attitude towards Muslims, Islam, and Islamic culture as presented in sources written by Jewish authors in the Iberian Peninsula between the tenth and the twelfth centuries. By bringing the Jewish attitude towards the "other" into sharper focus, this book sets out to explore a largely overlooked and neglected question – the shifting ways in which Jewish authors constructed communal identity of Muslims and Islamic culture, and how these views changed overtime. The book’s methodological sophistication and wide range of sources make it a valuable resource for scholars and researchers of comparative literature and cultural studies.
Islamic Culture in Crisis: A Reflection on Civilizations in History
by Hichem DjaitIslamic Culture in Crisis examines efforts by intellectuals and leaders in the Islamic world to adapt to what Hichem Djait calls the "incredible novelty of modernity" that has come to Europe during the past 150 years. The chapters in the work are grouped into three sections, and were written by the author over a twenty-year period. Djait describes the different meanings of modernity, the crisis of Islamic culture in its encounter with modernity, similarities and differences between Arabs and Muslims and other cultures, the politics of the Arabs, and the force of democracy in the Islamic world. In the sphere of politics, the Arabs have been excluded from history for a very long time. Instead, Turks, Mongols, Berbers, Persians, and Caucasians have led the destinies of the Islamic world, a domain that had become politically fragmented. But history has overlooked the concrete developments of that time, although they were full of consequences for the lives of the people. Paradoxically, what remains are the spiritual, trans-historic elements: religion, culture, and science. Contrasting the achievements of other civilizations, both past and present, Djait demonstrates eloquently that Arabs and Muslims will not be able to connect with the modern world unless they are able to be inspired by a supreme ambition to further the causes of high culture-in knowledge, science, art, literature, and other spheres.
Islamic Development Management: Recent Advancements and Issues
by Noor Zahirah Mohd Sidek Roshima Said Wan Norhaniza Wan HasanThis book examines a range of current issues in Islamic development management. The first part of the book explores practical issues in governance and the application of Islamic governance in new areas such as quality management systems and the tourism industry, while the second delves into questions of sustainability. The book proposes a new Islamic sustainability and offers new perspectives on CSR in connection with waqf (Islamic endowments) and microfinance. The third part of the book addresses Islamic values and how they are applied in entrepreneurship, inheritance, consumer behavior and marketing. The fourth part examines the issues of waqf and takaful (a form of insurance in line with the Islamic laws), while the fifth discusses the fiqh (the study of Islamic legal codes) and legal framework from the perspectives of entrepreneurship, higher education, reporting and inheritance (wills). The final chapter is dedicated to the application of Islamic principles in various other issues.Written in an accessible style, the book will appeal to newcomers to the field, as well as researchers and academics with an interest in Islamic development management.
Islamic Divorce in the Twenty-First Century: A Global Perspective (Politics of Marriage and Gender: Global Issues in Local Contexts)
by Dorothea Schulz Elisa Giunchi Katherine Lemons Erin E. Stiles Ayang Utriza Yakin Nathalie Bernard-Maugiron Fatima Essop Fulera Issaka-Toure Jean-Michel Landry Souleymane Diallo Rune Steenberg Nadia HussainIslamic Divorce in the 21st Century shows the wide range of Muslim experiences in marital disputes and in seeking Islamic divorces. For Muslims, having the ability to divorce in accordance with Islamic law is of paramount importance. However, Muslim experiences of divorce practice differ tremendously. The chapters in this volume discuss Islamic divorce from West Africa to Southeast Asia, and each story explores aspects of the everyday realities of disputing and divorcing Muslim couples face in the twenty-first century. The book’s cross-cultural and comparative look at Islamic divorce indicates that Muslim divorces are impacted by global religious discourses on Islamic authority, authenticity, and gender; by global patterns of and approaches to secularity; and by global economic inequalities and attendant patterns of urbanization and migration. Studying divorce as a mode of Islamic law in practice shows us that the Islamic legal tradition is flexible, malleable, and context-dependent.
Islamic Doctrines and Political Liberalism: Muslim's Sincere Support (The Modern Muslim World)
by Gozde HussainThis book delves into the compatibility of Islam with liberal values, engaging in a comparative analysis of Islamic moral language and John Rawls's liberal democratic ideas. Rawls, a prominent modern liberal political philosopher, posits that diverse moral and religious doctrines in a pluralistic society should align with the principles of a liberal democratic political culture. The author shares Rawls's assumptions and maps out a spectrum of Islamic orthodoxy positions to assess the plausibility of reconciling Islamic doctrines with a liberal political order. While acknowledging that such compatibility is not the mainstream outlook, the book argues that it's feasible through reasonable interpretations of Islamic sources.The central question addressed is the realism of observant Muslims endorsing a liberal democratic state from within their doctrinal tradition. By examining a range of Islamic orthodoxy positions, the book demonstrates that Muslims can theoretically find Islamic reasons, rooted in acceptable interpretations of divine sources, to justify their commitment to a liberal state. Furthermore, it provides moral reasons and strategies for the liberal state to address incompatible Islamic doctrines, ensuring Muslims can maintain religious practices without an Islamic political authority. This theoretical framework offers insights for future empirical and theoretical studies on Muslims navigating pluralistic liberal societies, making it a vital contribution to the discourse on Islam and liberalism.
Islamic Economics and COVID-19: The Economic, Social and Scientific Consequences of a Global Pandemic (Routledge Focus on Economics and Finance)
by Masudul Alam ChoudhuryThis book is a timely exploration of an unprecedented, cataclysmic pandemic episode. It examines certain critical aspects of socio-scientific theory across a variety of diverse themes, and through an epistemic lens. The book investigates the general theory of pandemic episodes and their adverse long-term effects on human and environmental wellbeing. It includes an in-depth study of COVID-19 but also looks to the future to contemplate potential pandemics to come. The existing approach to the study of pandemics is critically examined in terms of the prevalent isolated and thus mutated way of viewing human and mechanical relations in the name of specialization and modernity. The book presents a novel model of science-economy-society moral inclusiveness that forms a distinctive theoretical approach to the issue of normalizing all forms of pandemic challenges. It is methodologically different from existing economic theory, including the critical study of microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics. Human and environmental existence along with its multidisciplinary outlook of unity of knowledge between modernity, traditionalism, and socio-cultural values is emphasized in the treatment and cure of pandemic episodes. The book is a unique reference work, offering fresh wisdom within the moral methodological worldview.
Islamic Economics and Financial Crisis (Islamic Business and Finance Series)
by Akkas, Edited by ErhanThis book explores the causes of the current economic crisis, evaluates the foundational principles of capitalism that contribute to crises, and investigates how an Islamic economic and banking system could play a role in fostering global stability.It includes theoretical and empirical analysis and assesses the resilience of the Islamic economic system and Islamic financial institutions in the face of economic and financial crises, with a particular focus on Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. Furthermore, the effects of these crises on income and wealth distribution are discussed. The book compares Islamic and conventional economics in response to economic crises, both across countries and financial institutions and provides a brief analysis of financial crises from a theoretical point of view, examining various approaches. It addresses the issue of the relevance of all these theories in relation to the present crisis and draws useful policy implications. Thereafter, it discusses how the Islamic financial system could serve to mitigate the occurrence of a financial crisis, since the prohibition of riba, maysir, and gharar transactions offers a solution to financial crisis from speculative bubbles and crash. It also discusses some of the challenges facing the Islamic finance industry.This is a useful guide for researchers and advanced students of Islamic Economics and Finance.
Islamic Economics as Mesoscience: A New Paradigm of Knowledge
by Masudul Alam ChoudhuryThis book presents the building blocks of Islamic economics as meso-science, offering an in-depth study of the Qur’anic worldview of the monotheistic unity of knowledge, which is the universal and unique message of Tawhid in the Qur’an. This primal ontological premise is formalised in an analytical approach that introduces and unpacks the philosophical concepts of ontology, epistemology, and phenomenology in relation to the Tawhidi methodological worldview. The analysis of Qur’anic logical consistency is then cast in a phenomenological perspective by applying the complete model of the unity of knowledge of the Qur’an in a specific study of the Tawhidi methodological approach to Islamic financial-economic theory. In doing so, it tackles the problems of meso-economics given its socio-scientific holism in world affairs. It hones in on the results of the symbiotic modulation of evolutionary learning processes in the world system of the unity of knowledge and its material embedding across knowledge, and knowledge-induced space and time dimensions. The author poses that Shari’ah is only partial in its scope, and excludes an analytical methodological worldview. Shari’ah is thus cast in the midst of a meso-socio-scientific absence of any appertaining methodology. The book is a landmark work in the conceptual and applied understanding of Tawhid as the methodological worldview of the monotheistic unity of knowledge in the meso-socio-scientific realm of ‘everything’, particularised to Islamic economics. Adopting an inter-disciplinary view integrating various fields, it challenges pervasive Western academic and institutional thinking in terms of economics. It will be of interest to students and researchers in Islamic economics, religious theory, Islamic philosophy, development studies, and finance.
Islamic Economics: Theory and Practice
by Abul Hassan M.A. ChoudhuryThis book is a comprehensive study, which provides informed knowledge within the field of Islamic economics. The authors lay down the principal philosophical foundation of a unique and universal theory of Islamic economics by contrasting it with the perspectives of mainstream economics. The methodological part of the theory of Islamic economics arises from the ethical foundations of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet) along with learned exegeses in an epistemological derivation of the postulates and formalism of Islamic economics. This foundational methodology will be contrasted with the contemporary approaches of the random use of mainstream economic theory in Islamic economics. The book establishes the methodological foundation as the primal and most fundamental premise of the study leading to scientific formalism and the prospect of its application. By way of its Islamic epistemological explanation (philosophical premise) in the form of logical formalism and the use of simple real-world examples, the authors show the reader that the scientific nature of economics in general and Islamic economics in particular rests on the conception of the scientific worldview. With its uniquely comparative approach to mainstream economics, this book facilitates a greater understanding of Islamic economic concepts. Senior undergraduate and graduate students will gain exposure to Islamic perspectives of micro- and macroeconomics, money, public finance, and development economics. Additionally, this book will be useful to practitioners seeking a greater comprehension of the nature of Islamic economics. It will also enable policymakers to better understand the mechanism of converting institutions, such as public and social policy perspectives.
Islamic Ecumene: Comparing Muslim Societies
by David S. Powers and Eric TagliacozzoThe essays in Islamic Ecumene address the ways in which Muslims from Morocco to Indonesia and from sub-Saharan Africa to the steppes of Uzbekistan are members of a broad cultural unit. Although the Muslim inhabitants of these lands speak dozens of languages, represent numerous ethnic groups, and practice diverse forms of Islam, they are united by shared practices and worldviews shaped by religious identity. To highlight these commonalities, the co-editors invited a team of scholars from a wide range of disciplines to examine Muslim societies in comparative and interconnected ways. The result is a book that showcases ethics, education, architecture, the arts, modernization, political resistance, marriage, divorce, and death rituals. Using the insights and methods of historians, anthropologists, literary critics, art historians, political scientists, and sociologists, Islamic Ecumene seeks to understand Islamic identity as a dynamic phenomenon that is reflected in the multivalent practices of the more than one billion people across the planet who identify as Muslims.
Islamic Education and Indoctrination: The Case in Indonesia (Routledge Research in Education)
by Charlene TanIslamic schools, especially madrasahs, have been viewed as sites of indoctrination for Muslim students and militants. Some educators and parents in the United States have also regarded introductory courses on Islam in some public schools as indoctrinatory. But what do we mean by "indoctrination"? And is Islamic education indoctrinatory? This book critically discusses the concept of indoctrination in the context of Islamic education. It explains that indoctrination occurs when a person holds to a type of beliefs known as control beliefs that result in ideological totalism. Using Indonesia as an illustrative case study, the book expounds on the conditions for an indoctrinatory tradition to exist and thrive. Examples include the Islamic school co-founded by Abu Bakar Ba’asyir and the militant organisation Jemaah Islamiyah. The book further proposes ways to counter and avoid indoctrination through formal, non-formal, and informal education. It argues for the creation and promotion of educative traditions that are underpinned by religious pluralism, strong rationality, and strong autonomy. Examples of such educative Muslim traditions in Indonesia will be highlighted. Combining philosophical inquiry with empirical research, this book is a timely contribution to the study of contemporary and often controversial issues in Islamic education.
Islamic Education in Africa: Writing Boards and Blackboards
by Robert LaunayWriting boards and blackboards are emblematic of two radically different styles of education in Islam. The essays in this lively volume address various aspects of the expanding and evolving range of educational choices available to Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa. Contributors from the United States, Europe, and Africa evaluate classical Islamic education in Africa from colonial times to the present, including changes in pedagogical methods--from sitting to standing, from individual to collective learning, from recitation to analysis. Also discussed are the differences between British, French, Belgian, and Portuguese education in Africa and between mission schools and Qur'anic schools; changes to the classical Islamic curriculum; the changing intent of Islamic education; the modernization of pedagogical styles and tools; hybrid forms of religious and secular education; the inclusion of women in Qur'anic schools; and the changing notion of what it means to be an educated person in Africa. A new view of the role of Islamic education, especially its politics and controversies in today's age of terrorism, emerges from this broadly comparative volume.
Islamic Empires: The Cities That Shaped Civilization?from Mecca To Dubai
by Justin MarozziA history of the rich and diverse civilizations over fifteen centuries of Islam seen through its greatest cities. Islamic civilization was once the envy of the world. From a succession of glittering, cosmopolitan capitals, Islamic empires lorded it over the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and swathes of the Indian subcontinent, while Europe cowered feebly at the margins. For centuries the caliphate was both ascendant on the battlefield and triumphant in the battle of ideas, its cities unrivaled powerhouses of artistic grandeur, commercial power, spiritual sanctity, and forward-looking thinking, in which nothing was off limits. Islamic Empires is a history of this rich and diverse civilization told through its greatest cities over the fifteen centuries of Islam, from its earliest beginnings in Mecca in the seventh century to the astonishing rise of Doha in the twenty-first. Marozzi brilliantly connects the defining moments in Islamic history: from the Prophet Mohammed receiving his divine revelations in Mecca and the First Crusade of 1099 to the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the phenomenal creation of the merchant republic of Beirut in the nineteenth century, and how this world is continuing to change today.
Islamic Epistemics and Socioeconomics: A Selected Compilation of Essays
by Masudul Alam ChoudhuryThis book presents selected essays on the epistemological foundation of the Islamic world-system, in the light of the exegesis of the Qur’an, to develop existing understandings of Islamic economics. A selection of key contributions by one of the world's leading figures working at the nexus of Islamic social sciences, Islamic philosophy, and Islamic economics, the book integrates applied foundations of Islamic economics and Islamic philosophy, presenting a critical outlook on the existing state of Islamic economics and Islamic finance, within a broader framework of socio-scientific enquiry, philosophical perspectives on Islam, and philosophy of science. The author confronts the absence of epistemic groundwork upon which any fresh social and scientific enquiry is developing in Islamic economics, casting the discussion within an explanatory framework of ‘the unity of knowledge’ as bestowed by Islamic monotheistic law, which substantively characterizes the generalization and details of ‘everything’. The present work unravels this objective methodology and its application with reference to a limited number of issues and problems in global economics. Complex and multidisciplinary in its treatment, this book presents the key arguments on mathematical, philosophical, and socio-scientific modes of inquiry in deriving, developing, and empirically applying the Qur’anic methodology of the “unity of knowledge” to economic problems. It is relevant to scholars and advanced students in social scientific studies of Islam, Islamic theology and philosophy, and Islamic economics and finance.
Islamic Ethics and Female Volunteering: Committing to Society, Committing to God (New Directions in Islam)
by Merve Reyhan KayikciThis book unpacks how the ethical is embodied through an examination of the lived experiences of female Muslim volunteers in Belgium. Kayikci draws on a wealth of interview material that sheds light on the ethical turn in the anthropology of Islam, exploring how volunteering enables the space and time for Muslim women to commit to both orthodox religious and civic social values. As volunteering and interacting (caring) with the society requires careful deliberation of their society and their position as Muslims, and as women in that society, this research unpacks how multiple belongings of Muslim women in Belgium are negotiated, balanced, and influenced. This analysis reveals how the everyday is informed by different epistemological traditions; both the liberal and the Islamic, and how these traditions make the life-worlds of the women. Islamic Ethics and Female Volunteering will be of interest to academics across religious studies, anthropology, sociology, gender studies and community studies, especially scholars working in the areas of ethics, migration, Muslims in Europe, volunteering and activism.
Islamic Ethics and Incidental Findings: Genomic Morality Beyond the Secular Paradigm (SpringerBriefs in Ethics)
by Mohammed GhalyThis open access book offers unique insights into the key ethical issues faced by practitioners and discussed by ethicists in the field of genomics and incidental findings, with a focus on the Islamic moral tradition. Embark on an enlightening exploration of key ethical challenges in genomics and incidental findings, uniquely tailored to the context of the Muslim Arab world. Following the regional scientific leap in genomic infrastructure, this study provides a timely response to the need for a solid evidence base that pairs scientific research with cutting-edge research in Islamic ethics. A variety of expert perspectives have been incorporated, which produce a holistic overview of the intricate, interwoven systems, including the status quo of genomic research in the Gulf region, related Islamic ethical deliberations, and, finally, the governing jurisdictions and regulations on the ground. This publication stands as a pioneer work for academics interested in various fields, including genomics, bioethics, and Islamic studies. It equally serves as an invaluable guide for practitioners and policy-makers, equipping them to make informed decisions that resonate with the socio-cultural and religio-ethical nuances of the Islamic tradition. Being multidisciplinary in nature, the study is written in such a way that makes it accessible for those without a specialized background in Islamic studies or genomics.
Islamic Ethics: Divine Command Theory in Arabo-Islamic Thought (Culture and Civilization in the Middle East)
by Mariam al-AttarThis book explores philosophical ethics in Arabo-Islamic thought. Examining the meaning, origin and development of "Divine Command Theory", it underscores the philosophical bases of religious fundamentalism that hinder social development and hamper dialogue between different cultures and nations. Challenging traditional stereotypes of Islam, the book refutes contemporary claims that Islam is a defining case of ethical voluntarism, and that the prominent theory in Islamic ethical thought is Divine Command Theory. The author argues that, in fact, early Arab-Islamic scholars articulated moral theories: theories of value and theories of obligation. She traces the development of Arabo-Islamic ethics from the early Islamic theological and political debates between the Kharijites and the Murji’ites, shedding new light on the moral theory of Abd al-Jabbar al-Mu’tazili and the effects of this moral theory on post-Mu’tazilite ethical thought. Highlighting important aspects in the development of Islamic thought, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Islamic moral thought and ethics, Islamic law, and religious fundamentalism.
Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam Is Reshaping the World
by Shadi HamidIn Islamic Exceptionalism, Brookings Institution scholar and acclaimed author Shadi Hamid offers a novel and provocative argument on how Islam is, in fact, "exceptional" in how it relates to politics, with profound implications for how we understand the future of the Middle East. Divides among citizens aren't just about power but are products of fundamental disagreements over the very nature and purpose of the modern nation state—and the vexing problem of religion’s role in public life. Hamid argues for a new understanding of how Islam and Islamism shape politics by examining different models of reckoning with the problem of religion and state, including the terrifying—and alarmingly successful—example of ISIS. With unprecedented access to Islamist activists and leaders across the region, Hamid offers a panoramic and ambitious interpretation of the region's descent into violence. Islamic Exceptionalism is a vital contribution to our understanding of Islam's past and present, and its outsized role in modern politics. We don't have to like it, but we have to understand it—because Islam, as a religion and as an idea, will continue to be a force that shapes not just the region, but the West as well in the decades to come.