Category: Articles
Muhammad and his wifes
When Islam is the subject, the topic „Women in Islam“ is also frequently discussed. This is not merely the result of controversial books on Islam (like Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses) or of the problems associated with a “parallel society”, or of the visible external differences between Muslim and non-Muslim women. The reports from human rights organizations on the situation of women in Islamic countries and the autobiographical accounts of Muslim women also fuel the debate about the acculturation of Muslim women in Western culture, under the rubric of “Women’s Rights in Islam“, for example.
William Montgomery Watt: Muslim-Christian Encounters
In his book W. M. Watt, meanwhile Emeritus Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, describes the background of some myths and misconceptions defining the Muslim-Christian relationship partly until the present time. According to nowadays’ understanding of scientific approaches it is unpopular to write about a “testimony” and some “fruits of faith”. W. M. Watt as an authority in this realm does so in his book. His central message is that Muslims and Christians should aim at a fruitful and lively dialoge in mutual respect towards each other’s religion and values by getting to know each other better.
Cross-Religious Marriages in Islam: Interview with Rafiq Yousef, Egypt
The following interview was held between members of the “German Institute for Islamic Studies” (IfI), and the Egyptian lawyer, Rafiq Yousef:
Hans Zirker: Der Koran. Zugänge und Lesarten
Hans Zirker is professor for Catholic Fundamental Theology at the University of Essen and has herewith published a further book on “Islam”. In five chapters, he proves his ability to give an introduction into basic facts about Qur’anic studies for nonexperts and to provide insiders with fascinating insights into and new perspectives of this theme.
Honor Killings and Ideas of Honor in Societies of Islamic Character
Honor killings take place today not only in the eastern part of Turkey. In Germany, too, and in the other countries of Europe, women die “for reasons of honor”. Till now, German criminal investigative departments do not compile any separate statistics, but unofficial statistics quote at least 49 honor killings or attempts at such in Germany between 1996 and 2005. The United Nations estimate that ca. 5000 honor killings (along with a high number of unreported cases) have been committed world-wide.
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri: The Elements of Sufism
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri grew up in a family of wellknown Shaykhs in Kerbala in Iraq. He studied natural sciences and technology in Europe and USA and was long employed as an industrial consultant. Having found his way back to the roots of Islam, he is now actively involved in philosophy and writing. At the same time, he travels and teaches exten-sively.
Thomas Eich: Bio-ethics in Islam
Anyone labouring under the illusion that the bio-ethical debate on questions such as artificial insemination, cloning, surrogate motherhood, abortion after prenatal screening or sex preference for implanted foetuses is limited to the West should be set right by this slim volume.
Monika Gronke: History of Iran. From Islamisation to the present day
Already in its introduction, the “History of Iran” presents the reader with a concise description of the geography and the multinational problems of Iran.
Henner Fürtig. Concise History of Iraq
Henner Fürtig addresses his book to the great number of interested people who may be worried and concerned at the same time. Consequently it is a book on the current situation. Pre-Christian, pre- and early Islamic Mesopotamia as well as the Osmanic, British and German influence in Iraq until the time of the two World Wars are only touched upon briefly.
Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Ed.): The Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an
After approximately four decades the “battleship” of modern Islam studies, the Encyclopaedia of Islam (“EI”), was completed and published by the renowned publisher E.J. Brill in eleven large volumes and on CD-ROM. At the same time this publisher issued another encyclopedia: the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (“EQ”). One might wonder about the publication of an encyclopedia in addition to the EI. There seem to be two main reasons for this.
Gritt Klinkhammer: Modern Forms of Islamic Life
In her doctoral thesis in sociology, Gritt Klinkhammer examines the manner in which young Muslim-Turkish women of the second and third generation live out their Islamic religious affiliation in Germany. Their parents generally belong to the religiously conservative first “guest worker” generation, from whose life and religious practises the young, educated women clearly want to make a break. The parents encouraged their daughters’ Koran school lessons, for example, or observance of Islamic social rules; however, they were often able to give their “enlightened” daughters little justification and explanation for celebrations, manners and religious obligations – justification demanded by the children in the secular environment. Although these parents have now lived in Germany for up to 35 years, they do not see themselves as “Germans”, nor do their children.
Joseph Croitoru: The Martyr as Weapon
The topic of the German-born Israeli Joseph Croitoru is the historical development of suicide attacks and the ideological background of the movements that train them. His study centres on Muslim terrorists and countries such as Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Chechenya and Kurdistan – the majority of attacks are after all perpetrated by Muslims – but also looks at the Third Reich and Asia (Korea, Japan and Kashmir).
Chase F. Robinson. ‘Abd al-Malik
Makers of the Muslim World is a major new collection to be published between May 2005 and May 2009 featuring over 50 volumes. Each volume will consider the life, work and legacy of a man or woman who has shaped the course of Muslim history by his or her contribution to the political, social, cultural, religious or intellectual Muslim landscape. Series editor Patricia Crone is Mellon Professor of Islamic History at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. She is one of the leading authorities on Islamic history and has previously held positions at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Islamic Human Rights under scrutiny
The frequent human rights abuses which take place in nearly all countries of the Muslim world are often the result of corrupt or dictatorial regimes and not necessarily due to either Islam or these countries’ view of human rights. Less widely known, however, is that international associations in Muslim countries have formulated their own human rights declarations in opposition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the Plenary session of the United Nations in 1948.
William C. Chittick: Ibn ’Arabi: Heir to the prophets
William C. Chittick’s book Ibn ’Arabi: Heir to the prophets is part of the series Makers of the Muslim World to be published between May 2005 and May 2009 featuring over 50 volumes. Each volume will consider the life, work and legacy of a man or woman who has shaped the course of Muslim history by his or her contribution to the political, social, cultural, religious or intellectual Muslim landscape.
Tobias Mörschel (Ed.): Does Faith make Politics?
Does faith pursue a policy? Whoever follows the last years of US-american policy or reflect upon Islam and its future role in Europe can hardly avoid this question. This book addresses the question in light of sociological models in the context of a transatlantic comparison.
Ralph Ghadban: Tariq Ramadan and the Islamisation of Europe
Ralph Ghadban. Tariq Ramadan and the Islamisation of Europe [in German only: Tariq Ramadan und die Islamisierung Europas]. Verlag Hans Schi- ler: Berlin, 2006. 170 pp., 17 €. In this book the Lebanese-born political writer and Islam expert Ralph Ghadban takes a critical look at Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of the founder of the Muslim…
Beltheshazzar & Abednego: The Mosque and its Role in Society
The building of new mosques in traditional European cities does not only change and affect the landscape but also sets a signal for a lasting presence of a religion which will not be satisfied to publicly only address issues relating to religion affairs, but rather wants to be a religion which will increasingly be an impressive and decisive voice in societal and political matters. The authors of this small booklet entitled “The Mosque and its Role in Society” are concerned to present a concise treaty to inform about the self-understanding of Islam.
Irshad Manji: The trouble with Islam: A wake-up call for honesty and change
An amazing book! It starts with an open letter to Muslims and Irshad Manji’s honest confession about her struggles with Islam. In spite of calling herself a Muslim refusenik (www.mus lim-refusenik.com) she does not desire to leave Islam; but neither is she prepared to close her eyes to the problems and troubles with Islam.
David Cook: Understanding Jihad
“Islam is peace”. This sentence could be heard especially frequently after September 11 th , 2001, from groups within organized Islam in Germany. It was said that there was no “holy war” in Islam, that “jihad” was to be understood as a moral-spiritual “effort” to walk “on the path of God” (“Great Jihad”). It was proclaimed that Islam abhors every kind of violence against human beings, apart from the right to self-defense (“Small Jihad”). The word “Islam”, of course, has the same linguistic root (s-l-m) as the word “salam” (peace), but is really a different word, and means “submission, devotion”.
