Social groups: religious groups and communities Books

Book SynopsisIn Understanding Religion through Artificial Intelligence, Justin E. Lane looks at the reasons why humans feel they are part of a religious group, despite often being removed from other group members by vast distances or multiple generations. To achieve this, Lane offers a new perspective that integrates religious studies with psychology, anthropology, and data science, as well as with research at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI).After providing a critical analysis of approaches to religion and social cohesion, Lane proposes a new model for religious studies, which he calls the Information Identity System. This model focuses on the idea of conceptual ties: links between an individual's self-concept and the ancient beliefs of their religious group. Lane explores this idea through real-world examples, ranging from the rise in global Pentecostalism, to religious extremism and self-radicalization, to the effect of 9/11 on sermons. Lane uses this lens to show how we can Trade ReviewThroughout the book … Lane provides directions for future research … This book has significant inter-disciplinary implications as it widens the scope of the social sciences … it enriches the study of religion by reframing how the subject is approached scientifically and intrigues non-academic minds on how AI could facilitate our understanding of human religiosity. * Reading Religion *If you study religion, Justin E. Lane’s book will explain how AI is changing what’s possible in that endeavor. If you work in AI and computer simulation, you’ll discover how those tools can be deployed to deepen our understanding of religion. Either way, you’ve been warned: you’ll never look at AI or religion the same way again. * Wesley J Wildman, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, Boston University, USA *Justin E. Lane’s new book is the most comprehensive and clear introduction to the use of artificial intelligence in the computational science of religion currently available. Both lay readers and experts will benefit from his careful explanations of the various methodologies at work in this rapidly growing field, and his vivid descriptions of the ways in which they are informing our understanding of phenomena such as religious extremism and conflict. * F. LeRon Shults, Director, Social Simulation Research Group, University of Agder, Norway *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Religions Old and New 3. Bonding and Belief 4. Identity and Extremism 5. Artificial Intelligence and Religions in silico 6. From AI in silico, to AI in situ: Creating AI gurus, Birds eye views of Christianity, and using MAAI to study Social Stability 7. Schisms and Sacred Values 8. The Future of Religion References Index

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Book SynopsisIn her groundbreaking ethnography The Asian Gang, published in 2000, Claire Alexander explored the creation of Asian Muslim masculinities in South London. Set against the backdrop of the moral panic over Asian gangs' in the mid-1990s, and based on 5 years of ethnographic fieldwork, the book explored the idea of the gang', friendships, and the role of brothers' in the formation, performance and negotiation of ethnic, religious and gendered identities.The Asian Gang Revisited picks up the story of the Asian gang' over the subsequent two decades, examining the changing identities of the original participants as they transition into adulthood in the context of increased public and political concerns over Muslim masculinities, spanning the War on Terror, grooming gangs' and increased Islamophobia. Building on her ongoing relationships with the men over 25 years, the book explores education, employment, friendship, marriage and fatherhood, and religious identity, andTrade ReviewLike her original text published in 2000, Alexander’s approach and sensitivity toward the endeavour of research permeates this book. With rich and nuanced analysis, the reader is asked to engage with a framing of the key issues that continue to have impact on racialized groups. -- Yunis Alam, Head of Sociology and Criminology, University of Bradford, UKThis book makes an important scholarly contribution to the growing literature on British Muslim Studies. It is one of the few books to use ethnography to offer great insights into the political events surrounding the Muslim Question. And it is the only book which builds on a longitudinal study of British Muslims. -- Shamim Miah, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education and Community Studies, University of Huddersfield, UKTable of ContentsIntroduction Participant Bios 1. The Context of the Study 2. Leaving School 3. Work 4. Friendship 5. Marriage and Fatherhood 6. Religion Conclusion and Updates References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the vivid threads that binds this collection together has to do with the erasures of history. Here, however we are faced with compelling evidence that in the major centers of interwar Central Europe, Jews were in the vanguard of the new urbanism and contributed to the remaking of these historical cities at an astounding level that has not yet been given the recognition it deserves. The conclusion we can draw from this is that for almost a century our understanding of European architectural modernism has been narrow, racist, and impoverished; this book is a bugle call for change. * Journal of Design History *For anyone interested in Jewish cultural identity in Central Europe in the interwar period as well as anyone interested in Modernist architecture and style, this book is a must-read. The wealth and breadth of the contributions … bring new and refreshing revelations about the architectural landscape of urban Central Europe that was significantly influenced by Jewish architects and designers. * Journal of Austrian Studies *Designing Transformation presents a wealth of new research on the multi-faceted involvement of Jewish architects, designers, writers and patrons in Central European Modernism. Wide ranging and thoughtfully framed, the collection demonstrates the centrality and complexity of Jewish production and co-production of the modern city, home and collective consciousness. And it offers a provocative challenge to understand and mark the importance of this contribution to the contemporary European city. -- Leslie Topp, Professor of Architectural History, Birkbeck, University of London, UKElana Shapira’s Designing Transformation breaks new ground in its intricate and nuanced examination of the Jewishness of Central European modernism. Its essays reveal how the negotiation of Jewish difference, visibility, and belonging, how processes of Jewish acculturation and mobility imprinted the urban landscapes of the former Habsburg empire in the interwar period and global sites of forced emigration in the 1930s and 40s. The volume encompasses a wide range of well-known and obscure figures who responded to twentieth-century crises and opportunities with artistic innovation and dazzling creativity. -- Paul Lerner, Professor of History and Director of the Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies, University of Southern California, USAThis volume offers an array of expertly-researched, insightful essays on a breathtaking number of Central European Jewish designers, architects, artisans and artists. It is a vital resource for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of Jews’ participation in the built environment and visual culture in the modern era. -- Lisa Silverman, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USAThis important volume complicates our understanding of modernism by shedding light on a significant but overlooked period of production through the lens of identity. Rather than a single view, this lens offers multiple visions and rich, complex accounts about both known and little-known works and designers. Particularly welcome are the authors’ even-handed treatments of modernism in all its permutations from the most rigorously functionalist to those informed by tradition and folk-culture. -- Timothy M. Rohan, Associate Professor, American and European Architecture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USAThis volume is the first to comprehensively examine the productive role of modern Jewish designers and architects in Central Europe within the horizon of emancipation, participation and dislocation. Elana Shapira has succeeded in bringing together distinguished authors from different disciplines and geographies. Designing Transformation thus formulates multiple perspectives and presents an impressive tableau of topics and approaches. -- Burcu Dogramaci, Professor of Art History, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, GermanyDesigning Transformation marks a highly important stage in the overdue acknowledgement of Jewish architects, designers and patrons in shaping Central European Modernism. Through ground-breaking research, the collected essays offer ways to understand the diverse circumstances of Jews, how their Modernism was far from homogenous, and that their negotiation of cultural authorship was central to their status, identity and survival. -- Jeremy Aynsley, Professor of Design History, University of Brighton, UKTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures Contributors Introduction: Jews and Cultural Identity in Central European Modernism, Elana Shapira (University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria) Part I: Designing Their Homes in Central Europe 1. The ‘Bauhaus Shtetl’: Opposing Conservatism in New Leopold Town in Budapest, Rudolf Klein (Óbuda University, Hungary) 2. Shaping Modern Bratislava: The Role of Architect Friedrich Weinwurm and his Jewish Clients in Designing the Slovak Capital, Henrieta Moravciková (Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia) 3. Adolf Sommerfeld Co-Producing Modern Architecture and Urban Design in Berlin, Celina Kress (Technical University of Berlin, Germany) 4. Entangled Histories: The Contribution of Jewish Architects to Modernism in Croatia, Jasna Galjer (University of Zagreb, Croatia) 5. An International Style Synagogue in Brno: Otto Eisler’s Synagogue Agudas Achim (1936), Zuzana Güllendi-Cimprichová (University of Bamberg, Germany) 6. Identity and Gender as Obstacles? A Comparison of Two Biographies of Jewish Architects from Krakow, Kamila Twardowska (Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland) Part II: Outsiders/Insiders – Cultural Authorship and Strategies of Inclusion 7. Lajos Kozma, ‘Judapest,’ and Central European Modernism, Juliet Kinchin (Independent Design Historian, Scotland) 8. Refuge and Respite: Oskar Wlach, Max Eisler, and the Culture of the Modern Jewish Interior, Christopher Long (University of Texas at Austin, USA) 9. The Art and Design of Anna Lesznai: Adaptation and Transformation, Rebecca Houze (Northern Illinois University, USA) 10. The Art of Survival: Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and Children’s Art at the Theresienstadt Ghetto, Megan Brandow-Faller (City University of New York, Kingsborough, USA) Part III: Survival Through Design - Projecting Transformative Designs onto the Future 11. Flights of Fancy: Willy de Majo and the Youthful Foundations of a Lifelong Design Practice, Lesley Whitworth (University of Brighton, UK) 12. Sustaining Independence: Marie Frommer’s Networks and Architectural Practices in Berlin and in New York, Tanja Poppelreuter (University of Salford, UK) 13. ‘Memory’s instruments and its very medium’: the Archival Practices of Émigré Designers, Sue Breakell (University of Brighton, UK) 14. Facing the Sun: German-Speaking Émigrés and the Roots of Israeli Climatic Building Design, Or Aleksandrowicz (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFeaturing contributions from anthropologists, historians and scholars of religion, this book explores the passionate, divided and evolving field of Islamic Studies in Europe and North America, past and present covering topics from secularism and gender to pop music and modern science.

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Book SynopsisContains editions and commentaries of hitherto un-edited manuscripts from the various strands of the Shi?ite tradition of Islamic thought (Zaydi, Isma?ili and Twelver). A careful side-by-side reading of these texts and commentaries helps identify themes peculiar to the Shi?ite family of legal theories.

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Book SynopsisLatino Protestantism is growing rapidly in the United States. Researchers estimate that by 2030 half of all Latinos in America will be Protestant. This remarkable growth is not just about numbers. The rise of Latino Protestants will impact the changing nature of American politics, economics, and religion. Latino Protestants in America takes readers inside the numbers to highlight the many reasons Latino Protestants are growing as well as the diversity of this group.The book brings together the best existing scholarship on this group with original research to offer a nuanced picture of Latino Protestants in America, from worship practices to political engagement. The narrative helps readers move beyond misconceptions about Latino religion and offers a window into the diverse ways that religion plays out in real life. Latino Protestants in America is an essential resource for anyone interested in the beliefs and practices of this group, as well as the implications for its growth and areaTrade ReviewMulder, professor of sociology at Calvin College; Ramos, assistant professor of sociology at George Fox University; and Marti, professor of sociology at Davidson College, have teamed up as part of the Latino Protestant Congregation Project, a joint endeavor of Davidson College and Calvin College, to create this cooperative study. By 2030, they write, it is estimated that half of all Latinos in the United States—who currently make up 17% of the population—will be Protestant. The 'Latino Reformation,' as Time named it, has remained largely invisible to the general public, fellow Protestants, and social scientists, in part because few dedicated researchers speak Spanish. But now the Latino Protestant Congregation Project has released its initial substantive and complex findings, examining styles of worship, values, congregation demographics, leadership structures, and sociopolitical perspectives. The fine mix of fresh quantitative data and engaging qualitative case studies gives a rich feel for the diversity of Latino Protestant communities, from a Dutch-Latino Reformed church in Iowa to the non-denominational church in Los Angeles that encourages members to 'transcend' ethnicity. Additionally, the chapter on Latino Protestants’ political and social engagement is required reading for anyone interested in likely Latino voting patterns in 2018 and beyond. * Publishers Weekly *Mulder, Aida I. Ramos, and Gerardo Martí present a revealing and surprising glimpse into Latino religious subcultures in the United States. The authors contend that Latino Protestantism is an important yet neglected area of study. Not only is the Latino demographic growing, but Latino Protestants are running against the trend of a general decline of affiliation in organized religion. Based on information from the qualitative study the Latino Protestant Congregation (LPC) Project as well as other critical investigations that considered a number of U.S. congregations, the authors present these groups as dynamic, diverse, and as conflicted as other religious denominations, highlighting their distinctive features. The authors state that their goal here is to offer a road map for future study. Indeed, this provides fascinating detail that gives way to further research. VERDICT General sociologists and sociologists of religion will find this study beneficial, and even nonexperts will discover something new in this informative read. * Library Journal *In this welcome study, sociologists Mulder (Calvin College), Ramos (George Fox University), and Marti (Davidson College) summarize recent survey research on Latinos in the US with special attention to ethnographic findings from the Latino Protestant Congregation (LPC) Project funded by the Lilly Foundation. It is estimated that by 2030, one-third of the US population will be Latino and that half of all Latinos in the US will be Protestants. Chapter 1 documents the growth and dispersion of Latinos in the US, and chapter 2 examines the decline of foreign-born Latinos and the rise of US-born Latinos. Chapter 2 also provides valuable information on Latino living arrangements, language, socioeconomic status, and health care. Chapters 4 and 5 address religious conversion. Though a majority of Latinos in the US are Catholics, the longer Latino families reside in the US, the more likely they are to become Protestant. Chapter 4 focuses on issues of identity among Protestant Latinos. What does being a non-Catholic Latino mean? Chapter 6 addresses social issues. The authors found that Protestant Latinos are overwhelmingly conservative and opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage. This well-researched book contributes greatly to the understanding of the changing face of Latino Protestantism in the US. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. * CHOICE *With Latinos being among the fastest growing racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., the study of Latino Protestants will only increase in importance. Latino Protestants in America is on the cutting edge of this trend, and offers one of the first social scientific introductions to the topic. Full of rich analyses and careful to emphasize the complexity and nuances of these religious groups, this book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in understanding the shifting demographics of American religion and the future of U.S. religion and politics. * Politics and Religion *This volume takes readers inside the numbers to highlight the many reasons Latino Protestants are growing as well as the diversity of this group. It offers a nuanced picture of Latino Protestants in America, from worship practices to political engagement. The narrative helps readers move beyond misconceptions about Latino religion and offers a window into the diverse ways that religion plays out in real life. * Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology *An ambitious, comprehensive, and nuanced exploration of Latino Protestantism in the United States, this book draws on survey data and extensive qualitative fieldwork to demonstrate the variety of Latino Protestant identities and communities. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this fast-growing portion of the American religious landscape and how it is reconfiguring the American Latino community. -- Penny Edgell, University of MinnesotaWeaving together a rich array of sources, these authors demonstrate that Protestant churches in the United States function as increasingly important sites for the production of Latino identity, even as they show that this identity cannot be reduced to any singular definition. In its extensive reach across the country and through its interdisciplinary approach, Latino Protestants in America captures the nuances of religious faith as an everyday practice that also has the power to redefine the political and economic forces that shape our lives. -- Jane Juffer, Cornell UniversityGrowing, diverse, and little understood—Latino Protestants receive here a thorough and much-needed examination. Drawing together existing historical, survey, and ethnographic data, the authors add systematic new observations from a team of research fellows. The result is a book that will be the go-to reference in the years ahead. -- Nancy Ammerman, Boston UniversityIn this landmark study, the authors unpack the complexity of Latino Protestants, drawing on a variety of empirical studies, including surveys and ethnographic description. The book makes a major contribution to our understanding of the changing face of Protestantism, the conversion of Latinos from Catholicism, and the demographics of immigrants from Latin America. -- Donald E. Miller, University of Southern CaliforniaTable of ContentsPreface 1 Latino Protestants Are More Than “Not Catholic” 2 The Early History of Indigenous and Immigrant Latino Protestants 3 The Latino Reformation Today 4 Ethnic Identity and Varieties of Latino Protestant Churches 5 The Centrality of “Doing Church” among Latino Protestants 6 Latino Protestants and Their Political and Social Engagement 7 Latino Protestants and the Future of American Christianity Appendix: Qualitative Sources and Research Methodology

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Book SynopsisDespite numerous warnings from intelligence services, ISIS'' rise to power has left countries around the world floundering for solutions. Today, we face a threat that is more violent, powerful and financially stronger than ever before. In this book, journalist Benjamin Hall will provide insights by answering the basic questions we still don''t have the answers to: Who are they? Where did they come from? How are they so successful, so quickly? How can they be stopped? By embedding himself behind enemy lines, Hall provides a riveting narrative based on firsthand experience and personal interviews. He goes beyond the vicious jihadis to reveal a generation of chaos and uncover a volatile region engulfed in turmoil. Hall reveals why ISIS is a problem that will define the Middle East - and the West - for decades to come.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the settlement and development of Muslim communities in Scotland, highlighting the ongoing changes in their structure and the move towards a Scottish experience of being Muslim.

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated volume looks at the spaces created by and for Jews in areas under the political or religious control of Muslims. Covering regions as diverse as Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, it asks how the architecture of synagogues responded to contextual issues and traditions.Table of ContentsIntroduction, Mohammad Gharipour; 1. Architecture of Synagogues in the Islamic World: History and the Dilemma of Identity, Mohammad Gharipour; 2. Prologue: Historic Relations Between Muslims and Jews, Reuven Firestone; I. Synagogue and the Urban Context; 3. Shrines of the Prophets and Jewish Communities: Ancient Synagogues and Tombs in Medieval Iraq, Sara Ethel Wolper; 4. The Synagogues of Herat: A Jewish World of Religious Diversity and Pluralism in the Muslim World, Ulrike-Christiane Lintz; 5. Synagogues of the Fez mellah: Constructing Sacred Spaces in 19th Century Morocco, Michelle Craig; 6. Emotional Architecture: Cairo's Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue and Iconography's Global Reach, Ann Shafer; II. Synagogue and the Cultural Context; 7. The Prevalence of Islamic Art amongst Jews of Christian Iberia: Two Fourteenth-Century Castilian Synagogues in Andalusian Attire, Daniel Munoz Garrido; 8. The Ottoman Jews of the 19th-century Istanbul and the Socio-cultural Foundations of theYuksek Kaldirim Ashkenazi Synagogue, Meltem Ozkan Altinoz; 9. The Architecture and Decor of the Nahon and Bendrihen Synagogues of Tangier: Modernization and Internationalization of the Jewish Community, M. Mitchell Serels; 10. Synagogues and Sacred Rituals inTehran: An Ethnographic Analysis of Judeo-Persian Identities and Spaces, Arlene Dallalfar; III. Architecture and Interior Design; 11. Decorating Synagogues in the Western Islamic World: The Role of Sephardi Traditionalism, Vivian Mann; 12. Djerbian Culture and Climate As Expressed in A Historic Landmark: The Case of El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Nesrine Mansour and Anat Geva; 13. Synagogue Architecture in Kerala, India: Design Roots, Precedents, Tectonics, and Inspirations, Jay A. Waronker; 14. Immigrants Sacred Architecture: The Rabi Meir Baal-Hanes Synagogue in Eilat, Israel, Anat Geva; 15. Epilogue: Sensitive Ruins: On the Preservation of Jewish Religious Sites in the Muslim World - Susan Miller; Appendix 1: Captions; Appendix 2: Bibliographies; Appendix 3: Biographies

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Book SynopsisProvides an overview of the history and current trends in Muslim communities in 21 post-Communist Eastern European countries.

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Book SynopsisThis book engages critically with the different models and approaches for managing religion adopted in Europe, Asia and Oceania. A truly intercontinental volume, this collection brings together high level scholarship from renowned scholars and rising stars in the fields of political theory, Islamic studies, sociology and law.

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Book SynopsisThis illustrated book aims to provide a fresh insight into medieval Islamic art through the prism of Chinese elements in Iranian art under the Mongols.

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Book SynopsisAddressing the contested nature of Ottoman Sunnism from the 14th to the early 20th century, this book draws on diverse perspectives across the empire.

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Book SynopsisAddressing the contested nature of Ottoman Sunnism from the 14th to the early 20th century, this book draws on diverse perspectives across the empire.

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Book SynopsisThis book looks at how Islamic law was practiced in Russia from the conquest of the empire's first Muslim territories in the mid-1500s to the Russian Revolution of 1917, when the empire's Muslim population had exceeded 20 million.

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Book SynopsisRamon Harvey revisits the Muslim theologian Ab Manr al-Mturd (d. 333/944) from Samarqand and puts his system, and that of the Mturd school, into lively dialogue with modern thought to show that a contemporary Muslim philosophical theology (kalm jadd) can provide original and constructive answers to perennial theological questions.

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Book SynopsisFollowing a period of rapid political change, both globally and in relation to the Middle East and South Asia, this collection sets new terms of reference for an analysis of the intersections between global, state, non-state and popular actors and their contradictory effects on the politics of gender.

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Book SynopsisExplores the ways in which Muslims relate various forms of religious oratory to authoritative tradition in 21st-century Islamic practice, while striving to adapt to local contexts and the changing circumstances of politics, media and society.

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Book SynopsisExplores the ways in which Muslims relate various forms of religious oratory to authoritative tradition in 21st-century Islamic practice, while striving to adapt to local contexts and the changing circumstances of politics, media and society.

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Book SynopsisThis volume collects Yasser Tabbaa's investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparisons to Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures of the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries.

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Book SynopsisThis book collects and analyses the available biographical data on 600 Jewish medical practitioners in the 9-16th century Muslim world. Both the biographies and the accompanying discussion shed light on both the medicine of the period and practitioners' professional, daily and personal lives; Jewish communities; and inter-religious affairs.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the struggles of a minority group Alevis for recognition and representation in Turkey and the diaspora. It examines how they mobilise against state practices and claim their rights, while at the same time negotiating how they define themselves.

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Book SynopsisExamines different positions of knowledge insider and outsider to explore what understanding Islam means in the 21st centuryTrade Review"This book unpacks with classic sociological discernment key binaries in unfinished debates on knowledge production within the humanities and social sciences, like insiders vs. outsiders and understanding vs. explanation. Supported by an astutely jargon-free thematic bricolage, Turner's tour de force combs one of the thorniest scholarly battlefields of our times. It helps carve out treasured clearings for helping the sociology of Islam out of the murky epistemic swamplands of proliferating positionalities." -Armando Salvatore, Professor of Global Religious Studies, McGill University

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Book SynopsisA psychiatrist explored the psychodynamics of prejudice.

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Book SynopsisA deaf-mute woman waiting for her brother to pick her up in front of shop window is arrested by two members of the Saudi "morality police" (mutawas) on suspicion of prostitution. They report their allegation to the governor of Riyadh, who accepts it without question and passes sentence. The next Friday she is stoned to death in public. A German woman married to a Saudi man makes the mistake of taking a taxi downtown without a male escort. For her "crime" she is arrested, raped, and thrown into prison. Later her German-Saudi baby son is taken away and she is deported to Cyprus without passport and money. A Syrian truck driver is accused of stealing the truck he is driving. As a consequence, both of his hands are amputated. Are these incredible but true incidents merely aberrations, the result of a few power-crazed officials acting outrageously outside the reach of a generally law-abiding society? Unfortunately, they are all too common in the theocratic police state that is contemporary Saudi Arabia. As the author vividly recounts in this shocking expose, in the wealthy Saudi oil kingdom there is no such thing as secular law or modern courts. Instead, Saudi princes create the laws, based on Sharia, Islamic law derived from the Koran and Hadith, and the muttawas act as judges, enforcers, and executioners. The author lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for many years. A fluent speaker of Arabic, he was told about the many appalling incidents reported in this book by victims and their friends and relatives. He cross-checked all the accounts here given through multiple interviews. Amazingly, in some cases, the actual victimizers themselves openly, often with condescending and smug contempt, corroborated the events. This revealing portrait of intolerance and social oppression presents an image that foreign reporters never see in the carefully controlled Saudi kingdom.

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Book SynopsisA pamphlet about what it means to be Jewish from British songwriter Leon Rosselson

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Book SynopsisHow would you feel, as a guest, about sitting in a suburban living room that is for women only? What if you wanted a baby but as a single woman could not have one outside of a marriage? Could you stay home to mourn a husband for four months and ten days? Headstrong Daughters takes us inside the lives of Muslim women in Australia today. They are working professionals, mothers, and students. At home they are finding ways to stay true to their faith as well as to themselves, navigating the expectations of their families and the traditions they brought with them to their new country.But things are not always what they seem. These candid, moving and sometimes surprising stories reveal a side to Australian life that is little known and often misunderstood. Inspiring, warm and determined, these women are the new face of Islam in Australia.Trade ReviewA natural storyteller, Nadia Jamal ...reveal[s] how this generation negotiate[s] their loyalties to their families and commitment to their faith as they strive to follow their own path, and how navigating these obligations and obstacles enriches them as human beings. * Sydney Morning Herald *A thoughtful, honest, and compelling window into a community so often assumed about, but rarely engaged with. I finished it in a single sitting. * Susan Carland, author of Fighting Hislam *Jamal's neutral, yet gently perceptive style allows the stories of her women to shine through, illuminating the myriad points of intersection with Islam in ordinary life. An absolutely fascinating and illuminating read. * Annabel Crabb, ABC writer and broadcaster *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Bridging the divide2. The single female pilgrim3. Keeping the family line4. Time willing5. Broken 'engagement'6. Separate quarters7. Good mourning8. Fostering love9. A temporary act10. You don't look like a Muslim11. Ever after12. Headstrong13. Keeping score

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Book SynopsisDriven from their homes in Russia, Poland, and Romania by pogroms and poverty, many Jews who went to Canada in the wave of immigration after the 1905 Russian revolution were committed radicals. This book brings to life the rich and multi-layered lives of a dissident political community, their shared experiences and community-building cultural proj

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Book SynopsisA leading journalist's intense, riveting and personal investigation into the worlds and minds of cults At a new age festival in Byron Bay, journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman - a survivor of the Auckland cult Centrepoint - who will change the course of her life and career. Over the next ten years, Anke pursues a labyrinthine investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people, asking what the line is between tribe and cult, participant and perpetrator, seduction and sexual abuse. From the emotional and criminal carnage of Auckland's Centrepoint to an anti-cult conference in Manchester, the infamous Osho's ashram in India, the tantric Agama Yoga school in remote Thailand, and culminating in a visit to Gloriavale on the West Coast of the South Island, Anke uncovers a disturbing pattern of violence and suffering. Cult Trip is a powerful exploration of what really goes on inside the groups we call cults, and how to reckon with their aftermath.'Wild stuff. Anke Richter is one of my favourite writers, blurring the line between participant and reporter.' David Farrier, journalist behind Dark Tourist and Tickled'Thorough and compassionate ... Cult Trip is a brittle, sensitive book.' Steve Braunias'What a book and what a writer! Cult Trip is an incredibly immersive, intense and necessary reading experience put together with doggedness and skill. The stories are heart-rending, told with bravery and care.' Noelle McCarthy, author of Grand'Phenomenal. I cannot recommend this book enough.' Tova O'Brien, Today FM'Cult Trip is incredibly painful and powerful - an eye opener, a tour de force and a call for justice.' Janja Lalich, author of Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships'Bringing together information from around the globe, Anke Richter pinpoints the internal struggles of those coming out of cults, and the debilitating harm that lingers afterwards.' Rachel Bernstein, cult specialist and educator

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Book SynopsisBoth Muslims and non-Muslims see women in most Muslim countries as suffering from social, economic, and political discrimination, treated by law and society as second-class citizens subject to male authority. This discrimination is attributed to Islam and Islamic law, and since the late 19th century there has been a mass of literature tackling this issue. Recently, exciting new feminist research has been challenging gender discrimination and male authority from within Islamic legal tradition: this book presents some important results from that research. The contributors all engage critically with two central juristic concepts; rooted in the Qur’an, they lie at the basis of this discrimination. One refers to a husband’s authority over his wife, his financial responsibility toward her, and his superior status and rights. The other is male family members’ right and duty of guardianship over female members (e.g., fathers over daughters when entering into marriage contracts) and the privileging of fathers over mothers in guardianship rights over their children. The contributors, brought together by the Musawah global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, include Omaima Abou-Bakr, Asma Lamrabet, Ayesha Chaudhry, Sa‘diyya Shaikh, Lynn Welchman, Marwa Sharefeldin, Lena Larsen and Amina Wadud.Trade Review'Men in Charge? is bound to be a key scholarly text for anyone researching or studying law or Islam in general. It is a necessary book, one which is carefully designed to combat misconceptions and prejudice, and one which, most importantly, has a practical focus: all of the book’s contributors are writing for change. In reminding us that there is a difference between the Qur’an and the subsequent misogynist interpretations at the hands of certain actors (“Shari’ah court judges, community leaders, imams, women in leadership positions who perpetuate patriarchal structures of power, etc”), these authors pave the way for a brighter and fairer future for Muslim women.' -- LSE Review of Books ‘A powerful new weapon for Islamic gender warriors: a book examining how a single verse in the Quran became the basis for laws across the Islamic world asserting Muslim men’s authority – and even superiority – over women.’ * Time, Carla Power *‘Brimming with fact and insight, these critical and constructive essays by a global array of scholars and reformers focus our attention on how patriarchy functions in Muslim texts and contexts, and how it can be challenged. Their distinctive analyses converge and diverge, leading the reader to a new awareness of the range and power of Muslim feminist thought in the twenty-first century.’ -- Kecia Ali – Associate Professor of Religion, Boston University‘Bar none, this is the best treatment of women and Islamic law that I have read in the past twenty years ... profound, eye-opening and even exhilarating. It is difficult for me to take seriously any student or scholar dealing with the subject of guardianship of men over women in Islam unless, or until, they have read and digested this book.’ -- Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl – Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law'A highly stimulating collection of pieces by notable scholars and activists that critically examines the concepts of qiwamah and wilayah in the Muslim legal tradition, Men in Charge provides a complex and clearly articulated analyses of the problems with the dominant exegetical and juristic understandings of gender relations. This volume ventures beyond a mere critique; it offers significant alternative readings of Islam’s epistemological sources and delivers significant insights into gender relations from diverse perspectives including Islam’s spiritual tradition and the lived realities of Muslim women with a view to offering ethical and just alternatives to the dominant and traditional understanding of gender relations. Men in Charge is, without a doubt, an extremely valuable contribution to the discourse on gender relations, equality, justice and women’s rights in Islam and among Muslims.' -- Farid Esack – Professor in the Study of Islam and Head of Department of Religion Studies, University of JohannesburgTable of ContentsForeword | Zainah Anwar Acknowledgements Note on Translation and Transliteration Introduction | Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Mulki Al-Sharmani and Jana Rumminger Muslim Legal Tradition and the Challenge of Gender Equality | Ziba Mir-Hosseini The Interpretive Legacy of Qiwamah as an Exegetical Construct | Omaima Abou-Bakr An Egalitarian Reading of the Concepts of Khilafah, Wilayah and Qiwamah | Asma Lamrabet Producing Gender-Egalitarian Islamic Law: A Case Study of Guardianship (Wilayah) in Prophetic Practice | Ayesha S. Chaudhry Islamic Law, Sufism and Gender: Rethinking the Terms of the Debate | Sa’diyya Shaikh Qiwamah and Wilayah as Legal Postulates in Muslim Family Laws | Lynn Welchman Islamic Law Meets Human Rights: Reformulating Qiwamah and Wilayah for Personal Status Law Reform Advocacy in Egypt | Marwa Sharafeldin ‘Men are the Protectors and Maintainers of Women…’: Three Fatwas on Spousal Roles and Rights | Lena Larsen Understanding Qiwamah and Wilayah through Life Stories | Mulki Al-Sharmani and Jana Rumminger The Ethics of Tawhid over the Ethics of Qiwamah | Amina Wadud About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThe Qur'an's biblical foregrounds have long formed a controversial concern within Qur'anic Studies, with field-leading scholars debating the Muslim scripture's complex relationship and response to the Judeo-Christian canon. This contentious subject has largely overshadowed, however, a reciprocal, yet no less rich, question which motivates the present study. Rather than read the Muslim scripture in light of its biblical antecedents, The Qur'an & Kerygma adopts the inverse approach, situating the Qur'an as itself the formative foreground to Western literary innovation and biblical exegesis, stretching from late antiquity in the 9th century to postmodernity in the 20th. The book argues, in particular, that Qur'anic readings and renditions have provoked and paralleled key developments in the Christian canon and its critique, catalyzing pivotal acts of authorship and interpretation which have creatively contoured the language and legacy of biblical kerygma. Structured chronologically, the study's span of more than a millennium is sustained by its specific concentration on four case studies selected from representative areas and eras, exploring innovative translations and interpretations of the Qur'an authored by Christian literati from 9th-century Andalucia to 20th-century North America. Mirroring its subject matter, the book engages a literary critical approach, offering close-readings of targeted texts frequently neglected and never before synthesized in a single study, highlighting the stylistic, as well as spiritual, influence on Western authors exercised by Islamic writ.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 From al-Fatihah to Hallelujah: The Qur'anic Psalter of Hafs al-Quti Chapter 2 "Verily have I Found Allah Oft-Returning": The Qur'anic Poetics of Sulaiman al-Ghazzi Chapter 3 "The Religion of the Messiah in Multitudes": Echoes of the Qur'an across Christian Schisms Chapter 4 "Adheres to the Arabic Idiom": Ludovico Marracci's Qur'anic Vulgates Chapter 5 "By Origin and Language an Hebrew": The Genesis of a Judaic Qur'an Chapter 6 A "Totally Typological" Christian Qur'an: Northrop Frye's Triple Mirror Coda to The Qur'an & Kerygma: "Synthesis of the Word"

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Book SynopsisThe fabrication of groups as different, as other, often has significant consequences, including violence and discrimination. This volume focuses on the discourses that construct Islam in the aftermath of traumatic events and thus illustrates how academic analysis of the fabrication of difference can contribute significantly to public discourse. It centers on two critical analyses by accomplished scholars who have written publicly on the constructions of Islam and Muslims as others. Mayanthi Fernando analyzes the rhetoric surrounding French laicite (often translated as secularism) in the aftermath of the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015, highlighting the ways the majority uses the language of laicite to diminish the presence of minorities. Aaron Hughes analyzes how scholars and others construct Islam in response to acts of violence attributed to people who identify with Islam, thus illustrating how critical academic analysis can contribute to the understanding of both the contestation and ideology behind groups such as ISIS. Ten early career scholars apply and extend the questions and approaches of these central essays in short reflections that apply these issues in new ways to other contexts (e.g., India, the United States, early Christianity) and topics (e.g., social issues in politics, religion vs. non-religion, nationalism, scholars in public discourse). The volume concludes with a substantive Afterword that broadens from these specific current events to present an extended analysis of the fabrication of difference and the ways recognizing these processes should influence our scholarship and our engagement with public discourse. In addressing the ways people construct difference and the Other, this volume, therefore, provides one answer to the question of the relevance of these fields in a period of both political challenge and internal critique of the assumption of the universality of academic research.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionSteven W. Ramey1. Myths of the French RepublicMayanthi L. Fernando, University of California, Santa CruzReflections on Myths of the French Republic2. Concerning Voices: Thinking with Fernando about Bigotry and SilenceDamon T. Berry, St Lawrence University3. The Power of Persecution and Martyrdom in Modern DiscourseTara Baldrick-Morrone, Florida State University (doctoral candidate)4. The Myths of France, Periodization, and Sovereign Power Stephanie Frank, Columbia College Chicago5. Strategies of 'Othering' in Contemporary IndiaVincent E. Burgess, Cornell University (doctoral candidate)6. Clashing Allegiances: The Practicality of Constructing National IdentityAndie Alexander, University of Colorado Boulder (MA candidate)7. ISIS: What's a Poor Religionist to Do?Aaron W. Hughes, University of RochesterReflections on ISIS: What's a Poor Religionist to Do?8. Give Me Liberty or Give Me Pizza: (Or, How the Public Transcript Fabricates Difference)Thomas J. Whitley, Independent Scholar9. Racialized Religion in America: Terrorist Bodies, Turbans, and Mistaken IdentityMartha Smith Roberts, University of California, Santa Barbara (doctoral candidate) 10. Why Do We Still Wear the Shoe That Bites?Deeksha Sivakumar, Emory University (doctoral candidate)11. Rightly Disdained by Intelligent Persons: Magic, Superstition, and the Disenchantment of the World Ian Alexander Cuthbertson, Independent Scholar 12. Secular Publics and the Study of Religion: A Few Considerations for Critical Scholars Charles McCrary, Florida State University (doctoral candidate) AfterwordWhat Difference Does It Make? Critical Theory and Public DiscourseSteven W. Ramey

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Book SynopsisThe tenth century was a formative period for Islamic culture and Adam Mez’s Renaissance of Islam offers a detailed survey of the Muslim world during that period. No other single work covers the subject as comprehensively. Mez drew upon a vast range of sources to produce a detailed account of all aspects of Islamic culture and society - finance, religion, geography, industry and trade, law, morals, navigation, etc. The result is a lucid and engaging work that even today remains a key resource for researchers and students alike. The original edition is now very rare. This new edition, introduced by Julia Bray, one of the leading scholars of the period, makes the work available once again and includes a bibliography and index specially prepared for this edition.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Julia Bray The empire The caliphs The princes of the empire Christians and Jews Shi'ah The administration The wazir Finances The Court The nobility The slaves The savant Theology The schools of jurisprudence The qadi Philology Literature Geography Religion Manners and morals The standard of living Municipal organization The festivals Land products Industry Trade Inland navigation Communication by road Marine navigation Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisRaising awareness of what Islam is, as well as deepening understanding about the lived realities of Muslim people, this book explores the contemporary Muslim experience through first-hand interviews with over a hundred Muslims.Exploring key issues such as women and Islam, extremism and radicalisation, Sharia Law, homosexuality and Islamophobia, the book looks deep into what it means to be Muslim today. The 'voices' of Muslims are showcased throughout the book to highlight the diversity and evolution of Islam, and to show its inherent complexities and contradictions. This is an easy and accessible introduction to Islam combined with discussion surrounding several contentious issues associated with the religion.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent resource to get a personal perspective of what Islam means to Muslims in a practical day to day sense. It also challenges stereotypes about Muslims to get an accurate picture of how Muslims live their lives within a liberal and democratic society. If you want to know about the pluralism within Muslim communities, this book will certainly help. -- Fiyaz Mughal – OBE, Director of Faith MattersHow do Asians in Britain feel about life and their religion? Declan Henry has fluently revealed their wide ranging views with great competence and skill. This is an intriguing perspective seen through the eyes of an emergent and important section of our community. Definitely a work of lasting value. -- Paigham Mustafa, Author, The Quran, God's Message To MankindVoices of Modern Islam offers an insight into the often little-known or misrepresented fundamentals of the faith and the diversity of contemporary UK Muslim opinion: the good, the bad and the ugly. Demonstrating that Muslims are not a single homogeneous uncritical mass, it debunks many stereotypes, while confirming others. Be prepared to have some of your assumptions about Islam challenged. -- Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner, Director of the Peter Tatchell FoundationDeclan Henry has spent extensive time and effort collecting vast and accurate information about Islam and the diversity of its followers. I believe this book is a valuable resource not only for use by Muslims across the UK and further afield, but also for secondary schools, and those researching Islam and its religious and socio-cultural realities in an academic context. -- Dr. Sheikh Ramzy, Imam, Islamic scholar and Director of Oxford Islamic Information CentreTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Foreword; Introduction; 1. Being Muslim; 2. The Prophet and Islam: A Brief History; 3. The Essence of Islam; 4. Women and Islam; 5. Sex, Arranged Marriages and Sexuality; 6. Sharia Law; 7. Converts; 8. Extremism and Radicalisation; 9. Islamophobia; 10. Other Thoughts and Opinions; References and Further Reading; Index

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Book SynopsisOne of the best-kept religious secrets has been the revolution that has been quietly taking place within Judaism over the last two decades, as it has sought to grapple with contemporary issues. These include mixed-faith marriages, gay relationships, women's empowerment, declining numbers, atheism and being trans. It has involved a willingness to abandon biblical laws that conflict with modern values. Most ground-breaking of all, it has meant re-defining what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.Inclusive Judaism not only uncovers this religion revolution, but presents a challenge to all people of faith on how best to marry tradition and modernity. The book also reflects the soul-searching that has prompted rabbis to chart a new course, both out of principle and as a practical way of rescuing British Jewry from possible collapse if it did not adapt to the new social trends that affect us all.Trade ReviewThis book celebrates the huge advances progressive Judaism has made in recent years - inclusive, tolerant, welcoming, accepting. For anyone who thought they were excluded from Judaism, or anyone who wants to know how religion can change in the face of facts and social changes, this book is a must read. -- Baroness Rabbi Julia NeubergerReligion has long struggled with inclusivity. This engaging work lays out what an inclusive Judaism looks like, and in doing so gets to the heart of some very basic issues of how theology is to be done in the twenty-first century. Even those who reach different conclusions will profit from the moral seriousness in this fascinating challenge. -- The Reverent Canon Giles FraserAll of the welcome changes within this book are about securing a Jewish future. I stand up as a ridiculously proud Jew. Our achievements are nothing short of dazzling. I hope this book will enlighten its readers as to how we can progress, adapt to the times, yet continue to remain so. -- Maureen Lipman CBETable of Contents1. Crisis? What's Crisis? 2. The Immoral Bible. 3. Realistic Religion. 4. Atheist Jews. 5. So You Think You're Jewish, Do You? 6. "I Never Know I Was Jewish" Jews. 7. The Women's Revolution. 8. Falling in Love across the Religious Divide. 9. Coming Out, but Pushed Out? 10. Changing Others to Brothers (and Sisters). 11. The Curious Attitude to Conversion. 12. The Way Forward... and Will it Work?

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to be Muslim in Britain today? If the media is anything to go by, it has something to do with mosques, community leaders, whether you wear a veil, and your views on religious extremists. But as all our lives become increasingly entwined with our online presence, British Islam has evolved into a multidimensional cultural identity that goes well beyond the confines of the mosque. Entering a world of memes and influencers, Muslim dating apps, and alt-right Islamophobes, Hussein Kesvani reveals how a new generation of young Muslims who have grown up with the internet are using social media to determine their religious identity on their own terms--something that could change the course of ‘British Islam’ forever.Trade Review'A detailed and often witty journey through the online areas where Muslims congregate . . . Kesvani delivers a tableau of British Muslims wrestling with subjects ranging from clean eating and marriage to LGBT and gender rights.' * The Observer *'The book's scope is impressive.''Follow Me, Akhi provides an important first case study into the struggles of British Islamic identity, exploring how a new generation of young Muslims are using the internet to determine identity on their own terms.''A fascinating and compelling look at the impact of the internet on the lives of British Muslims. Kesvani is a funny, passionate and wise narrator, and his book is a brilliant meditation on how our online selves shape our mores and identities.' -- Nikesh Shukla, editor of 'The Good Immigrant''A superbly engaging book, unparalleled in its urgency and insight. Not only has Kesvani taken a forensic look at the online lives of British Muslims, but he has also crafted a terminology with which to speak about a culturally significant moment in British history.' -- Guy Gunaratne, author of 'In Our Mad and Furious City''Kesvani's personal quest is relentlessly curious as well as compassionate. This book gives us an unparalleled insight into the digital lives of young Muslims in Britain today.' -- Shelina Janmohamed, author of 'Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World''Deeply researched, surprising and considerate. It portrays the online world of British Muslims as diverse, rich and fraught – but above all else innovative, exciting and criminally under-reported.' -- New Statesman

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Book SynopsisSufism is a growing and global phenomenon, far from the declining relic it was once thought to be. This book brings together the work of fourteen leading experts to explore systematically the key themes of Sufism's new global presence, from Yemen to Senegal via Chicago and Sweden. The contributors look at the global spread and stance of such major actors as the Ba 'Alawiyya, the 'Afropolitan' Tijaniyya, and the Gülen Movement. They map global Sufi culture, from Rumi to rap, and ask how global Sufism accommodates different and contradictory gender practices. They examine the contested and shifting relationship between the Islamic and the universal: is Sufism the timeless and universal essence of all religions, the key to tolerance and co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims? Or is it the purely Islamic heart of traditional and authentic practice and belief? Finally, the book turns to politics. States and political actors in the West and in the Muslim world are using the mantle and language of Sufism to promote their objectives, while Sufis are building alliances with them against common enemies. This raises the difficult question of whether Sufis are defending Islam against extremism, supporting despotism against democracy, or perhaps doing both.Trade Review‘Highly recommended … one of the best academic treatments of contemporary Sufism.’ -- Global Intellectual History'Global Sufism is well worth the read and will no doubt be of great benefit in the classroom as we move towards more nuanced, subtle and less normative modes of studying Islam and Sufism.’ * Muslim World Book Review *'Insightful and nuanced, this engaging and informative book is a must read for those who follow contemporary Sufism, whether academically or personally. From Rumi to rap, San Francisco to Senegal--we get both backstory and analysis of the dynamics of a new global Sufism.' -- Marcia Hermansen, Professor and Director of Islamic World Studies, Loyola University Chicago'Ranging between "Afropolitanism", state-sponsored anti-Salafism and the American New Age movement, these essays chart the varied and sometimes contradictory claims to the legacy and legitimacy of traditional Islam. This is a timely survey of the complex "glocal" politics of transnational Sufism.' -- Nile Green, Professor of History, UCLA, and author of 'Sufism: A Global History''This volume shows Sufism's amazing viability and adaptability to new circumstances and challenges. It provides a comprehensive and erudite analysis of the vicissitudes of Sufism in various parts of the Muslim world and in the West.' -- Alexander Knysh, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Michigan, and author of 'Sufism: A New History of Islamic Mysticism''This rich volume provides a selection of chapters on contemporary Sufism in its varied appearances in a global world. All chapters are thoroughly contextualised and present orders, informal groups, individuals and ritual practices as well as political dimensions and influences from present-day spirituality.' -- Catharina Raudvere, Professor of the History of Religions, University of Copenhagen‘Effectively shatters many interrelated shibboleths we still cling to in our understanding and teaching of Sufism … From radio programs to Rumi to rap music, [the book] covers with depth and concision a rich amount of ground within its pages.’

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Book SynopsisHow is the future changing? Is there a single determinant future or a plethora of alternative futures? How do we actually study futures and can we trust anything anyone says about 'the future'? Are Muslim societies prepared for the coming tsunami of change? This issue of Critical Muslim takes a searching look at all things 'futures', from trends to scenarios, from Sofia the Robot to weaponised code, and from Afrofuturism to climate change. It explores what images and metaphors of the future say about the present. With contributions from a string of noted futurists including Sohail Inayatullah, Wendy Schultz, Christopher Jones, Jordi Serra and others. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.

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Book SynopsisHow does one navigate the rich cultural and political geography of West Africa? Mapping the diverse manifestations of Islamic influence, this issue of Critical Muslim brings together the resplendent but manifold articulations of Muslim and African identity. From the forest Kingdom of precolonial Ashanti to the cultural theatres of free and independent Senegal, Islam astounds nobility and flirts with creativity. A human story of struggle, living, belonging, and daring unfolds. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.

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Book SynopsisSince the 1970s, there have been three challenges to traditional, homogeneous 'national' identities across the Western world: political and socioeconomic inequality; neoliberal globalisation; and more diverse, multicultural societies. As in the US and elsewhere in Western Europe, the decline of an old, masculinised national identity has now begun to open a new, dark era for Britain. Since the 'war on terror' was added to the mix, 'others' in Britain have been brutally demonised. Muslims, routinely presented as the source of society's ills, are subjected to both symbolic and actual violence. Deep- seated and structurally racialised norms amplify the isolation and alienation impeding Muslim integration. Both these 'left-behind' Muslims and white-British groups who perceive themselves as the true nation are under pressure from ongoing geopolitical concerns in the Muslim world, as well as widening divisions at home. Tahir Abbas argues that, in this context, the symbiotic intersections between Islamophobia and radicalisation intensify and expand. His book is a warning of the world that results: a rise in hate crime, the institutionalisation of Islamophobia, and the normalisation of war and conflict.Trade Review‘[Abbas’s] carefully documented book includes an analysis of different kinds of Islamophobia, as well as a qualified defence of multiculturalist policies.’ -- Times Literary Supplement‘Islamophobia and Radicalisation: A Vicious Cycle is a comprehensive and well-documented text, which sets high standards for future scholars working on Muslims and the rise of anti- Muslim hatred in societies with white majority cultures. [The book] is data dense and meticulously researched … and, often, challenging with its multifaceted and intellectually provocative scrutiny of the relationship between Islamophobia and radicalisation.’ -- Postcolonial Studies'An important contribution … [this book is] a useful resource to deepen discussion on the intersections of race, religion, culture and gender in the study of Islamophobia and radicalisation more broadly.’ -- Journal of Intercultural Studies‘["Islamophobia and Radicalisation"] is an excellent and timely book.’ -- Ethnic and Racial Studies'This book offers thorough insights into the concept of Islamophobia and the radicalisation of some Muslims in Europe and the UK. It is an antidote to crude stereotyping of all Muslims, and explores the fears of whole populations in the modern world.' -- Sally Tomlinson, Honorary Fellow, University of Oxford, and author of 'Education and Race from Empire to Brexit''Tahir Abbas's study has the singular merit of demonstrating that Islamophobia and radicalisation are mirror images of each other, where Islamophobia--produced by historical discrimination and socio-economic marginalisation--rather than Islam has been the driving force.' -- George Joffé, Research Associate, London Middle East Institute, SOAS University of London'Abbas has brilliantly provided a timely and incisive analysis that examines the symbiotic relationship between Islamophobia and radicalisation within the historical, political, and cultural contours shaping contemporary geo-politics. This is required reading for our fraught political times.' -- Jasmin Zine, Professor of Sociology and Muslim Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

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Book SynopsisAs we teeter on the brink of climate collapse, this issue of Critical Muslim asks how we got here and whether environmental catastrophe can be averted. From the arid plains of Andalusia to landlocked Jordan, we see how communities are navigating extreme conditions and making the most of scarce resources. With the Muslim South disproportionately impacted by climate change, contributors will explore the consequences of water wars, worsening refugee crises and the innovation required to face a brave new world. Critical Muslim is a quarterly magazine of ideas and issues showcasing ground breaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world.

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