2026-08-26T10:21:11Z https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/api/oai/

oai:mathal:id:2720 2021-06-21T03:00:00Z

An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love Hajimehditajer, Leyla Abd al-Rahman Jami (817/1414- 898/1492) is regarded as the last grand classical poet of Persian literature and a great Sufi of his time. Towards the end of his life, he compiled his Divan in which one can trace his life pattern that he has divide into three main phases. These include: 1) the period of his childhood and early phases of education, which is reported in Fātiḥah al-Shabāb; 2) his mid-life phase as elaborated in Wāsiṭah al-‘Aqd; and, 3) the last stage of his life, discussed in Khātimah al-Ḥayāt. In the latter, Jami tends to evaluate his life span in search of elixir of salvation. This search led him to an elevated stage of self-realization where he questioned his previous actions and all that which he was praised for, i.e. a prolific writer, an imaginative poet, and a distinguished commentator of Sufi thought. This spiritual self-assessment eventually directed him to the path of ‘love’ – the transforming power that reveals the essential meaning of life, realization of the inner divine self, and that which could bring about union with God. This paper intends to trace Jami’s transformation of thought, character and worldview. It begins with a bibliographical account followed by an elaboration of the three phases of Jami’s life, his status as a poet, a melting pot of Sufism, and, finally his perception of true love and its transforming and purifying effect on the seeker of truth. 2021-06-21T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 7 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1122 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1122 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2720/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-18

oai:mathal:id:2721 2021-06-21T03:00:00Z

Islamic Rule and Iranian Women in the Films of Hatef Alimardani Islamic Rule and Iranian Women in the Films of Hatef Alimardani Ebrahimian, Mojtaba This article reconsiders some Western textual and visual (mis)representations of Muslim women as mentally imprisoned by Islamic rules and patriarchy through analyzing three prominent films by the Iranian screenwriter and director, Hatef Alimardani (b. 1976). It begins by a brief discussion of the portrayals of women in Islamic societies promulgated by Anglo-American media. Then, by examining For Pooneh’s Sake (Beh Khāter-e Pooneh, 2013), The Nameless Alley (Kucheh-ye Binām, 2015), and Ābā Jān (2017), box-office hits offering sociocultural critiques through realistic cinematic depictions of contemporary Iranian society, it demonstrates how Alimardani’s films dismantle stereotypical and essentialist portrayals of Muslim women by Western media and scholarly works, and thus, help us better understand the lived experience of women in Islamic countries. 2021-06-21T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 7 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1128 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1128 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2721/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-21

oai:mathal:id:2732 2020-02-09T03:00:00Z

‘Poised on the Higher Horizon’: Seeing God in the Sahara ‘Poised on the Higher Horizon’: Seeing God in the Sahara Marcus-Sells, Ariela This article presents an Arabic transcription and complete English translation of an untitled text – labelled “Khalwa” in the manuscript catalogue - attributed to Sīdī al-Mukhtār al-Kuntī, a Saharan scholar and Sufi teacher of the late-eighteenth century. In the accompanying commentary, I demonstrate how this text draws together two passages in the Qur’ān: the ambiguous visionary encounters of 53:1-18 and Moses’s request to see God in 7:142-143 to argue that, unlike Moses, Muḥammad received a direct vision of God. I further argue that, for Sīdi al-Mukhtār al-Kuntī, the question of seeing God was linked to his concern over legitimate and illegitimate knowledge from the realm of the unseen (ʿālam al-ghayb). Intertextual references demonstrate that Sīdī al-Mukhtār understood the friends of God to occupy the same role in the spiritual hierarchy as Muḥammad and the prophets. Read in this context, “Khalwa” suggests that the friends of God might be able to follow Muḥammad’s example, see God with their own eyes, and thus master the sciences of the unseen. 2020-02-09T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 6 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1115 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1115 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2732/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-37

oai:mathal:id:2733 2019-12-17T03:00:00Z

Time and Space in the Novels of Palestinian Writer Sahar Khalifa Time and Space in the Novels of Palestinian Writer Sahar Khalifa Sasson, Sharon This article seeks to examine the connections between time and space in the novels of the prominent Palestinian writer, Saḥar Khalīfa. In her writing, Khalīfa emphasizes the status of women in society. She describes Palestinian society, and links each of her works to the collective Palestinian struggle and the parallel female struggle. She draws inspiration from her personal identity, and contributes to the development of a cultural discussion and creation of a collective identity. Khalīfa’s works constitute a broad literary corpus, describing through time and space the events of Palestinian society in general and the status of Palestinian women in particular. These events constitute a chronological timeline that reflects processes of forming a Palestinian collective identity, and in a narrower circle it describes the changes that have taken place in Palestinian women’s lives, and the processes that contributed to shaping their identity in light of political-national changes. Thus, the connection created in Khalīfa’s novels between historical time and physical place is an inseparable part of the entire range of literary means that drive the plot and emphasize the role and status of Palestinian women in society. 2019-12-17T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 6 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1105 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1105 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2733/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-10

oai:mathal:id:2735 2019-12-13T03:00:00Z

The Politics of Pity versus Piety: The Poetics and Politics Behind Different Feminist Accounts on the Muslim Woman The Politics of Pity versus Piety: The Poetics and Politics Behind Different Feminist Accounts on the Muslim Woman Wong, Wei Mei This article analyzes two books that utilize the construct of “The Muslim Woman” as a symbol for public consumption across a global and conceptual scale: Saba Mahmood’s book, 'Politics of Piety', and Malala Yousafzai’s and Christina Lamb’s 'I am Malala'. The motivation behind the analysis is to situate the texts within debates on essentialism within accounts of Muslim women. While essentialism and the critique of it in such discussions are not a novelty, the books demonstrate a physical manifestation of essentialism and a reductionist reaction toward this brand of essentialism. Through analysis of the content, poetics, and response toward the books, I argue that scholarship surround Muslim women are still mired in essentialism albeit efforts to avoid it due to a lack in direction as to how to resolve the issue. I suggest using a combination of power convolution and intersectionality of identities to capture the representation of Muslim women. 2019-12-13T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 6 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1114 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1114 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2735/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-25

oai:mathal:id:2734 2019-11-26T03:00:00Z

New Bottles, Old Wine: The Contemporary Palestinian Political Division New Bottles, Old Wine: The Contemporary Palestinian Political Division Alijla, Abdalhadi Al Masri, Aziz This study examines the prolonged Palestinian division. Its essential focus is to explore the various stages that the Palestinian political system has gone through and track its development from the British mandate up to the ongoing division between Fatah and Hamas. It aims to uncover the roles of regional and foreign actors which have destabilized the Palestinian national movement. Moreover, it demonstrates the role of the United Kingdom and Israel in inciting the divide and conquer principle during the British mandate, as well as the way the Palestine Liberation Organisation managed to maintain national unity from the 1960s. Finally, this study examines the real and historical reasons behind the current division between Fatah and Hamas, as well as the external factors that contribute to the continuity of the division. 2019-11-26T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 6 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1116 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1116 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2734/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-23

oai:mathal:id:2731 2019-04-15T03:00:00Z

Wisdom (Hikmah) as Perceived by Iranian Muslim Scholars: Reflections on Ibn Sina, Ghazali, and Suhrawardi Wisdom (Hikmah) as Perceived by Iranian Muslim Scholars: Reflections on Ibn Sina, Ghazali, and Suhrawardi Tajer, Leyla H Zekrgoo, Amir H The evolution of the concept of spiritual/religious wisdom (ḥikamt) by the Iranian Muslim philosophers from the 10th to 12th century, may be studied under three main trends namely Mashā’i (Peripatetic), Kalām (theology), and Ishrāq (Illumination). Despite the correlation among these trends each of them grew independently. Among the three, the Hikmat-i Ishrāq (Illumination Wisdom) which is also known as Ḥikamt-i Dhawqi (Intuitive Wisdom) of Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi (1153-1191) found a special place as it tended to bring together the philosophical and theological aspects of wisdom. This survey would address the development of ḥikmat (wisdom) among Iranian philosophers (hukamā’). It will focus on three outstanding thinkers namely Ibn Sina (980-1037), Ghazali (1058-1111) and Suhrawardi. Ibn Sina represents the Islamized version of Aristotelian Peripatetic philosophy. Ghazali benefited from Ibn Sina’s writing but took a different direction, distancing himself from philosophy by giving more weight to theology. Suhrawardi adopted ‘light’ – a strong symbolic expression used in both pre-Islamic and Islamic sources – and gave ‘wisdom’ a different edge that involved intuition as a reliable source of receiving guidance. In the study of the theoretical and philosophical aspects of the Illumination Wisdom (Ḥikmat-i Ishrāq) one can find traces of the evolution of the concept of wisdom as perceived by Ibn Sina and Ghazali. 2019-04-15T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 6 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1104 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1104 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2731/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-10

oai:mathal:id:2723 2019-01-23T03:00:00Z

Review: The Arab Spring: The Hope and Reality of the Uprisings Review: The Arab Spring: The Hope and Reality of the Uprisings Souaiaia, Ahmed E Mark L. Haas and David W. Lesch (eds.), The Arab Spring: The Hope and Reality of the Uprisings, 2nd ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2017). Pp. 338. $27.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-8133-4974-9. Reviewed by Ahmed E. Souaiaia, joint appointment in Religious Studies, History, International Studies, and College of Law, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; https://ahmed.souaiaia.com. 2019-01-23T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 5 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1106 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1106 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2723/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-3

oai:mathal:id:2724 2018-09-26T03:00:00Z

The Shariah Scare Industry and the Clash of Temporalities The Shariah Scare Industry and the Clash of Temporalities Fink, Steven Islamophobic alarms over shariah have resounded in the United States during the second decade of the twenty-first century. These alarms perpetuate the notion of a clash of civilizations, pitting Islam versus the West. Instead of discussing the clash of civilizations thesis, however, this article proposes that a clash of temporalities has been constructed by a “shariah scare industry.” Focusing on the Center for Security Policy and Nonie Darwish, this article discloses the shariah scare argument that Muslims and non-Muslims experience time in two contrasting manners, what I call frozen past time and ominous future time. 2018-09-26T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 5 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1092 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1092 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2724/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-19

oai:mathal:id:2726 2018-05-17T03:00:00Z

The Shapers of Memory: The Theatrics of Islamic Historiography The Shapers of Memory: The Theatrics of Islamic Historiography Hagler, Aaron M This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors through the lens of stage actor performance theory. In particular, it argues that semi-canonical writings, such as al-Ṭabarī’s History of the Prophets and Kings, become the “script” that later authors, such as Ibn al-Athīr and Ibn Kathīr “perform” as actors. This methodology is novel, and argues that by examining the changes authors made to narratives presented in earlier Arabic texts, we can draw important conclusions about the authors’ opinions of the relative importance of narrative elements, the authors’ literary-narrative strategies for endowing memories with meaning, and establish each author's "super-objective" (his primary thematic or narrative concerns). 2018-05-17T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 5 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1099 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1099 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2726/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-28

oai:mathal:id:2725 2016-11-20T03:00:00Z

The Moroccan Jurist al-Khamlīshī: Can a Woman Become a Legislator (Mujtahid)? The Moroccan Jurist al-Khamlīshī: Can a Woman Become a Legislator (Mujtahid)? Badareen, Nayel A The idea of deducing legal rulings in Islamic law, or ijtihād, as well as the qualifications of the person who practices ijtihād, known as the mujtahid, has been a complex issue among Muslim ʿulamāʾ for centuries. Many Muslim ʿulamāʾ and Western scholars have maintained that the gate of ijtihād was closed. The title of mujtahid was therefore impossible to attain. The Moroccan intellectual al-Khamlīshī maintains that the strenuous conditions put forth by some of the Sunni jurists to qualify an individual to become a mujtahid actually contributed to the demise of ijtihād. These qualifications, according to al-Khamlīshī, were proven to be unachievable and stood as myriad obstacles in creating new generations to reform the old Islamic fiqh. This essay shows that, despite the extremely strenuous set of qualifications, through the writings of al-Khamlīshī, Moroccan women penetrated men’s domain in Islamic family law, breaking the long-standing monopoly men held therein. 2016-11-20T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 5 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1077 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1077 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2725/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-8

oai:mathal:id:2722 2016-03-23T03:00:00Z

The Location of Memory: Diachronic and Synchronic Alibism and Hui Identity The Location of Memory: Diachronic and Synchronic Alibism and Hui Identity Bentahar, Ziad Among China’s various Muslim groups, the Hui stand out on the basis of their ethnicity, history and location, and are considered unlike the Turkic groups in Western territories. The Hui are not confined to a definite region but are present throughout China, and exist in continuous juxtaposition with other groups. For this reason, they determine their identity by simultaneous associations to an exogenous tradition that differentiates them from other Chinese groups, and to endogenous elements that situate them as inherently Chinese. This position of the Hui at the intersection of two presumably mutually-exclusive cultural spheres, namely Muslim and Chinese, results in mode of identity-formation, which I call alibism, and in which identity is founded on the basis of perpetual deferment to an alternative location. 2016-03-23T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 5 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1076 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1076 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2722/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-10

oai:mathal:id:2716 2015-09-14T03:00:00Z

Blogging, Nationhood, and the Egyptian Revolution: Rethinking Bridgeblogging Blogging, Nationhood, and the Egyptian Revolution: Rethinking Bridgeblogging Sacco, Katherine R The common interpretation of “bridgeblogs,” or blogs written in English by bloggers in countries where English is not the primary audience, understands them as primarily serving to explain the local political context for an international audience. This article aims to complicate the existing understanding of bridgeblogs through ethnographic research into five Egyptian bridgeblogs. Specifically, this paper considers bloggers’ engagement in discussions about nationhood in 2011, in the wake of the Egyptian uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak. This paper argues that by participating in conversations about the future and shape of the Egyptian nation, bridgebloggers are highly engaged in domestic political networks, are dedicated to political causes within the country, and write for both domestic and international audiences. 2015-09-14T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1061 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1061 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2716/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-26

oai:mathal:id:2714 2015-09-06T03:00:00Z

Neither Fulul nor Ikhwan: The Thought of Abdul Rahman Yusuf and the Rise of an Alternative Current in Post-Morsi Egypt Neither Fulul nor Ikhwan: The Thought of Abdul Rahman Yusuf and the Rise of an Alternative Current in Post-Morsi Egypt Al-Saif, Bader Mousa Since independence, the military and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) have exerted unmatched influence and control over Egypt. However, an “alternative current” is on the rise. In this paper, first, I survey the role played by the military and the MB. Second, I highlight one of the voices of this alternative current, Abdul Rahman Yusuf. The evolution of his thought in post-July 2013 coup era unveils the difficulties facing this alternative current in competing with the well-entrenched voices of both the military and the MB. Notwithstanding such challenges, I argue that suggesting the existence and eventual resilience and popularity of an alternative current that politically and intellectually defies both the military and the MB in Egypt is not a far-fetched aspiration should the leaders of this current articulate their ideas with clarity, embrace genuine reform, celebrate diversity and difference as prerequisites for constructive societal and political pluralism. 2015-09-06T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1066 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1066 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2714/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-26

oai:mathal:id:2715 2015-07-23T03:00:00Z

Emigration as a Political Stance? Moroccan Migrants' Narratives of Dignity, Human Rights and Minority Identities in Transnational Context Emigration as a Political Stance? Moroccan Migrants' Narratives of Dignity, Human Rights and Minority Identities in Transnational Context Virkama, Anna The protest movements known as the Arab Spring brought the frustration and disappointment of the North African citizens with their governments to the world's attention. Five years after the Arab Spring, the issues of human rights and individual freedom remain important issues in the democratic transition of the Arab societies. Since the countries in North Africa have also been important migrant sending countries for decades, the connection between mass emigration and human right issues forms an interesting research area. This empirical article aims to bring a new perspective to the debate by analysing the narratives dignity, human rights and minority identities of 80 Moroccan migrants living in France. The article first identifies four particularly vulnerable groups among the migrants: women, disabled people, homosexuals and ethnic minorities. It demonstrates how the migration project in case of many study and labour migrant was also motivated by issues related to personal freedom and dignity. Finally, the article discusses the emerging forms of political participation, identities and connections in transnational context and argues for more research on the role of diasporas in the socio-cultural transformations in the North African societies. 2015-07-23T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1072 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1072 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2715/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-11

oai:mathal:id:2717 2015-07-12T03:00:00Z

The Independent Press after the "Moroccan Spring" The Independent Press after the "Moroccan Spring" Tayebi, Hamza The wave of Arab Spring that started in Tunisia and Egypt arrived to Morocco in 2011 paving the way to unprecedented organized mass-protests all over the country. Among the demands raised by the 20 February Movement protesters was the demand for free and independent media outlets, especially the press. King Mohammed VI, the Commander of the Faithful and the highest authority in Morocco, promised in a televised speech on March 9th to introduce "radical" and "genuine" constitutional reforms that would democratize the country. In fact, King Mohammed VI has so far succeeded in calming down and co-opting the demonstrations, but journalists and political activists still get fined if they trespass the Hudud[1]. In my short article, I will briefly contextualize the Moroccan independent press and discuss its status after the "Moroccan Spring" with an attempt to show, through cases of imprisoned journalists, the contradictions associated with the liberalization of speech in Morocco. One of the main arguments of my article is that the democratization of the press could never be achieved as long as the public discourse that brings monarchical powers and actions into question is illegal. 2015-07-12T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1065 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1065 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2717/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-14

oai:mathal:id:2719 2015-04-28T03:00:00Z

The Shi’a Spring: Shi’a Resistance and the Arab Spring Movement in the GCC States The Shi’a Spring: Shi’a Resistance and the Arab Spring Movement in the GCC States Patterson, Molly This paper asks the question: Are the GCC Shi‘a engaged in their own “Shi‘a Spring movement”, and, if so, what does this mean for the future of Shi‘a communities in the Arabian Gulf? While the “Arab Spring” is a movement that is shared among an entire ethno-linguistic group, Shi‘a protesters belong to a group that have be both politically and religiously marginalized in the modern GCC states. Shi‘a protesters face discrimination not only from GCC political authorities, but from GCC citizens, some of whom are fellow Arabs. In addition, this paper examines both the overt and more subtle forms of discrimination imposed on the GCC Shi‘a community during the first phases of the Arab Spring movement (2011-2013). 2015-04-28T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1058 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1058 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2719/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-23

oai:mathal:id:2713 2015-04-24T03:00:00Z

From Rights To Representation: Challenging Citizenship From The Margins Post 2011 From Rights To Representation: Challenging Citizenship From The Margins Post 2011 Levy, Gal This study asks whether we are the same citizens as we were before the civil awakening that spilled over from tyrannical Arab states to core cities of the global economy and beyond. To address this question it offers an historical account of the role of New Social Movements, civil society, and deliberative and radical democracy as the three epistemic frameworks that have shaped the figure of the rights-bearing citizen, and which have conceived the neoliberal citizen as a choice driven individual. Taking the neoliberal shift in Israel of the 1980s as its point of departure, it then places the 2011 Tents’ Protest in the broader context of acts of resistance to the entrenchment of neoliberalism. This is followed by a thorough exploration of two post-2011 Israeli activist groups in Jewish and Arab-Palestinian societies respectively, allowing voices and new conceptions of citizenship that had arisen from the margins of the 2011 protest to come to the fore. In the final analysis, this exploration traces how the shift away from the conception of the citizen as a rights-bearing individual challenges neoliberal governmentality. It thus enables us to configure the image of a post-neoliberal citizen, one whose political subjectivity is grounded not in the discourse of rights, but rather in a new discourse of representation. 2015-04-24T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1064 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1064 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2713/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-26

oai:mathal:id:2718 2015-04-20T03:00:00Z

Political Islamism in Tunisia: A History of Repression and a Complex Forum for Potential Change Political Islamism in Tunisia: A History of Repression and a Complex Forum for Potential Change Louden, Sarah R This paper argues that the growth and legalization of Political Islamism in Tunisia will naturally hinder the contemporary influence of violent extremism, leading to partnership and inclusion within a Democratic government. The basis for this claim rests on the idea that the condemnation and repression of Political Islamism in Tunisia historically backfired and led to the further underground radicalization of Tunisians, along with scores of human rights abuses by authorities. Specifically, this essay will focus on the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, the Salafist party Ansar al-Sharia, and their complex relationship to each other as well as to domestic and regional politics at large. Furthermore, this essay will examine the wide continuum of Political Islamism at present, including the Tunisian government’s most recent agenda regarding its response to violent extremism, terrorism and acts of vigilante violence. This essay advocates for the Tunisian government to continue to allow the participation of Islamist groups within the political arena while maintaining security, transparency, and accountability for the state and its citizens. 2015-04-20T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 4 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1060 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1060 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2718/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-23

oai:mathal:id:2737 2014-02-24T03:00:00Z

State Sovereignty and Citizen Agency: The Nationalist-Islamic Discourse of Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din State Sovereignty and Citizen Agency: The Nationalist-Islamic Discourse of Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din Jadallah, Dina Using the discourse of Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din, this article examines the contestation of sovereignty in Lebanon. His discourse on questions of sovereignty and agency offers an alternative vision of modernity that is part of an evolving struggle in the Lebanese political system. Lebanon’s consociational democratic system of structured political sectarianism necessitated an enmeshed and interactive theological, organizational, and political response. The article asks how political and ideational challenge – in the sense of empowering a disempowered group – occurs within a dominant political system of democratic exclusion? In addition, the geo-political reality of diminished state-level sovereignty, both vis-à-vis regional and international powers and domestically, in state institutions, functions, and relations, begs the question of how conditions of structured exclusion affect the state’s ability to act autonomously and in the interests of the majority of its citizens? I argue that Shams al-Din’s discourse sought to reform the status quo by emphasizing a post-sectarian accommodative vision. The essence of this vision emphasized the role of the resistant struggle (al-muqawama) for truth, justice, and inclusiveness as integral to the achievement of muwatana or citizenship (ownership / voice in the nation-state) as well as nationalist sovereignty, both of which he contextualized historically and politically within open and constructive relationships with their broader Arab, Islamic, and Human milieus. Shams al-Din’s idealistic but politically-engaged vision drew on the Sunni concept of (consultation) shura and traditional Shi‘i texts to frame just rule as an aspirational struggle and as a post-sectarian framework for political and societal organization based on taqrib (drawing closer, searching for commonalities) that stretches beyond borders. This vision outlined an interactive and interdependent relationship whereby national sovereignty is fortified for being embedded in its society and in the agency of its citizens, and vice versa. 2014-02-24T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 3 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1048 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1048 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2737/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-39

oai:mathal:id:2739 2013-08-27T03:00:00Z

Head of the Jews in Spain in Comparison to Head of the Jews in Egypt Head of the Jews in Spain in Comparison to Head of the Jews in Egypt Bareket, Elinoar Two big Jewish settlements were sitting on the shores of the Mediterranean in the 11th century: one in Fatimid Egypt, mainly in the city of Fustat, close to Cairo, the second in Muslim-Suni Spain, mainly in the cities of Cordova – the capital of the Umyyads caliphs, and Granada – the capital of the Granada Emirate. How related were those two settlements to each other by means of communication, mutual influences, similar behavior and the main aspect: relying on a Muslim rule which might be similar in its basis but completely different in its outlook. This article aims to look at a certain institution of Jewish leadership in those two settlements, an institution that relies on a Muslim rule while supported by the Jewish community. It aims to inspect the validity of this institution's existence and the sources of its power and authority, and to view the system of connections and mutual influences between the two settlements, in spite of the different conditions within which they operated. The institution referred to is the nagid or "Head of Jews" - ra'is al-yahud, and methodological questions related to the research. 2013-08-27T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 3 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1035 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1035 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2739/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-19

oai:mathal:id:2738 2013-06-07T03:00:00Z

A Short History of a “Perfect Woman:” The translations of the “Wife of Pharoah” Before, Through, and Beyond the Qur’ānic Milieu A Short History of a “Perfect Woman:” The translations of the “Wife of Pharoah” Before, Through, and Beyond the Qur’ānic Milieu Archer, George The woman who pulled the baby Moses out of the river Nile appears in many the most ancient and classical sources of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. She has been translated repeatedly to become whatever a given epoch needs her to become. She has been the figure of a surrogate mother who intercedes on behalf of endangered children. She has been a symbol of purification by water and conversion to new ways of life. She has been a martyr at the hands of an evil tyrant, and most recently, she has been kindling for feminist readings of Islam. This paper is a history of this woman’s re-invention and renaming over time, as she moved from the deep past, through the Jewish and Islamic scriptures and various hagiographies, and finally into our own day. 2013-06-07T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 3 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1039 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1039 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2738/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-20

oai:mathal:id:2736 2013-04-13T03:00:00Z

Repurposed Narratives: The Battle of Ṣiffīn and the Historical Memory of the Umayyad Dynasty Repurposed Narratives: The Battle of Ṣiffīn and the Historical Memory of the Umayyad Dynasty Hagler, Aaron M The Battle of Ṣiffīn (36/657) is the flash point in the emergence of sects within Islam. The presentation of the Ṣiffīn story in Arabic historical writing therefore changed over time as the sectarian split among Sunnīs and Shīʿites became increasingly defined. This paper will trace the development of the presentation of the Ṣiffīn story in Arabic histories across developing Sunnī and Shīʿite identity crystallization and the region of origin of their authors, as well as literary and stylistic developments in the field of Arabic historical writing. The specific historians examined have been chosen in part because they demonstrate a particular chronological progression of the Ṣiffīn story from a fundamentally pro-ʿAlid episode of the first fitna to something approaching an pro-Umayyad apologetic, but also in part because they represent a broad spectrum of historiographical styles. This article will demonstrate that in these successive generations of historians, small (or large) changes in the presentation of the story, the main characters, and the style of narration reflect the regionally diverse and evolving sectarian memories, of Ṣiffīn in particular and the first fitna in general. 2013-04-13T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 3 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1044 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1044 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2736/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-27

oai:mathal:id:2727 2012-01-05T03:00:00Z

Islam and Qur'anic figures in Africa: Prophets, Sages and Disciples Islam and Qur'anic figures in Africa: Prophets, Sages and Disciples Chande, Abdin This is but a humble attempt to frame a discussion on Islam, prophetic voices and geographical spaces in Africa as territorial canvasses for sketching out Islam's sacred history. This way of thinking or conceptualizing about Africa is not as fashionable among Muslim Qur'anic scholars as it is among black Biblical theologians. Yet, this is not to suggest that the approach of this study is grounded in the Afro-centered methodology. Such an approach has its own place and serves certain ideological and cultural functions especially within a given African American diasporic scholarship. Rather, the aim of this research is two-fold: first, to critique Afro-centric thought and, second, to probe and re-center or re-state Africa's position within Islam's civilizational and spiritual narrative. 2012-01-05T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1025 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1025 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2727/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-14

oai:mathal:id:2730 2011-10-12T03:00:00Z

Hacer patria de David Blaustein: Reconstrucción colectiva e historia judeo-argentina reciente Hacer patria de David Blaustein: Reconstrucción colectiva e historia judeo-argentina reciente Goldfine, Daniela David Blaustein nos lleva en un recorrido íntimo por su familia migrante, el cual refleja la historia más abarcadora de una nación durante el siglo XX y XXI. Polonia, Argentina, España, Argentina. Blaustein y su familia hacen patria dándole a su identidad una maleabilidad en la que el judaísmo se filtra para ser parte del collage argentino. Sin embargo, es esta marca judaica—visible en los abuelos, invisible pero latente en los nietos—la que empuja a los miembros de esta familia a seguir rondando el mundo en su exilio intergeneracional. Blaustein produce un documental en el que la inmigración y el exilio desestabilizan a su familia a través de los años a la vez que la unen en un espacio argentino-judío donde las fronteras se encuentran dentro del propio clan. Lo característico de este trabajo es lo colectivo del mismo: Es la inconfundible historia del inmigrante y, al mismo tiempo, es exclusivamente la historia de los Blaustein. 2011-10-12T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 1 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1018 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1018 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2730/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-12

oai:mathal:id:2729 2011-10-10T03:00:00Z

Review of Sandu Frunză, Dumnezeu şi Holocaustul la Elie Wiesel: O etică a responsabilităţii (God and the Holocaust according to Elie Wiesel: An ethic of responsibility). Review of Sandu Frunză, Dumnezeu şi Holocaustul la Elie Wiesel: O etică a responsabilităţii (God and the Holocaust according to Elie Wiesel: An ethic of responsibility). Jones, Michael S In God and the Holocaust according to Elie Wiesel: An ethic of responsibility Sandu Frunza, professor of philosophy at Babeş-Bolyai University, explores the philosophy of Elie Wiesel, a Jewish scholar and holocaust survivor. Despite his prison camp experiences, Wiesel retains his faith in God. His experiences lead him to advocate an ethic of memory and alterity. Frunza relates Wiesel’s experiences, his approach to the problem of evil, and his ethic in conversation with contemporary philosophers and Jewish scholarship. 2011-10-10T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 1 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1022 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1022 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2729/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-3

oai:mathal:id:2728 2011-10-09T03:00:00Z

Religion, Ideology and Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Majlis-e-Hussain Religion, Ideology and Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Majlis-e-Hussain Rizwan, Snobra This paper intends to examine religious ideology and discourse conventions of majlis-e-Hussain; i.e. the speech to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad; from a critical discourse analysis (henceforth CDA) perspective. The analysis involves identification of multiple linguistic devices such as pronominalization, recontextualization, resemantisization, implicatures, interactional strategies and cohesive links; which serve to perpetuate the religious ideologies in Shi‘ah Muslims of Pakistan. In this way, this paper makes an attempt to highlight the way majlis discourse delegitimizes and deconstructs sectarian prejudice still prevalent in Pakistani society; and hence argues for a broader interpretation of majlis-e-Hussain than merely associating it with Moharram mourning rituals. 2011-10-09T03:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article 1 1 University of Iowa Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal archive 10.17077/2168-538X.1005 https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1005 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/mathal/article/id/2728/ 2168-538X http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 1-35