The true Islamic personality as defined by the Qur'an and Sunnah presents a comprehensive overview of the way in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions lived. This picture of the practical aspects of a truly Islamic lifestyle serves as a timely reminder for all of us. At a time when unIslamic and antiIslamic influences are spreading, via modem technology, to the heartlands of Islam and even to the remotest regions, a Muslim needs to hold firm to the distinct character of our faith, as prescribed by Allah and revealed through His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Dr. Muhammad 'Ali alHashimi presents a wellthought out guide to the Islamic lifestyle. He starts with the Muslim's relationship with his Lord, which is the most important aspect of his life, and provides the foundation for all his other relationships. From there, he outlines how the Muslim should relate to every person in his life, starting with himself and his family, and moving on, by stages, to encompass every member of the community or society. Each point is supported by extensive quotations from the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program for monographs. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In Forging the Ideal Educated Girl, Shenila Khoja-Moolji traces the figure of the ‘educated girl’ to examine the evolving politics of educational reform and development campaigns in colonial India and Pakistan. She challenges the prevailing common sense associated with calls for women’s and girls’ education and argues that such advocacy is not simply about access to education but, more crucially, concerned with producing ideal Muslim woman-/girl-subjects with specific relationships to the patriarchal family, paid work, Islam, and the nation-state. Thus, discourses on girls’/ women’s education are sites for the construction of not only gender but also class relations, religion, and the nation.

Exploring the increasing impact of the Internet on Muslims around the world, this book sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community. The Internet has profoundly shaped how both Muslims and non-Muslims perceive Islam and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting in the twenty-first century, says Gary Bunt. While Islamic society has deep historical patterns of global exchange, the Internet has transformed how many Muslims practice the duties and rituals of Islam. A place of religious instruction may exist solely in the virtual world, for example, or a community may gather only online. Drawing on more than a decade of online research, Bunt shows how social-networking sites, blogs, and other "cyber-Islamic environments" have exposed Muslims to new influences outside the traditional spheres of Islamic knowledge and authority. Furthermore, the Internet has dramatically influenced forms of Islamic activism and radicalization, including jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda. By surveying the broad spectrum of approaches used to present dimensions of Islamic social, spiritual, and political life on the Internet, iMuslims encourages diverse understandings of online Islam and of Islam generally.

This accessible work balances the image of Islam as aggressive and fanatical with an objective picture of the main features of Muslim history and the compulsions of Muslim society.

Making use of techniques from literary analysis, social history and anthropology, she brings together a wide array of sources ranging from literary works, historical chronicles, biographies, pilgrimage diaries, travelers' accounts, and previously unexamined archival material.

This ethnography of immigrant Muslims examines five Northeastern communities, providing an intimate look at what it means to be a practicing Muslim in America at a time when Islam is in the forefront of international news.

Here is the first major work published about sexuality and eroticism between males in Islamic society. Through narratives, analytic essays, descriptions, and academic treatises, Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies provides a revealing and most fascinating look into what is--for most Westerners--still a very hidden, very foreign culture. Until now there has existed a lack of solid information about sexuality in Islamic society, but this volume portrays very clearly the relationship between same-sex eroticism and the ideal of the man as penetrator. As a result, Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies illuminates not only homosexuality but the whole sexual culture and role of gender in the Muslim world. The chapters focus on homosexuality among men in Morocco, Syria, Iran, Turkey, and Israel. Despite its occurrence in this region of the world, sex between males is not considered to be "homosexuality" by most men--a concept that is reiterated in chapter after chapter. In addition to major differences in the attitudes toward homosexual acts in Muslim countries and the West, this enlightening book also shows great differences among the Muslim countries themselves, depending upon the degree to which Islamic law is enforced, the impact of different western colonial influences and legal systems, and the sheer impact of cultural variation within so vast a geographic area. There are some keen observations and insights into the socialization of boys in Islamic culture, the status and inaccessibility of women, and sex roles and attitudes toward them. Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies captures a sense of the Muslim countries in the process of rapid change--from the anti-modernist and religious fundamentalism of Iran to the attempts in the cities of Turkey to develop a western style gay way of life, with all the difficulties that involves. An engaging book for readers interested in gay studies, anthropologists, orientalists, historians, students of comparative law, and sexologists, it should also be read by anyone in contact with Arabs, Turks, or Persians--as tourists in Muslim countries, social service professionals working with immigrants, or friends of Muslims.after chapter. In addition to major differences in the attitudes toward homosexual acts in Muslim countries and the West, this enlightening book also shows great differences among the Muslim countries themselves, depending upon the degree to which Islamic law is enforced, the impact of different western colonial influences and legal systems, and the sheer impact of cultural variation within so vast a geographic area. There are some keen observations and insights into the socialization of boys in Islamic culture, the status and inaccessibility of women, and sex roles and attitudes toward them. Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies captures a sense of the Muslim countries in the process of rapid change--from the anti-modernist and religious fundamentalism of Iran to the attempts in the cities of Turkey to develop a western style gay way of life, with all the difficulties that involves. An engaging book for readers interested in gay studies, anthropologists, orientalists, historians, students of comparative law, and sexologists, it should also be read by anyone in contact with Arabs, Turks, or Persians--as tourists in Muslim countries, social service professionals working with immigrants, or friends of Muslims. historians, students of comparative law, and sexologists, it should also be read by anyone in contact with Arabs, Turks, or Persians--as tourists in Muslim countries, social service professionals working with immigrants, or friends of Muslims.

The Masyumi Party, which was active in Indonesia from 1945 to 1960, constitutes the boldest attempt to date at reconciling Islam and democracy. Masyumi proposed a vision of society and government which was not bound by a literalist application of Islamic doctrine but rather inspired by the values of Islam. It set out moderate policies which were both favourable to the West and tolerant towards other religious communities in Indonesia. Although the party made significant strides towards the elaboration of a Muslim democracy, its achievements were nonetheless precarious: it was eventually outlawed in 1960 for having resisted Sukarno’s slide towards authoritarianism, and the refusal of Suharto’s regime to reinstate the party left its leaders disenchanted and marginalised. Many of those leaders subsequently turned to a form of Islam known as integralism, a radical doctrine echoing certain characteristics of 19th-century Catholic integralism, which contributed to the advent of Muslim neo-fundamentalism in Indonesia. This book examines the Masyumi Party from its roots in early 20th-century Muslim reformism to its contemporary legacy, and offers a perspective on political Islam which provides an alternative to the more widely-studied model of Middle-Eastern Islam. The party’s experience teaches us much about the fine line separating a moderate form of Islam open to democracy and a certain degree of secularisation from the sort of religious intransigence which can threaten the country’s denominational coexistence.