The peace negotiation between the Government Republic of the Philippines and the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front which started in 1997 during the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos went through turbulent times in the year 2000 when the succeeding President, Joseph Estrada, failed to continue the momentum of the peace initiative and instead declared an â all out warâ in dealing with the rebel group. When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president in 2001, she turned the â all out warâ policy into an all out peace, which opened up hopes for the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Peace negotiations between the GRP and the MILF were resurrected and both sides have re-affirmed their commitment to a negotiated political settlement as the only solution to the conflict. This thesis analyzes the prospect for a sustainable peace between the GRP and MILF by looking at the following variables: (1) the conflict and its ripeness for resolution, (2) the ongoing peace process, and (3) the involvement of external actors. General findings of this study indicate a good prospect for a comprehensive peace agreement next year and a good chance for its implementation due to the favorable conditions cited in this thesis.

In its nearly 60 years of independence, Pakistan has never fully established an identity for itself that has not been restructured by subsequent administrations. The military is one of the main elements of the federal political machine, and as such has assumed control of the government no less than four times in those 60 years the first occurring shortly after independence when Pakistan's founding father died before a government could be structured and formed. The current military ruler has stated his intention for a lasting establishment of a moderate and successful Muslim state. With the spread of radical militant Islam throughout the region and the United States War on Terror as his constraints, President General Pervez Musharraf finds himself in a position where success now is crucial, not optional. The purpose of this study is to understand the environment in which Musharraf has to work, including some of his constraints, restraints and assets; provide a limited evaluation of the success of his policies to date; and to offer recommendations to Pakistan and to the United States for ways in which the plans can be modified to see a more effective realization of a stable, modern, successful development of Pakistan.

The most recent wave of Islamic revivalism began in the second half of the twentieth century as a nonviolent movement of expressing ideological differences and discontent with the political, economic, and social condition among Muslims and inspired a reformation of the Muslim identity. Today, contemporary radical Islam, with militancy and terrorist tactics as its cornerstone, has all but overshadowed the call for a nonviolent struggle and has permeated several internal conflicts across the globe. The Muslim separatist movement in the southern Philippines is one such conflict. Following decades of discontent and sporadic violence, armed conflict broke out in late 1972 when the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) launched coordinated attacks against the government. Following a failed peace agreement in 1976, divisions began to form within the MNLF and in 1984 the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was established. The MILF, as the name indicates, placed more emphasis on Islam. In 1991, the radical Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) broke off from the MNLF claiming as its main purpose the establishment of an Islamic state. By the mid-1990s, what had originated as a nationalistic struggle advocating the concept of the â Moroâ identity, had evolved and produced two increasingly radical groups. After conducting a diachronic comparative analysis, this thesis concludes contemporary radical Islam in the southern Philippines is a fusion of both traditionalism and globalization. Furthermore, the causal factors evolved with respect to each groupâ s ideology, objectives, and tactics. Whereas the MILF was more representative of the legacy of traditional Islam, the ASG was much more a product of globalization.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis investigates the recent world-wide rise in Islamic banking. In doing so it (1) surveys the underlying religious foundation of Islamic finance, (2) examines the attempts of Islamists to use Islamic banking to Islamize societies, and (3) assesses how countries' use of Islamic banking fit into the international economic system. Drawing on this analysis, Islamic banking is finally examined from a national security perspective -- is this form of finance particularly susceptible to miss-use by terrorist groups? Although there are areas in the industry that need regulating and monitoring, this study ultimately concludes that Islamic banking's ties to terrorism are anecdotal, the expansion is the result of oil revenues and personal piety, and that Islamic banking can be leveraged as a means of moderation and enfranchisement when advanced free of an Islamist agenda. / Outstanding Thesis / US Navy (USN) author.

This research review ’s aim is to explore what international research highlights as the important factors and components regarding  identity negotiation among adolescents with a Muslim background. The paper concludes  that these adolescents negotiate in response to islamophobic discourses and a demand for assimilation into the dominating society. This causes individuals of Muslim  background to use their religion as an  anchor to operate in a process of  acculturation between different cultures. Within this process strategies of negotiation such as proclamation and masking of  religious identification were evident. These findings are of importance due to the school’s role as a fostering institution in Swedish society and therefore these will be discussed in light of their implications for religious education in Sweden.

This thesis discusses the relation between the Islamic tradition and sexuality, while focusing on sources of the Sunni Islam. It quotes from the Qur'an, hadiths, classical works of the Islamic jurisprudence and various fatwas. It deals with sexual aspects of the marital relationship, including the polygyny, with partners' rights and duties in the intime life and also with limitations given for choosing a partner. It also deals with allowed sexual relationship with slave-girl and forbidden sexual relationships like adultery or homosexual activities. It discusses the ritual purity related to sexual activities and menstruation and it also discusses male and female circumcision. It specifies a male nakedness and female nakedness and analyzes the right for pleasure and orgasm and discusses some sexual practices like coitus interruptus, masturbation or oral and anal sex. In case sof forbidden relationships, activities and practices it describes punishments.

No description available.

No description available.

Den här studien har lyft blivande lärares tankar och förväntningar kring undervisningen om sharia. Syftet har varit att ta reda på hur lärarstudenter resonerar kring deras kommande utmaningar som lärare. Sharia är som konstaterat inte så enkelt att undervisa i utan är ett ämne med många utmaningar. De utmaningar som kom fram mest i resultatet var massmedias bild av islam och elevernas fördomar om islam. Respondenterna var eniga om att utmaningarna måste tas. Trots att respondenterna är lärarstudenter och inte aktiva lärare antogs lärarrollens ansvar i att försvara skolans värderingar. Lärarstudenterna visade sig vara oroliga över det.

Thesis advisor: David M. DiPasquale / This paper is an exploration of al-Ghazali's attack on philosophy by way of an examination of his autobiographical epistle, "The Rescuer from Error." In this text written late in his life, al-Ghazali advises a young student about the best way to pursue knowledge. The thesis argued below is that his project is to re-form Islam around the Sufi mystics, and that he attacks philosophy as a threat to Islam; meanwhile, he covertly attempts to preserve philosophy as a study which can aid the mystics by refining their mystic knowing and providing an antidote to the poisonous error of the multitude. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.