The subject and the scope of this study are the challenges faced by Muslim women in contemporary societies as presented by the four prominent authors: Leila Ahmed, Elizabeth Fernea, Fatima Mernissi and Amina Wadud. The methodology applied to the literary analysis is the feminist-qualitative research approach in religious studies with specific reference to Islamic feminist studies. Many Muslim women scholars criticise the study of Third World women as objects of study-cases who are rarely heeded as serious scholars. Misconceptions about Islam and Muslim women are common in Western society. Previous studies have not dealt with the issue satisfactorily and failed to provide a holistic picture. The challenges faced by Muslim women have been interpreted against a Western feminist framework, thus causing more harm than good. The resultant predicament is the subject of this study in which Muslim women’s own attitudes and responses to their present circumstances and future prospects are explored. How and why Muslim women are challenged? How do they envisage the resolution of these challenges? The purpose of this study is to provide a framework that can give an adequate account of challenges as seen by Muslim women and to evaluate strategies that can provide suitable solutions to these challenges. Firstly, an objective Giele/Smock/Engineer framework was developed with reference to the most pressing challenges (articulated in well-documented definitions and descriptions) faced by Muslim women in contemporary societies. These key issues of women’s rights on political participation, education, work, family, and social participation were discussed and analysed in the light of this women-centred approach with specific reference to the writings of four prominent women authors: Leila Ahmed, Elizabeth Fernea, Fatima Mernissi and Amina Wadud. Each author has brought her own particular perspective and area of expertise into the discussion – sometimes arguing among with the other authors in a virtual ‘roundtable’ discussion; at times joining hands in mutual agreement. Finally, Muslim women’s struggle against injustice was subjected to critical scrutiny with particular attention to common strategies and solutions that the four authors have used and developed in the light of the modern debate. It is in the latter discussion that the study reached its ultimate goal by determining how the challenges have been met. Moreover, Islamic feminism was assessed to determine how it related to and coped with social change and how effective it has been in seeking to assert rights of and find justice for women through historical, anthropological, socio-political and hermeneutical approach. / Religious Studies / D. Th. (Religious Studies)

M.A. (Semitic Languages and Cultures) / The aim of this dissertation is to analyse some of the prominent elements that constitute the discussion of same-sex sexuality among Muslims such as the distinction between sexual acts and identities and its effect on the construction of sexuality in Muslim societies, the religious and legal permissibility of particular sexual acts, and the intersection between the struggle for justice and equality and sexuality. The theoretical framework for this study is based on postcolonialism and queer theory. I argue that a fundamental rethinking of sex and sexuality in Islam and in Muslim societies needs to transpire in order for a more equitable state of affairs to come into existence. The current prejudice associated with same-sex sexuality requires a considered and erudite overhaul of how sexual relationships and gender are constructed in Islamic ethics and Muslim societies. I first consider the effect of sexual identities, namely a homosexual identity, and the consideration of same-sex sexual acts on the Muslim imagination. The notion of unnatural sexual impulses, sinful desires and the interrelationship between various sexual crimes are important considerations in the discourse on sexual diversity among Muslims. Second, I critically assess the argument in favour of same-sex marriages in Islam based on the assumption of stable identities and the inherent righteousness of a human rights framework. I assess the legal tools used set out some of the challenges of the human rights discourse which influences the struggle for homosexual rights and raise some question as to the efficacy of this strategy or mode of resistance and acceptance. Third, I focus on the nexus between sexual diversity, secularism and empire as sites of contestation and collaboration that continue to influence articulations and constructions of how to be Muslim and be also part of a sexual minority. Fourth, I attempt to chart a way forward for queer Muslims and argue in favour of protecting the conceptual and social space of the ‘closet’ as a liberatory and protective domain for queer Muslims where it is possible to balance both the demands of one’s faith and the expression of one’s sexuality.

No description available.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-21T08:56:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ahmed Sameer El Khatib.pdf: 2940643 bytes, checksum: 15393ff70b8d636d9937d1b29dc54640 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-21T08:56:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ahmed Sameer El Khatib.pdf: 2940643 bytes, checksum: 15393ff70b8d636d9937d1b29dc54640 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The main purpose of this thesis was to analyze the dissemination of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to examine its determinants and consequences for the Islamic banks of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In the fulfillment of the research objectives, 40 Islamic banks from the countries that make up the GCC were analyzed during the period from 2013 to 2017, which involved 200 observations to each group. With regard to CSR, an index was constructed to measure the level of disclosure in Islamic banks and conventional banks, based on 11 dimensions recommended by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOFI) No. 7 published in 2010 (1985), Ismail (1986), and Dusuki (2008), were used in the literature on the dissemination of CSR. Statistical analysis included econometric regressions using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method to examine the determinants and consequences of CSR disclosure in the sample selection of banks. The results indicated a level of disclosure of Islamic RSC of 41.05%, higher than the level of its conventional peers in the region that reached a mark of 30.65%. Using Corporate Governance (CG) mechanisms to measure the determinants of CSR disclosure, the survey found a positive and significant association between the disclosure of CSR and the size of the Board of Directors of the Islamic banks studied. Thus, evidence is provided that stronger corporate governance is associated with a higher level of CSR disclosure. Another result found was the significantly negative relationship of the CEO's Duality (CEOD) and the Audit Committee Size (ACS) with the disclosure of CSR. However, the results did not show a significant association between disclosure of CSR and other variables of corporate governance. To examine the economic consequences of CSR disclosure in Islamic and conventional banks, the study used two different proxies (Market to Book Value and Tobin's Q) to measure the value of the firm. The study found no significant relationship between the proxies analyzed. It is suggested that there is a strong need to improve the current CSR disclosure practice, especially in the Islamic banks of the GCC, imposing additional restrictions on the characteristics of the Board of Directors. The results corroborate the global debate on the need for corporate governance reform, providing insights into the role-played by corporate governance mechanisms in encouraging and enhancing CSR disclosure practices and opens up fertile ground for studies involving the influence of religious roots on practices / O objetivo desta tese foi analisar a divulgação da Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC) e examinar seus determinantes e consequências entre os bancos islâmicos do Conselho de Cooperação do Golfo (CCG). No cumprimento dos objetivos da pesquisa, foram analisados 40 bancos islâmicos e 40 bancos convencionais dos países que compõem o CCG, durante o período de 2013 a 2017, o que envolveu 200 observações em cada grupo. No tocante à RSC, foi construído um índice para mensurar o nível de sua divulgação em bancos islâmicos e em bancos convencionais, com base em 11 dimensões recomendadas pela norma nº 7 do Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOFI), publicada em 2010. Com relação aos determinantes da divulgação, foram construídas hipóteses, com base nas lacunas identificadas na literatura precedente, nas Teorias de divulgação existentes e nos Modelos Islâmicos de divulgação da RSC: Modelos de Chapra (1985), Ismail (1986) e Dusuki (2008). A análise estatística compreendeu regressões econométricas utilizando o método dos Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO), para examinar os determinantes e as consequências da divulgação de RSC na seleção amostral dos bancos. Os resultados indicaram um nível de divulgação da RSC Islâmica de 41,05%, maior do que o nível de seus pares convencionais da região que alcançaram um índice de 30,65%. Usando mecanismos de Governança Corporativa (GC), para mensurar os determinantes da divulgação de RSC, a pesquisa encontrou uma associação positiva e significativa entre a divulgação da RSC e o tamanho do Conselho de Administração (CA) dos bancos islâmicos estudados. Com isso, são fornecidas evidências de que uma Governança Corporativa mais forte está associada a um nível mais alto de divulgação de RSC. Outro resultado encontrado foi o relacionamento significativamente negativo da Dualidade do CEO (DCEO) e do Tamanho do Comitê de Auditoria (TCTA) com a divulgação da RSC. No entanto, os resultados não mostraram associação significativa entre divulgação da RSC e outras variáveis de governança corporativa. Para examinar as consequências econômicas da divulgação da RSC nos bancos islâmicos e convencionais, o estudo usou duas proxies diferentes (Market to Book Value e o Q de Tobin) para mensurar o valor da empresa. O estudo não encontrou nenhuma relação significativa entre as proxies analisadas. Sugere-se que há forte necessidade de melhorar a atual prática de divulgação da RSC, especialmente nos bancos islâmicos do CCG, impondo restrições adicionais às características do Conselho de Administração. Os resultados corroboram com o debate global sobre a necessidade de reforma da governança corporativa, fornecendo insights sobre o papel desempenhado pelos mecanismos de governança corporativa no incentivo e aprimoramento das práticas de divulgação da RSC e abre campo fértil para estudos envolvendo a influência das raízes religiosas nas práticas de RSC

This study explores how the use of complex decorative geometric patterns in Islamic architecture spatially relates to advances in the fields of science and philosophy in the Islamic world between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. This project examines hypotheses developed by vario~s scholars on the forces that shaped the use of these patterns (known as the geometric mode) in Islamic architecture. The prevailing assumption that advances in mathematics contributed to the use of the geometric mode is used as a starting point for subsequent analysis. For this study, two spatial databases were created. One contains over two hundred and twenty monuments of Islamic architecture exhibiting the geometric mode, while the other contains over one hundred records of activity in the sciences and philosophy. From these databases, decorative geometric pattern types were classified and ranked, and scholarly activities were classified. Density maps were developed from these classes and ranks for each century, and were compared in a series of analytical overlay maps. Each map depicts the spatial relationships of the activities in question over a span of three centuries, enabling a spatio-temporal analysis of the connections between disciplines within the context of the broader cultural elements at work. These maps allow for examination of these disciplines in a new way; there has never been a spatial analysis testing the existing hypotheses until now. The density overlay maps show that some of the prevailing hypotheses are partially supported by the data, but the primary hypothesized relationship-that activity in mathematics prompted use of the geometric mode-is not applicable to all regions of the Islamic world during this time period. The spatial analysis exposes the previously overlooked possibility that the geometric mode could have influenced activity in the sciences and philosophy. This study provides tools to better understand the complex relationships among art, science, and philosophy: two spatial databases, a geographic information systems (GIS) model, and resulting analytical overlay maps. The maps produced in this project reveal examples where the quality of contact among disciplines in these very specific times and places is worth examining in greater detail.

The research undertaken aims to contribute to the debate about market efficiency and market volatility in an Islamic context. The research relates to the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) and covers the period 1992 to 2007. It undertakes quantitative analysis involving two key elements: first, testing for random walk and calendar anomaly effects in market returns and, second, modelling volatility in market returns. The thesis applies a series of standard econometric and statistical techniques to this issue. The key ‘novel’ contributions of this study relate to the focus on Islamic religious holiday effects and also the application of behavioural finance theoretical models to explain the findings in terms of the influence of social mood (mood misattribution) effects. These are approaches that have not been previously applied in the literature within an Islamic context. The author argues that the econometric and statistical techniques applied are ‘fit for purpose’. Standard methods are applied; however, these are applied in ‘novel’ ways in parts of the thesis. For example, moving-date calendar effects are modelled for the first time and the modelling of volatility makes use of interaction effects to explore the impact of interactions between different mood-influencing variables. The study begins by identifying that the ASE index returns do not follow a Random Walk. It then goes on to identify day-of-the-week effects. First trading day of the week effects found in relation to the first trading day that follows the Muslim holy day of Friday. Monthly calendar effects were also found. January or turn-of-the-year effects were found in the ASE similar to those found previously in some Western markets. However, the largest monthly effects were found in relation to the holy month of Ramadan. Most significantly, Ramadan was found to be the only month where the average daily returns were both statistically different from the other months in the year and also positive. This, it is argued in the thesis, is due to social mood (or mood misattribution) effects. The research looks beyond informational efficiency and develops a number of ‘novel’ contributions to research in this area in terms of both the empirical findings and the behavioural finance-related interpretation of these findings, as well as the influence of Islamic ethics in Amman’s stock market returns. The thesis also examines the relationship between seven behavioural mood-proxy variables and stock market returns. Fama (1991) argues that efficiency and volatility are unrelated. In this thesis, however, evidence is uncovered which suggests that this may not be the case. High levels of volatility were found at the start and at the end of the Ramadan holy festival; this volatility, it is argued, is related to social mood. This issue is examined further by exploring previously unstudied interactions between mood-related Ramadan effects and mood-related weather and biorhythmic effects. The results of this thesis, the author believes, provide strong evidence for the existence of Muslim religion investment decision biases associated with social mood effects (mood misattribution). It is argued that these social mood effects in the case of Jordan relate mainly to Islamic ethics and cultural issues, as they are found predominantly during the Ramadan religious holiday. Despite the existence of decision biases within the ASE, no profitable trading anomaly opportunities were identified. This may be due, in part, to Jordan having high trading transaction costs. It is possible, however, that profitable trading opportunities related to Islamic holidays may exist in countries that follow stricter religious observance. The author believes that there is an opportunity to extend this research to countries such as Bahrain.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 84 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The United States has a long-standing interest in the political events of South Asia. This research focuses specifically on U.S. foreign policy toward the Islamic nations of this region, Pakistan and Afghanistan (Referred to as Islamic South Asia). This research examines a variety of primary and secondary sources in an effort to understand the historical context and theoretical framework of U.S. policy. It has been suggested by scholars that the age of realism has come to an end. This study seeks to verify this claim. Does realism provide the theoretical base necessary for policy success in Islamic South Asia? If it does, then can it continue to serve as the theoretical guide in the post-Cold War era? U.S. policy actions and the logic supporting them are examined in an effort to critique realism and to assess the policy toward this region. / ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to examine whether the continued use of the realist theory is substantiated, based on its record of past policy successes and failures. One of the core arguments against realism is that the level of analysis is too rigid, thus failing to recognize internal constraints in state affairs. Of the many internal issues facing a state, none outweigh the role of culture within the social context of this region. This is exemplified in the case studies of the three most pivotal events influencing U.S. policy. Having examining the foundation and application of the realist based policies toward the region, this study will then evaluate the success or failure of U.S. policy. This evaluation is based on an analysis of the stated goals compared to the results of policy actions. Considering the dangers on the horizon, this research also offers several guidelines for creating a more successful long-term strategy toward Islamic South Asia. / ABSTRACT: Having already witnessed the collapse of the state in Afghanistan and the potential for state failure in a nuclear Pakistan, the concerns relating to this region are extensive. Weapons of mass destruction, environmental crisis, and social instability are just few of the problems addressed in this study. The variety of potential disasters emanating from this region makes this region and U.S. policy towards it a paramount concern. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

No description available.

Thesis -- Departmental honors in International Relations. / Spine title: Islamists as instruments of change: a study on democratization. Includes bibliography: ℓ. 105-110.

This dissertation examines how transnationalism can affect Islamists’ moderation in both Egypt and Morocco. In this dissertation, I do an in-depth comparative case study analysis to assess the prospects of moderation of two Islamists political entities, the Muslim Brotherhood as a transnational social movement and the Morocco Party of Justice and Development (JDP), which has no transnational ties. Both the Muslim Brotherhood and PJD came to power after the Arab uprising in 2011 and were key players in the democratic transitions in both countries; however, the entities are not related. Further, the dissertation will explore the moderation level of the Muslim Brotherhood and PJD. Current literature on Islamists and moderation theory focuses on political inclusion, political learning and repression as factors that would affect the moderation of an Islamist group. Looking at Islamists as a transnational social movement is a new aspect in the study of Islamism. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection