Islaam as a world religion is most often associated with terrorism and numerous bombings and conflicts around the globe. While, Islaam does not encourage these actions there exists movements within the Muslim community which use violence as a means of political expression similar to the early extremist Khawaarij sect who abused the concept of takfeer. Many modern day ideologues seem to adopt the main tenets of the Khawaarij creed and as a result exhort and carrying out actions of violence under the guise of Islaam. In addition, Western media, secularists, and United States policy also appears to have a direct role in fostering the growth of these movements. Therefore, there is a need for further study into the ideological roots of these groups, their actions, and how societies can look for solutions to combat their ideals before they evolve into terrorist actions. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--B.Y.U. Dept. of Graduate Studies in Religious Instruction.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Additional advisors: Sue Kim, Christopher Metress, Kieran Quinlan. Description based on contents viewed June 4, 2009; title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-91).

Islaam as a world religion is most often associated with terrorism and numerous bombings and conflicts around the globe. While, Islaam does not encourage these actions there exists movements within the Muslim community which use violence as a means of political expression similar to the early extremist Khawaarij sect who abused the concept of takfeer. Many modern day ideologues seem to adopt the main tenets of the Khawaarij creed and as a result exhort and carrying out actions of violence under the guise of Islaam. In addition, Western media, secularists, and United States policy also appears to have a direct role in fostering the growth of these movements. Therefore, there is a need for further study into the ideological roots of these groups, their actions, and how societies can look for solutions to combat their ideals before they evolve into terrorist actions. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

abstract: One of the great hallmarks of Russian life during the nineteenth century was the proliferation of alternative identities at nearly every level of society. Individuals found, created, or adopted new ways of self-identifying oneself vis-à-vis religion, nationality, and politics. This project examines the life of Daniil Avraamovich Khvol'son (1819-1911) and his understanding of his identity--from poor Lithuanian Jew to German educated scholar, to leading defendant of Jews accused of ritual murder, to renowned university professor. Khvol'son is often mentioned in works of the period but remains understudied and, as a result, poorly understood. This dissertation is the first to examine the man's life and times, his scholarly and public writings, as well as available commentaries about him from former students, opponents, and colleagues. This project is based on the available archival sources housed in the central archives of Russia and draws upon the different literary venues in which Khvol'son published during his lifetime. While it provides a broad biography of the man, more importantly, it takes on the content of his writing, the themes he explored, and the ways in which his contributions were viewed within their own time. This project argues that the aim of Russian imperial policy toward Jews was based on a hopeful, if hesitant, desire to gradually bring Jews into the state's service. Khvol'son was among the most successful of those candidates who received a world-class German education, a position within the state, and an opportunity to participate fully within Russian intellectual circles. However, Khvol'son's legacy is complex because he promoted a radical rethinking of Christian understanding of Jews and Judaism and by doing so, he challenged the Orthodox world to reconsider in a deeply personal way the ongoing persecutions of Jews based on false tales about them and their religion. Khvol'son painstakingly challenged the blood libel and sought to prove that it was not based in any identifiable reality but perpetuated an un-Christian worldview that demonized and vilified Jews. In doing so, Khvol'son formulated a controversial self-understanding for his position in society as situated between two diametrically opposed worlds--one Christian, the other Jewish. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. History 2014

The Islamic State (IS) infamously carried out brutal acts of terrorism against the west. These acts of terrorism in Europe and the USA does, however, not make up most of the violence instigated by the Islamic State. This majority of violence took place in Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State conquered large territories. The forces that the IS battled in the Iraqi-Syrian theatre of war consisted largely of individuals identifying as Muslim. In some cases, the Islamic State fought other Islamist militias. In this context the concept of Takfir, i.e. excommunication within Islam, is central in the rhetoric of persecution. This paper analyses the Islamic State’s beliefs and practices on Takfir, as it is shown in the propaganda magazine Dabiq. Following a qualitative content analysis of Dabiq's articles relevant to Takfir and defining true Muslims, central themes were identified.  The bulk of the apostasy arguments found in Dabiq is targeted against ethnicities and sects that the Islamic State is at war with. Several arguments for the apostasy of the IS's enemies are explored, and an internal logic is presented throughout Dabiq. Neither the criteria’s nor the process that leads to the proclamation of Takfir, outside fighting the Islamic State, are explained in Dabiq. While examples of such Takfiri declarations are found in Dabiq, they are considerably less common than war-aligned claims of apostasy. What motivates the Islamic State’s practice of Takfir is open ended, as it can be both considered a result of their religious doctrine and a justification for the conflicts which they have partaken in.

No description available.

No description available.

L’Inquisition, en tant qu’institution d’Ancien Régime, était le commanditaire de toutes sortes de sermons intégrés aux cérémonies qu’elle organisait. Ceux-ci étaient prononcés lors des célébrations du calendrier inquisitorial, à savoir lors des autodafés, de la publication des édits de foi, d’anathème et de l’index expurgatoire. Ils étaient également prêchés lors de cérémonies de circonstance, relevant ou non du calendrier liturgique (fêtes expiatoires, de Carême, et autres). Par ce « mécénat homilétique », le Saint-Office et les tribunaux, en particulier en Espagne, menaient une politique d’affirmation statutaire et gagnaient une visibilité sociale à même de tempérer leur image répressive. Les sermons, vecteur idéologique de premier ordre, permettaient de diffuser, au sein de la communauté, une doctrine axée sur le rejet de l’altérité confessionnelle et une propagande acquise au commanditaire. / As an Old Regime institution, the Inquisition ordered all sorts of sermons wich were part of the ceremonies it organised. The latter were delivered during the inquisitorial calendar celebrations, that is during autos-da-fé, and during the publication of Edicts of Faith, anathema and Expurgatory Index. They were also preached during occasional celebrations, wether they were part of the liturgical calendar or not (expiatory celebrations, Lent …). The Holy Office and the tribunals led a statutory affirmation policy and obtained a certain social visibility through « homitic patronage », especially in Spain, in order to improve their repressive image. Sermons, wich were first hand ideological vectors, helped spread a doctrine focused around confessional alterity rejection and a patron’s acquired propaganda in the community.