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Diss. Helsingfors : University.

The thesis examines the historical emergence of modes of perception, interpretation and evaluation within Western European nations of what has been termed Arab Islamic culture. It is argued that the West perceives Arab Islamic East as "Other" or "Them", but that the content of this "Otherness" shifts over time according to a range of historical, political, cultural and economic factors. The two central themes that emerge within these modes of interpretation are termed "Romanticism" and "Negativity/Hostility". The manifestation of these two themes is traced from antiquity to the modern age. The thesis demonstrates the continuities, shifts and transformations of these two themes throughout the history of European engagements with the Arab Islamic East. In addition to a comprehensive survey of Western literary and cultural interpretations of the Arab Islamic East, the study provides a content analysis of the presentation of Arab Islamic acts and events on the world stage in six modern Western newspapers. The content analysis and its evaluation are both quantitative and qualitative. The findings of the content analysis confirm much of the theoretical work of the earlier chapters. The central finding of this thesis is the gradual erosion of an earlier "Romanticist" interpretation and its increasing replacement by forms of interpretations summarised by the term "Negativity/Hostility". This process is not considered to be irreversible and the thesis hopes to contribute to more adequate, comprehensive and empathetic evaluations and relations between East and West.

This thesis is an exploratory qualitative case study of Western Muslim women‟s religious experiences in Scotland. It situates piety as an object of research and was based on two and a half years of extensive participant observations and conversations with thirty Muslim women aged between 20 and 50 from diverse backgrounds, who regularly took part in religious circles where knowledge and practices of Islam are exchanged, learnt, authenticated, questioned and disseminated among the participants. It incorporated historical research methods such as library research method and interviews with the local Muslims in an attempt to research the history of Muslims‟ settlement, the establishment of mosques in Scotland and the emergence of Muslim women‟s religious gatherings in the localities. This study posed following questions: (a) How did the Muslim women individually and collectively cultivate piety? (b)What were the factors that led the women to return to their faith and attain piety? (c) What are the religious sources they used to nurture their piety? And (d) How did they approach the sources and deal with everyday situations in their surroundings as faithful and pious western Muslim women? This study has argued that piety is not a hidden characteristic in one person but it is observable through various expressions. For examples, through their collective participations in the piety circles and Islamic classes and the contributions they made for themselves, their family and the Muslim communities after they got inspired, learnt and motivated from their religious circles and members. The presence of structured organisations of Muslim women religious circles represents the presence of Muslim women‟s autonomous religious movement and their involvement in the transmission of Islamic knowledge at an informal level. It was through discussions about Islamic texts such as the texts of the Quran and Hadith during their gatherings, that the women found their own religious autonomy and the realisation that Islam serves as a liberating tool in many ways in their lives.

Religion has a spiritual message embedded, as its purpose is to establish a relationship between the seen and the unseen worlds. However, to allow people to understand its spiritual message, it uses symbolism in such a way that the physical person would try to comprehend the inner meanings of the spiritual message that lies therein. This study is not about ‘how' the Hajj rituals are to be performed, because the answer to that question is trivial and have been thoroughly studied throughout centuries. This study is an attempt to answer the question ‘why.' Why is the Hajj to be performed in a certain way? This study delves into what must be a deeper meaning. Its methodology is through the etymological usage of the terminologies textually and intertextually between Scriptures, including the Qur'an and the Bible. It attempts to explore the polysemous nature of the root words and to resurrect the inner meanings that can be ascertained from the root. This study introduces a new methodology for Scriptural hermeneutics, while comparing the methods used by Biblical and Qur'anic scholars. Once the methodology is established, it is applied to increase understanding of the inner meanings of the Hajj rituals portraying the journey of a dead soul from death, sacrifice of the ego, resurrection into life, and spreading the seeds and Water of Life to other dead souls trying to fight their egos and, likewise, resurrect them into life.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 17, 2009). "Department of Anthropology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-281).

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Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-146).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-146).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-146).