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The purpose of this study was to formulate guidelines for urban housing design in Tehran based on the cultural norms of its residents and the city's environmental conditions. The initial cause of this study was the lack of a framework for the design and evaluation of new housing projects in Tehran and the aim was to investigate the suitability or otherwise of high-rise high-density housing forms for Iranian society. In order to achieve the main objectives of this thesis, a series of studies were undertaken. The theoretical background relating to the main issues of this research was reviewed and where possible related to Iranian culture and way of life. It is universally acknowledged that increasing the quality of the built environment will improve people's quality of life. In this regard general human needs and their interpretation in design terms are investigated. It is also known that environmental and ecological conditions have a direct impact on people's quality of life. Ignor ing environmental needs results in gradual destruction of the regional and global environment, which in turn undermines the quality of urban settlements. For this reason ecological and environmental issues related to sustainable urban living and development are analysed. In order to find out whether or not there are alternative settlement forms that could be more suitable for Iranian urban housing a number of recently developed urban settlement theories and projects are also investigated. The socio-economic background and housing conditions of Tehran were investigated. A questionnaire survey programme was developed to gather information on the degree of user satisfaction in four selected settlements in Tehran. The data collected was crosschecked with local observations and physical measurements of the areas. A detailed analysis of this data proved that there is a high degree of user satisfaction with dwellings, but about a third of the respondents were not satisfied with their neighbourhood. The study of human needs and environmental sustainability issues, in accordance with Iranian and Islamic culture, produces a list of housing demands on which the design of future housing in Tehran ought to be based. Based on the list of demands - the outcome of investigations on general human needs, Iranian Socio-cultural conditions, and the environmental ecological sustainability issues -a set of design guidelines for future housing in Iran are developed. Using a list of criteria - derived from the previously developed design guidelines - all the urban development projects in Tehran and the UK that were studied are compared and evaluated to determine their qualities and densities. Also investigated is the applicability in Tehran of the neighbourhood model, on which many recent British, American, and Australian development guidelines are based. From this comparison and evaluation, the thesis concludes that in order to achieve high density it is not necessary to resort to hi gh-rise forms as low-rise fortris, if applied consistently, can achieve similar densities on a more human scale. In response to Islamic culture and environmental sustainability issues it is necessary to have access to local services and facilities within walking distance. To support their viability within a neighbourhood, a threshold population is required; in the case of Tehran this does not seem to be a significant problem. The population should be evenly distributed in order to achieve a balanced urban environment. A balanced relationship between the built up area and the countryside is essential. The translation of these key issues would form the structure of a walkable neighbourhood. In order to achieve a high quality urban environment, housing design guidelines on a national level are required that can help the decision-making process as well as helping the relevant professionals in their work. The thesis concludes with a set of recommendations for the implementation of the design guidelines.

This study involved pre-service elementary educators' attitudes towards curriculum on Islamic religious art. The research question, Will the attitudes of pre-service teachers change towards Islam and Muslims after being exposed to the key components of Islamic religious art: Masjid (mosque) architecture, nonrepresentational designs, and calligraphy, when taught in relation to Islamic culture? Most of the students knew very little about Islamic culture and some were distrustful of anything Muslims produced. The students easily assimilated the material and were able to create their own lesson plans on Islamic religious art and write research papers on varying aspects of the art form. This curriculum utilized the belief that the language of art connects with most people. During the course of this study the reactions of participants went from distrustful to appreciative of Islamic art and culture. Understanding of Islam and its culture could be considered essential in this day and age, specifically in the United States and education is the field which can be pivotal in creating this comprehension. Simultaneous education of students, teachers and parents is necessary to explain this segment of society in an accurate manner. Further research is essential to determine if art specialists, in-service teachers, parents, and administrators of educational institutions would support a curriculum on Islamic religious art for use by mainstream teachers as well as art educators.

The current world population of Muslims is in the range of 1.2 to 1.6 billion (20% of the world¡¦s population), and their numbers are spread out over various geographical areas and religious groups. After the Cold War, America has experienced several international conflicts with the Islamic world at large. Huntington, an American scholar, wrote a thesis ¡§The Clash of Civilizations¡¨ to explain the cause of conflict. While there are significant culture differences, it is difficult to conclude that it is a simple case of conflict in culture. Upon closer inspection of the conflict situation, we find that the American dispute with the Islamic world has largely been focused on the Middle-Eastern group of countries. It would be dangerous to take a stand point that the basis of conflict is in terms of culture, because it over-simplifies the situation and leaves an undesirable stereotype on the Islamic civilization. Using a historical sociology perspective, the author found that there have been several different changes at different times in the international relationship between the American and Middle-Eastern Islamic countries after the Cold War. In fact, before the Cold War, Afghanistan was a crucial ally in the Anti-Soviet movement. It is therefore worth pondering why Afghanistan became the first Middle-Eastern country target in the war against terrorism. This thesis serves to use a geo-political perspective to further examine and explain the intricate transitions and changes in the American-Islamic relationship, in order to demonstrate that the conflict is a struggle for power, rather than a mere ¡§Clash of Civilizations¡¨ as in Huntington¡¦s paper.

The Qur'an has always been a medium through and upon which Islam and the Muslim faith are structured and built. It mediates the relationship between Muslims and God. Despite its alleged divine origin, the Qur'an as a scriptural and textual reality remains to be understood by Muslims. Many theories and principles have been developed out of the long Qur'anic interpretive tradition to address the Muslims' theological and legal needs. One of the most interesting, yet controversial, exegetical legal theories is the theory of naskh, a theory stipulating the abrogation of a verse of the Qur'an by another. The discourse of naskh raises many unsettling theological and legal questions. The present proposed research attempts to reassess the early Muslim understanding of the theory of Qur'anic abrogation. It raises fundamental questions about the accuracy of the assumptions of the early Muslim conception of textual annulment and the ongoing legal discourse of Islamic law in Muslim scholarship. It is the thesis of this proposed study that the theory of abrogation has been historically and traditionally conceived and discussed in a very rigid and dogmatic fashion as a result of the theological misconception of the immutability of both the divine will and revelation, and that the theory of naskh, as such, has failed to appropriate the legal contents of the law within the structures of juridical discourse. In other words, the rigidity and dogmatic nature of the theory of naskh has rendered the theory an inadequate conceptual framework to deal with an ever changing legal need of our time. Muslims to this day have struggled to preserve, adapt and redefine their social and legal norms in the face of changing situations. A central issue in this ongoing struggle has been the question of the nature, status, authority, and viability of the Qur'an and the Islamic law. The intellectual tradition of Islam has provided the underpinnings for adaptation, reform, and evolution. It is within this tradition of Islamic intellectualism that this proposed research intends to contribute. The theological component of this research will influence the way revelation is understood in Islam, while the legal component hopes to initiate a new Muslim attitude towards Islamic law. The exegetical consideration will hopefully create a reorientation of hermeneutical principle in Qur'anic exegesis. This study of naskh, for all its intent and purpose as outlined above, is primarily a study of naskh al-Qur'an as captured by the formative sources of `Sunni' Islam. It is therefore the case that this study should be strictly understood as one that does not pretend to include nor represent the views of Shi`ism on naskh in the Qur'an or the theory of naskh in itself. / Religion

Human salvation is amongst the most important topic within all religions and schools of thought including Islam. To provide means for attainment of salvation religions delivered their teachings through scriptures and role models. Role models are not only believed to be chosen by God but they are also considered as the chosen people among their community who later follow them. When we compare the lives of such people what becomes evident is a pattern in their progression through which they advanced towards fulfilling God's purpose for the creation. As this pattern is called a journey towards perfection (kamāl), the journeyer undergoes changes within their inner nature and personality. These changes occur within the limits of the finitude one is born into, and results in development of different attributes. As the individual advances in their spiritual progression, they eventually attain the station which is the point of the Perfect Man and are considered as the Perfect Individual (Al-Insān Al-Kāmil) and the Deputy of God (Walīyatu Allā). This point of attainment of being an Al-Insān Al-Kāmil and Walīyat Allāh is tied in with the responsibility (Risalah) to guide humanity within their private journey. This Risalah can be universal similar to those of Muḥammad, Jesus (Peace be Upon on Them) or limited to one person. This thesis will argue that Zaynab, also, qualifies as Al-Insān Al-Kāmil and Walīyat Allāh according to the dominant theories on the concept of kamāl and the deep analysis of her journey towards perfection. Study of Zaynab's attributes supports the claim about her kamāl, but she is not considered as infallible as are some of the other models. Although infallibility (pure from sins and errors) is not introduced as the requirement for kamāl by religions, yet one might wonder on the infallibility of role models specially in Islam. Thus, Zaynab remains the only figure of early Islam who bridges between Islam and other religions on the concept of kamāl by eliminating the element of infallibility as one who is considered as Walīyatu Allā. Thus, her life pattern demonstrates a journey towards kamāl attainable for everyone. Although there is one narration which refers to her as Walīyatu Allā, but there are no available sources that analyze her journey towards becoming Walīyatu Allā and reflects its importance in fulfilling her Risalah. Zaynab is being emphasized throughout history as a strong figure who carried out the role of her brother Imām Al-Ḥusayn after the battle of Karbalā and defended the true teachings of Islam and its valuable rules. Her importance lies also as the one who delivers eloquent speeches and saves the life of Imam Zayn Al-`Abedin. While she is known as one who "has to teach the way of Al-Ḥusayn, in the manner of `Alī" the importance of how she became Zaynab, the kamāl has been neglected throughout the centuries. Therefore, in this thesis I will study the pattern of her life with respect to her progression in the context of the attributes of Al-Insān Al-Kāmil and Walīyat Allāh to demonstrate the significant elements which made her a paradigmatic kamāl. / Religion

This thesis is an investigation, on the basis of three texts chosen from early Castilian literature, of the importance of thirteenth and fourteenth century Castilian as a vehicle by which information about Islam and the Muslims reached the Christian West. In the Middle Ages, the Iberian Peninsula was in a special position for the transmission of culture, for there, Christian and Muslim communities existed alongside each other. Two authors, Alphonso X of Castile and Don Juan Manuel, recommended themselves for study as they both had contacts with Muslims and produced works containing references to Islam and the Muslims. Of their work, specific texts were chosen to provide evidence of culture contact: Primera Cronica General, Calila e Dimna and El Conde Lucanor. In the thesis, three main questions are posed: firstly, what knowledge was possessed by Christian Spaniards of the Islamic culture, especially as it flourished in Southern Spain; secondly, what sort of cultural material of Islamic origin was most readily transmitted; and thirdly, what was the importance of literature as a means of cultural transmission. The facts that emerge show that religion was a controversial topic, so any cultural material relating to it was transmitted with difficulty; elements of material culture were more readily disseminated. Religious exclusiveness and polemical propaganda on both the Christian and the Muslim side prevented medieval scholars such as Alphonso X from forming a truly accurate picture of the Muslim culture. The. popular literature, as exemplified here by Don Juan Manuel, contributed much to culture transfer, by conveying to Western Europe a relatively favourable view of the Muslims, but literature which bore clerical influences projected a hostile attitude. Therefore, although thirteenth and fourteenth century Castile transmitted much information on the Muslim culture to Western Christendom, the view presented was partly truthful and partly erroneous, and attitudes alternated between' sympathetic and hostile, producing an uneven picture.

In the past, researchers in the field of art and architecture have searched for a definition of Islamic architecture, its history and its social meaning. This study focuses on the Islamic culture of the Arab world and its influences on the architecture of the region, giving an overview of contemporary architecture in the Arab world, its situation, cultural crisis and hope for the future.This research aims to identify the principal characteristics of Islamic architecture, which embody the needs and demands of Muslims according to their Islamic teachings. Muslims form one of the biggest communities in the world, which is suggested to be more than one fifth of the world's population, about one and half billion.This community has special architectural needs related to their religious teachings, traditions and culture, because Islam is not only a religion, it is a complete way of life, which covers all social, political, economic, educational, cultural, hygienic, and behavioural aspects.For a great number of people, the concept of Islamic architecture denotes tangible characteristics of some architectural features like Mashrabiah, arch, dome, or any other architectural pattern that distinguishes this typical style of architecture. But, Islamic architecture is more than just a spectacle of domes and minarets; it is a deep expression of a rich culture that has unified countries across the globe.In the last fifty years, contemporary architecture of the Muslim world in general, and the Arab world in particular, has been exposed to several outside influences that have eventually caused it to be alienated from its particular sense of identity and, thus, to lose its character. It is believed that such matter requires immediate attention towards attempting a "revival process" by uncovering the bases and principles of Islamic architecture, as manifested throughout Islamic history. ++ / These principles could be integrated and molded into the contemporary architecture of the Arab world, which reflects a rather complicated and, sometimes, contradicting set of values.The aim of this study is to develop an appropriate definition for Islamic architecture of the Arab world in terms of Islamic teachings and doctrine.Associated with this aim, this research will include within its scope:Understanding Arabian Islamic culture, traditions and environment and how they have affected architectural design.Translating some principles from Islamic doctrine, which can be applied to architectural practice, and to recognize Muslims' architectural needs and demands, according to Islamic teachings.Developing architectural standards that satisfy Muslims architectural needs and a definition of what, in an Islamic context, could be considered as successful Arabian Islamic architecture.Analyzing to what extent contemporary architecture meets Muslims' needs, according to their Islamic teachings by undertaking a Case Study of pre-Modern and contemporary architecture in Egypt.

RADAR is an excellence self-assessment tool which is commonly used to assess results and approaches in excellence models. It could also be used successfully in assessing the strategy formulation process in Dubai' s government. The Thesis is a qualitative research that deploys a case study approach to understand the role of RADAR techniques and practices, and how these can be used in assessing the Dubai Governement 's strategy formulation process, focusing on the justice and security sectors in general and the Dubai Police Force in particular. The researcher always attempts to answer particular questions about why and how RADAR informs and helps in assessing and controlling the strategy formulation process. The study obtained valid information from semi-structured interviews with 17 senior and middle government, security and Police staff members working in the Dubai Police Force, Civil Defense and Immigration Departments. Generally, the findings indicated that: Firstly, RADAR can be used successfully in these researched organisations and can be seen to be important in security assessment function when taking into consideration the cultural aspects of Dubai which are based on Arab and Islamic cultural values. Secondly, the strategy formulation process in Dubai Governement is affected widely by Islamic and Arab culture. Thirdly, the definition of 'citizen' is very complex as Dubai is a cosmopolitan city. This makes it difficult to cater to the stakeholders' needs in the strategy formulation process due to the diversity of the cultures of the different nationalities. Fourthly, the bureaucratic nature of managers in the public sector makes it difficult to deploy the excellence self-assessment tools as they tend to believe that assessment is merely criticism rather than that it supports continuous improvement. Finally, the leadership of Dubai Governement plays a crucial role in leading the strategic thinking and quality drive in both public and private sectors. The leadership vision is to cater to the cultural needs of the different nationalities living in Dubai and translate them into sound strategies.

Comments and Discussions : Hideko SAKURAI (櫻井秀子)