Thesis (M.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2003. / Title from PDF (viewed Apr. 25, 2008). Thesis advisor(s): Gaye Christoffersen, H. Lyman Miller. Includes bibliographical references.

There are two temporally differentiated sources of information about Jews, no longer present in southern rural Moroccan communities, and the question is: which factor is paramount in the formation of memory? Is it the long-circulated narratives of shared life experiences between Muslims and Jews? Or do actual current events in the Middle East have greater weight in forming opinions, attitudes, and ideology about Jews and their relationship to Muslims?This dissertation examines the memories formed by successive Muslim generations about their former Jewish neighbors in southwestern Morocco. I am interested in how social memories of Muslims about erstwhile local Jews are generated, maintained, and reproduced through oral testimonies, personal narratives, images, urban sites, family manuscripts, personal experiences, and media. I interviewed four cohorts of great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and young adults who allowed me to record their personal narratives, family and village stories, jokes and sayings in the spring, summer, and fall of 2004.Drawing on sources as diverse as personal narratives, family manuscripts, archeological evidence, Islamic legal manuscripts, media, and textbooks, I use a generationally stratified sample to understand how four age cohorts (all from the same region and whose life experiences correspond to specific historical events) think of, understand, and represent Jews. Using Labovian apparent-time sampling methodology, I argue that there is a strong correlation between the historical and ideological period and the attitudes of the cohorts about Jews. My data show that the fracturing of the traditional indigenous model of knowledge transmission has led to the emergence of new convoluted discourse about Jews. The young generation's knowledge about Jews is partly appropriated from Western and Christian anti-Semitic discourse before being "Islamized."

This is a sociological study of religion that examines how gender and female Muslim identity is expressed during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in the swedish paper Dagens Nyheter in the year 1951, 1989 and 2009. The aim is to see who creates the image of Islam and Muslims in general and in particular the image of the Muslim woman and whose Islam is given space in the article material. The picture has changed with the increase in immigration from Muslim countries and that we have gone from a modern to a late modern society in which other patterns shape our identity. The historical summary of the paper Dagens Nyheter illustrates how the Swedish society is formed in relation to Islam and Muslims. It provides a deeper understanding of the problems in the swedish multicultural society today.

This thesis traces the roots of women's honor killings in the tribal areas of Pakistan from the British rule in South Asia. The British colonial presence gave the tribal areas autonomy through landmark colonial legislations. The colonizers needed a harmonious relationship with tribal and rural notables in order to gain from the land. Thus, the British gave precedence to the tribal legal structure and as a result we see the beginnings of tribal autonomy in today's Pakistan. Women's honor was also dictated by tribal laws thus tribal councils dictated women's mobility and rights. / After the creation of Pakistan in 1947 much colonial legislation was preserved in the Constitution. The tribal areas maintained autonomy and their legal systems also gained legitimacy on a national level. Therefore, cases of women's honor killings were dealt with in the rural areas but moreover, were justified in Pakistani law as well. Thus this thesis seeks to trace this legacy to the modern period and look at the evolution of the relationship between tribal autonomy and women's rights in the context of the pre and post-independence periods.

Previous studies based on data from the World Bank have shown a negative association between governance and HIV prevalence. Using the Index of African Governance, this study investigates the correlation between governance and HIV prevalence in all African countries (N = 53) in order to determine which dimension of governance is more predictive of this relationship. No statistically significant association was found between governance and HIV prevalence across the whole spectrum of countries. In the multivariate analysis, the most predictive dimension of governance, “Rule of Law, Transparency and Corruption” was found to be positively associated with HIV prevalence across all African countries (p <.001), Beta =.816 .When grouped by clusters, only two regions (North and West Africa) out of five showed negative significant associations between governance and HIV prevalence. The analysis of socio cultural and geographical factors revealed significant associations with HIV prevalence; religion and HIV prevalence ( p < .003), region, and HIV prevalence ( p < .001). French colonial heritage was found to be negatively associated with HIV prevalence. This study suggests that geographical location and religion predict HIV prevalence rather than governance. International organizations and public health program managers should consider these findings in the implementation of large multi-country and regional HIV programs in Africa.

This thesis studies Moenawar Chalil's reformist thought, as it was patterned after that of earlier reformists. Issues which have been long formed the heritage of religious reform appear therein, ranging from a call to return to the original sources of Islam to condemnation of popular religious practices. In his approach to Qur'an-interpretation, Chalil stripped the texts of legendary traits, rejected the principle of naskh, offered a particular approach to the interpretation of the mutashabihat verses and emphasized the i'jaz 'aqli/. His aim was to revitalize the Qur'an's function as a guide for modern life and to stress its compatibility with present modes of thought. Chalil's call for the emulation of the Prophet's sunnah was designed to reestablish the latter's direct link to rulings of a legal nature. He urged greater scrutiny of the authenticity of hadiths in order to restore the simplicity of faith and to halt inappropriate practices falsely attributed to the Prophet's example. This attitude was the logical outcome of his puritan stance, which was also manifested in the scope of his ijtihad which he restricted only to matters related to the purification of 'aqidah and 'ibadah. Similarly, Chalil's total rejection of the practice of taqlid shows his puritan agenda which went beyond even that of the early reformists. This extreme position, however, led him to misunderstand the true meaning of taqlid and its role both in the procedures of the judicial system and in shaping the faith of the 'awamm. Chalil's concept of ittiba' did not assess the intellectual state of the 'awamm, whose inability to detect the reasons behind the proofs meant that they would inevitably have to remain in a state of taqlid. Similarly, his call for the abandonment of the madhhab only helped to foster a new taqlid in response to this position. Also central to Chalil's reformist thought was his revision of the understanding of the basic tenets of Islam and his correction of the tradition

<p>This thesis is a small scale in depth exploration into the perceptions of power held by eight Muslim women residing in the Cape Town Metropole area. Using a Qualitative Feminist approach the study aimed to explore and shed light on the multiple ways in which Muslim women negotiate, construct and co-construct agency, power and authority in their everyday lives. This study also sought to explore whether Muslim women who appear independent or empowered actually feel in control of their own lives / and how their ability to make choices is mediated by intersecting identities such as race, class, age, etc. The research highlights a number of emergent themes in which discussion of the women‟s views around education, finance, reproductive responsibilities, patriarchy, etc. takes place and also explores the ways in which the women contest and resist traditional cultural norms in their everyday experiences. Furthermore this study also sought to create a space where the researcher focused and refocused her gaze on the theoretical and epistemological aspects of her chosen method of enquiry in order to interrogate its merits and limits. Upon reflection the researcher also acknowledges that, similar to the participants, she also holds contradictory views on some of the issues discussed.</p>

In this Research Document I would attempt to quantify the degree of Cultural Alienation that fellow South Africans (from the major ethnic, racial and religious groupings) experience when they embrace Islam. A secondary objective would be to quantify the degree to which one 's worldview changes (views on the Middle East conflict, America and the West and South African politics) on embracing Islam. I will attempt to do so by employing both qualitative and quantitative methods in the Research process. Questions such as: is culture a separate entity from religion and if so what is the difference? What are the ingredients that comprise this concept we call culture? I will also look at the theoretical and theological arguments surrounding these issues in Islam from its original sources and scholars. A survey will be conducted by way of a questionnaire, with reverts to Islam, to establish the degree of their alienation with regard to food, dress, Arabic as a language, rejection from family and friends and views on the Middle East conflict, USA and the West and South African politics. Since all data collected will be analysed according to acceptable statistical methods, it will be assumed that the average results obtained would be a good indicator of the degree of cultural alienation a fellow South African (from a particular ethnic / cultural group) would have to undergo when contemplating embracing Islam. The Research findings indicate that cultural alienation does indeed take place when someone embraces Islam, but that it varies and is dependent on both individual, external and cultural factors . The Research findings also show that in the case of reversion to Islam, changes in one's worldview also take place, the extent of which is dependent once again on individual and external factors . One of the main findings of the research is that there is no specific quantum percentage with regard to the extent of cultural alienation for any given individual embracing Islam, as there are many variables. There are however, general trends and patterns, which do provide helpful guidelines for someone contemplating embracing Islam. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

This paper examines the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism and opposes the view that multiculturalism is "bad" for women. I make a feminist case for multiculturalism and argue for a relationship between the two which is positive- rather than zero-sum. The grounds for this case are those of women's agency in context. My concern is first and foremost with women as agents, situated in particular contexts, acting within multiple roles and thus enabled and constrained in multiple ways. I illustrate this concern by focusing on the agency of Muslim women in France and the "Affaire du Foulard". Consequently, my discussion takes place at two, interconnected levels: (1) The "general" debate over the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism, which is my primary focus; (2) The "particular" level of the "Affaire" and the "foulard" itself in the French context. At both levels, my central concern is women's agency. Feminism, I argue, must understand women as agents acting within multiple roles and thus constrained in multiple ways, as both vulnerable within cultural groups and members of these groups. Feminism and multiculturalism are, therefore, allies rather than opponents.

This thesis studies the attitudes of the religious scholars associated with the dayah, the traditional institution of religious learning in Aceh, Indonesia, towards issues of the modernization of Islamic law. In the history of Islamic society in Aceh, these scholars, the 'ulama' dayah, have shown great initiative in guiding their society as it sought solutions to various problems. Their response was not confined merely to religious matters but also extended to the economic, political and social problems. / The impact of modern science and technology has led to many changes in economics, agriculture, medicine, and other fields. All these changes have to be evaluated in terms of their status in Islamic law, because Muslims have always sought to lead their lives in accordance with Islamic teachings. The 'ulama' dayah, have contributed to meeting the challenge of resolving such problems. In formulating their decisions, the 'ulama' dayah usually refer to the standard texts of the four classical schools of Islamic law. The reliance on classical texts is justified by their conviction that present-day 'ulama' are unable to exercise ijtihad independently since they lack the qualifications which have been traditionally demanded of a mujtahid.