Archive for 2017

How BAE sold cyber-surveillance tools to Arab states – BBC News

A year-long investigation by BBC Arabic and a Danish newspaper has uncovered evidence that the UK defence giant BAE Systems has made large-scale sales across the Middle East of sophisticated surveillance technology, including to many repressive governments. These sales have also included decryption software which could be used against the UK and its allies.

Commentary: Inside Trump’s Middle East mess

President Donald Trump’s attempt to bring peace and stability to the Middle East has backfired spectacularly. He has put a major U.S. ally, Qatar, in a serious geopolitical crisis and damaged the efforts of his own cabinet to calm regional tensions.

Congressman James McGovern delivers speech on one-year anniversary of Nabeel Rajab’s arbitrary arrest – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

On 13 June 2017, US Congressman James McGovern delivered a speech in Congress to mark the arbitrary arrest and one-year detention of Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab. Congressman McGovern is Rajab’s advocate in the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project for Prisoners of Conscience and has been …

For full tex of ADHRB Newsletter 210, click here.

Bahrain’s Monarchy Cries Sectarianism to Hoard Public Wealth

NOTE:The following article was written by Bahrain Watch member Fahad Desmukh and was originally published on the website of TRT World on May 29, 2017. However TRT World had to remove it the following day after Bahrain’s foreign ministry made a complaint about the article to the Turkish government.

1.The European Muslim Network is organizing a 5-Day Intensive Summer School in Frankfurt ( GERMANY) from 11th  till 15th of September 2017.

“Re-envisionning European Islam : past, present and future”

With Ahmet Alibasic ( Bosnia), Karen Armstrong ( UK), Fabienne Brion

( Belgium), Malika Hamidi ( Belgium) and Tariq Ramadan ( UK) among others…

This Summer School is open to the civil society, researchers, students, academics, activists …

The detailed programme, entry requirements, fees and registration deadline are available on the website of European Muslim Network via : http://eumuslim.net/fr/2017/05/24/emn-summer-school/

Please register here: https://www.inscription-facile.com/form/uLJqwEESU1UFGRzOtft5

2. The Universities of Bamberg and Erlangen will be offering a new bilingual Elite Master’s Programme in „Kulturwissenschaften des Vorderen Orients/Cultural Studies of the Middle East”, being introduced in the 2017/18 winter semester.

Our programme will focus on diversity and historical change in the cultures of the Middle East. It is Germany’s first elite course of study in this field and a wonderful opportunity for highly motivated students to prepare for their PhD and make an early start for a professional career in an academic setting.

For more information, including details about how to apply, please check out our website www.culturalstudiesmideast.de

3. Washington and Lee University invites applications for a five-month postdoctoral fellowship in Arabic language and literature, beginning 1 January 2018. This opportunity invites recent recipients of the Ph.D. to develop their research and teaching alongside faculty of the MESA (Middle East and South Asia) Teacher-Scholar Cohort. Applicants must have a Ph.D. by start of appointment. Area of sub-specialization open; Ph.D. in Arabic language or related fields (e.g. comparative literature or NELC) preferred. Comprehensive mastery and fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and a dialect required. The successful applicant will have demonstrated success in teaching in a North American or liberal arts context.

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to teach 1–2 courses in the winter 12-week term, and 1 course in the spring 4-week term. Up to 2 of these courses are expected to be new courses developed by the postdoctoral fellow to enrich the university curriculum and contribute to the diversity and excellence of the MESA Teacher-Scholar Cohort on campus. This is a temporary appointment.

Review of applications will begin 1 August 2017. Interviews will be conducted through Skype. The position will remain open until filled. To apply, applicants should send a cover letter, C.V., graduate transcript, a sample syllabus from a previously taught course, and teaching evaluations to MESA@wlu.edu. Three reference letters should be directed by recommenders to the same address. Questions may be addresses to Professor Anthony Edwards, at edwardsa@wlu.edu.

4. The Leiden Institute for Area Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Leiden offers a lectureship in Persian (language acquisition). This is a part-time (30,4 hours per week), fixed-term post for the period of 2 years starting on 1 September 2017. Applications must be received no later than 4 July and should be submitted at vacatureslias@hum.leidenuniv.nl. For more details see:

http://werkenbij.leidenuniv.nl/vacatures/wetenschappelijke-functies/17-245-lectureship-in-persian.html

5. The George Washington University Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations invites applicants for a full-time one-year position of Visiting Assistant Professor and Acting Coordinator of Persian, commencing with the 2017 Fall semester. The successful candidate is expected to teach the Persian language at all levels of proficiency. Basic Qualifications:Native or near native fluency in Persian, excellent command of English and; Ph.D. in Persian or related field; experience in teaching Persian at college level and use of technology in language.

To apply: send a letter of application, a statement of teaching philosophy and use of technology in teaching Persian, curriculum vitae, sample syllabi, tests and teaching materials, teaching evaluations, along with three confidential letters of recommendation (to be sent by the recommenders) to: Professor Mohssen Esseesy, Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, The George Washington University, Rome Hall 655, 801 22nd Street, NW, Washington DC 20052. Review of applications is continuous until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be considered. The George Washington University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women, people of color, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

http://cnelc.columbian.gwu.edu

6. Islamic Arts and Crafts: An Anthology (Edinburgh UP, 2017). This collection of written sources (dating from the seventh to the twentieth centuries) explores numerous aspects of the crafts of the Middle East from the processing of raw materials to the manufacture of finished artefacts. Among the topics covered are: the legal and ethical dimensions of the arts and crafts, the organisation of labour in urban and rural contexts, the everyday lives of artisans, the gendered dimensions of making things, and the impact of industrialisation upon traditional methods of manufacture. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-islamic-arts-and-crafts.html

7. Contextualizing History Writing in the Ottoman and Indian Worlds (C.1400-1850)

10-11 June, 2017

İstanbul Bilgi University Department of History

http://www.bilgi.edu.tr/en/news-and-events/news/7275/contextualizing-history-writing-in-the-ottoman-and-indian-worlds-c1400-1850/

8. The first volume of the special issue of Intellectual History of the Islamicate World on Medical Traditions (http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/2212943x/5/3 )

Introduction – Leigh Chipman, Peter E. Pormann, Miri Shefer-Mossensohn

On the problem of Syriac “influence” in the transmission of Greek science to the Arabs: the cases of astronomy, philosophy, and medicine – Siam Bhayro

A Syriac Medical Kunnāšā of Īšōʿ bar ʿAlī (9th c.): First Soundings – Grigory Kessel

The Enigma of Arabic and Hebrew Palladius – Peter E. Pormann, Samuel Barry, Nicola Carpentieri, Elaine van Dalen, Kamran I. Karimullah, Taro Mimura, Hammood Obaid

Transformation of Galen’s Textual Legacy from Classical to Post-Classical Islamic Medicine:  Commentaries on the Hippocratic Aphorisms – Kamran I. Karimullah

Book reviews by Tamar Herzog, Peter Adamson, Miriam L. Hjälm and Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala

9. Conference of the International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA), Beït Al-Hikma, Carthage, Tunisia, 4-6 July 2017

The meeting will focus on the following three areas: Epistemology: The Place of the Qurʾanic Studies in Islamic sciences; Methods and Tools (Presuppositions, Applications and Purposes); Themes and Interpretations: Qurʾanic polemics.

Information: https://iqsaweb.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/2017-international-meeting-tunisia/
 

10. Islamic Art – Edinburgh – Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art

https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form

Symposium – alhikmah institute

The Al-Hikmah Institute of Al-Mustafa International University organizes a symposium on “Religion and Spirituality in the Contemporary World”. This symposium will be a three-day event exploring the relation between spirituality and religion in the world. This program will contain three parts including: 1. Presenting papers and lectures. 2. Workshops 3.

International Shia Day – International Shia Day

Your pledge helps reduce marginalization of this underrepresented population and stop the violence. For Shia Rights We Stand International Shia day intends to increase awareness about the struggles, rights, and achievements of Shia Muslims. This population is an underrepresented minority, violated against and marginalized. Global action is needed to accelerate Shia rights.

“Violence in Sharīʿa and its Contemporary Implications”

The 5th Annual Contemporary Fiqhi Issues Workshop is taking place at Al-Mahdi Institute, on the 6th and 7th July 2017. We are looking forward to welcoming scholars from across the UK, and the globe, representing a broad range of backgrounds and sub-disciplines within Islamic Studies.

Saudi warmongering against Qatar, Alkhalifa decide to kill more Bahrainis VOB.ORG

The Saudis are grinding their axes to throttle Qataris as they have been doing in Yemen and had done in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain and Egypt. Riyadh’s decision to severe diplomatic links with its neighbour and GCC partner is another twist in the kingdom’s quest for regional dominance.

1.ISOA is a private academic art center which holds international training courses in order to familiarize artists, professors and students of all around the world with different fields of Islamic Persian art. In cooperation with University of Tehran, Collage of Farabi, ISOA is organizing two international courses for the summer 2017.  The courses would be thought in English and their themes and dates are as following:

1. World of Persian Carpet, 24 August- 2 September, 2017

http://www.isoacourses.com/2016/12/05/world-of-persian-carpet/

2. Philosophy of Islamic Art, 24 August- 2 September, 2017

http://www.isoacourses.com/2016/12/05/philosophy-of-islamic-art/

The Courses are going to be held in various cities of Iran including: Tehran, Qom, Kashan and Isfahan and aim to increase understanding of Islamic Persian culture by providing opportunities for their participants to study different historical and philosophical aspects of Iran’s traditional art as well as experiencing Iran’s traditional life through visiting bazaars, mosques, museums, religious centers, and historical sites of the cities.

For more detailed information about the programs see http://www.isoacourses.com/

2. The University of New South Wales, Sydney, offers a new PhD scholarship to research Iranian Diasporic Women Filmmakers. Applications are open to come and work with a supervisory team including Michelle Langford, Laetitia Nanquette and Jane Mills. Apply by 10 July for a 2018 start.

Here are more details about the project: http://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/apply/scientia-phd-scholarships/migrant-subjects-literary-work-and-literary-circulation-global-world

And more details about the Scientia fellowship: https://research.unsw.edu.au/unsw-scientia-fellowship-program

3. CfP: Gotha manuscript workshop: Alchemy in the Islamicate world – Gotha, 28./29.09.2018

Alchemy was a widespread practice in the Islamicate world that was taught from early on to the 19th/20th century. In spite of its popularity attested to by historical references as well as the wealth of alchemical manuscripts that have come down to us, the study of Arabo-Islamic alchemy has been neglected for the last decades. Only recently have we seen a renewed interest in the field, giving rise to a number of publications.

Among its extensive collection of Oriental manuscripts, Gotha Research Library also houses a significant number of alchemical manuscripts (for the Gotha alchemical manuscripts in Arabic see Siggel, Katalog der arabischen alchemistischen Handschriften Deutschlands, vol. 2, Berlin 1950). The workshop aims at bringing together established and younger scholars working on alchemy and providing them with the opportunity to engage directly with the alchemical manuscripts of the Gotha collection. The exploratory character of the workshop refers not only to the direct engagement with the Gotha collection, but also extends to the field of Arabo-Islamic alchemy more generally. Possible questions to be discussed are: Which aspects of alchemy have received significant attention, what aspects deserve to be addressed more in the future? Which theoretical assumptions and methods have guided the research on alchemy, what theories and methods are relevant for future research? What are the current challenges in studying the alchemy of the Islamicate world and how could they be overcome?

We invite papers from a variety of disciplines (for ex. philology, philosophy, history of science, history of religion, art history, paleography), on all aspects of alchemy, for example on

• the transmission of alchemical knowledge in different parts of the Islamicate world as well as between the Islamicate world and other regions
• the role of manuscripts for the transmission of alchemical knowledge
• codicological aspects of alchemical manuscripts
• questions of authorship and dating
• literary aspects of alchemical texts

To allow for a significant number of hands-on-sessions, preference will be given to papers dealing with Gotha manuscripts.

Please send a 400-word abstract to monika.hasenmueller@uni-erfurt.de not later than August 31, 2017.

The selected participants will be notified by October 30, 2017.

Costs for travel and accommodation will be covered, provided that external funding is granted.

The workshop is organized by the Gotha Research Library in collaboration with the project “Between Religion and Alchemy. The scholar Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs (d. 1197) as a model for an integrative Arabic literary and cultural history”, University of Zurich.

Conference Conveners:

Monika Hasenmüller, Gotha Research Library, University of Erfurt

Prof. Dr. Regula Forster, University of Zurich

Contact:

Monika Hasenmüller

Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Univ. Erfurt

Tel.: +49(0)361/737-5566

monika.hasenmueller@uni-erfurt.de

4. One-year Arabic Lang & Lit position at UC Santa Barbara , 2017/18

https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF0101

Recruitment Period

Open date: June 5th, 2017

Next review date: June 19th, 2017
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: October 31st, 2017
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

5. BRAIS prize for 2017 and call for submissions for 2018

The results of the second (2017) round of the BRAIS-De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World – for the best English-language doctoral thesis or unpublished first monograph based on a doctoral thesis on any aspect of the academic study of Islam and the Muslim world, past and present – can be found at

http://www.brais.ac.uk/prize/2017-announcement

For the 2018 prize, applicants can be based in any country, and manuscripts will be assessed on the basis of scholarly quality and originality. The award includes publication of the winning manuscript and a prize of £1,000. The submission deadline is 1 September 2017. Full details are available here:
http://www.brais.ac.uk/prize

6. 11th Media Workshop “After the Internet – Television Today: Twenty Years of Al Jazeera”, Institute of Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Munich (LMU), 29-30 June 2017

Registration until 16 June 2017 via b.graef@lmu.de.  Information and programme: http://www.naher-osten.uni-muenchen.de/forschung/massenmedien/archive/11-programm_engl.pdf
 

7. École doctorale: « Islam(s) en Europe : terrains, risques et pratiques de recherche », Islams et chercheurs dans la cité, Paris, 11-12 septembre 2017

Ces journées proposent aux doctorants, postdoctorants et jeunes chercheurs travaillant sur les sociétés et pratiques musulmanes en Europe de se rencontrer et d’échanger sur les modalités d’enquête, que celle-ci s’appuie sur des observations participantes, des documents archivés, des entretiens qualitatifs ou des questionnaires.

Date limite : 25 juin 2017. Information : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/27284
 

8. Colloque international: « Pluralisme religieux, sociétés plurielles : les religions dans l’espace public européen », IPRA-Alliance Europa, Nantes, 3-5 octobre 2018

Deadline for abstracts : 1 septembre 2017. Information : http://ipra.eu/fr/2017/05/03/colloque-international-pluralisme-religieux-societes-plurielles-les-religions-dans-lespace-public-europeen/

9. Articles for Journal “Hamsa. Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies”

For this volume, we particularly welcome proposals offering original analysis on the broad subject of Judaic and Islamic studies.

Deadline for proposals: 15 October 2017. Information: http://www.hamsa.cidehus.uevora.pt/callforpapers.html