Archive for March, 2018

Will the real Pakistan stand up, please?

Two headlines this month beg the question US officials have been grappling with for more than a decade: Will the real Pakistan stand up, please? Pakistan’s The News reported that the government had designated Islamabad as a pilot project to regulate Friday prayer sermons in the city’s 1,003 mosques, of which only 86 are state-controlled, in a bid to curb hate speech, extremism and demonization of religions and communities.

1.The University of Cambridge is seeking to appoint a Language Teaching Officer in Persian in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, to begin on 1 September 2018. The post is a permanent position, subject to a 9 month probation period.

Full details of the post and how to apply can be found here: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/16958/

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Christine van Ruymbeke (email: cv223@cam.ac.uk)

The closing date for applications is midnight GMT on 29 April 2018. Interviews will take place during the week commencing 14 May 2018.

2. [From another listserve:] The Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris has been stepping up the pace with which it is posting scans of its old microfilm collections. I’ve only been working with Latin MSS, so I don’t know if this is also happening with its considerable collections in other languages. But now that so many MSS are coming online, it is becoming truly transformative of the quality of work one can do in creating comprehensive dossiers of works. Granted, the qualityof many of these films is mediocre to poor. You have the option to download the complete PDF of any of them, but I have found those downloaded PDFs to be of even poorer quality. So when I do need to do a screen grab, I usually prefer to do it from the scan displayed online.

The method I use to access the films is clumsy. If someone knows a method that gives quicker access (doing a general search through Gallica is a nightmare), do let us know. What I do is this:

• Go to the main archivesetmanuscrits Acceuil page for “Collections”: http://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/pageCollections.html
• Choose Département des Manuscrits
• Then choose your language
• Then, within any given language, you will be given increasingly subdivided sections to find the shelfmark you are looking for
• Once you’ve found the shelfmark you want, open the page and look at the bottom for a link “Accéder au manuscrit numérisé” — that will take you to whatever digitized facsimile they have, whether a scanned microfilm or, in rarer cases, new digital photography

3. CfP: Call for papers: Future of Salafism Conference

Wednesday, 5 December 2018 to Thursday, 6 December 2018

University of Oxford

https://csia-oxford.org/call-papers-future-salafism-conference

4. Afghanistan, Volume 1, Issue 1 (2018)

https://www.euppublishing.com/toc/afg/1/1

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a refereed journal published twice a year in April and October. It covers all subjects in the humanities including history, art, archaeology, architecture, geography, numismatics, literature, religion, social sciences and contemporary issues from the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. Articles are not restricted to the present borders of Afghanistan and can include the surrounding regions, but must relate to Afghanistan.

Print ISSN: 2399-357X Online ISSN: 2399-3588

Published on behalf of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies

5. ‘The Apocalypse of Ecstasy: The Poetry of Shah Ismāʿīl Revisited’

Amelia Gallagher

Pages 361-397 | Published online: 27 Mar 2018

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00210862.2017.1401862

Bahrain: Official Threatens Online Crackdown

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s interior minister has threatened to crackdown on dissidents and activists who criticize the government online, Human Rights Watch said today. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, the interior minister, said on March 25, 2018, that the government was already tracking accounts that “departed from national norms, customs and traditions,” and threatened unspecified new legislation and heavy punishments against “violators.”

Khoja Studies Course | The World Federation of KSIMC

Our President, Dr Moledina, – along with a team of 8 members – recently spent an extremely eventful ten days travelling across India, visiting and catching up on progress in the region regarding The World Federation projects.

Inside the US war in Yemen – 48 hills

One of the most important US Senate votes in decades took place recently, and few people know it happened. On March 20, Senators voted on whether to stop US support for Saudi Arabia’s vicious war in Yemen by invoking the War Powers Act.

An interview with Abdulaziz Sachedina on His Life and Scholarship – Maydan

The following interview with Professor Abdulaziz Sachedina was conducted in 2016 and presented here after his editorial interventions for purposes of accuracy. We hope that scholars of all age cohorts will benefit from this interview on Professor Sachedina’s life and scholarship. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu (AT): Thank you, Professor Sachedina for agreeing to speak to Maydan.

1.Conference: „Serbest Kurdish Studies“, Buffett Institute for Global Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 1-2 June 2018  

This year’s conference will focus on three themes: The development of Kurdish Studies as a field, the idea of Kurdistan and its transformation in relation to political and cultural change in the region and diaspora, and the possibilities and dilemmas of Kurdish politics across the Middle East region

Deadline for abstracts: 30 March 2018. Information: http://buffett.northwestern.edu/programs/kurdish-studies

2. PhD Scholarship in Arab and Islamic Studies, IAIS, University of Exeter, UK

The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is seeking to recruit one excellent doctoral student whose area(s) of specialization fit(s) and complement(s) the research interests of our academics. The award covers: payment of tuition fees for 3 years; maintenance allowance for accommodation and living expenses of £14,777 per annum. The studentship is open to Home/EU and International students.

Deadline for applications: 10 April 2018. Information: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/fundingsearch/awarddetails/?id=3062

3. Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Sociology/Anthropology of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, IAIS, University of Exeter, UK

The post holder will contribute to further enhancing the research profile of the Centre for Gulf Studies and of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, particularly in areas related or complementary to the sociology and anthropology of the contemporary Gulf and Arabian Peninsula.
Deadline for applications: 18 April 2018. Information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=818054LD3g&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

4. History Assistant Professor in Middle East History, Department of History, United States Military Academy

Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria: 1) academic accomplishment (a Ph.D. is preferred), 2) ability to teach the Middle East version of “Regional Studies in World History” and the “Modern Middle East” elective, 3) demonstrated proficiency in student-centered and active-learning instruction, 4) demonstrated scholarly potential, 5) demonstrated potential to contribute to cadet development.

Deadline for applications: 30 March 2018. Please mail applications to Richard.Lovering@usma.edu

5. Assistant Professor of Arabic, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, Virginia Military Institute

Three-year, non-tenure-track appointment, beginning 1 August 2018, with conversion to tenure-track very likely. Specialization open; Ph.D. in Arabic / Arabic Studies or related field required. The successful candidate should provide evidence of experience in teaching Arabic language, literature and culture at all levels.

Deadline for applications: position open until filled. Information: https://chroniclevitae.com/jobs/0000416542-01

6. Articles for “Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization (JITC)”

JITC invites Call for Papers on the following themes for the upcoming issues of the journal: Spring 2018: “Islamism and Post-Islamism”, fall 2018: “Postcolonial Studies and Muslim” and spring 2019: “Anthropology of Islam”. The scope of the Journal is deliberately given as wide a berth as possible; various aspects of Islamic Thought & Civilization, Social and Natural sciences, Islamic, Oriental and Occidental Studies, Comparative Religions and Civilizations as well as contemporary issues that interface with Islam in the current geopolitical environment are addressed.

Deadline for spring 2018 abstracts: 30 April 2018. Information: https://www.umt.edu.pk/jitc/Call-for-Papers.aspx

7. Book Award Nominations, Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS)

Books must be nominated from one or more individuals using the AMEWS Nomination Form 2018 to attest to the quality and potential impact of the particular work on the field of Middle East gender, sexuality, feminist and women’s studies.

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2018. Information: http://amews.org/amews-book-award/

8. The Board of Directors of Middle East Medievalists (MEM) is pleased to announce its inaugural prize for best dissertation on the medieval Middle East (500-1500 CE).

In an effort to recognize excellent doctoral research in the field, MEM will award its first biennial prize at the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association in San Antonio, Texas, in November, 2018. Dissertations filed and defended between June 30, 2016, and June 30, 2018, will be eligible for this year’s prize.

Applicants must be current members in good standing of Middle East Medievalists to be considered. To join MEM or renew your membership please go to: http://islamichistorycommons.org/individual-membership-signup/. Deadline for electronic submissions is August 1, 2018.

For submission details, please contact:

Dr. Kristina Richardson
Associate Professor of History
Queens College, City University of New York
65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Queens, NY 11367
USA
kristina.richardson@qc.cuny.edu

9. The Centre for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter is seeking to
recruit one full-time postdoctoral research fellow (for 2 years) who
will contribute to further enhancing the research profile of the Centre.

Salary: £34,520 – £42,418, depending on qualifications and experience.

Application deadline: *24 April 2018*.

More information and details: https://bit.ly/2DTKiyl

Proceedings of the Annual International Conference on Shi’i Studies

£10.00 – £25.00 THE ISLAMIC COLLEGE Proceedings of the First Three Annual International Conferences on Shi’i Studies (2015, 2016, and 2017) The Annual International Conference on Shi’i Studies is organised by the Research and Publications Department of The Islamic College, London.

Saudi Prince Mohammed’s religious moderation unlikely to change Asian realities

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be seeking to revert his kingdom to an unspecified form of moderate Islam but erasing the impact of 40 years of global funding of ultra-conservative, intolerant strands of the faith is unlikely to be eradicated by decree.

The Limits of Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s arrival in the United States has coincided with a very carefully managed public relations blitz intended to portray him as a visionary leader shepherding Saudi Arabia into a new era of social liberalization and economic change. His fawning 60 Minutes infomercial this past Sunday was perhaps the best example of this phenomenon.