Integration, class and secularism: the marginalization of Shia identities in the UK Iranian diaspora

Despite ongoing debates about the nature and role of multiculturalism in the UK, the idea of integration remains significant in British immigration policies and community relations, and it orients…

‘Black or White: The Turbanization of Shi’i Islam’
Liyakat Takim, The Muslim World, 108/3, July 2018,
Pages 548-563:

Abstract:
The Turban has been worn by Muslims since the early period of Islamic history. This paper examines the significance of the turban in Twelver Shi‘ism. It argues that the turban and its color have been used to enhance the social and religious status of the descendants (sayyids) of the Prophet Muhammad. The paper also discusses the importance attached to the method of tying the turban and demonstrates how social pressure forced scholars to abandon a practice established by the Prophet and Imams. It will also argue that the method of trying the turban was used as an ideological tool among Shi‘i scholars.
See

Nearly 170 charged with forming ‘Bahrain Hizballah’

Analysts have expressed scepticism about previous Bahraini allegations of Iranian and Hizballah involvement. Bahrain’s attorney general charged nearly 170 people on Tuesday with forming a Shia “terrorist organisation” named for Lebanon’s famed militant group Hizballah.

The Idea of Iran: The Safavid Era – Saturday 27 October 2018, SOAS

9.45am, Saturday 27 October 2018 Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, Read more) The Centre for Iranian Studies, the Department of Religions & Philosophies, School of History, Religions & Philosophies, SOAS and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge remain deeply grateful to the Soudavar Memorial Foundation for their continued support for this series.SOAS University of London Russell Square WC1H 0XG

Asnad.org Digital Persian Archives: Home

The Project aims at facilitating access to the growing number of available Persian historical deeds and documents, both published and unpublished. It shall allow work on archival material with the help of incorporated facsimiles without recourse to the original – often remote – place of publication or storage.

Bahraini Narratives About the United States

The eruption of Bahrain’s political crisis seven-and-a-half years ago marked a watershed in Manama-Washington relations. It also transformed how both Bahrain’s regime and its Shia-dominated opposition viewed the United States. For decades, Bahrain’s leadership has seen the United States as the archipelago kingdom’s offshore security guarantor and a bastion against political ambitions from regional powers.

Movie Theaters and Women Driving Won’t Placate Saudi Shiites

After generating some positive press earlier this summer by lifting the ban on women driving, Saudi Arabia is once more the target of reproach. In August, the country’s notorious terrorism court sought the death penalty against Israa al-Ghomgham, a female activist.

The Renaissance of Shiʿi Islam in the 15th-17th Centuries: Facets of Thought and Practice | The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Introduction The 15th century marked the renaissance of the Ismaili and Twelver Shiʿi traditions after centuries of marginalization. It was with the commencement of the imamate of Mustanṣir biʾllāh II around 868/1463- 1464, that the Anjudān revival of the Nizārī Ismailis began.

Saudi-UK media tie-up: Targeting the non-Arabic-speaking Middle East

Long satisfied to attempt to dominate pan-Arab media and battle it out with Qatar’s state-owned Al Jazeera television network, Saudi Arabia has now set its hegemonic sights on influencing the media landscape of the non-Arabic speaking greater Middle East.

Safavid Tile Project I: The Technology

Some of the most noticeable objects in the ROM’s Wirth Gallery of The Middle East are two friezes of tiles that would have been in the spandrels of arches. These were made in Iran in the last third of the 17th century under the Safavid dynasty, probably for a palatial building in Isfahan.

Safavid cuerda seca tile arch spandrels from Isfahan

We invite you to read our blogs about a new exciting project related to the two Safavid tile arches in the Royal Ontario Museum.
https://www.rom.on.ca/en/blog/safavid-tile-project-i-the-technology
https://www.rom.on.ca/en/blog/safavid-tile-project-ii-rebuilding-the-friezes
A dozen or so such arches sold from the Kevorkian collection were made known through the publications of the late Dr. I. Luschey-Schmeisser. Our hypothesis is that these and many more, done in the same technique and style (c. 1670), came from a single palatial building in Isfahan. We are currently assembling panels from the hundreds of “orphaned tiles” that were collected from the ruins of the site, probably c. 1900, and now exist in museums and private collections. Our new project will deal with the technique of cuerda seca and the creation of these spandrels as well as attempting to reconstruct as much of the original cycle of themes. We are hoping that colleagues who may know of the existence of such tiles in small museums and collections will tell us about them. We welcome feedback to our blogs.
Dr. Robert B. Mason, Materials Scientist, Royal Ontario Museum
(robm@rom.on.ca)
Dr. Lisa Golombek, Curator Emeritus, Royal Ontario Museum
(lisag@rom.on.ca)