The Middle East’s Great Divide Is Not Sectarianism

The spectre of sectarianism haunts the Middle East. It is blamed for chaos, conflict, and extremism. It defines what is seen as the region’s principal fault line: Sunni versus Shiite. It has the power and elegance of a grand theory that seemingly explains all.

Papal visit boosts UAE effort to redefine concepts of tolerance

There is no doubt that the UAE is a leader in the Muslim world in promoting concepts of religious tolerance and prevention of religiously packages militancy. In hosting the pope as the star of an inter-faith dialogue organized by the UAE-sponsored Council of Elders, entitled International Interfaith Meeting on Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE hopes to cement its position as the icon of Muslim tolerance.

A struggle for rule of law: Detained Bahraini footballer catapults Thailand to centre stage

The arrest by Thai authorities of Mr. Al-Araibi, acting on an Interpol red notice arrest warrant issued despite the fact that he had been granted political asylum in Australia, raises questions about the effectiveness of Interpol safeguards against exploitation of its powers.

Indian Muslims: A rich hunting ground for Middle Eastern rivals

By James M. Dorsey

When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently declared that Turkey was “the only country that can lead the Muslim world ” he probably wasn’t only thinking of Middle Eastern and other Islamic states such as Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Increasingly, there is evidence that Indian Muslims, the Islamic world’s fourth largest community after Indonesia and the South Asian states, is on Mr. Erdogan’s radar.

Mr. Erdogan’s interest in Indian Muslims highlights the flip side of a shared Turkish and Indian experience: the rise of religious parties and leaders with a tendency towards authoritarianism in non-Western democracies that, according to Turkey and India scholar Sumantra Bose, calls into question their commitment to secularism.

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Reforming the Faith: Indonesia’s battle for the soul of Islam

Nahdlatul Ulama, with 94 million members the world’s largest Sunni Muslim movement, is bent on reforming Islam. In a 40-page document, argued in terms of Islamic law and jurisprudence and scheduled for publication in the coming days, Nahdlatul Ulama’s powerful young adults wing, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor, spells out a framework for what it sees as a humanitarian interpretation of Islam that is tolerant and pluralistic in nature.

Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies ” Dergi Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies ” Dergi ” DergiPark

Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies, İslam düşünce ekollerinin en önemlilerinden olan Şiilik ve onunla ilgili tüm konularda bilimsel ve akademik bakış açısını yansıtan çalışmaları yayınlamayı amaçlamaktadır.

The journal encourages submission of original research articles, literature reviews, research reports and book reviews for publication on Shiite studies. It publishes articles in Turkish, English, Arabic and Farsi.
Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is established by academicians who work or study in the area of Shiite studies. It is an open access journal and does not require any charge for publication process. In addition, the Journal is the first academic initiative in Turkey in this area.

Visit the journal website to submit your writings or be informed about the scope of the journal ( www.dergipark.gov.tr/siader). In addition, we are currently looking to expand our network of reviewers and seeking reviewers who can analyze and review submitted writings.
Editor in chief: Dr. Habip DEMİR (Hitit University Theology Faculty Dept. of History of Islamic Sects
e-mail: habipdemir@hitit.edu.tr
Journal Website: dergipark.gov.tr/siader
Journal e-mail: turkishshiitestudies@gmail.com

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.

Mahathir’s reforms could put Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the spot

Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir is adopting policies that could reshape the Southeast nation’s relations with powerful Gulf states. A series of anti-corruption measures as well as statements by Mr. Mahathir and his defense minister, Mohamad (Mat) Sabu, since this month’s upset in elections that ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak from office, are sparking concern in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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.

Iremam – Colloque

Comité scientifique : Denise Aigle (directrice d’études émérite, EPHE/UMR Orient et Méditerranée) Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi (directeur d’études, EPHE/LEM) Michele Bernardini (professeur, Universita’ Degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale) Anna Caiozzo (professeur, Université Bordeaux-Montaigne/Ausonius) Guy Le Thiec (professeur, AMU/TELEMME) Yannick Lintz (conservateur, directrice du Département des Arts de l’Islam au Louvre) Yves Porter (professeur, AMU/LA3M) Maria Szuppe (directrice de recherches, CNRS/Mondes iranien et indien)