Society

Rusmir Mahmutcehajic

Anyone who has ever read any book by Bosnian academic Mahmutcehajic knows that the beauty of his prose always brings one back to the Real. His writing – be it about Bosnian War, architecture, urban planning, tolerance, nationalism, democracy, mosques, coffee – has the quality of remembrance.

‘God is always present; it is we who are in constant danger of being absent. Similarly, God is always infinitely close to us, but we are always infinitely remote from Him. Our actions, whether in silence, speech or gesture, are beautiful and good to the extent that we are conscious of the presence of God in them as Beautiful and Good. Without such consciousness, all our acts, whether in silence, speech or gesture, are in vain no matter how they may seem to us. Once we cease approaching everything “In the Name of God the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful”, concluding with “Praise belongs to God”, they cease to connect us to God, and if they do not connect us with Him, then they connect us with something else. But there is no god but Him.’

“This book investigates the relationship between knowledge of the cosmos and knowledge of the self. Conclusions are drawn regarding ignorance as a source of corruption, expulsion, and murder on the basis of the case of the Stolac čaršija, how it came into existence, how it developed as a reflection of the inner life of its people, and the destruction it suffered during the 20th century. Our original dignity cannot be restored until the relationship between knowledge of the cosmos and knowledge of the self is recognized within a discourse of the eternal principle of all existence. This is so because there is nothing in the world whose being is not in some way for us. Unless we discover that purpose, we cannot find ourselves.”

Wardah’s Pick for the Best Book of 2011

Contents:
The Garden
The Town
The Mihrab
From Left to Right
The Call
The Hour
The Guest
The Market-Square
The Book
“Recite!”
The Scales
The House
Doors and Windows
The Labyrinth
The Valley and the Mount
Earth and Heaven
The Tree
Oblivion and Recollection

Jean Kilbourne

Many advertisements these days make us feel as if we have an intimate, even passionate relationship with a product. But as Kilbourne points out in this fascinating and shocking expose, the dreamlike promise of advertising always leaves us hungry for more. We can never be satisfied, because the products we love cannot love us back. – blurb

“Cumulatively they create a climate of cynicism and alienation that is poisonous to relationships. Many people end up feeling romantic about material objects yet deeply cynical about other human beings. In a society in which one of two marriages ends in divorce, we are offered constancy through our products. As one ad says, “Some people need only one man. Or one woman. Or one watch.” Okay, so we can’t be monogamous – at least we can be faithful to our watches. Because of the pervasiveness of this kind of advertising, we learn from childhood that it is safer to make a commitment to a product than to a person, far easier to be loyal to a brand.”

Suriani Suratman

This monograph is about the portrayal of the Malays by the government, as found in the mainstream media in Singapore. The dominant feature of this portrayal is what the author describes as the ‘problematic Singapore Malays’. Two main characteristics emerged: that the Malays are “lagging behind” despite visible progress, and portrayal of their “doubtful loyalty”.

Through a survey of newspaper reports from the period of the 1960s to the 1990s, this paper argues that the sustained reproduction of ‘the problematic Malays’ occurs through (1) continuous identifying of new areas requiring attention, and (2) making comparisons of progress between ethnic groups at a given point of time instead of looking at longitudinal progress. Overall, it is a clear indication of the consistent gazing upon the Malays.

Monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom. Enquire for availability of current issues.

Deina Ali Abdelkader

The Anti-Enlightenment Democrats

Contents:

Orientalism, Islamic Activism and Rational Thought?

Rudiments of an Islamic Just Society: Contribution of al-Shatibi

Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Modernisation in Key

Rachid al-Ghannouchi: Minorities and Equality

Abdessalam Yassine: The Just Ruler

Reason and Faith: The Islamists Versus the ‘Stillborn God’

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

This historic 512-page fatwa is one of the most comprehensive condemnations of terrorism to date and deals a devastating blow to terrorist groups and its affiliates by removing decisively any remnant of theological justifications for terrorism. No longer can the terrorists and similar organisations employ Muslim scripture with impunity to advance the onslaught of civilians, be they non-Muslim or Muslim.

Jean Twenge

Contents:
Your Don’t Need Their Approval: The Decline of Social Rules
An Army of One: Me
You Can Be Anything You Want to Be
The Age of Anxiety (and Depression and Loneliness): Generation Stressed
Yeah, Right: The Belief That There’s No Point in Trying
Sex: Generation Prude Meets Generation Crude
The Equality Revolution: Minorities, Women, Gays and Lesbians
Applying Our Knowledge: The Future of Business and the Future of the Young

In late 2007 Muslim leaders from around the world together issued in the pages of The New York Times an open letter to Christian leaders inviting cooperation as a step toward peace. That letter, “A Common Word between Us and You,” acknowledged real differences between the two faiths but nonetheless contended that “righteousness and good works” should be the only areas in which they compete. The 138 signatories included over a dozen grand muftis, an ayatollah, and a Jordanian prince, and the document was widely considered a groundbreaking step toward reconciliation between Islam and Christianity — two major religions with a great deal in common.

That original letter and a collaborative Christian response — “Loving God and Neighbor Together” — both appear in this remarkable volume. Building on those original momentous documents, A Common Word further includes subsequent commentary and dialogue between Muslim and Christian scholars addressing critical and frequently asked questions.

With essays by Prince Ghazi of Jordan, Miroslav Volf, Habib Ali al-Jifri, Reza Shah-Kazemi, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Judge Bola Abdul Jabbar Ajibola, Joseph Cumming, David Burrel, Martin Accad, Senator John Kerry.

John Bowen

Contents
Islam and the Republic
Fashioning the French Islamic Landscape
Mosques Facing Forward
Shaping Knowledge to France
Differentiating Schools
Dimensions of Pedagogical Difference
Objectives and Imam Malik
Practical Training in an Islamic Ambiance
Can an Islamic School be Republican?
Should There Be an Islam for Europe?
Negotiating Across Realms of Justification
Islamic Spheres in Republican Space

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin

Contents:
The Earth is a Mosque
The Problem of Overconsumption
…The Environmental Movement
Green Muslims
Green Mosques
Energy from Hell
Energy from Heaven
Efficiency and Green Jobs
Living off the Grid
Water
Toxic Waste
Wonderful World of Wudu’
Feeding Your Family
Urban Food Gardens
Farmers’ Market
Green Zabiha