Contemporary Changes and Transformations in the Islamic World

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2024) | Viewed by 4834

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Associate Professor, Religion Department, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
Interests: modern religious reform; Islamic ethics and legal theory; Qur’anic studies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on changes and transformations in the Islamic world that have taken place over the last few decades, including religious ideas, rituals, movements, communities, and so on. The goal of this issue is to present readers with interdisciplinary scholarship, utilizing approaches from the humanities and social sciences to provide a deep understanding of contemporary developments in the Islamic World and, by extension, minority Muslim Communities in the West. The participant authors can be specialized in religious studies, sociology, history, anthropology, political science, law, media studies, or other disciplines, so long as they focus their articles on topics related to religious changes and transformations. Articles may highlight changes and transformations in the Islamic world in general, or in specific countries or regions. Among the important themes that are addressed in the Special Issue are tradition and reform, secularism and the application of Islamic law, in addition to questions of religious leadership and authority.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400-600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editor ([email protected] ) or to /Religions/ editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

Dr. Yasir S. Ibrahim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Islamic Studies
  • decolonization
  • tradition
  • reform
  • feminism
  • gender
  • leadership
  • authority
  • Shari'a

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 5385 KiB  
Article
The Dynamics of Islam in Kazakhstan from an Educational Perspective
by Baktybay Beisenbayev, Aliy Almukhametov and Rafik Mukhametshin
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101243 - 14 Oct 2024
Viewed by 770
Abstract
This article provides a thorough examination of the past evolution and present conditions of Islamic education in Kazakhstan. It commences with an examination of the influence of the Hanafi school within Sunni Islam and traces the evolution of the Islamic educational system throughout [...] Read more.
This article provides a thorough examination of the past evolution and present conditions of Islamic education in Kazakhstan. It commences with an examination of the influence of the Hanafi school within Sunni Islam and traces the evolution of the Islamic educational system throughout various historical periods until the present day. Particular focus is given to blending Islamic teachings with contemporary educational structures. The researchers heuristically analyzed the current state of the field, identified the main problems, and suggested prospects for Islamic education for further development. In this study, the PRISMA methodology is adopted to systematize the literature, enabling a detailed examination of the characteristics and nuances of Islamic education within the historical and cultural traditions of Kazakhstan. The current study utilizes the historical method, which uses primary and secondary data sources. This method prioritizes historical analysis as a means to assess past occurrences. This paper examines the axiological importance of madrasas and Islamic universities, as well as the pedagogical approaches employed in these educational establishments. We have presented infographics that contribute to a detailed understanding of the field. From the heuristic analyses, we formulated practical recommendations for the government designed to enhance the quality and effectiveness of Islamic education. This paper highlights the importance of Islamic education as an important component of the cultural and scientific space of Kazakhstan, offering strategies for its sustainable development in the context of globalization and the transformation of educational systems. The results of this work are of significant interest to academics, madrasas, colleges, and higher education institutions specializing in Islamic education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Changes and Transformations in the Islamic World)
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16 pages, 295 KiB  
Article
From Aslamat al-Maᶜrifa to al-Takāmul al-Maᶜrifī: A Study of the Shift from Islamization to Integration of Knowledge
by Mourad Laabdi and Aziz Elbittioui
Religions 2024, 15(3), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030342 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1406
Abstract
Over the past half-century, the study of Islam in the Muslim world has been preoccupied with three global projects: maqāṣid al-sharīᶜa (the higher objectives of revealed law), al-wasaṭiyya al-islāmiyya (Islamic moderation), and aslamat al-maᶜrifa (Islamization of knowledge). Of these three, the latter has [...] Read more.
Over the past half-century, the study of Islam in the Muslim world has been preoccupied with three global projects: maqāṣid al-sharīᶜa (the higher objectives of revealed law), al-wasaṭiyya al-islāmiyya (Islamic moderation), and aslamat al-maᶜrifa (Islamization of knowledge). Of these three, the latter has been the most substantial enterprise due to its ambitious work plan, extensive scope, and far-reaching influence. However, in recent decades, the Islamization of knowledge project has undergone significant developments culminating in its reformulation as ‘knowledge integration’ (al-takāmul al-maᶜrifī). This paper traces and analyzes the key manifestations of this notable transformation. Firstly, it surveys the various contexts of eschewing the concept of ‘Islamization’ and adopting ‘integration’. Secondly, it examines the conceptualization of the construct of ‘al-takāmul al-maᶜrifī’ within pre-modern and contemporary Islamic contexts. Thirdly, it investigates the practical implementation of knowledge integration with a special focus on the domain of higher education. The question that brings all three sections together is whether the knowledge integration model embodies a true paradigm shift or is a mere name change while bearing on the old rationale and approach of Islamization. The present paper argues that, under the banner of al-takāmul al-maᶜrifī, a shift from an internally focused intellectual effort to one that envisions new opportunities for epistemological renewal is recognizable at the individual level. However, institutionally, the application of this paradigm is still pending full and effective realization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Changes and Transformations in the Islamic World)
9 pages, 183 KiB  
Article
The Paradoxes of Modern Islamic Discourses and Socio-Religious Transformation in the Digital Age
by Sahar Khamis
Religions 2024, 15(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15020207 - 8 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1702
Abstract
The introduction of the internet brought about many transformations in the political, social, cultural, and educational fields worldwide. This phenomenon of digital transformation introduced a myriad of positive, negative, and paradoxical impacts. This critical essay tackles some of the significant transformations and paradoxes [...] Read more.
The introduction of the internet brought about many transformations in the political, social, cultural, and educational fields worldwide. This phenomenon of digital transformation introduced a myriad of positive, negative, and paradoxical impacts. This critical essay tackles some of the significant transformations and paradoxes which the introduction of the internet invited in modern Muslim societies, with a special focus on two specific domains. First, the realm of religious authority or obtaining authoritative religious knowledge in the age of the internet. Second, the realm of shifting gendered Islamic identities in the age of cyberspace. In exploring these complex and hybrid phenomena, special attention is paid to the tensions between the opposing forces of tradition and modernity, diversity and cohesion, hegemony and resistance, and globalization and localization in cyberspace, and their numerous and far-reaching effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Changes and Transformations in the Islamic World)
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