Introducing Islam

Useful Weblinks

Select a chapter from the drop down menu to view the information

Chapter 1: Introduction, First Part

Muslim population of the world: http://www.pewforum.org/The-Future-of-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx.

A number of definitions of empathy (along with many distracting ads) will be found at the following website: http://www.answers.com/topic/empathy.

Chapter 2: On the Eve of Islam

Iran

For a good source on Iranian history and culture, ancient and modern (not sympathetic to the present regime) see: http://www.iranchamber.com.

For the farr as it appears in the writings of the great Islamic Persian writer, Firdowsi (see ch. 4, p. 52 and ch. 14, p. 219 in Introducing Islam) see: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Farr/farr.html.

Christianity

For a brief explanation of the trinity from a conservative point of view see: http://carm.org/trinity.

A survey of Nestorian history by Nestorians will be found at: http://www.nestorian.org/history_of_the_nestorian_churc.html.

A brief statement of the significance of icons will be found at: http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/Orthodox_Church/icons.shtml.

Copies of Christian creeds may be found at: http://carm.org/creeds-and-confessions.

Judaism

Further details on Torah can be found at: http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm.

For Samaritans (discussed in Additional Information) see: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/samaritan/id/1896937.

Gnostics

For a brief, general account of Gnostic beliefs see: http://www.religioustolerance.org/gnostic2.htm.

A translation of the Gospel of Thomas (I think the whole of it) may be found at: http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html.

Philosophy

A helpful brief introduction to the various schools of philosophy will be found at:  http://www.iep.utm.edu/greekphi.

A brief survey of Plotinus’ ideas along with links to other sites will be found at: http://www.kheper.net/topics/Neoplatonism/Plotinus.htm.

Chapter 3: The Beginnings of Islam

Images of Umayyad coins can be found at: http://www.grifterrec.com/coins/islam/umayyad/umayyad.html.

Some good images of early Umayyad coins and coins of their rivals are found in Donner, Fred M. (2010) Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, pp. 112, 201. This also contains a translation of the inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock.

Chapter 4: Expansion and Flowering

For a statement of the principles of “Just War” and bibliography see: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pol116/justwar.htm.

The following source provides some further details on jihad and the greater jihad: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/jihad_1.shtml#section_2.

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Further information and a somewhat negative judgement on Harun al-Rashid can be found at: http://www.nndb.com/people/849/000092573.

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An article on Al-Andulus as a case study in tolerance can be found at: http://irdialogue.org/articles/best-practices-non-profit-articles/al-andalus-a-case-study-in-inter-religious-tolerance-by-joshua-stanton.

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An admiring article on Saladin can be found at: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/saladin.htm.

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A brief survey of the life of Shajarat al-Durr (the name, probably a nickname, means “Pearl Tree”) and a longer discussion of the various scholarly treatments of her can be found at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/duncan.htm.

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Treaties of Protection (Dhimma)

Charter of protection confirming the election of a catholicos (patriarch) of the Nestorian Church by an Abbasid caliph including the terms of the dhimma: http://www.nestorian.org/a_charter_of_protection.html.

Charter of protection for the people of Tiflis, c. 642 AD

See Donner, Fred M. (2010) Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, p. 117.

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For a Serbian reaction to the Battle of Kosovo Field and what followed see: http://www.kosovo.net/kosbitka.html.

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For a simply written account of Suleyman the Magnificent see: http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1suleyman.htm.

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Sharing of Muslim and Christian feasts

We read a lot about violence between Muslims and Christians in places such as Indonesia and various parts of Africa, as well as between Muslims and Hindus in South Asia. In fact, Muslims and others have often lived quite peacefully together and even shared each others’ feasts and shrines.

For an example of a modern version of this in Senegal, see “A joyeux Noël in Muslim Senegal” by Claire Soares, in The Christian Science  Monitor, 20 December 2006 at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1220/p07s02-woaf.html.

Chapter 5: The Qur’an

Fatah , Tarek, “A Book for all Ages: The Qur’an and Me”, The National Post, 21 August 2009. A very nice statement about the significance of the Qur’an by a secularist Muslim. Online at: http://tarekfatah.com/the-quran-and-me (accessed 5 October 2013).

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The following webpages show images of the Tashkent and Topkapi manuscripts but do not consider them originals:

On the Tashkent manuscript see: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Text/Mss/samarqand.html.

On the Topkapi manuscript see: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Text/Mss/topkapi.html.

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Names (or attributes) of God

For one list of these see: http://www.jannah.org/articles/names.html.

For the names of God in calligraphy try: http://alislaah4.tripod.com/islamicpictures/id23.htm.

A recitation of the names of God may be heard at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrcoYTGCXvc&feature=related.

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For a little more information on Stephen Decatur see: http://www.answers.com/topic/stephen-decatur or http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/154938/Stephen-Decatur.

For a patriotic take on Decatur see: http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/07/the_real_story_of_my_country_r.html.

Chapter 6: The Prophet Muhammad

See Wikipedia on Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra_and_Mi'raj.

For information on pictures of Muhammad (and some examples) see Depictions of Muhammad, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depictions_of_Muhammad.

Chapter 7: Rituals and Ceremonies

Recordings of the Sunni version of the Adhan (Yusuf Islam; there are others on the site) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vF9xQyXzD4.

A recording of the Shi‘i version of the Adhan can be found at this website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krHFI0kEh-k&NR=1.

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Du‘ā’ (prayers other than salah) ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad at: http://sunnah.com/riyadussaliheen/17.

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Cannon at the close of fasting in Ramadan

Ramadan cannon in Jerusalem at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsVTIqx6QE.

Ramadan cannon in Aswan, Egypt at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3mZw7DFjfA.

Stories about how the tradition got started at: http://www.iamegypt.org/2011/07/17/ta-myths-behind-the-ramadan-cannon.

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A more detailed account of the Hajj: “One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj”. See: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/jlthajj/LifeTimeJourney.shtml.

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Recitations of the Qur’an

A recitation of Surah Ya Sin may be accessed at this website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1rOuS8ytx4.

A number of recitations may be accessed from this site: http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en-NZ&source=hp&q=recitation+of+surah+ya+sin&gbv=2&oq=recitation+of+surah+ya+sin&gs_l=heirloom-hp.3...2086.10241.0.13875.26.22.0.3.3.0.553.3392.1j0j6j4j0j1.12.0...0.0...1c.plPQsI6haIY.

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For a Muslim funeral and related items see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qwyDH_rGGE (accessed 5 October 2013).

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"Soul Food: Halal." (about 20 min). About halal food in New York City. . It goes from the street carts of halal food to an imam’s explanations to a halal slaughter house to a family dinner. 
 http://munchies.vice.com/videos/soul-food-halal

Chapter 8: Divisions in the Umma: Sects, Political Theory

For information on the event at Ghadir Khumm from a Shi‘i perspective see: http://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/incident.htm.

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For information about Karbala and its significance from a modern Shi‘i perspective, see: http://www.al-islam.org/short/Karbala.htm.

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An account of Zaynab’s speech to Yazid can be found at: http://www.al-islam.org/ashura/33.htm.

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An account of Fatima’s life from a Muslim (apparently Sunni) perspective is at: http://ipaki.com/content/html/26/356.html.

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Very emotional eulogy for Shi‘i heroes, in Farsi. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWvWK_LdFk&feature=channel.

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A short article about the conventions surrounding Ta‘ziyah performances at: http://asiasociety.org/arts/performing-arts/theater/taziyeh-performance-conventions-short-sketch.

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An interesting article on the Ta‘ziyah during the Qajar period, including performances by and for women, can be found at: http://www.iranchamber.com/cinema/articles/taziyeh_drag_kings_queens.php. (Has been hard to access.)

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For articles on the Ismaili Khojas in Africa and India see: http://www.ismaili.net/Source/0788a.html.

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For further information about al-Farabi see: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm.

Chapter 9: Those Who Know: The ‘Ulamā’

Forthcoming

Chapter 10: To Know God’s Will, Islamic Law

On Abu Hanifa see: http://www.afghan-web.com/bios/yest/hanifa.html.

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On debates about the introduction of coffee and tobacco:

“Coffee, the Wine of Islam”
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/essay_coffee.html.

On smoking, see: http://islam.about.com/od/health/a/smoking_fatwa.htm.

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Websites for fatwas (some are in the book but can be accessed from here):

www.islam-qa.com/en
 
The source of the fatwa quoted in this chapter; deals with a wide range of topics; interpreta­tions appear to be salafi.

http://qa.sunnipath.com

http://www.fatwa-online.com
Appears to be Saudi.

http://darulifta-deoband.org
From the Deoband school in India; appears more traditionalist than salafi.

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Chapter 11: Philosophy and Theology

For a brief treatment of Al-Ash‘ari see: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ei2/ashari.htm.

For a short article on Ibn Rushd see: http://www.alhewar.com/habib_saloum_averroes.htm.

For selections from Ibn Rushd’s On the Harmony of Religion and Philosophy see: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1190averroes.asp#Problem%20Fifth:%20The%20Day%20of%20Judgment.

On Ibn Tufayl and Hayy ibn Yaqzan see: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H030.

Ethics in Islamic Philosophy: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H018.htm.

Islamic Philosophy on Line (has a very wide range of material and source on Islamic philosophers and theologians. Specific addresses for al-Ash‘ari, Ibn Tufayl and Ethics appear above):  http://www.muslimphilosophy.com.

Chapter 12: The Sufi Path to God

For a description of the Jesus prayer see: http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Jesus%20Prayer.html.

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On Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani see: http://www.albaz.com/shaikhabdalqadir/about/about.htm.

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For an account of the life of Ahmad al-Badawi see: http://www.maktabah-ibn-badawi.com/english/badawi.htm.

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A fairly detailed biography of Ibn ‘Arabi is found on the website of the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society at: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/treasureofcompassion.html.

A number of qawwali performances on YouTube can be accessed by Googling “QawwaL”, e.g. Aziz Mian Qawwal, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb78cUCpFLg (accessed 22 October 2013).

Chapter 13: A philosopher, a scholar-mystic and a reformer

For a further account of Ibn Sina’s life and career see: http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Avicenna.html.

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There is an Al-Ghazali website that is a virtual online library; see: http://www.ghazali.org.

For more information about Ghazali’s Ihya on this website (http://ghazali.org/site/ihya.htm) see under Further Reading, Chapter 13.

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For a defense of Ibn Taymiyya see: http://www.fatwa-online.com/scholarsbiographies/8thcentury/ibntaymiyyah.htm.

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Chapter 14: Literature and Arts

Calligraphy:

See the following websites on calligraphy, including examples of different scripts:

http://www.al-bab.com/arab/visual/calligraphy.htm

http://www.sakkal.com/ArtArabicCalligraphy.html

For some very modernistic calligraphy see: http://www.rabeachaudhry.com.

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A picture of the Mi‘rajis at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miraj_by_Sultan_Muhammad.jpg.

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On the Mu‘allaqa of Imru al Qays see: www.h2g2.com/approved_entry/A3994176.

For some information on Layla and Majnun see: http://www.art-arena.com/majnun.htm.

A detailed retelling of the Shahnameh will be found at: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Farr/iranhistdawn.html.

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Umm Kulthum, “Enta Omri (You are My Life): one of many performances available on YouTube. Sound is good, visuals less so. English translation in subtitles. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGHpBOt5sE.

Jennifer Peterson, Sampling Folklore: The "re-popularization" of Sufi inshad in Egyptian dance music, Arab Media and Society; see: http://www.arabmediasociety.com/?article=580.

Introduction to the life of one Muslim hip-hop artist (the links from this are not available) at:

http://www.theroot.com/views/intimate-look-hip-hop-s-jihad.

Muslim Hipsters (Mipsterz) video: Somewhere in America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Nq0NzRrfE
(All female performers, in various daily activities.)

French Muslim Rappers Pay Tribute to Their Religious Culture, and Assert Their French Identity
http://islamicommentary.org/2014/03/french-muslim-rappers-pay-tribute-to-their-religious-culture-and-assert-their-french-identity/

Chapter 15: Modern Challenges: Imperialism and Response

For an account of the main events in Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt see: http://www.napoleonguide.com/campaign_egypt.htm.

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Website of the manufacturers of “Fulla” at: http://www.fulla.com.

Terrebonne, Renée, “Fulla, the veiled Barbie: An analysis of cultural imperialism and agency”, MAI Review, 2008, 2, Santa Cruz Report. See: http://review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/viewFile/132/151.

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For a short article on Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab see: http://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-A-Bu-and-Obituaries/Ibn-Abd-al-Wahhab-Muhammad.html.

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For a short article on Ameer Ali see: http://storyofpakistan.com/syed-ameer-ali.

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For more on Jamal al-Din see: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Afghani/Afghani.html.

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For more on Iqbal see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Iqbal.

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For more on the Islamic Salvation Front see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Salvation_Front.

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For more on Hizbollah see: http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah.

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A good brief survey of the course of the Arab Spring in Egypt from the editors of MERIP (Middle East Research and Information Project), Winter 2013.
http://www.merip.org/mer/mer269/editors

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Burhani, Ahmad Najib, “The Reformasi ’98 and the Arab Spring: A Comparative Study of Popular Uprisings in Indonesia and Tunisia”, Asian Politics & Policy—6/2 (April 2014): 199–215.  (Makes some very interesting and important comparisons between the events of 1998 in Indonesia and the Arab Spring in Tunisia.
Available online with subscription.) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aspp.12113/pdf

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Chapter 16: Turkey: Secularist Reform

For an official biography of Atatürk see: http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN,31350/biography-of-ataturk.html.

For a brief but useful article on milli görüs with a link to Erbakan’s biography see: http://www.answers.com/topic/milli-g-r-s-hareketi.

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Abstract of a paper on the Justice and Development Party can be found at: http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/5/1/1/8/p151181_index.html. There is also a link to the unformatted text of the whole paper.

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On Said Nursi’s views on science and religion see: http://www.nur.org/en/nurcenter/nurlibrary/The_Representative_of_Contemporary_Islamic_Thinker_135.

For a balanced article on the Gülen movement see: http://www.gloria-center.org/category/2008-12-12-04.

“Turkey Beyond Islamism and Authoritarianism” A cautiously optimistic assessment of the Turkish situation as of September 2013 with considerable analysis of the recent past. See: http://www.aucegypt.edu/gapp/cairoreview/Pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=419#.

Gaetan, Victor, “The Muslim Martin LutherFethullah Gulen Attempts an Islamic Reformation” Foreign Affairs, February 20, 2014. (A good article on Gülen, taking a favourable viewpoint.)
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/140941/victor-gaetan/the-muslim-martin-luther?cid=soc-facebook-in-snapshots-the_muslim_martin_luther-022014
(You may have to open an account for this.)

Chapter 17: Egypt: Between Secularism and Islamism

For more on Muhammad ‘Abduh and his thought see: http://www.cis-ca.org/voices/a/abduh.htm.

For a brief positive assessment of Qasim Amin see: http://alexandrakinias.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/qasim-amin-and-the-liberation-of-women.

For a longer and more critical assessment of Qasim Amin and his heritage see: http://www.aljadid.com/content/century-after-qasim-amin-fictive-kinship-and-historical-uses-tahrir-al-mara.

For more on Huda Sha‘rawi see: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Shaarawi.html.

For some bibliographical information on Hasan al-Banna see: http://www.answers.com/topic/hassan-al-banna.

For a survey of legislation relating to women in the twentieth century see: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/467/feature.htm.

For some interesting things on Shaykh Sha‘rawi see: http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/sharawi.htm.

For some background on the Islamic Group (al-jamā‘a al-islāmiyya) see: http://www.cfr.org/egypt/jamaat-al-islamiyya/p9156.

For a detailed account of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad see: http://cns.miis.edu/archive/wtc01/aljihad.htm.

For Wikipedia on Abu Zayd see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasr_Abu_Zayd.

Chapter 18: Iran: From Secularism to Islamic Revolution

For a good source on Iranian history and culture (not sympathetic to the present regime) see: http://www.iranchamber.com.

For a Baha’i website with considerable information see: http://info.bahai.org.

For a brief survey of the main events of the Constitutional Revolution see: http://countrystudies.us/iran/13.htm.

For a brief biography of Reza Shah see: http://www.iranchamber.com/history/reza_shah/reza_shah.php.

This website may not be easy to access. Try http://www.iranchamber.com and follow links.

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For a brief account of how the country’s name was changed from Persia to Iran see: http://www.farsinet.com/farsi.

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For a brief biography of Muhammad Reza Shah see: http://www.iranchamber.com/history/mohammad_rezashah/mohammad_rezashah.php.

This website may not be easy to access so try http://www.iranchamber.com and follow links.

“Patterns of Discontent: Will History Repeat in Iran?” by Michael Rubin and Patrick Clawson. Good survey of events from the Revolution to 2006. See: http://www.meforum.org/921/patterns-of-discontent-will-history-repeat-in-iran.

 

For a biography of Ayatollah Khomeini (with a negative view of his achievements) see: http://www.iranchamber.com/history/rkhomeini/ayatollah_khomeini.php.

For a biography of Ayatollah Mutahhari see: http://www.islam-laws.com/marja/muttahari.htm.

For a brief biography of Ali Shariati see: http://www.iranchamber.com/personalities/ashariati/ali_shariati.php.

For a link to Ali Shariati’s book on the Hajj see: http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati.

Fatima Is Fatima, by Ali Shariati. See: http://www.al-islam.org/fatimaisfatima.

For an article on “Jihad and Shahadat (Martyrdom)” by Ayatollah Taleqani see: http://www.al-islam.org/beliefs/philosophy/jihadandshahadat.html.

For a “backgrounder” from the Council on Foreign Relations (U.S., non-governmental) on the Mujahidin-i Khalq see: http://www.cfr.org/iran/mujahadeen-e-khalq-mek-aka-peoples-mujahedin-iran-pmoi/p9158.

“Death of the Islamic Republic in 5 Acts”, by Daniel Brumberg. Interesting synopsis of the politics of the Islamic Republic. See: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/06/death_of_the_islamic_republic_in_5_acts.html#more.

“Inside Iran, a rebellion that is familiar and unpredictable”. Favourable to the demonstrators in 2009. See:  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rahmini18-2009jun18,0,451907.story.

“Analysis of Iran’s Presidential Elections”, by Zafar Bangash; pro-Ahmadinejad; see http://pedulipalestina.blogspot.com/2009/06/analysis-of-irans-presidential.html.

“Iran: a small window of hope”, a commentary on the 2013 election. See:

http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/nayereh-tohidi/iran-small-window-of-hope.

Chapter 19: Indonesia: Islamic Society or Islamic State?

For a brief description of Kejawen (“Javanese mysticism”) see: http://www.kpsnusantara.com/reflect/english/2_kejawen%20%20.htm.

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For a contemporary view of the early period of Islamization see: http://www.libforall.org/background-java-our-inspiration.html.

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For some basic facts about Muhammadiyah see: http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/indon/muham.html.

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For an interview with Abdurrahman Wahid in 2002 see: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s551141.htm.

On Laskar Jihad there are a number of articles in Inside Indonesia (see below), which can be searched.

Inside Indonesia provides good articles on current developments in Indonesia, including religious topics. Has an archive that can be searched topically. See: http://www.insideindonesia.org. (I have had difficulty in accessing this site directly but have accessed it via Google, typing in “Inside Indonesia”.)

van Bruinessen, Martin, "Post-Suharto Muslim engagements with civil society and democracy”, paper presented at the Third International Conference and Workshop “Indonesia in Transition”, organized by the KNAW and Labsosio, Universitas Indonesia, 24–28 August, 2003. Universitas Indonesia, see: http://www.hum.uu.nl/medewerkers/m.vanbruinessen/publications/Post_Suharto_Islam_and_civil_society.htm.

Chapter 20: Globalization

Definitions of Globalization, see: http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=globalization+definition&meta=&aq=0&oq=globalization.

See Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Globalization: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/globalization.

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For an appreciative biography of Inayat Khan see: http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/khan.html.

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For a Muslim marriage site see: https://www.muslima.com.

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For the OIC website see: http://www.oic-oci.org/index.asp or http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/home/?lan=en.

For a brief history of  Organization of the Islamic Conference/Cooperation, see: http://www.oicun.org/2/23/

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For the Muslim World League website see: http://www.muslimworldleague.org/mwlwbsite_eng/index.htm (then you may have to go to the introduction).

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Wikipedia article on Tablighi Jamaat is helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablighi_Jamaat.

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On Hizb al-Tahrir see their website at: http://www.hizbuttahrir.org.Click on English and then scroll to “About us” at the bottom of the page.

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For a BBC summary of the Taleban movement see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11451718.

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For a brief biography of Abdullah Azzam see: http://www.pwhce.org/azzam.html.

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For a Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder on Bin Laden, somewhat dated but still useful, see: http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-leaders/profile-osama-bin-laden/p9951.

For a Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder on al-Zawahiri, somewhat dated but still useful, see: http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-leaders/profile-ayman-al-zawahiri/p9750.

For an English translation of “World Islamic Front against Jews and Crusaders” see: http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm#.

For a Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder on al-Qaeda, updated, see: http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations/al-qaeda-k-al-qaida-al-qaida/p9126.

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Links for The Islamic State, aka The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS):

For Dabiq, a glossy online magazine published by IS in English, presumably with a purpose of attracting recruits and sympathizers. It is a convenient primary source. As of the tine of posting six issues had been published. The link for the first issue follows (change the number at the end to get the other issues). 
http://sitemultimedia.org/docs/SITE_IS_HMC_Dabiq1.pdf

Open Letter to al-Baghdadi (leader of IS): summary of a statement criticizing IS and signed by a large number of Muslim leaders and scholars.
http://www.lettertobaghdadi.com/

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The Website of Farrakhan’s Nation; see: http://www.noi.org/about.shtml. See its biographies of Farrakhan and Elijah Muhammad.

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See Pew Research Center’s “Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream” at:

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/483/muslim-americans.

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French Muslim Rappers Pay Tribute to Their Religious Culture, and Assert Their French Identity
http://islamicommentary.org/2014/03/french-muslim-rappers-pay-tribute-to-their-religious-culture-and-assert-their-french-identity/

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Website of Abdullahi An-Na‘im’s is found at: http://www.law.emory.edu/aannaim.

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For an interview with Tariq Ramadan see: http://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?article10681&lang=fr.

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Euro-Islam.Info. Has considerable information on European Muslims. See e.g. Country Profiles and Latest News at:http://www.euro-islam.info/about_us.

 

Muslims for Progressive Values. An American website with a lot of material and links to liberal groups. See: http://www.mpvusa.org.

Chapter 21: Three Cultural Flashpoints

Gender

For a brief positive assessment of Qasim Amin see: http://alexandrakinias.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/qasim-amin-and-the-liberation-of-women.

For a longer and more critical assessment of Qasim Amin and his heritage see: http://www.aljadid.com/content/century-after-qasim-amin-fictive-kinship-and-historical-uses-tahrir-al-mara.

For more on Huda Sha‘rawi see: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Shaarawi.html.

For a survey of legislation relating to women in the twentieth century see: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/467/feature.htm.

Muslim women and men pray together, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEMk1fdIMxU.

“Why Amina Wadud Led a Mixed-Gender Muslim Prayer”. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_flQbtI1U4.

Muslim Hipsters (Mipsterz) video: Somewhere in America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Nq0NzRrfE
Women in hijab celebrating life in various ways.

Democracy

Is sharia compatible with democracy? By Corey Saylor, posted on April 14, 2014. An interesting modernist approach. Also deals with Islamophobia.
http://www.cair.com/cair-blog/entry/is-sharia-compatible-with-democracy.html

Note: I would call your attention in particular to the item about Sayyid Qutb (1906–66). Chapter 5 from Social Justice in Islam. This chapter was on the previous website as a separate PDF but has been omitted here.

Human Rights

The U. S. “Declaration of Independence” (1776). See: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html.

U.S. Bill of Rights. See: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment .

The French “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen” (1789). See: (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr.

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, 1990. See: (http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/cairodeclaration.html.

General

Internet Islamic History Sourcebook at: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/islam/islamsbook.asp#Islamic%20Expansion%20and%20Empire. Part of: Internet History Sourcebooks Project, Paul Halsall, Editor (Last Modified: 4 November 2011). See: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp.

This site has considerable material relevant to all aspects of Islam covered in Introducing Islam.