Historical Dynamics of Muslim Cities

This article clarifies what Hayden has termed “space as a cultural product.” The author discusses the Islamizing of public spaces in two urban

Aesthetic beauty, which we find in the sacred art and architecture of the synagogue, the church, and the mosque, demonstrates a genre of correspondence. Borrowing from John Ruskin's Seven Lamps of Architecture, I will refer to this genre of correspondences as the seven lamps (" lamps" meaning that which illuminates the mind or soul) of sacred architecture.

Like all great religions of the world, Christianity is a religion steeped in revelation. It tries to convince its followers that it was through the process of revelation that God made Himself known both in the Old and New Testaments, climaxing in the saving action of Jesus Christ. Although this is the starting point of Christian revelation, it would surprise many to know that it was only in the last five centuries that Christians started debating the issue and nature of revelation.

Hinduism has been viewed by Semitic religions as a religion devoid of revelation. Early, Medieval and modem

Studies of Muslims in Europe which deal with the strictly religious dimensions of the Islamic presence have often stressed processes of individualisation, fragmentation of authority, and emergence of new, types of leadership. 'While such trends are important, they do not exhaust the dynamics of

When Western influences began to pervade the

Many residents of the Middle East - and more recently, Western powers - have placed great hope in democratization in the region. Yet authoritarianism remains the norm and movement towards democracy is both slow and uneven. The Struggle over Democracy in the Middle East examines democracy and democratization in the light of regional realities rather than the wishful thinking of outsiders.

Geographies of the Islamic world manifest stark disparities in terms of social and economic development. While some of the countries of the Ummah (Islamic community) benefited from Western donors and their development aid, there have been efforts to build endogenous capacity. A relatively well-known example is the case of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), one of the major but not the only actor in Islamic development assistance. This study is an attempt to showcase Islamic development aid emanating from the Ummah, its geographical and organizational fractions and conditions.

This study seeks to advance the understanding of the utility of “soft power” by exploring the case of Qatar. The country's approach is conceptualized as “nested power” through the examination of its political strategies before and after the regional blockade in 2017. The role of soft and nested power in Qatar has already been examined through various vantage points, such as small state diplomacy, mediation, and sports.