Icons vs satirical inversions: Islamic rule and the ‘death of the author’ – the murder of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists in Paris

The satirical inversions of the images of the Prophet Muhammad by the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists that brought the wrath of two gunmen to their authors, projected a world in which the reader is recognised as an autonomous subject. Consequent on this autonomy is the restricted power of the author who used to derive it from the re-enactment of sacred Truth. Multiple and diverse readers, on the other hand, owe their authority from the right of the individual to reason and judge independently, which places them at arm's length from the author. The inverted images drawn by the cartoonists represented a departure from the Prophet's traditional iconic images whose resemblance to the referent left little room for variation among their faithful viewers driven to identify with the Messenger of Allah either by desire to imitate or for fear of punishment. The fixed iconic ‘reading’ by the faithful was mediated by the homogeneous Muslim Community (Umma) whose members were unable to use words to objectify among an association of citizens their internal sense of injury as an excess. As a consequence, this injury caused by the readers operating outside the Community called for the use of force by its members in retaliation (qisas) for the infidels’ reading as sanctioned in the sacred text. The more entrenched the membership of the Umma, largely the product of reading the sacred text – where the author retains his traditional power – the more inclined were the members to resort to brutal force to restore the traditional power of the author.     

To be or not to be an Australian: Focus on Muslim youth

In 2001, 67% of Australians identified themselves as Christians and only 1.5% as Muslims, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Other Australians are Jews, Buddhists and Hindus – to name just a few of the religious minorities. Since 1975 until recently when the Anti-Discrimination Act was legislated, multiculturalism has been the official policy of the Federal Government. Yet in these terror-ridden times, the policy – however interpreted – has well and truly fallen into disfavour. This article discusses both the historical and contemporary dimensions of Muslim Australians’ national identity, focusing particularly on Muslim youth. It examines how one group of Australian-born Muslims exhibited their national identity during the Second World War and how the newly arrived Muslims feel about their identity during the ‘War on Terror’. The article is based on both primary and secondary sources – particularly on oral testimonies.     

Domestic Violence in the South Asian Muslim Immigrant Population in the United States

This paper describes the phenomenon of domestic violence in the South Asian Muslim population living in the United States. Religion, culture, and family play significant and positive roles in the lives of South Asian women. This paper highlights some of the problematic areas in which these institutions are not responding to the needs of women. These findings are based upon the author's work in a committee for the prevention of domestic violence in the Muslim community and upon personal experience of the South Asian culture.     

关于回族生态伦理的文化透视

围绕人与自然和谐共处的主题,回族形成了一系列独具民族特色的生态伦理思想,涉及人与自然、人与社会及人与人等多个层面。从宗教信仰、生产生活、民间故事等文化视角就回族的生态伦理问题进行探讨,对于该民族实现可持续发展具有现实意义。     

弹腿源流与教门弹腿研探

弹腿是中国武术最流行的拳种之一.近代以来,因受精武体育会、中央国术馆的大力推广,弹腿成为武术社会化发展中的普及教材,也成为南北武术文化交流的重要例证.近代以弹腿享名的拳家多是回族,故武术界有"教门弹腿"的说法.本文对弹腿源流有所梳理,对弹腿作为近代回族武术家代表性拳种稍作考述.     

宁夏清真产品差异化竞争战略研究

宁夏有着丰富的伊斯兰文化底蕴,清真产品有着地区品牌的区位优势和广阔的市场空间,清真产品已成为宁夏的特色优势产业,发掘具有浓郁“回乡风情”的自身优势,走特色发展之路,对于激发宁夏经济的活力有着重要意义。但随着经济的发展,清真产品产业正面临着日益激烈的市场竞争,其自身的弱点也随之凸现出来：企业缺乏先进的市场营销理论作指导,不重视市场战略的选择和营销技术的应用,在市场竞争中无法构筑竞争优势。本文通过对宁夏清真产品发展优劣势的分析,认为宁夏清真产品只有实行差异化战略才能获得竞争优势,最终实现资源优势、人文品牌优势向经济优势的转换。     

国情、心态与政策——对唐宋元明清伊斯兰政策的若干思考

唐宋两朝政权与穆斯林群体基本上相互视为可在商业贸易和文化交流方面合作的“伙伴”与“朋友”,和平相处;元明两朝政权以半信半疑的心态对待穆斯林,双方很难将对方视为“伙伴”或“朋友”,至多互相认知为“对手”,在共同的社会环境中共存;清朝政权对伊斯兰教和穆斯林的态度前期与中后期不同,政策上也发生了明显的转变。中后期统治者对穆斯林充满疑虑,处处以防范的心态对待穆斯林。只要不明确对方的意图,双方都将对方视为难以和平相处的“敌人”,作出最坏的考虑。     

清真女学与农村回族妇女人力资源的开发——以宁夏韦州镇为例

随着社会主义市场经济的进一步深化，农村妇女越来越成为农村的主要劳动力。开发西部农村回族妇女人力资源，对促进西部民族地区经济的发展有着非常重要的作用。清真女学的兴起，为农村回族妇女的再教育、再就业提供了新的发展平台，成为回族社会人力资源开发的一个重要途径。     

A Study of the Development of Alcohol Use Disorder in Muslim Immigrant Workers in Korea

Abstract

This study examines the process by which Muslim immigrant workers, prohibited by their religion from drinking, develop alcohol use disorder when working in Korea. Participants were seven male immigrant workers who have lived in Korea for 6–10?years and all experienced a change in immigrant status, shifting from registered to unregistered. Utilizing grounded theory devised by Strauss and Corbin, 87 concepts, 24 subcategories, and 10 categories were derived as a result. By converting these categories into a paradigm model, participants moved through stages of “self-monitoring,” “confusion,” “self-despair,” and “daily collapse” as they developed alcohol use disorder, and began to take on an existence as drifters, not settling into life in Korea. Their “learning experiences of drinking to survive turning into experiences of causing social death” is considered a core category. The study’s results suggest that a rehabilitation program for immigrant workers needs to be developed wherein the program not only enables them to reflect on their current existence but also allows them to develop specific coping skills. Future research should be broadened to consider social support mechanisms and viewpoints of other people, including female immigrant workers, and local community members in close contact with Muslim immigrant workers.     

News media and the Muslim identity after the Christchurch mosque massacres

ABSTRACT

This article discusses news about Muslims via one researcher’s social media news feeds after the Christchurch tragedy. Using intercultural and Islamic communication theories, the contents of several news stories are analysed for their contribution to the Muslim person’s identity. Findings reveal four main categories: Muslim women and hijab; religion and terrorism; media, government, democracy and the politics of oppression; and representation of the Muslim voice. Substantial news content also depicts peace, love and forgiveness in its presentation of the human angle in New Zealand media. There is a significant shift from the negative othering rhetoric of international media to an inclusive national approach in the tone of the New Zealand press. However, Muslim narratives reveal that structural discrimination and systemic oppression do exist and pose safety and identity challenges. While news continues to divide and unite people depending on the press agenda, their depictions of Islam and Muslims have potentially major influences and serious consequences on the Muslim person’s identity within the local and global Muslim communities.