The 'welfare of the child' in Shari'a law: an analysis of child custody law and practices in Bangladesh from a feminist perspective

The paper seeks to draw attention to some of the recent cases relating to child custody law in Bangladesh where, deviating from orthodox Shari’a rules, courts have looked to ‘the welfare’ of the child in determining which parent shall have custody. In studying the recent ‘welfare of child’ standard that has been advanced by the courts in Bangladesh, the paper aims to explore its implications for Muslim women from a feminist perspective.

Al-Mahdi - Gestalt och budskap : En litteraturstudie jämförande sudanesisk Mahdi och indisk Mahdi inom islam

Followers of three world religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are waiting for the Messiah. Muslims are even waiting for aspiritual leader al-Mahdi. Two different persons claimed the title of al-Mahdi, at the end of the nineteenth century. Theyappeared almost at the same time, at the totally different places of the earth, with a completely different message and underthe rule of the British colonial power. The aim of the study is to compare the both religious figures, Mirza Ghulam Ahmadfrom India and Muhammad Ahmad from Sudan regarding their different messages, to illustrate the social, political andreligious factors that lead to the entirely different profile and image of these two men and how their organizations havedeveloped after their death up till today. The result shows that the Sudanese Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad claimed hisMahdiship in the year 1881. He became a political leader in a time when Sudan was under the rule of a colonial power. Hetook advantage of the religion for personal purposes and tried to liberate his native country Sudan. The contemporaryMuslim clergy criticized him for his claim because the content of the Hadith traditions did not support his claim ofMahdiship. He maintained his sole right for the interpretation of religion and of the laws of Sharia. He made changes even inthe chief pillars of Islam by asserting that Jehad with sword was more imperative than the pilgrimage journey to Mecca. Heasserted that the Prophet Muhammad himself had entrusted him to launch the holy war against the non-believers. He hadimmense ambitions which were never fulfilled since he suddenly died four years after his claim for Mahdiship, in June 1885.This day his followers are organized as a political party in Sudan with a modest roll in the Sudanese politics. The IndianMahdi Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed in 1889 to be Mahdi, Mujaddid, Muhaddas, Messiah and a Prophet at a time of socialand political peace, though Islam as a religion was firmly pushed by the Hindu and Christian missionaries. He had no politicalambitions at all and was utterly loyal to the British colonial power. His mission was to crush the Cross and to demonstrateIslam’s excellence over all the religions of the world through overwhelming arguments. He proclaimed that Jesus was humanand a Prophet and not the son of God. Jesus survived from the cross and died a natural death after he had lived for manyyears. Ahmad claimed that God had commanded him to put stop to the religious wars. The contemporary Muslim clergyblamed him for being an imposter, melancholic and hypochondriac who had self invented the divine revelations. He died year1908, nineteen years after his claim and the communion he found is established today in more than hundred countries of theworld. Reasons for the breakdown of mission of the Sudanese Mahdi were that his objectives were political and he challengedthe colonial power with the sword. Another decisive factor was his sudden death merely four years after the beginning of hismission. Reasons for the success of Indian Mahdi were that his objectives were purely religious and he was wholly loyal to theforeign government. He survived nineteen years after the beginning of his mission which made it possible for him to create acommunion based on solid grounds. His followers continued on the same path and never engaged in local politics where everthey lived. For further studies it will be of great interest to study the life of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and objectively examine thearguments he presented in support of his divine appointment. Furthermore it is enriching to study the organization andactivities of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community to explore if they are in accordance with the basic principles of Ahmad.

New Meanings to Old Rituals : The Emergence of Mourning Rituals in Shiʿite Islam

This paper will discuss the emergence of Shiʿite mourning rituals around the grave of Husayn b. ʿAli. After the killing of Husayn at Karbala’ in 61/680, a number of men in Kufa feel deep regret for their neglect to come to the help of the grand­son of the Prophet. They gather and discuss how they can best make penitence for this crime. Eventually, they decide to take to arms and go against the Umayyad army – to kill those that killed Husayn, or be killed them­selves in the attempt to find revenge for him. Thus, they are called the Penitents (Ar. Tawwābūn). On their way to the battlefield they stop at Husayn’s tomb at Karbala’, dedicat­ing themselves to remorseful prayer, crying and wailing over the fate of Husayn and their own sin. When the Penitents perform certain ritual acts, such as weeping and wailing over the death of Husayn, visiting his grave, asking for God’s mercy upon him on the Day of Judgment, demand blood revenge for him etc., they enter into already existing rituals in the pre-Islamic Arab and early Muslim context. That is, they enter into rituals that were traditionally performed at the death of a person. What is new is that the rituals that the Penitents perform have partially received a new content. As described, the rituals are performed out of loyalty towards Husayn and the family of the Prophet. The lack of loyalty in connection with the death of Husayn is conceived of as a sin that has to be atoned. Blood revenge thus be­comes not only a pure action of revenge to restore honor, but equally an expression for true religious conversion and penitence. Humphrey and Laidlaw argue that ritual actions in themselves are not bearers of meaning, but that they are filled with mean­ing by the performer. Accord­ing to them, ritual actions are apprehensible, i.e. they can be, and should be filled with meaning, and the people who perform them try to do so within the context where the ritual is performed. The story of the Penitents is a clear example of mourning rituals as actions that survive from earlier times, but that are now filled with new meaning when they are performed in a new and developing move­ment with a different ideology. In later Shiʿism, these rituals are elaborated and become a main tenet of this form of Islam.

”Varför tar man för givet att feminismen måste vara sekulär?” : En studie om muslimska feminister i svensk kontext

The purpose of this study is to examine how two Muslim feminists perceive themselves to betreated by the Swedish majority society and within the secular feminist movement. Thesurvey was conducted using qualitative method with a total of two interviews. For the study'stheoretical perspectives, I have used postcolonialism and postcolonial feminism. The result ofthe survey and the analysis show that the informants say that they face an image of Muslimwomen as considered being under oppression. The informants believe that this stereotypicalimage has its origin from the colonial period. The question that is most important for themwithin feminism is to be treated as a feminist and as a Muslim without being questioned. Theyfeel like it's hard to identify with the Swedish secular feminism, but they also feel that thegroup of Swedish secular feminists have a difficulty identifying themselves with Muslimwomen too. Consider this, one of the informants does not feel welcome among Swedishsecular feminism while the other one never had an interest in becoming a member of itbecause she did not consider them to strive for the same goal as herself. The informantsclaims that there are opportunities for them to speak in the public debate, but as Muslimfeminists they are facing a bigger struggle.

«DES YEUX BAISSÉS AUX POINGS LEVÉS» : L'IMAGE DE LA FEMME MAGHRÉBINE DANS L'ŒUVRE DE TAHAR BEN JELLOUN. UNE ÉTUDE COMPARATIVE DE TROIS PROTAGONISTES FÉMININS.

L'étude du portrait de la femme maghrébine dans trois romans de Ben Jelloun révèle trois vies d'enfant, d'adolescente et de femme très différentes quant à la condition féminine. Il y a une émancipation progressive entre les portraits qui peut s'expliquer par le fait que les romans se déroulent dans des cultures et à des époques différentes, mais aussi par les intentions féministes de l'auteur.

Motstånd och stöd : en studie av svenska muslimska församlingar

Opposition and Support: A Study of Swedish Muslim Congregations Anti-Islamic attitudes are deeply rooted in Western Europe, and Muslims have, especially in the post-September 11 context, experienced discrimination and demonization. But how do anti-Islamic attitudes affect practicing Muslims and their congregations? The aim of this study, the first of its kind in Europe, is to present a statistically representative view of how Muslim congregations in Sweden experienced the reactions from the surrounding community. The results of the survey carried out show that according to the representatives of the local congregations (n=105) half of the congregations have experienced opposition from the local community and in 40 percent of the congregations criminal offences have been committed against active Muslims or their places of worship.  This opposition is closely connected with two types of situations: either international occurrences (i.e. terrorist bombings in, for example, London, Madrid) or local events that have emphasized the presence of Islam in the public sphere. A multivariate analysis of the results of the study shows that the strongest opposition has taken place in small municipalities with a large proportion of immigrants. However, opposition does not preclude support. On the contrary, opposition appears to have a mobilizing effect on those who support the right of Muslims to exercise freedom of religion. However, neither opposition nor support are the key factors affecting whether congregations see themselves as established in the local community. The degree of anchorage depends on the demographic composition of the congregation and on the degree of contact that the members have with the surrounding community.

O outro diálogo: uma compreensão do diálogo interno

This thesis aims to enable a wider comprehension on thought operation as well as suggest alternatives for the formation of reflexive, critical, autonomous and creative individuals. The research defends the idea that it is possible for an individual to develop vigilant attention that makes thought flexibilization and change in the course of action, possible. This operation is called Internal Dialogue and is essentially characterized by a continuous openness towards novelty and learning. This makes it possible to minimize the usual way thought operates, in a automatic fashion (automatism). The research was based on theoretical references and ideas of David Bohm (1989;1994;2005) and Michael Polanyi (1983). The main emphasis was the understanding that a crisis situation enables awareness and state of alert that favors a more flexible thought pattern (Aragão Gomes, 1994, 1997). The methodology used was presentation and analysis of these moments through autobibliographical records with indication of crisis on behalf of the subjects. Other criteria were also used that enabled the composition of the analyzed material such as the fact that: the subjects were public and real, the data was available through accessible material; the subjects identified themselves as in crisis; these crisis were of varied kinds; they had different social, cultural and professional profiles. Thus, three auto-bibliographical elements were selected: the Infidel: the story of a woman that challenged Islam (2007), written by the political Muslim author Ayaan Hirsi; Still me: memories (2001), of the actor Christopher Reeve as well as Confessions of a Philosopher (2001), by the philosopher Bryan Magee. In these books an analysis was made related to parts that stated action an though operation that express internal dialogue. These were organized into categories that were pointed out as relevant for the identification of internal dialogue such as: Perceptions of physical reaction; emotions, beliefs and issues, individual actions, self judgment and thought, self questioning, comprehension, observation and empirical investigation, perception of the changes they performed in the world, escape of conditioning as well as action that resulted in new meaning. The analysis performed reinforces our goal once it sated that internal dialogue is an important tool that allows thought awareness, minimizing common automatism and making consciousness possible as well as favoring the occurrence of critical and reflexive thought. Thus, final considerations deal with the need for the development of teaching methodologies that address internal dialogue as a counterpoint to the many daily action that reinforce the automatism of thought

Outro diálogo: uma compreensão do diálogo interno

This thesis aims to enable a wider comprehension on thought operation as well as suggest alternatives for the formation of reflexive, critical, autonomous and creative individuals. The research defends the idea that it is possible for an individual to develop vigilant attention that makes thought flexibilization and change in the course of action, possible. This operation is called Internal Dialogue and is essentially characterized by a continuous openness towards novelty and learning. This makes it possible to minimize the usual way thought operates, in a automatic fashion (automatism). The research was based on theoretical references and ideas of David Bohm (1989;1994;2005) and Michael Polanyi (1983). The main emphasis was the understanding that a crisis situation enables awareness and state of alert that favors a more flexible thought pattern (Aragão Gomes, 1994, 1997). The methodology used was presentation and analysis of these moments through autobibliographical records with indication of crisis on behalf of the subjects. Other criteria were also used that enabled the composition of the analyzed material such as the fact that: the subjects were public and real, the data was available through accessible material; the subjects identified themselves as in crisis; these crisis were of varied kinds; they had different social, cultural and professional profiles. Thus, three auto-bibliographical elements were selected: the Infidel: the story of a woman that challenged Islam (2007), written by the political Muslim author Ayaan Hirsi; Still me: memories (2001), of the actor Christopher Reeve as well as Confessions of a Philosopher (2001), by the philosopher Bryan Magee. In these books an analysis was made related to parts that stated action an though operation that express internal dialogue. These were organized into categories that were pointed out as relevant for the identification of internal dialogue such as: Perceptions of physical reaction; emotions, beliefs and issues, individual actions, self judgment and thought, self questioning, comprehension, observation and empirical investigation, perception of the changes they performed in the world, escape of conditioning as well as action that resulted in new meaning. The analysis performed reinforces our goal once it sated that internal dialogue is an important tool that allows thought awareness, minimizing common automatism and making consciousness possible as well as favoring the occurrence of critical and reflexive thought. Thus, final considerations deal with the need for the development of teaching methodologies that address internal dialogue as a counterpoint to the many daily action that reinforce the automatism of thought

Aprendendo a pertencer: uma leitura da trezena de Santo Antônio em Pradoso enquanto territorialidade humana

The Novena of St. Anthony in Pradoso, is an annual celebration that takes place between June 1 and June 13. Since its preparation to the conclusion of the celebration are employed traditional knowledges and techniques, which are shared by the community. Such knowledges, built over generations, associated with popular religion, form it into the educational processes that build, through orality, practices and experiences of everyday life, the sense of belonging. An analysis of scenes, knowledges and subjects involved in the celebration, shows the form and content of practices capable of building symbolic territories of belonging. Thus, the Novena of St. Anthony in Pradoso, while an human territoriality, is designed as a locus of learning of belonging, reaffirming community values such as solidarity, service, brotherhood, integration, among others. While empirical reference for an analysis of the importance of belonging, the Novena of St. Anthony in Pradoso, offers subsidies for the production of knowledge, focused on understanding the need for a reconnection of technical and humanistic knowledges

Benchmarking nos processos de gestão de qualidade entre dois serviços de hemmoterapia

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Caso Rushdie: uma análise da relação entre islamismo e direitos humanos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

O despojamento em São Bernardo de Claraval e São Francisco de Assis (séculos XII e XIII)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aventura espiritual: terapêutica na irmandade dos alcoólicos anônimos

Aborda a compreensão do processo terapêutico no espaço dos Alcoólicos Anônimos (AA) em Belém, Pará, chamado de “recuperação”. Este grupo se apresenta como uma “irmandade”, a qual busca acolher aqueles que considera portadores de doença de natureza física, e espiritual, o alcoolismo, oferecendo-lhes apoio para que alcançar a chamada “sobriedade “. A transição entre uma vida tida como plena de infortúnios, para o que seria uma vida feliz e útil em sua concepção, é possível pela prática de princípios de conduta considerados como espirituais, onde substituem a dependência alcoólica pela dependência ao chamado “Poder Superior”. A “recuperação” no AA diz respeito então ao percurso terapêutico ao qual são submetidos os participantes da Irmandade e nesse sentido é um processo a ser administrado por toda a vida através da participação no grupo. Quando o membro de AA afirma-se recuperado ”ou em recuperação” quer comunicar que não ingere mais bebidas alcoólicas, mas que participa da Irmandade, seguindo os preceitos como recomendado e neste sentido, é que está verdadeiramente sóbrio”. Constata-se que “se recuperar” significa mais do que não ingerir bebidas alcoólicas, pois implica em compartilhar com os demais, as categorias referentes à visão institucional sobre a realidade (saúde, trabalho, família, sexualidade, espiritualidade), assumindo o AA “como um modo de vida”.

O “Oriente” no “Ocidente”: observando o islã no Suriname

Esta dissertação trata do islã surinamês de origem javanesa, distante (não apenas geograficamente) do centro irradiador árabe-islâmico. O Suriname, país sul-americano e caribenho, abriga considerável comunidade muçulmana, a maior em termos percentuais fora da Ásia, África e Europa Oriental. Nele, encontra-se em curso a oposição entre o reformismo e o tradicionalismo no islã. A tendência reformista preza mais por um islã árabe puritano, universalista, com destaque para os valores morais; a tradicional prioriza a comunidade javanesa local e a tradição muçulmana oriunda de Java. A pesquisa envolveu discussões acerca da construção da identidade, da memória à qual os grupos encontram-se vinculados e das “negociações” entre o pertencimento étnico javanês e o pertencimento religioso. Um aspecto que emerge ao longo do trabalho é a diversidade do islã. No Suriname são praticadas cerimônias islâmicas semelhantes às descritas por Clifford Geertz em suas pesquisas realizadas em Java, na década de 1950, como é o caso do slametan, um rito de passagem pós-morte que expressa o momento de transição entre o mundo dos vivos e o dos mortos.