Elmira Akhmetova

This paper studies the concepts of statehood, governance and the ideal ruler in the Golden Horde literature through a synthesis of political thought, philosophy, religious ethics and poetry presented in a poem by Qutb named Husraw and Shirin (written in 1342). The first part of the paper provides an overview of the Golden Horde civilization and suggests that its intellectual culture accumulated the all-inclusive scholarly, literary and scientific achievements of that time with the most advanced scholarly and educational centers. The following parts provide a general idea about Qutb and his Husraw and Shirin, including its plot and main ideas. The last part analyses the concepts of statehood and an ideal ruler that are depicted in the poem within the framework of governance in Islam.  The paper finds that, by referring to a famous love story between Husraw and Shirin, Qutb was able to address the needs of his era and society, and created an original composition through an intense cre...

Dalam makalah ini, penulis menggunakan sudut pandang pascakolonial untuk melaporkan transformasi pakaian seragam jururawat di Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia setelah Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaan daripada Britain dan cabaran untuk mewujudkan pakaian seragam yang bersesuian dengan jururawat Melayu dan Islam. Pakaian seragam berlengan pendek dengan labuh separas lulut yang diperkenalkan ketika pemerintahan kolonial bertentangan dengan norma agama dan budaya majoriti masyarakat di Malaysia, seterusnya menjadi satu daripada faktor kekurangan orang Melayu secara paradoksikal dalam sektor kejururawatan. Dalam dekad ketiga era pascakemerdekaan, pemurnian separa yang berlaku membolehkan jururawat Melayu memakai pakaian seragam berlengan pendek bersama seluar panjang dan penutup rambut. Walaupun pelbagai cabaran didepani oleh pelbagai individu dan organisasi yang terlibat dalam usaha tersebut pada pelbagai peringkat, jururawat Melayu Muslim akhirnya dibenarkan untuk memakai pakaian seragam be...

This paper presents a framework for regulating religious extremism based on principles of good governance. The first part provides a general study into the definitions of extremism and religious extremism. It asserts that religious sentiment can be utilised by terrorist organisations and radical movements to mobilise the masses. The paper further suggests that religious extremism is becoming a severe concern in Malaysia, which was for decades hailed as an oasis of moderate Islam. The second part of the paper analyses the factors contributing to the rise of religious extremism in Malaysia using a quali-quantitative method that incorporates survey data gathered in KL in 2019 by the authors, expert interviews, and secondary literature. It identifies two levels of factors, individual and socio-cultural/governance, that contribute to the spread of extremist understanding of religion. It suggests that human behaviour has become more receptive to violence and that the individual and collective understanding of religion has become more radical today due to personal grievances, social environment and global realities. Thus, the process of reducing extremism and radicalism in the Muslim world should encompass the individual, societal and transnational stratum. Extremism and radicalisation of societies are the manifestation of the absence of good governance. Thus, the last part of the paper highlights that adhering to good governance assists authorities in regulating societies’ immoderate behaviour by providing wellbeing, safety and happiness to the overwhelming majority of the population. It proposes a framework that can provide a moderate and authentic understanding of Islamic principles and serve as an instrument in creating an amicable and harmonious social and political environment in Malaysia. This framework can improve national security by promoting the basic principles of good governance such as transparency, participation, equality, justice, moderation and accountability, which are ingrained in the spirit of Islam

Folklore texts of different peoples of the world have repeatedly been the subject of study of scientists in different branches of science. Along with bylinas, fairy tales, and parables, which show the main mental qualities of the people, the aphoristic genres have been studied. After all, proverbs, sayings, rhymes from ancient times played an important role in the spiritual life of the people, now have their cognitive, aesthetic influence in the upbringing of the new generation. Therefore, their scientific potential is not exhausted for further research, since they show the traditional culture of the people, their mentality. Despite the fact that the paramias of different peoples have much in common, there are still differences, coming from different cultures and showing the national orientation of a representative of a given culture. It is believed that the culture of the Tatar people reflects Western and Eastern cultures. Due to historical and geographical factors of the place of ...

This paper provides a brief review of Islamic education in Russia from the tenth century until modern times based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources. The first part of the paper examines the role of Islam in Russian history and suggests that Islam played an important role in building what today is called the Russian civilisation. It also reviews the historical, educational system in the region and indicates that the Volga-Urals region was the centre of Islamic education and civilisation in the Muslim world for at least five centuries until Tsarist Russia colonised the area in the sixteenth century. The second part of the paper briefly elaborates on the educational reforms and provides an overview of Islamic periodicals published at the beginning of twentieth century in Russia. The final part of the paper focuses on the status of Islamic education in modern Russia and suggests that the decade of absolute religious freedom enabled the mushrooming of Islamic madrasahs and...

This paper studies the issue of the necessity of prophethood in building of a true civilization with a special reference to the writings of Al-FErEbE, Ibn SEnE and Said Nursi. The paper defines the term ‘true civilization’ (or an ‘ideal state’ in Al-FErEbE), its foundations and peculiarities from the viewpoints of these three Muslim scholars. It suggests that, on one hand, human being cannot achieve his main goal, i.e. felicity in Al-FErEbE, without living in a society, and, on the other, his most fundamental need is the need for religion, revealed by the prophets. Therefore, as all these three scholars agreed that the real civilization, which is capable to make its citizens happy, satisfied and equal without any exceptions, originates from the divine laws. Said Nursi accordingly stated that the mission of the prophets, besides establishing of the worship to One God, also includes bringing of economic and political justice, social stability, ethical enhancement and emotional inspira...

This paper discusses the status of Muslim women in Russia from historical, social, cultural and political perspectives. It discusses the achievements of Muslim women in creating peaceful and amicable environment in Russia and their struggles against Islamophobia and negative stereotypes.

This monograph is a Final Report of the project C-RIG18-005-0005 entitled CONSTRUCTION OF MORAL VALUES EDUCATION COURSE MODULE FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS. This collaborative research between IIUM, Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture from Turkey, Pereyaslav Pedagogical State University from Ukraine, and Shura Trust from the UK, aimed to search for ways to bring a soul to modern education by the construction of course module embedded with moral values and holistic approach for pre-service teachers

This paper aims to review definitions and scope of modernity and analyze it in the context of a specific religion, Islam. The paper then highlights the harmony between progress and Islam based on the historical examples from the glorious eras of Islamic civilization in Andalusia and the Abbasid caliphate, in which modernity and religion were complementary in producing the novel innovations of that time. Knowledge creation and technological advancements were strongly pursued during that time by numerous renowned Muslim scholars, intellectuals and philosophers. This paper then examines the current situation in the Muslim world. The majority of Muslim nations are backward, impoverished and stagnant due to rigidity and restrictions in political and intellectual freedom, in addition to gender inequality and discrimination. As the paper finds, these unprecedented qualities are not a part of Islamic teachings, but the consequential effect of post colonialism and the politicization of relig...

This article provides a brief study of democracy in the five Central Asian countries, i.e. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It suggests that the expected democratisation of Central Asia failed to occur due to the regions internal conditions, which can be termed the classic colonial syndrome, in addition to several international factors. The Central Asian countries did not have the potential to find their own way in the international arena, simply maintaining their traditional Soviet way of rule under the new name of democracy. The paper also finds that the Central Asian approach to Islam at both state and individual level is a crucial tool of identity construction as well as an instrument of authority, control and suppression of political opposition. Yet, Islam played almost no role in the failure of democracy in the region. This article states that the application of instruments of democracy alone cannot make nations democratic or provide well-being ...

This paper examines the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) and the Russian Federation (RF) in the light of Muslim minority rights through analyzing the history of Islam in the Russian territory, with a focus on the rights of Muslims under the Tsarist rule since 1552 and during the existence of the Soviet Union. The first part of the paper suggests that, although Muslims are minority in modern Russia today, Islam established itself as an official religion in the Volga-Urals region and Caucasus during the early years of Islam. It also shows that the historical relations between Muslims and tsarist Russia were not always in conflict. The second part of the paper, which is based on Russian archival sources, presents a brief description of Soviet and Saudi Arabian diplomatic relations. The third part of the paper discusses the status of Islam and Muslims in modern Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and suggests that the tragedy of 9/11 and the US-led ...

This essay is an attempt to study definitions of Civilisation, the main forces behind historical progress as well as the role of man and religion in establishing societies from an Islamic perspective by highlighting ideas of the Muslim scholars Ibn Khaldun, Shah Wali Allah, Said Nursi and Malik Bennabi. It also underlines some fundamental differences between modern and Islamic approaches in studying history and civilisation, and suggests that modern methods of studying social sciences should be urgently revised.

Extremism and violence are universal phenomena that have existed throughout human history, and are as such not particular to any specific religious, social or ethnic groups. It threatens all regions, societies, and religions. Yet radicalism is expanding both in the West and East; people are becoming more radical and much brutal in the contemporary period. Extremist’s acts are today committed as much by transnational and supranational groups as by official state parties and organisations, both in the West and in the Muslim world.

This paper analyses the process of independence in Sabah and the consequent Islamisation of its population, which caused the amendment of the State Constitution in 1973. The first part of the paper states that the unification of Sabah with Malaya into the Federation of Malaysia guaranteed its independence from the British colonial rule as well as saved it from the communist threat. The next part of the paper suggests that the Islamisation activities were highly associated with the political needs of the government where the Muslim political leaders strived for increasing the number of their supporters in order to maintain their seats as the ruling government in Sabah. Thus, the paper finds the strong relationship between Islam and politics in modern nation-states, and concludes that the rapid growth of the number of Muslims in Sabah later created the quality problem as their religious education was not seen as the priority by the ruling government. Keywords: Malaysia, Constitution, ...

This paper investigates Samuel Huntington’s approach towards the nature of civilisation and its origins, as well as the Orientalist elements within the theory of Clash of Civilisations in particular and Huntington’s thoughts in general. For this purpose, the paper first reviews the theory’s historical background and theoretical basis. Then, it identifies and categorises the nature of the civilisational clash narrative and suggests that it has been used in academic literature since the beginning of the 20th century. This paper also attempts to describe and analyse Huntington’s paradigm and the Orientalist influence on his thought, particularly his idea that the future of the post-Cold War world would be dominated by civilisational conflicts triggered in the fault lines between the seven or eight major world civilisations. In addition, the paper makes an attempt at defragmenting the civilisational clash theory and gives an alternative paradigm. It concludes that the concept of the ‘Cl...

Humanity is horrified by the tragic mass shooting, which took the lives of 49 people and wounded another 53 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12. It is considered to be the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in the United States’ history and the deadliest incident of violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) people. Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/06/152754/orlando-shooting-not-due-islam

Islam empowered women for the first time in human history with the most progressive social, legal, economic and political rights since the seventh century. The Noble Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW indicate equity and parity between men and women although their functions in marriage, family and society are not identical. There is a long line of women scholars and activists who attained high positions and were renowned for their excellence as scholars, social workers, public figures, educators during the time of the Prophet SAW and during the next generations, when Islamic civilisation was flourishing. The presentation suggests that such empowerment has little relation to modern status of women in the Muslim world. after discussing the violation of the women's rights, the paper says that these problems existing in the Muslim world are not related to women rights alone, but the main problem is in the absence of citizen rights and the absence of good governance. Unless Mus...

The emergence of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ISIS - at the tail end of Arab Spring confirmed once again that the import of Western democracy to the Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) is not a cure to the deeply-rooted sociopolitical problems of that region. Numerous Muslim thought leaders and governments have denounced the ISIS brutalities as being anti-Islamic and antithetical to the core principles of the religion. Yet, the self-styled leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claims global authority of the Muslim ummah in the manner of the caliphs of old.

This paper discusses the methodology of violence used by modern extremist groups that affiliate themselves with Islam, particularly al-Qaeda and ISIS. With the rise of groups claiming to wage jihad, the public has a difficult time discerning traditional concepts from modern aberrations. Furthermore, the groups themselves seem to be alike. The examination of the legal framework used by these groups to justify their violent practices shows a dishonest usage of the traditions they claim to defend. This becomes most obvious with the rise of ISIS, which claims to manifest concepts beyond jihad, such as bayah and jizyah. It is also highlighted in the paper that the selective readings of these groups take the most violent interpretations of numerous issues and reduces every target to a disbeliever worthy of being killed or subjugated. By discrediting their usul (interpretive principles), the claims they make for an entire tradition are called into question.

This short paper discusses the emphasis of Musa Bigiev on the importance of reforming the educational system. The first two parts of the paper highlights the life of the scholar in line with his learning experiences throughout the Muslim word to demonstrate the reasons for his call for educational reforms. As paper suggests, throughout his scholarly life, Bigiev emphasized on the role of education in forming individuals and reforming the Muslim society. The last part of the paper discusses the solutions of Bigiev to change the situation in education.

This paper studies the role of prophethood in building a civilisation with special reference to the writings of Al-Farabi and Said Nursi. In order to elucidate the thought of Al-Farabi, the ideas of Ibn Sina are consulted in some parts of the paper. The fi rst part of the paper defi nes the term “true civilisation” (or an “ideal state” according to Al-Farabi), its foundations and peculiarities from the viewpoints of these three Muslim scholars. I t suggests that, on one hand, a human being cannot achieve his main goal, i.e. felicity, without living in a society, and, on the other, his most fundamental need is the need for religion, revealed by the prophets. Therefore, these three scholars argued that the real civilisation, which can make its citizens happy, satisfi ed and equal without any exception, originates from divine laws. As paper fi nds, Said Nursi articulated that the mission of the prophets, besides establishing of the worship to One God, also includes bringing of economic...

International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) is globally recognized for its commitment in spreading the spirit of Islamization of Knowledge (IOK). It implements various Islamization programs under premier IOK scholars. This study aims to discover the IOK experience of IIUM and broaden the understanding of the concept of Islamization in general. Works pertaining to IOK and its achievements in IIUM are discussed by focusing more on the strategies and impacts of IOK on IIUM‘s Mission and Vision. The result indicates that IIUM has achieved notable successes in its implementation of IOK over the 35 years of its establishment. IOK has not only contributed to the overall constitution of IIUM but also instilled an in-depth understanding of the Islamic spirit of education.

This paper discusses the issue of Bayt al-Hikmah in the 21st Century. It focuses on the following questions: 1. Is it possible to have a Bayt al-Hikmah today? 2. If Yes, HOW? In WHAT form? WHERE? Or WHICH Country does deserve to be a place for it?

This paper aims at reviewing the status of Islamic schooling in the Russian Federation (RF) within the framework of Muslims’ basic rights and social justice. The paper argues that, although Muslims constitute at least 14% of the total population (14-20 million out of 142 million of the total population) and are indigenous to Russia, they are deprived from the rights for establishing the efficient Islamic schooling structure for Muslim kids due to the absence of social justice, and the rise of Islamophobia, especially after 9/11. The first part of the paper discusses the status of religious education at Russian public schools in general. The 1997 law on religious freedom establishes the secular nature of public school education in Russia, although a course in “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” is part of the syllabus from 2002. Since 2012, pupils are offered the choice of studying Russia’s four federally recognised religions – Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism – as well ...

NAbd al-RaImEn Ibn KhaldEn was a Muslim historiographer and historian of Arab origin, and one of the founding “fathers” of modern historiography, sociology and economics. He is best known to modern readers for his Muqaddimah (Prolegomena [To History]), the introductory book to the magnificent seven-volume account on history of the world entitled KitEb al-NIbar (Book of History), which outlined the basic foundations of the science of civilisation. This work was designated by the well-known British historian, Arnold J. Toynbee, as a “philosophy of history which is undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever yet been created by any mind in any time or place.” Another British scholar, Robert Flint, commented on the significance of Ibn KhaldEn accordingly: “as a theorist of history he had no equal in any age or country until Vico appeared, more than three hundred years later. Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine were not his peers, and all others were unworthy of being even mentio...

This paper is a study of Said Nursi’s thoughts on unity and solidarity of Muslims. As the papers observes, Nursi closely linked ineffectiveness of the contemporary Muslim world with widespread disunity among the diverse groups (nations) of the ummah, and, urged world-wide Muslims to re-establish unity in the way of re-attaining the previous glory and virtue of Islamic civilisation. It suggests that, for Nursi, unity of Muslims was the essence of Islam and the nature of a healthy society. Solely unity, harmony, accord and solidarity among its members make the society to function justly, and reinforce the ummah towards further progress; and vice versa, disunity, discord and antagonism lead to weakness, and, consequently, to the collapse of civilisations. Therefore, as the paper finds, Nursi considered the efforts of Muslims in the way of establishing unity as a religious obligation of his time. For him, the return to the true teachings of Islam was the only solution for the miserable ...

This article proposes to re-focus education towards morality and universal values, which have always been the traditional aim of education. This paper is designed using a qualitative research method applying content analysis to textual and video materials from a historical and contemporary perspectives. The paper demonstrates morality problems of the current mainstream education systems and how alternative systems are better equipped to inculcate values. It is observed that trans-disciplinary, problem-based and religious education helps build stronger ethical foundation in students regardless of their geographical location or income levels. The article proposes for schools and universities to include community engagement programmes in their curricula, support religious communities through special programmes, and promote values education at all levels not through academic subjects but through studies, research and development of real-life application of ethics at local and internatio...

When we hear the expression ‘European Muslim’, the first thing that usually occurs in our minds is the Muslims of the West, mainly immigrants with Muslim backgrounds or white Western converts. This short essay narrates another image of ‘European Islam’: Islam on Russian soil. The Russian Federation (RF) is one of the most diverse countries of Europe, where Muslims and Christians are living side by side more or less peacefully for many centuries. Islam in Russia is not a religion of postcolonial immigration, nor is it a manifestation of the recent acceleration of globalisation and cultural exchange. Unlike other Muslim minorities in Europe, Muslims in Russia are indigenous citizens of the country who live in their native land. In 2000, the Muslims of Russia celebrated fourteen centuries of Islam on Russian soil. Throughout these centuries, Muslims took an active part in building what we call today ‘Russian civilisation’.

This volume describes challenges Muslims are facing in Russia today and put forward proposals to minimise these problems. It suggests that achieving social harmony, security and well-being for the Muslims in Russia will be a complex but achievable task. It requires openness, willingness for change, and tolerance for the opinions of others. Therefore, the policy of divide and rule, which had been ineffectively used during the Imperial history of Russia, is no more relevant to modern Russia. Only then shall this largest country in the world become a safe and happy place for all.

Citizens’ rights of women and youth are enshrined in the Qur’En. Both men and women, regardless of their age, social class and educational level, are equal as citizens, but not identical, in their rights and responsibilities. This study suggests that Islam has empowered women with the most progressive rights since the seventh century. There was a long line of women scholars and activists who attained high positions and were renowned for their excellence as scholars, social workers, public figures, educators during the time of the Prophet SAW and during the next generations, when Islamic civilisation was flourishing. At the same time, the youth were given full confidence, trust and high responsibilities in power, leadership and decision-making. But this Qur‘Enic empowerment of women and youth, as the paper establishes, bear little relation to the real condition of women and youth in modern Muslim societies. In fact, many problems occurring in the modern Muslim world are related to th...

This paper explores the views of Turkish scholar, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960), on the ideology of secularism and its impact on identity, ethics, and social stability. It mostly covers Nursi’s interpretation of Islam in a twentieth-century secular setting. Based on Nursi’s views, the paper suggests that, in the interests of establishing a secure and balanced world, faith commitments should be allowed to manage diversity and conflict, rather than a secular semi-agnostic approach. The paper also proposes that, to establish a healthy and virtuous society, collective and individual morality and identity should be constructed using religious values and principles. The paper discusses how Nursi advocated reconciling science and religion, establishing harmony between European civilisation and the truths of Islam. As the paper establishes, there was no enmity between any branch of science and faith for Nursi, who saw both as allies in the task of building human civilisation. But he di...

Analyses of the roots of sectarian conflict in the Middle East tend to look at the historical schism between Sunnis and Shias as the fundamental driving factor behind contemporary tensions existing in the entire Muslim world. Discussions on the existence of a “1,400 Year War” between Sunni and Shiah Muslims are today increasingly common. No doubt, differences between Sunnis and Shias, which started at the early years of Islamic caliphate after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), regarding his legitimate successor, are real and cannot be denied. Despite some disagreements between Sunni and Shiah interpretations of the Shari’ah, yet, scholars from both sides have long engaged in dialogue and influenced the religious thought of one another for centuries.

This paper examines the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) and the Russian Federation (RF) in the light of Muslim minority rights through analyzing the history of Islam in the Russian territory, with a focus on the rights of Muslims under the Tsarist rule since 1552 and during the existence of the Soviet Union. The first part of the paper suggests that, although Muslims are minority in modern Russia today, Islam established itself as an official religion in the Volga-Urals region and Caucasus during the early years of Islam. It also shows that the historical relations between Muslims and tsarist Russia were not always in conflict. The second part of the paper, which is based on Russian archival sources, presents a brief description of Soviet and Saudi Arabian diplomatic relations. The third part of the paper discusses the status of Islam and Muslims in modern Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and suggests that the tragedy of 9/11 and the US-led “Global War on Terror,” as its consequence resulted in religious discrimination and an anti-Islamic mood throughout the country. In 2002, the RF adopted a new law entitled, “On Fighting Extremist Activity.” This led to the decline of religious freedom, which directly harmed relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Donations coming from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through various channels were blocked, Saudi-funded institutions were banned as a part of the prevention of  “Wahhabi” influences (which had been banned in Russia since 2002),1 and books (both original copies and translations) published in Saudi Arabia were banned as well. At the same time, the two governments continued working together on fighting against extremism, educational and cultural programs, and the development of Islamic banking in Russia. The last part of the essay includes some policy recommendations and concluding remarks.