Sunni

This study analyzes the political reasons that allowed the Islamic State to expand successfully in Syria and Iraq, by enabling to ‘franchise’ worldwide, and the role of the regional governments in this issue. The essay provides a different explanation from the classic approach of the “clash of civilizations” theorized by Samuel P. Huntington, ascribing responsibility for the growth and expansion of the Islamic State to the complex framework of geopolitical alliances within the Muslim civilization and the Arab world. The paper highlights the attempt by Turkey to establish itself as a regional power and guidance of the Islamic world, by resurrecting the Caliphate, and, based on this, explains the contrast with the Islamic State, which goal is the foundation of a globalized Caliphate. The plans of the Turkish President Erdoğan for a Great Turkey, allied with Egypt, have foundered with the coup that ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power. The study relates the connection of Ankara with the Kurds, regarding the management of the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and the Turkish liaison with regional powers (Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel) and other powers (Russia, Cina and USA).

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The traditional use of medicinal plants for the treatment of human and livestock ailments is important to indigenous communities in the northern parts of Pakistan, and considered to be a valuable local biological and sociocultural heritage. The aim of this study was to obtain a detailed inventory of medicinal plant use and preparation among Kalasha, Ismaeli and Sunni groups. Materials and methods: Semi-structured group and individual interviews were carried out with men and women of different age groups that identified themselves as being Kalasha, Ismaeli or Sunni. Interviews were followed up by field visits to collect herbarium vouchers and record in greater detail the exact methods of harvesting, preparation and use on medicinal plants. Results: A total of 76 species were recorded for treatment of various diseases. The Kalasha, Ismaili and Sunni ethnic groups have similar medicinal floras, but show striking differences in plant use. Our comparative survey shows that out of all species reported in this study, only 13 species have been reported previously from Chitral District. Conclusions: Indigenous knowledge of folk medicine is intricately linked to local culture, religion and history. Any short study can only scratch the surface of this intricate system, but provide an insight into the critical importance of medicinal plants for local livelihoods and the important role these play in health care systems. There is a great need to assess and properly manage the production potential of medicinal plants to ensure sustainable supply of these species for local use and subsistence trade.

With the deadly ISIS advance, the sudden rousing of Shia militias and the threat of Kurdish secession, Iraq faces a host of deep-seated and intractable problems. Together, these events raise a number of serious questions, not just for Iraq and its future but also for the broader
Middle East, the United States and its Coalition partners and the international community. While these challenges and questions will drive much academic debate, political analysis and media discussion in the months and years ahead, they are not the central purpose of this chapter. While there is always a risk in commenting on unfolding events, including the potential to overstate their significance and likely long-term impact, it is difficult to ignore the significance of the deadly ISIS advance and all that has happened since. This chapter argues that key to understanding these events is coming to terms with the three varied and complex legacies of the 2003 Iraq War. The first central legacy of the Iraq War is the ongoing consequences of several critical mistakes made by the US-led Coalition before, during and immediately after the 2003 intervention. The second legacy addressed here is the fact that the 2003 war shattered – perhaps irreversibly - Iraqis fragile cultural mosaic and its rich and complex history of overlapping and intersecting communities, ideologies and narratives. The third and final legacy of the 2003 Iraq War detailed in this chapter is its significant regional and global consequences – from spiralling sectarianism across the Middle East to a profound challenge to America’s status as the last remaining superpower and its use of military power for ‘humanitarian’ ends. The argument here is that these three important legacies set in train a sequence of events that have served as the collective catalyst for the expansion of the ‘Islamic State’ from mid-2014.

The mosque occupies a central position in the social as well as religious life of Muslims. It is not only a place of worship where rituals are performed, but also serves as a social space where Muslims take part in welfare activities. The design and architecture of the mosque have local as well as global influences, representing religious, economic, and esthetic dimensions of Muslim social organization. Therefore, Muslims' association with the mosque has much significance from social, political, and economic perspectives. Based on an ethnographic example, this report aims to highlight the use of mosque space in the cultural context of rural Pakistan. In addition to discussing the sociospatial relationships around the mosque, I discuss how Muslims' beliefs about the world and the afterlife shape these relationships.

Ulama & Islamic scholars are the most important figures for the entire Muslim society. In the Indian sub- continent, their influence has transcended the socio-religious realm to include the political realm as well. This paper is an attempt to examine the role of Molana Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, his Students & other sunni scholars in the Sub Continent politics. It also seeks to build a trajectory of their future influence in Indian & Pakistani politics. There are four parts to the paper. The first part will examine the historical role of Molana Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi in the Indian sub-continent. The second part will examine his political services during the period between 1857 to 1921.The third part will highlight the Sunni ulama to start seriously contesting for political power. Lastly, the paper will look at how the Sunni ulama were again to play an important role in post - partition India & Pakistani politics.

Dinamika  Gerakan  Syiah  Mempertahankan  Eksistensinya
Dalam  Konstelasi  Politik  Keagamaan  di  Indonesia”  adalah
penelitian  untuk  disertasi,  bertujuan  untuk  mengemukakan
(1).  Faktor  yang  mempengaruhi eksistensi Syi’ah di Indonesia
dan  bentuk  eksistensi  Syi’ah,  (2).Unsur  gerakan  Syi’ah
mempertahankan  Eksistensinya  (3).  Dinamika  konflik  dan
integrasi.  Pengumpulan  data  dilakukan  dengan  wawancara,
pengamatan  dan  penelusuran  dokumen  Syi’ah  di  Indonesia.
Temuan  penelitian  ini  didasarkan  pada  analisis  data  untuk
menjawab  problem  penelitian  yaitu  (1).  Gerakan  Syi’ah
mempertahankan  eksistensinya  dalam  konstelasi  politik
keagamaan  di  Indonesia  memperjuangkan  pembentukan
masyarakat  Syi’ah  dan  negara  Islam  Syi’ah  dengan  model
gerakan  intelektual,  gerakan  spiritual  dan  gerakan  ideologis.
Syi’ah eksis dalam konstelasi politik keagamaan di Indonesia,
karena  Syi’ah  mampu  mengkonstruksikan  dirinya  untuk
bertahan  dengan  memperbesar  kontribusi  dalam  membangun
sumber  daya  manusia  Indonesia  yang  cukup  signifikan  dan
memperkokoh  soliditas  internal  dan  membangun  jaringan
kerjasama  dengan  kelompok  Islam  lainnya.  Secara  teologis
bahwa  paham  keagamaan  Islam  Syi’ah  tidak  seluruhnya
berbeda  dengan  paham  keagamaan  Islam  Sunni.  Ada  ajaran
Syi’ah  yang  bersentuhan  dengan  amaliyah  Islam  Sunni
tradisional.  Syi’ah  membangun  jaringan  struktural,  hidup
dalam  budaya  masyarakat  majemuk  yang  toleran,  mampu
beradaptasi  dengan  perbedaan.  Dinamika  konflik  telah
mewarnai gerakan Syi’ah, akan  tetapi  daya  integrasinya  lebih
kuat  dari  daya  konflik.

Ulama & Islamic scholar are the most important figures for the entire Muslim society. In the Indian sub-continent, their influence has transcended the socio-religious realm to include the political realm as well. This paper is an attempt to examine the role of the Molana Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, his Students, & other sunni scholars in Sub Continent politics. It also seeks to build a trajectory of their future influence in India & Pakistani politics. There are four parts to the paper. The first part will examine the historical role of the Molana Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi in the Indian sub-continent. The second part will examine his politics in the period between 1857 to 1921.The third part will highlight the Sunni ulama to start seriously contesting for political power. Lastly, the paper will look at how the Sunni ulama were again to play an important role in India & Pakistani politics.

U.S. diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks have given a new insight into American policy in Lebanon, especially efforts to counter Hizballah. Hizballah’s willingness to use a combination of hard power through violence and coercion, combined with a softer touch via extensive patronage networks has given them unmatched control over the Shi’a community since the 2005 Cedar Revolution. Using these released cables, this study will focus on efforts, successes, and failures made by so-called “independent” Shi’i political organizations, religious groups, and NGOs to counter Hizballah’s pervasive influence among Lebanon’s Shi’a.

Résumé. L’État islamique, ou Da‘ech, apparaît aujourd’hui, dans les médias et les représentations politiques, comme l’adversaire absolu de l’Occident, celui qui multiplie attentats et actes de barbarie, qui met le Moyen-Orient à feu et à sang et qu’il faut combattre à tout prix. À l’origine de cet état de guerre perpétuelle et de ce chaos dans lequel ont sombré les populations civiles, il y a, bien entendu, l’intervention américaine du printemps 2003, qui fit des sunnites, accusés d’avoir soutenu le régime de Saddam Hussein, des parias dans le jeu politique irakien, et qui a laissé derrière elle un champ de ruines. Mais il y a aussi, et c’est tout l’intérêt de cet ouvrage que de le démontrer, le partage du Moyen-Orient par les puissances coloniales britannique et française à la suite de la Première Guerre mondiale et du démembrement de l’Empire ottoman : c’est alors que furent créées ex nihilo des frontières qui convenaient aux autorités mandataires mais ne recouvraient aucune réalité historique. Une fois ce constat dressé, et les responsabilités de chacun établies, on comprend mieux les enjeux de l’effroyable désastre qui a frappé la région, et dont aucune analyse, privée de cette perspective de fond, ne permettrait de rendre compte.