Refugees from Somalia in Buffalo

Somalia is a country that has been divided by civil war since the 1980s. It began due to resistance to the regime of Siad Barre. Once he was overthrown in the 1980s, the resulting power vacuum led to violence. Peace efforts from multi-national groups, neighboring countries, and the United Nations have been attempted, but violence continues and has forced many to flee the country for safety. Somalia is one of the most homogenous countries in Africa. Approximately 85% of the country’s population are ethnic Somalis and practice the Sunni Muslim religion, while the remaining 15% are made up of various ethnic groups. The largest of these is the Somali Bantus, a pastoral clan descended from slaves brought into Somalia from southeastern African countries. Some Bantu have held onto their cultural heritage, while others have been integrated into the Somali culture. Bantus face varying degrees of discrimination and persecution due to their background

An Islamic perspective of industrial relations: the case of Pakistan

The aim of this paper is to describe an Islamic perspective of industrial relations (IR). Based on a review of literature on IR in Islam including a reading of the principal sources of Islam (the Qur'an and the Hadith), the paper identifies two divergent ethical approaches to IR: a pro-equality (neutral) approach and a pro-social justice (affirmative) approach. In its second half, the paper offers a case study of IR in Pakistan. The study suggests that the two divergent Islamic approaches to IR may be seen as having ambiguous implications for labor laws and trade unions in Pakistan (and possibly other Muslim majority countries).Islam, Pakistan, Industrial Relations

International Human Rights: Islam\u27s Friend or Foe? Algeria as an Example of the Compatibility of International Human Rights Regarding Women\u27s Equality and Islamic Law

Part I of this Note briefly discusses the development of International Human Rights Law as embodied in international covenants today. Part I also discusses Islamic law, the traditional role of women under Islamic law and culture, Algeria\u27s Constitution and Family Code, and other dynamics specific to Algeria that have hindered women\u27s obtainment of equal rights in the modern era. Part II presents the debate between conservative Islamists who argue that international principles of human rights law are incompatible with Islamic law and the scholars who assert that the two are compatible. Part III, by focusing on fundamental principles underlying the provisions in both the international human rights doctrine and Islamic law, argues that international human rights provisions granting women equal status with men comport with Islamic law principles as much as do legal documents that the Algerian Government has drafted. This Note concludes that the deprivation of women\u27s equal rights based on the claim of conflict with Islamic law is unjustified and that the example of Algeria proves that Islamic countries can and should protect human rights without regard to gender

The Dark and Middle Ages

For the most part only Plato\u27s teachings supported by a limited version of Aristotelian cosmology supportive of Platonism survived the decline of ancient Greek philosophy during the Roman Empire. Christianity later prevailed, and toward the end of the Middle Ages Aristotle’s secular perspective was only taken into account by Arab philosophers such as Averroes and Avicenna. After the collapse of Arab civilization during the twelfth century, the secular concept of a double truth between belief and reason put philosophy on equal footing with religion in such universities as Cordoba and the University of Paris. After a large assortment of ancient Greek texts were shipped from Constantinople to Italy in 1453 to prevent their destruction by pagan invaders, so-called Nominalists among European philosophers such as Duns Scotus and William of Ockham featured the independent analysis of the universe based on assumptions already pursued by Aristotle. In effect Greek philosophy in its entirety came to be “resurrected,” setting the stage for the inception of science as exemplified by Copernicus, Galileo, and Bacon

A Theory of Humanity: Part 2—Conditions for True Universalism

The currently used humanity model is chaotic, devoid of logic or coherence. In Part 1 of this two-part paper, we examined human traits of a scientific model in absence of ‘born sinner’ starting point. We demonstrated that the so-called ‘viceroy model’ that is characterized as scientifically sustainable can replace the existing models that are based on fear and scarcity. Part Two of the paper deals with adequate definition of moral campus that conforms to the viceroy model. In this paper, it is shown that the talk of morality or a moral compass is aphenomenal in absence of strict necessary and sufficient conditions. It also follows that natural justice can only be followed after defining the term ‘natural’ with the same scientific rigor as that of the viceroy model. Once these terms are consistently defined, one is well poised to talk about inalienable rights, moral compass, environmental sustainability, and humanity. The immediate consequence of this model is the demonstration that currently used governance models, such as democracy, is inherently implosive and must be replaced with a new model that is in conformance with the scientific definition of ‘natural’. This emerging model is free from inconsistencies and will remain effective as a governance tool that optimizes individual rights and balances with the right of the state as well as a Creator. It is concluded that this model offers the only hope of maximizing individual liberty without compromising universal peace and natural justice. At this point, morality and legality become equivalent to each. The implications of this paper are overwhelming, making all current judicial actions immoral, in essence repudiating the entire Establishment as little more than a mafia entity, bringing back ‘might is right’ mantra, packaged as ‘social progress’. The paper finally shows how a standard that is necessarily and sufficiently universal can become impetus for a true knowledge

The Illustrations of Indigenization of Islam in Indonesian Cultural Landscape

This study discusses how religious development in Indonesia has resulted in switching the function of purity to non-purity in religious practices. Using a phenomenological approach, this review finds that some Muslims maintain their purity for various reasons, but some mix their beliefs with the local culture. This situation leads to the following study on a macro scale about Islam's indigenization in Indonesia's cultural landscape. This study found a relatively high cultural acculturation between Islam as a global religion and local Indonesian culture. The community reinforces this acculturation by promoting traditional leaders and the need for a sense of security that has been embedded in local communities

Menorah Review (No. 59, Fall, 2003)

One Deity, Three Gifts -- From the Classics -- Non-Canonical Literature Remembered -- Zion and America -- Weighing the Prospects for Dialogue -- Renewing the Faith of a Diminishing Minority -- From the Classics -- Noteworthy Book

The Consideration of Bid‘a Concept according to Saudi and Iranian Scholars

The concept of innovation (bid'a) as a formative tool is used to create idiosyncratic nations depending on different scholars' interpretations, Wahhābīs in Saudi Arabia, and Shi'īs in Iran. Using the descriptive method throughout the paper, this article analyzes scholars' approaches towards bid'a concerning the sectarian interpretations and various legal methodologies. The extent of the relationship between the bid'a concept and the rulings related to the visitation of tombs, the practice of temporary marriage, and Nowrūz celebration will be the paper's primary focus. The interpretations and approaches of scholars towards bid'a have resulted in opposite solutions on these mentioned issues. The comparative conclusion aims to clarify the Saudi-Wahhābī and Iranian-Shi'ī scholars' principal attitudes towards the theoretical interpretation and practical application of the bid'a concept. The bid'a analysis attempts to introduce the operative purposes behind the rulings to answer which reasons impel the scholars functioning in these two countries from issuing the diametrically opposite views on controversial issues.Keywords: Islamic law, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Wahhabism, Ja'farism, Bid'a

Spartan Daily, October 5, 1994

Volume 103, Issue 24https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/8594/thumbnail.jp