A web and software-based approach blending social networks for online Qur'anic Arabic learning

About 80 percent of the world’s Muslim populations are non-native speakers of the Arabic language. Since it is obligatory for all Muslims to recite Qur’an in Arabic during prayers, an extraordinary social phenomenon has taken place in some parts of the Muslim world: Muslims are taught the complex phonological rules of the Arabic language in the context of Qur’an and they recite the “sounds” of Qur’an often understanding very little. This has given rise to a demographic segment of adult learners whose main learning goal is recalling a closed set of syntactic rules and vocabularies in the context of Qur’an while reciting or listening to it so that they can reconstruct a meaning in their native-language. Despite the availability of some resources for learning language for this specific purpose, according to our detailed investigation, no work has explored the possibilities of emerging adaptive and intelligent systems for collaborative learning to address this challenge. The goals of this work are: To determine the applicability of learner corpus research, declarative memory modelling, and social learning motivation on the learners’ specific pedagogical objectives and to use the Design-Based Research methodology (DBR) to optimize the design of such a system in real-life setting to observe how the different variables and elements work out. We present here, a prototype to gather requirement analysis of such a system by bootstrapping a user community. The compiled data were used to design an initial architecture of an intelligent and adaptive Qur’anic Arabic learning system

The Shifting Use of Isrā’īlīyāt in Qur’anic Exegesis and Its Implications on The Comprehension of the Verses on Jālūt and Ṭālūt Story: A Critical Study of Indonesian Qur’anic Exegesis

This study focuses on the use of isrā’īlīyāt narratives in three pesantren-related Qur’anic exegesis in Indonesia. There have been many recent studies to explore the use of isrā'īlīyāt in exegesis, but the analysis on the use of isrā'īlīyāt narratives, its underlying factors, and its impact on exegesis has not been widely discussed. By limiting to examining the use of isrā'īlīyāt narratives  in the stories of Jālūt and Ṭālūt, this study revealed a shift in the use of isrāīlīyāt from the validity aspect to the functional aspect. It also disclosed two functions of isrā'īlīyāt: the descriptive and medical functions. The descriptive function represents the moral content in the story of the Qur'an, which  has an impact on the purpose of mentioning stories in the Qur’an as i'tibār (something to learning). The medical function, refers to the internal tendency of the interpreter to choose the story, and this function determines the pattern in the exegesis of narrative verses. The exegesis pattern in methodological studies is directed only at verses with legal and theological nuances, by excluding narrative verses.

Classifying the suras by their lexical semantics :an exploratory multivariate analysis approach to understanding the Qur'an

PhD ThesisThe Qur'an is at the heart of Islamic culture. Careful, well-informed interpretation of it is fundamental both to the faith of millions of Muslims throughout the world, and also to the non-Islamic world's understanding of their religion. There is a long and venerable tradition of Qur'anic interpretation, and it has necessarily been based on literary-historical methods for exegesis of hand-written and printed text. Developments in electronic text representation and analysis since the second half of the twentieth century now offer the opportunity to supplement traditional techniques by applying the newly-emergent computational technology of exploratory multivariate analysis to interpretation of the Qur'an. The general aim of the present discussion is to take up that opportunity. Specifically, the discussion develops and applies a methodology for discovering the thematic structure of the Qur'an based on a fundamental idea in a range of computationally oriented disciplines: that, with respect to some collection of texts, the lexical frequency profiles of the individual texts are a good indicator of their semantic content, and thus provide a reliable criterion for their conceptual categorization relative to one another. This idea is applied to the discovery of thematic interrelationships among the suras that constitute the Qur'an by abstracting lexical frequency data from them and then analyzing that data using exploratory multivariate methods in the hope that this will generate hypotheses about the thematic structure of the Qur'an. The discussion is in eight main parts. The first part introduces the discussion. The second gives an overview of the structure and thematic content of the Qur'an and of the tradition of Qur'anic scholarship devoted to its interpretation. The third part xvi defines the research question to be addressed together with a methodology for doing so. The fourth reviews the existing literature on the research question. The fifth outlines general principles of data creation and applies them to creation of the data on which the analysis of the Qur'an in this study is based. The sixth outlines general principles of exploratory multivariate analysis, describes in detail the analytical methods selected for use, and applies them to the data created in part five. The seventh part interprets the results of the analyses conducted in part six with reference to the existing results in Qur'anic interpretation described in part two. And, finally, the eighth part draws conclusions relative to the research question and identifies directions along which the work presented in this study can be developed

The adoption and impact of computer integrated prepress systems in the printing and publishing industries of Kuwait

This research is aimed at developing a comprehensive picture of the implications of digital technology in the graphic arts industries in Kuwait. The purpose of the study is twofold: (1) to explore the meaning of the outcomes of recent technological change processes for the traditional prepress occupations in Kuwait; and, (2) to examine the impact of technology on Arabic layout and design. The study is based on the assumption that technological change is a chain of interactions among the sociological, cultural, political and economic variables. The prepress area in Kuwait has its own cultural, social, economic, and political structure. When a new technology is introduced it is absorbed and shaped by the existing structure. Based on such a dialectical conceptualisation, four major levels of analysis can be distinguished in this study: (1) technological change in the graphic arts industries; (2) the typographic evolution of the Arabic script; (3) the workers themselves as individuals and occupational collectives; and, (4) technology's impact on Arabic publication design. The methodological approach selected for this study can be defined as a dialectical, interpretive exploration. Given the historical perspective and the multiple levels of analysis, this approach calls for a variety of data gathering methods. Both qualitative and quantitative data were sought. A combination of document analysis, participant observation and interviewing allow to link the historical and current events with individual and collective actions, perceptions and interpretations of reality. The findings presented in this study contradicts the belief that the widespread adoption of new production processes is coincidental with continuous advances in scientific knowledge which provide the basis for the development of new technologies. Instead, the changes have been hindered by the lack of untrained personnel, the Arabic software incompatibility, and the lack of informed decisions to successfully implement the technology. Without any doubt, the new technology has influenced Arabic calligraphy, but this does not mean the decay of Arabic calligraphy as an art. As this study shows, the challenge is not to the art, but to the artist

Cyber-activism and the Islamic Salafi movement in Indonesia

Prevailing studies of Islamic activism and the internet tend to evaluate the significance (or insignificance) of the internet for an Islamic movement as a unified whole, ignoring intra-movement heterogeneity and internal dynamics. By contrast, this study offers a pluralistic vision of Islamic activism, identifying separate streams or groups of a particular theological tradition within Islam. It therefore analyses the relevance of the internet for such Islamic groups in a more nuanced and variegated manner. To this end, drawing on resource mobilization theory, it analyses internet use by the Salafi movement with a specific focus of Salafists in Indonesia. It identifies resource inequality among different Salafi groups as accounting for intra-movement difference and the varied significance of the internet for groups within the Salafi movement. The study demonstrates that although each Salafi group adopted the internet as a new important resource for their social, religious, and organizational interests, groups did not actually mobilize it for this purpose in similar ways or degrees. The resource-poor Salafi groups tended to mobilize the internet more actively than the resource-rich ones. Different access to resources among Salafi groups contributed to these different levels of actual mobilization of the internet by the Salafi groups. Accordingly, the significance of the internet is not uniform across the Salafi movement in Indonesia. Rather, each Salafi group’s use of the internet was influenced by offline factors and particularly access to other organizational resources. Therefore, this study argues that the significance of the internet for Islamic movements is not uniform, but rather diverges due to intra-movement complexities and dynamics including internal fragmentation and the differential state of intra-movement organizational resources. The significance of the internet as a resource for an Islamic movement thus varies enormously across intra-movement factions or groups depending on access to other resources

Smart Economy, Smart City, and Halal Tourism Industry: Global Islamic Economic Perspective in Indonesia

This article investigates smart city as a city that strives to make itself smarter, more efficient, sustainable, fair and livable.Thekeyelementsofsmartcity'sfoundation include urban planning and design, basic infrastructure and policies, as well as the integration of several smart technologies (ICT) that have emerged alongside core investments in developing various basic components of the city. The smart economy is related to economic competitivenessandinvolvesinnovation, entrepreneurship,economicimage,efficiencyand flexibility in the labor market, integration in local and international markets and the ability to change. The smarteconomyinasmartcityisimportantinthe development of halal tourism industry. This article mainly focuses on how the key factors of a smart economy and the basic elements of the smart city provide answers to the challenges and future development of halal tourism industry in Indonesia. By applying the approach to the main indicators of the global Islamic economy report 2018/2019toanalyzethelinkagesbetweensmart economy, smart city, and halal tourism industry, this paper confirms that smart economy concerns an open, transparent, diverse economy that adds value to smart cities.Thecharacteristicsincludeavarietyof employment opportunities with labor market flexibility, a diversificationthatpromotesentrepreneurshipand innovation and more productivity through local, regional andglobalinterconnectionsimplementedinthe development of the halal tourism industry in Indonesia

Islamic Studies Teachers’ Perceptions of Using a Blended Approach for Teaching Islamic Education Modules in Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia

This study examines Islamic studies teachers’ perception of the effectiveness of using a blended learning approach in teaching Islamic education modules in girls’ primary schools. Furthermore, it investigates participants’ perspectives on whether a blended approach is suitable for teaching all Islamic education modules or if only traditional methods are ideal for teaching some of them. A mixed-methods approach was used for data collection in this study, including qualitative (lesson observations and interviews) and quantitative (online questionnaires) methods. In the data analysis phase, both a thematic analysis and a descriptive statistics analysis including factor analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed to facilitate the interpretation of quantitative data. The blended approach was thought to be suitable to use in teaching all subjects of the Islamic education curriculum. However, the frequency of using such method depends on the content of the lesson and the subject that teachers want it to teach. Moreover, Islamic studies teachers believed that using a blended learning approach increased their productivity when preparing for their lessons and they believed that such methods helped them to achieve curriculum objectives. On the other hand, as a result of applying a blended approach teachers may face difficulty in completing the given unit in one lesson and teachers may experience difficulty in retaking control of the class, particularly after applying one of the active learning strategies. Also, using too many examples of active learning strategies may distract students. The study also revealed that the key factors which may encourage Islamic studies teachers to use a blended approach include the nature of the curriculum and teachers’ desire and hope of achieving curriculum objectives and the availability of the teaching aids related to each unit in a student’s textbook. Teacher workload, a lack of effective training and a lack of information and communication technology (ICT) tools together with Islamic studies teachers’ fear of undermining the respected status of the academic content were thought to be some of the key obstacles that may prohibit Islamic studies teachers from applying a blended learning approach. This study provides Islamic studies teachers with a blended learning model, along with identification of some of its benefits to both teachers and students. Finally, the blended learning model may be considered a contribution to research in pedagogy, and future researchers may further develop or evaluate the effectiveness of the blended learning model for use in teaching other subjects

Education and Social Work Handbook 2009

Tese de doutoramento em Arte Contemporânea, apresentada ao Colégio das Artes da Universidade de CoimbraEsta não é uma tese somente sobre o estatuto da imagem. A razão para isso é que nenhuma teoria é ou pode ser adequada à imagem e que o próprio estatuto provoca todas as ferramentas da reflexão teórica. Porque escolhi investigar imagens a partir da fotografia? Poderia falar de imagens a partir do desenho, da pintura e da tradição escultórica. Como inventar no espelho e aceitar os dogmas acerca da imagem, as definições que se tornaram convicções? Na escola de arte, embora tivesse habilidade para o desenho e para a pintura, meu interesse era nas imagens prontas. Uma tentativa de tirar o verniz das imagens é a chave daquilo que hoje chamo de a Imagem Emancipada. Vemos isso nos pintores, nos cineastas que se divergem e se vê através da tecnociência. Como amante da arte não posso desenvolver meu interesse pela técnica mais do que meu interesse pela crítica. O projeto de um futuro em Warburg: a antropologia da cultura ocidental em que a filologia, etnologia, história e biologia convergem com uma iconologia do intervalo, no qual o trabalho incessante é a memória social. A Imagem Emancipada são os clarões dentro das imagens que buscamos. Embora tivesse influência dos planos de cinema, as imagens que buscava construir, sempre vieram de minhas referências de pintores e suas soluções de espaço, cor e, por que não dizer, tempo. Foi no início dos anos oitenta, com a atmosfera de regresso à pintura e ao figurativismo, que a fotografia encontrou terreno fértil para se desenvolver rumo a novas direções.This is not a thesis that only covers image statute, and the reason is that no theory is, or can fit the image, and the thesis itself causes all theoretical reflection tools. Why have I chosen to investigate images from photograph? I could have talked about images from drawing, painting and sculpture tradition. How to invent in front of the mirror and accept the dogmas concerning the image and definitions that became convictions? At the art school, although I had the ability to draw and paint, my real interested was in finished images. An attempt to remove the varnish from images is the key of what I call today as Emancipated Image. We can see that in painters and filmmakers that diverge and see themselves through technology. As an art lover, I can not develop my interest for the critic. The project of a future in Warburg: western culture anthropology in which philosophy, ethnology, history and biology converge with an iconology of the recess, where the non stopping work is the social memory. Emancipated Image are the flash inside the images we seek. Although I had influence by cinema plans, the images I tries to build, always came from my references of painters and their solutions to space, color and why not mention, time. It was in the beginning of the 1980’s, with the return atmosphere to painting and to figuration, that photography found breeding ground to develop towards new directions

Arts Undergraduate Handbook 2009

PURPOSE: Anemia is associated with poor tumor control. It was previously observed that accelerated radiotherapy combined with carbogen breathing and nicotinamide (ARCON) can correct this adverse outcome in patients with head and neck cancer. The purpose of this study was to validate this observation based on data from a randomized trial. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Of 345 patients with cT2-4 laryngeal cancer, 174 were randomly assigned to accelerated radiotherapy and 171 to ARCON. Hemoglobin levels, measured before treatment, were defined as low when <7.5 mmol/L for women and <8.5 mmol/L for men. The hypoxia marker pimonidazole was used to assess the oxygenation status in tumor biopsies. Data were analyzed 2 years after inclusion of the last patient. RESULTS: Pretreatment hemoglobin levels were available and below normal in 27 of 173 (16%) accelerated radiotherapy and 27 of 167 (16%) ARCON patients. In patients with normal pretreatment, hemoglobin levels treatment with ARCON had no significant effect on 5-year loco-regional control (LRC, 79% versus 75%; P = 0.44) and disease-free survival (DFS, 75% vs. 70%; P = 0.46) compared with accelerated radiotherapy. However, in patients with low pretreatment, hemoglobin levels ARCON significantly improved 5-year LRC (79% vs. 53%; P = 0.03) and DFS (68% vs. 45%; P = 0.04). In multivariate analysis including other prognostic factors, pretreatment hemoglobin remained prognostic for LRC and DFS in the accelerated radiotherapy treatment arm. No correlation between pretreatment hemoglobin levels and pimonidazole uptake was observed. CONCLUSION: Results from the randomized phase III trial support previous observations that ARCON has the potential to correct the poor outcome of cancer patients with anemia (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00147732). Clin Cancer Res; 20(5); 1345-54. (c)2014 AACR