Rasyid Al-Ghannousyi’s Thought on Islamic Democracy

Rasyid al-Ghannousyi, pemikir, pembaharu, pemimpin dan pendiri partai politik al-Nahdhah di Tunisia, tak syak lagi adalah salah seorang pelopor kebangkitan Islam kontemporer. Keberanian dan kepeloporannyanya berkontribusi dalam membangkitkan kesadaran dan kepedulian politis Islam terkait dengan akibat-akibat yang berbahaya dan jahat dari rejim otoriter Zainal Abidin Bin Ali di Tunisia. Tulisan ini mengeksplorasi kehidupan dan pemikirannya dengan fokus khusus pada pendekatannya terhadap demokrasi dan kesesuaiannya dengan Islam, kebebasan publik dan sipil, hak-hal politik warga non-Muslim di Negara Islam dan konsep legitimasi politik dalam pemikiran politik Islam

Inorganic molecular sieves: Preparation, modification and industrial application in catalytic processes

[EN] The increasing environmental concern and promotion of “green processes” are forcing the substitution of traditional acid and base homogeneous catalysts by solid ones. Among these heterogeneous catalysts, zeolites and zeotypes can be considered as real “green” catalysts, due to their benign nature from an environmental point of view. The importance of these inorganic molecular sieves within the field of heterogeneous catalysis relies not only on their microporous structure and the related shape selectivity, but also on the flexibility of their chemical composition. Modification of the zeolite framework composition results in materials with acidic, basic or redox properties, whereas multifunctional catalysts can be obtained by introducing metals by ion exchange or impregnation procedures, that can catalyze hydrogenation–dehydrogenation reactions, and the number of commercial applications of zeolite based catalysts is continuously expanding. In this review we discuss determinant issues for the development of zeolite based catalysts, going from zeolite catalyst preparation up to their industrial application. Concerning the synthesis of microporous materials we present some of the new trends moving into larger pore structures or into organic free synthesis media procedures, thanks to the incorporation of novel organic templates or alternative framework elements, and to the use of high-throughput synthesis methods. Post-synthesis zeolite modification and final catalyst conformation for industrial use are briefly discussed. In a last section we give a thorough overview on the application of zeolites in industrial processes. Some of them are well established mature technologies, such as fluid catalytic cracking, hydrocracking or aromatics alkylation. Although the number of zeolite structures commercially used as heterogeneous catalysts in these fields is limited, the development of new catalysts is a continuous challenge due to the need for processing heavier feeds or for increasing the quality of the products. The application of zeolite based catalysts in the production of chemicals and fine chemicals is an emerging field, and will greatly depend on the discovery of new or known structures by alternative, lower cost, synthesis routes, and the fine tuning of their textural properties. Finally, biomass conversion and selective catalytic reduction for conversion of NOx are two active research fields, highlighting the interest in these potential industrial applications.The authors acknowledge financial support from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (project Consolider-Ingenio 2010 MULTICAT).Martínez Sánchez, MC.; Corma Canós, A. (2011). Inorganic molecular sieves: Preparation, modification and industrial application in catalytic processes. Coordination Chemistry Reviews. 255(13-14):1558-1580. doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2011.03.014S1558158025513-1

Oxidation Chemistry of n-Heptane, Selected Alkyl-Esters and Biodiesels in the Low to Intermediate-Temperature Regime

This work examines the low-to-intermediate temperature combustion chemistry of long-chain alkyl esters through detailed speciation and heat release analysis in a motored engine. The data include in-cylinder pressure measurements and GC-MS analysis of the reaction end products. The fuels investigated include methyl decanoate, coconut, and canola oil methyl esters. In addition, n-heptane, known for its pronounced low-temperature oxidation features, is studied to establish a general understanding of the combustion process. For each of the fuels tested, the reaction was initiated and sustained by a gradual increase of the engine compression ratio to traverse the low-to-intermediate-temperature range. All the fuels revealed a low-temperature heat release feature. n-Heptane has the most pronounced low-temperature heat release in terms of amount and rate among the tested fuels. This was followed by methyl decanoate, coconut oil biodiesel, and canola oil biodiesel. The heat release during coconut and canola derived biodiesel combustion correlate with their saturated methyl ester content. Coconut biodiesel oxidation showed a considerable low-temperature heat release as its composition is dominated by saturated methyl esters. On the other hand, canola oil biodiesel had negligible, largely suppressed, low-temperature heat release as it consists mainly of unsaturated methyl esters. Moreover, canola biodiesel exhibited oxidation characteristics similar to unsaturated methyl esters with a centered carbon double bond. The speciation studies identified multiple oxidation end-products in the exhaust gases of the tested fuels. The concentrations of these products correlate with the extent of the low-temperature heat release of the fuel. Sixty-four intermediate species were identified in the case of coconut and canola biodiesels. It was found that the oxidation products of biodiesel are similar to that of the saturated surrogate methyl decanoate. This suggests that the saturated methyl esters content may be primarily responsible for the low-temperature heat release. The unsaturated constituents in biodiesel, do not seem to participate and may suppress the low-temperature heat generation under the current test conditions. The present work verifies the approach of modeling the biodiesel oxidation as a combination of saturated and unsaturated simple methyl esters. Unsaturated methyl ester with a centered C = C double bond exhibit similar characteristics to canola oil biodiesel and are well suited as its surrogate fuels. Furthermore, the combustion of four decanoic acid-derived alkyl esters, namely methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl decanoate, were investigated in a Fuel Ignition Tester (FIT) using global measurements, to infer the influence of carbon number variation for the alkyl moiety within the alkoxy group on the autoignition delay times. It was observed that increasing the alcohol chain length increased fuel reactivity. However, this enhancement diminishes as the carbon number exceeds a certain value, eventually leading to a negative impact on the ester reactivity.doctoral, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1

'Ulama' al-shari'ah wa-'alaqatuhum bi-al-siyasah al-'Izz ibn 'Abd al-Salam namudhajan (660H) = Shariah scholars and their relationship with politics : a case study of al-'Iz ibn 'Abd al-Salam (660H) / Bara Barakat Hamad al-Gharibeh

In his thesis, "Shariah Scholars And Their Relationship With Politics: A Case Study of Al-'Iz Ibn 'Abd Al-Salam", the researcher reviewed the involvement of Shariah scholars in politics and their role in power and its elements, and concluded that there is nothing to prevent the Shariah scholars from practicing politics, forming and joining political parties and legislative councils. The researcher explained the concept of politics, and the emergence of political thought and its development in Islam, where Prophet Mohammad-peace be upon him- and his successors explicitly exercised political work. Then, the researcher demonstrated the legal and historical foundation of the involvement of Shariah scholars in politics, and how this involvement was interrupted due to the call of the secularists and modernists who have called for and promoted the separation between religion and politics. Here, the researcher discussed their unsound views by presenting historical examples of the role of Shariah scholars in politics, and the types of relationship that existed between Shariah scholars and Muslim rulers. Next, the researcher reviewed the biography of Imam Al-'Iz Ibn 'Abd Al-Salam including his upbringing, life, virtues and education. The researcher also reviewed his educational journey, his teachers (shjyookh), followers, writings, qualities and noble ethics. After that, the researcher pointed out the involvement of Imam Al-'Iz Ibn 'Abd Al-Salam in politics and governance in his time as well his stands and views concerning these issues. The last part of the research was allocated for the analyses of Imam Al-'Iz Ibn 'Abd Al-Salam political views and the lessons taken from them. And the researcher ended his research with a list of the most important conclusions and recommendations. The results of this research indicate that the withdrawal of Shariah scholars from the field of politics does not have any legitimate reason. Islamic Shariah encompasses all the life aspects: social, economic and political. Today the societies are in dire need for religious and dedicated scholars to save them from backwardness and corruption, and lead them towards dignity and development according to the commands of Allah SWT