A Brief History of Islam in Europe

This book presents an overall presentation and discussion of developments ever since Islam appeared on the European stage thirteen centuries ago. The events and stories presented increase the understanding of present debates on, and notions of, Islam and Muslims in Europe. This book shows that in the course of thirteen centuries the Muslim as well as Islam have undergone many metamorphoses. The Muslim has entered the European stage as a conqueror, antichrist, scholar, benign ruler, corsair, tradesman and fellow citizen. The image of Islam has meandered accordingly, as a religion that was feared as an enemy or embraced as a partner against heretical Christians, despised as an abomination or admired as a civilization, and studied for missionary, academic, colonial or security purpose

Hilary Lewis Ruttley and Chibli Mallat (eds), Commercial Law in the Middle East

It is peculiar that law in the Middle East is of interest to western academics if it concerns Islamic law as such, family law and court procedural law, and to western lawyers if it concerns commercial law. The two hardly ever meet. An exception to the rule is probably Chibli Mallat, who moves on both terrains. The book Commercial Law in the Middle East, written whith Hilary Lewis Ruttley, is one of his many publications. The book is a collection of articles which gives a clear overview of com..

A brief history of Islam in Europe : Thirteen Centuries of Creed, Conflict and Coexistence

The leading questions in discussing the role of the Islam in Europe are: how and in what ways did Europeans and Muslims interact, and what is the role of religion therein? And for those Europeans who had never met a Muslim: what was their image of Islam, and how did they study the Muslim? This book shows that in the course of thirteen centuries the Muslim as well as Islam have undergone many metamorphoses. The Muslim has entered the European stage as a conqueror, antichrist, scholar, benign ruler, corsair, tradesman and fellow citizen. The image of Islam has meandered accordingly, as a religion that was feared as an enemy or embraced as a partner against heretical Christians, despised as an abomination or admired as a civilization, and studied for missionary, academic, colonial or security purpose.9789400601505 (ePDF)Wetensch. publicati

Review Essay : Three Recent Views on the Implementation of Islamic Law

In the past two decades the movement of « political Islam » – also labeled « resurgence », « revival », or « renewal » of Islam – has dominated the agenda of most Muslim countries. The call for the implementation of sharî'a law is one of the tenets of this movement This tenet, however, suffered from two shortcomings. First, the call for the sharî'a turned out to be more a battle cry than a clear program.Many Muslims will agree that the sharî'a should be applicable to their daily life, but few..

Applying shari'a in the West : facts, fears and the future of Islamic rules on family relations in the West

This volume provides new insights in the concept of shari’a in the West, and sets out a framework of how shari’a in the West can be studied. The premise of this volume is that one needs to focus on the question ‘What do Muslims do in terms of shari’a?’ rather than ‘What is shari’a?’. This perspective shows that the practice of Sharia is restricted to a limited set of rules that mainly relate to religious rituals, family law and social interaction. The framework of this volume then continues to explore two more interactions: the Western responses to these practices of shari’a and, in turn, the Muslim legal reaction to these responses.9789400601055 (pdf); 9789400601062 (epub)Wetensch. publicati

Decreased Muscle Strength in Children With Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot:Relation With Exercise Capacity

Background: The aim of this study is to describe muscle strength in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot compared with healthy peers and to analyze the correlation between muscle strength and peak oxygen uptake, exercise capacity (mL/min).Methods and Results: A prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out in the University Medical Center Groningen between March 2016 and December 2019, which included 8 -to-19-year-old patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Exclusion criteria comprised the following: Down syndrome, unstable pulmonary disease and severe scoliosis affecting pulmonary function, neuromuscular disease, and mental or physical limitations that prohibit the execution of the functional tests. Muscle strength was compared with 2 healthy pediatric cohorts from the Northern Netherlands. Handgrip strength, maximal voluntary isometric contraction, and dynamic muscle strength in correlation with peak oxygen uptake, exercise capacity (mL/min) were the main outcomes of the study. The 67 patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (42% female; aged 12.9 [interquartile range, 10.0-16.3] years old) were compared with healthy children. The patients showed reduced grip strength ( z-score [mean±SD] -1.5±1.2, P&lt;0.001), and total muscle strength ( z-score -0.9±1.3, P&lt;0.001). Dynamic strength (Bruininks-Oseretsky test) was significantly reduced ( z-score -0.3±0.8, P=0.001), but running, speed, and agility were normal ( z-score 0.1±0.7, P=0.4). Univariate correlation analyses showed strong correlations between absolute peak oxygen uptake, exercise capacity (mL/min), and muscle strength (grip strength r=0.83, total muscle strength r=0.88; P&lt;0.001). In multivariate analyses, including correction for age and sex, total muscle strength (B 0.3; P=0.009), and forced vital capacity (B 0.5; P=0.02) correlated with peak oxygen uptake, exercise capacity (mL/min), independent of conventional cardiovascular parameters.Conclusions: Children with repaired tetralogy of Fallot show reduced muscle strength, which strongly correlated with their exercise performance. </p

Economic Evaluations of Occupational Health Interventions from a Company’s Perspective: A Systematic Review of Methods to Estimate the Cost of Health-Related Productivity Loss

Objectives: To investigate the methods used to estimate the indirect costs of health-related productivity in economic evaluations from a company’s perspective. Methods: The primary literature search was conducted in Medline and Embase. Supplemental searches were conducted in the Cochrane NHS Economic Evaluation Database, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health database, the Ryerson International Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Index database, scans of reference lists and researcher’s own literature database. Article selection was conducted independently by two researchers based on title, keywords, and abstract, and if needed, full text. Differences were resolved by a consensus procedure. Articles were selected based on seven criteria addressing study population, type of intervention, comparative intervention, outcome, costs, language and perspective, respectively. Characteristics of the measurement and valuation of health-related productivity were extracted and analyzed descriptively. Results: A total of 34 studies were included. Costs of health-related productivity were estimated using (a combination of) data related to sick leave, compensated sick leave, light or modified duty or work presenteeism. Data were collected from different sources (e.g. administrative databases, worker self-report, supervisors) and by different methods (e.g. questionnaires, interviews). Valuation varied in terms of reported time units, composition and source of the corresponding price weights, and whether additional elements, such as replacement costs, were included. Conclusions: Methods for measuring and valuing health-related productivity vary widely, hindering comparability of results and decision-making. We provide suggestions for improvement

Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE); design of cohort studies in primary care: an international consortium

Background: Although back complaints are common among older people, limited information is available in the literature about the clinical course of back pain in older people and the identification of older persons at risk for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back pain. The aim of this study is to assess the course of back complaints and identify prognostic factors for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back complaints in older people who visit a primary health care physician. Methods/design. The design is a prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up. There will be no interference with usual care. Patients older than 55 years who consult a primary health care physician with a new episode of back complaints will be included in this study. Data will be collected using a questionnaire, physical examination and X-ray at baseline, and follow-up questionnaires afte