Secularization in the Mind of Muslim Reformists: a Case Study of Nurcholish Madjid and Fouad Zakaria

Nurcholish Madjid (Indonesia) and Fouad Zakaria (Egypt) represent the two most influential Muslim thinkers concerned with the issue of secularization. This article is a comparative analysis of their ideas, which have triggered intellectual debate on the term “secula­ri­za­tion” and its implications in the Muslim world over the last three decades. Positing the discourse on secularization and secularism as a means to confront the obscurantist Islamist tide, both scholars use it as a starting point to discuss im­portant issues in the context of their respective countries about the necessity to reform the current social, political, cultural, and intellectual stagnancy. They differ, however, in perceiving the extent of the discourse of secularism. Using the term “secularization” very carefully, Madjid makes clear that it should not be understood as leading to secularism in Indonesia. Unlike Madjid, Zakaria, inheriting the secularism debate from his predecessors, is more oriented toward rescuing secularism before it totally disappears in Egypt

The humanistic roots of Islamic administration and leadership for education : philosophical foundations for cross-cultural and transcultural teaching

For a number of decades, a humanistic approach has been a minor but persistent one in the Western field of administrative and leadership studies, and only recently has been broadening to include other humanist traditions (Dierksmeier et al., 2011) and has yet to be fully explored in educational administration and its pedagogy and curriculum although some foundational work has been done (e.g., Samier, 2005). The focus in this chapter is on the Islamic humanist tradition as it relates to the teaching of educational administration and leadership in a Muslim context, with implications for cross-cultural and transcultural use. The second purpose of the chapter is to show the correspondences that exist between the Islamic and Western humanist traditions in terms of human values, knowledge and educational ideal, which in this chapter are argued to be close to the Western Idealist tradition and the German Bildung conception of education as well as the strong interpretive and hermeneutic foundations that originated in the Islamic tradition and which influenced the foundations of many relevant European schools of thought, particularly in the Enlightenment.The initial section of the chapter is a comparative examination of the central principles of the Islamic humanist tradition from the classical through to contemporary times with the Western humanist tradition as they relate to conceptions of the good, ethics, the construction of meaning and a set of higher order values predicated upon human dignity, integrity, empathy, well-being, and the public good (Goodman, 2003) covering a number of important scholars like Al Farabi, al Isfanhani, and Edward Said (e.g., Kraemer, 1986). In both, professions are viewed as meaningful work that allow for large measures of decision making, and are grounded in human qualities and needs including autonomy, freedom and emancipation balanced with responsibilities, obligations and duties to society. These are compared with the corresponding principles of knowledge in Western humanism which includes a strong constructivist view of reality (Makdisi, 1990). Secondly, the chapter examines the principles of good or ideal leadership and administration that humanism aims at in its preparation of officials, including those in the educational sector in both the classical Islamic tradition (Hassi, 2012) and Western approaches to humanistic administration and leadership (Czarniawska-Joerges & Guillet de Monthoux, 1994; Gagliardi & Czarniawska, 2006; Leoussi, 2000). The third section focusses on close correspondences that exist between the Islamic (Afsaruddin, 2016; al-Attas, 1980; Yasin & Jani, 2013) and Western (Aloni, 2007; Veugelers, 2011) humanist education traditions in terms of educational ideal as well as the kind of teaching practices that distinguish these traditions (Daiber, 2013; Dossett, 2014) as they apply to educational administration and leadership (Greenfield & Ribbins, 1993). The chapter concludes with a discussion of how the Islamic humanist tradition can contribute to cross-cultural and transcultural graduate teaching in international educational administration (Khan & Amann, 2013)

Psychological distress and life satisfaction among Black working adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black Americans. Rates of hospitalization, mortality, and morbidity increased and racial inequities in unemployment, job benefits, and working conditions widened. This study identifies specific factors associated with the well-being of Black adults in the U.S. workforce one year into the pandemic. Methods: Data came from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (N = 1,984). Ordinary least squares regressions were computed to identify correlates of psychological distress and life satisfaction among Black adults in the workforce two weeks prior to the survey. Results: Black workers experienced significant distress. Life satisfaction was particularly low among those who provided direct medical care. Having a job with paid sick leave was consistently associated with lower psychological distress. Low household food security was associated with higher psychological distress and with lower life satisfaction. Social support was positively associated with well-being. Conclusion: These findings have important implications for health in Black communities and for recruiting and retaining Black workers in the health care system. Supporting Black physicians matters for their mental health amidst growing rates of suicide in this population. As policymakers continue to develop and legislate policies to promote recovery from the social, economic, and health consequences of the pandemic, attention to how these policies will support all Black workers is critical

EMULSION LIQUID MEMBRANE EXTRACTION OF CERIUM IONS FROM ACIDIC SOLUTION USING CYANEX 301

Membrane processes for separation of chemical species from a mixture are gaining in importance and are emerging as a viable alternative to conventional separation processes. The emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technique was regarded as an emerging separation technology and was extensively examined for potential applications in such fields as hydrometallurgy, environmental engineering, biochemical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, and food technology. In the present work, the removal of Cerium ions from acidic solution by using an emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technique was investigated and we obtained > 98% efficiency with the treatment. For the transport of Ce(III) ions using Cyanex 301 as extractant, the effects of extractant and surfactant concentrations, mixing speed, concentration and type of stripping solution, phase ratio, treatment ratio, and nature of diluent on the extraction rate were studies. Under the optimum conditions, solvent extraction and stripping of Ce(III) ions were investigated

State of Autism in Morocco

The situation of diagnoses, treatments, and education for autistic children in Morocco is unknown. The goal of our project is to provide our sponsor, Autism Speaks, with a report documenting the experiences for families of autistic children in Morocco. In order to achieve this goal, we conducted surveys and interviews of people affected by autism and created a database system. Our results indicate a range of access to resources, networks, trained medical professionals, education, and basic services available to families

Error analysis of Sundanese English pronunciation on fricatives sound

ix, 64 hlm.; ilus.; 30 cm

Error analysis of Sundanese English pronunciation on fricatives sound

ix, 64 hlm.; ilus.; 30 cm