Ghosts: أشباح

Original work by Shawn Whit

Islamic Calligraphy

Because the Islamic faith prohibits the pictorial representation of the created world, calligraphy has long been an important art form among those who adhere to Islam. Islamic calligraphy then employs the Arabic script, which is comprised of twenty-eight letters, as well as a number of diacritical marks. This art form was originally conceived to preserve the Qur’an, the Muslim Holy book. Islamic calligraphy has since evolved into eighteen different forms of writing. The most common styles are Kufic, Naskh, Riq’a, Thuluth, Persian, Taliq, and Nastaliq. Kufic is very angular, and is composed of squares and horizontal strokes. Naskh consists of rounded letters and thin lines. Riq’a and Naskh make up most of all printed material in Arabic. Thuluth was introduced in the 13th century. The name indicates that 1/3 of the letter slides downward below the line, thus displaying ample curves. Persian, Taliq, and Nastaliq styles are characterized by strong cursive with exaggerated long horizontal strokes. The style of Diwani was developed in the 16th century by Housam Roumi and reached its peak under the reign of Suleyman 1st (the Magnificent). This form of script writing was used for both decorative and communicative purposes. Calligraphy, along with the art of mosaic, is still used to decorate mosques, shrines, courtyards and houses. The first were the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque were constructed between 687 and 691 CE by the 9th Umayyad caliph. The most commonly reproduced phrases are “Bismi Allah al-Rahman al-Raheem,” “al-hamdu lillah,” Muhammad Rsul Allah,” “La ilaaha illa Allah.” Their respective meanings are: “In the name of God, the most merciful most gracious,” “all praise be to the God,” “Mohammad is the Prophet of God” and “there is no God but He.” Each calligrapher developed his own style. By interweaving written words these artists were able to produce anthropomorphic figures such as praying figures. Other shapes include elephants, ships, mosques and geometric patterns

Conversion to Islam and Family Relations in Contemporary Britain

This dissertation explores the role of kinship relations in conversion to Islam in contemporary Britain. While the Pauline notion of conversion, which is a Christian concept, presupposes radical change brought on by an outer event, narratives of conversion to Islam convey a sense of continuity, where conversion happens as a natural, almost inconspicuous development of faith. The process of conversion is thus presented as a cumulative acquisition of knowledge, which is in line with one’s path in life up to that point, mirroring what I call ‘Islam’s autobiography’ in its presentation of Islam as the natural continuation of the former monotheisms. Instead, the realm of conflict as presented in narratives of conversion is the realm of family. ‘Coming out’ as Muslim vis-à-vis one’s family was perceived as an anxiety-filled and nerve-wracking process akin to those described in literature on gay kinship. The way in which Islam is positioned as ‘other’ within a Western, Muslim-minority context defines converts’ primary concern with a social re-positioning vis-à-vis their families, and society at large. Narrating continuity and presenting conversion in terms of rationalism helps the converts to position themselves as modern subjects, while mystical experiences and the narration of dreams are rarely revealed, despite their significance. The social re-positioning that conversion to Islam entails also demands a re-drawing of boundaries, which becomes apparent through the study of the material objects that are significant in conversion narratives, where items like food and clothing can not only be markers of difference but can also constitute sites of rejection or accommodation between the converts and their families. The project of ethical self-formation, which some converts engage in through embodied practices like ritual purification, has the side effect of drawing boundaries between the converts and their families, but also between the converts and their old selves, which can result in the ethical dilemma of living in an enduring dual ethical situation. I argue that, rather than focusing on inner re-orientation, conversion to Islam in contemporary Britain requires a model of conversion that privileges social re-positioning, particularly in relation to the family.School of Arts and Humanities Centre of Islamic Studie

Child Pain Matters: A Training Protocol for General Nursing Staff in an Infusion Center on Procedural Anxiety in Pediatric Patients with Crohn\u27s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Procedural anxiety is a broad concept that encompasses fear, distress, and pain. Anxiety is the most critical factor affecting pain perception. There is a growing body of literature suggesting that early pain might have long-term consequences. There is also research evidence that has linked inadequately managed pain in the pediatric population to negative behavioral and physiological consequences later in life. Pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. These chronic conditions often require multiple and repeated medical procedures that may cause pediatric patients to experience procedural anxiety. Needle related procedures are any procedures involving the use of needles for medical purposes such as immunization, venipuncture, IV insertions, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injections. The literature and relevant theories are discussed. A proposed training protocol for nursing staff in an infusion center is presented and this author created resource handouts for nurses, parents, and caregivers. A social narrative written by this author is presented. Also included are distraction card easel prototypes developed by this author to be used as a distraction technique to reduce procedural anxiety. An illustrative case study is presented to show the application of psychological interventions in reducing procedural anxiety. The future utility of the protocol, adapting to individual differences, and future directions are discussed. Keywords: Procedural anxiety, pediatric, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), social narrative, distraction, needle related procedures, comfort positions, procedural support

The Spatial Analysis for Bassia eriophora (Schrad.) Asch. Plant Distributed in all IRAQ by Using RS & GIS Techniques

تشكل المزروعات النسبة الاعظم من الغطاء الارضي للكرة الارضية، وازداد الاهتمام بالمزروعات لأنها تمثل عنصر التوازن للطبيعة البيولوجية والحفاظ على التوازن الطبيعي للمتغيرات المتسارعة نتيجة الاستخدامات البشرية المنتظمة والعشوائية، ومنها موضوع دراستنا الحالية الباسيا ايروفورا (Bassia eriophora) والتي تمثل جزء اساسي من ضمن نظام الامم المتحدة لتصنيف الغطاء الارضي (LCCS)  والذي طور من قبل منظمة الغذاء العالمي (FAO) و المنظمة العالمية للبرامج البيئية (UNEP)، وذلك لمراقبة العناصر البيئية الاساسية بواسطة التقنيات الحديثة.وعلى الرغم من وجود هذا النبات في كل انحاء العراق، وجدنا ان اكثر هذا النبات يتواجد بصورة اساسية في الوسط وقسم منه في جنوب العراق وفي المناطق الرطبة وقرب الانهار والمسطحات المائية. الفكرة الاساسية هي كيفية استخدام تلك التقنيات لمراقبة نبات الباسيا وتوزيعها, وذلك لاخذ التدابير لنمو هذا النبات وانتشاره والاستفاده منه, علاوة على ذلك, معرفة والسيطرة على اتساع هذه المناطق في العراق والاستعداد لها. وفهم المعلومات عن المناخ وتنوع مواطن المستعمرات النباتية وتغطيتها بنماذج الخرائط , هذه الطريقة بمقدورها ان ترشدنا الى التخطيط بنجاح والحماية والسيطرة على بيئة الحياة النباتية. في هذه الدراسة تم تطبيق تقنيات الاستشعار عن بعد ونظم المعلومات الجغرافي بمراقبة وتوزيع نبات Bassia eriophora  في العراق, حصلنا على البيانات من(BAG) , (BUNH) , (BUH). هذه البيانات تحتوي فقط على العنوان (مكان الانبات), تم الكشف عن هذه المعلومات (العناوين) وتحديدها وتغطيتها لكل المناطق التي اخذت العينات منها بواسطة تقنيات صور التوابع الارضية و الصور الماخوذة من الجو و بعض سجلات البيانات التي توجد فيها المعالم الاساسية لهذه المناطق.        Most vegetation’s are Land cover (LC) for the globe, and there is an increased attention to plants since they represent an element of balance to natural ecology and maintain the natural balance of rapid changes due to systematic and random human uses, including the subject of the current study (Bassia eriophora ) Which represent an essential part of the United Nations system for land cover classification (LCCS), developed by the World Food Organization (FAO) and the world Organization for environmental program (UNEP), to observe basic environmental elements with modern techniques. Although this plant is distributed all over Iraq, we found that this plant exists primarily in the middle and southern parts of Iraq in wet areas and near rivers or catchment area or water basins.  The main idea is how to use this techniques to monitor the distribution of the plants (Bassia eriophora), in order to utilize and take provisions of plant growth and diffusion, Moreover, know and control the breadth of these areas in Iraq and prepare for them, and understanding climates and the variable plantation habitats and mapping patterns, may lead to a successful environmental protection and dominance plan. In this study, monitoring the distribution of Bassia eriophora in Iraq by apply remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques. The data was obtained from (BAG) National Herbarium of Iraq, Ministry of Agriculture. (BUNH) Iraq Natural History Research Centre and Museum, University of Baghdad the University Herbarium (BUH) in College of Science at University of Baghdad. This data contains only the address (place of germination), this information (addresses) was detected, identified and covered for all areas sampled by the techniques of satellite imagery and images taken from the air and some data records where the main features of these areas