leidenislamblog — page 7

History · Religious practices, ideas and experiences

The Intriguing Messages of a Muslim Slave's Tombstone

Jelle Bruning taps a new source for the history of slavery among early Muslim communities and shows what funerary epigraphy can tell us about how ninth-century Muslims dealt with their deceased slaves.

History · Art, literature and media

Middle Eastern Manuscripts in the Digital World

Peter Webb discusses the shortcomings of studying printed editions of Arabic sources, and introduces a new Leiden initiative designed to help overcome the pitfalls: Mouse&Manuscript, a free online suite of lessons covering the essentials of how to read Middle Eastern manuscripts.

Art, literature and media

Mirroring the Other: The Feminist Narration of Islamic Glass Art in Works of Monir Farmanfarmaian

Delaram Hosseinioun discusses the mirror art of dame Monir Farmanfarmaian, through the lens of Judith Butler’s theories on feminine Otherness, highlighting the influence of the fourteenth-century Shāh Chérāgh Mosque on Farmanfarmaian’s work.

The Mughal Experiment with Islamic Extremism: A Sixteenth-Century Lesson for Today

Religious extremism is not limited to Islam or to the present. Said Reza Huseini delves into the past to find a policy that actually worked: Mughal Emperor Akbar’s “Peace with All” ideology.

Islam in the Netherlands · Debates on Islam in Europe

Het Nederlands waardendebat en islam

'Is islam verenigbaar met westerse waarden?' Maurits Berger ontleedt het ‘waardendebat’ en beargumenteert dat wat er schuurt tussen gelovige moslims en de Nederlandse samenleving niet de politiek-juridische waarden van vrijheid en democratie zijn, maar cultureel-religieuze tradities en gewoontes.

History · State, politics and society

Dutch Fire Diplomacy in Early Modern Istanbul

Like in any other metropole of the early modern world, city fires formed an imminent danger in Ottoman Istanbul. The diplomatic representatives of the Netherlands reported dozens of these fire incidents from their Dutch Palace in the Galata district, not only as spectators but also as victims.