religion

Religious practices, ideas and experiences

Modern Articulations of the Pilgrimage to Mecca

How do air travel and smartphones affect Muslims’ experience of the hajj? What is the impact of modern practices on the transformative experience as described in historical accounts? Marjo Buitelaar discusses continuities and changes, as part of the findings of her most recent project.

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.

History · Religious practices, ideas and experiences · Interreligious relations

Dietary Laws and the Birth of Islam

Foodways are an integral part of identity, and the proto-Muslim community was no exception. Based on Quranic proclamations on dietary laws, Mehdy Shaddel shows that among the early opponents of Islam there probably were “gentile” adherents of “Jewish” food laws.

Radical voices against Islam within the Church hierarchy in Greece

In May 2014, Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki argued that "the major problem in Europe is not the financial crisis, but the penetration of Muslims." These words might epitomize a reservation of many members of the Orthodox Church of Greece towards Islam.