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result(s) for
"Al-Atawneh, Muhammad"
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Is Saudi Arabia a Theocracy? Religion and Governance in Contemporary Saudi Arabia
This article describes and explains the relationships between religion and government in contemporary Saudi Arabia. It discusses the extent to which religion is practically involved in politics and governance by examining the mechanisms of domination, the actual relationships between religious scholars ('ulama') and rulers (umara'), and the means by which authority is actually implemented. The current Saudi regime, I would suggest, is best described as a theo-monarchy, that draws power from longstanding religio-cultural norms. In this context, Wahhabi Islam seems to authorize a distinctive government paradigm, one not yet recognized by the relevant Islamic literature.
Journal Article
Epidemics in the Medieval Islamic Near East: Theological and Religio-legal Reflections
This article elaborates on the classical Islamic discourse about epidemics in the medieval Near East, with special attention to the crucial question: How were faith and reason presented in the medieval Islamic theological discourse on epidemics? To best address this question, we have chosen an analytical framework for studying how values, beliefs, and scientific assumptions are expressed in theological and medical discourses by various prominent Muslim scholars from different Islamic schools of thought. These scholars appear to have overcome the seeming contradiction between reason (al-akhdh bi'alasbab) and belief (tawakkul) by discovering a \"complementarity theory\" that allowed for a more flexible approach to epidemics, particularly the Black Death, and the application of certain medical and scientific practices without challenging or negating fundamental belief principles. The main conclusion of this study is that Muslim scholars and physicians acknowledged prophetic medicine and the need to take all necessary precautions to prevent and fight epidemics.
Journal Article
Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity
This book examines Dār al-Iftā, the official Saudi religious establishment for issuing fatwas, between 1971 and 1999. Specifically, it explores the challenges that this scholarly body encountered when applying Wahhābī interpretations of the Shari'a to late twentieth-century modernity.
eBook
Wahhabi Self-Examination Post-9/11: Rethinking the 'Other', 'Otherness' and Tolerance
Saudi Arabia found itself under an unflattering spotlight in the wake of the events of 9/11, perhaps more than any other country in the Middle East. The fact that 15 of the 19 suicide skyjackers were Saudi citizens provoked an avalanche of criticism in the West as well as in some parts of the Islamic and Arab world against Saudi religious beliefs, rulers, social customs, and school curricula. This article traces the Wahhabi Post-9/11 ideological \"self-examination\" of relationships with non-Wahhabis. Emphasis will be placed on the current Wahhabi perceptions of the fundamental terms of \"other\" and \"otherness\" that are most likely to affect relationships between the Wahhabis and other cultures and religious groups. I argue that post-9/11 Wahhabi Islam acknowledges the problematic nature of its traditional perception of the 'other' and, therefore, is making significant and unprecedented efforts to reformulate and redefine religious doctrines, such as jihad, tolerance, interfaith dialogue and so forth.
Journal Article
The Study of Islam and Muslims in Israel
The Islamic revival in Israel has attracted the attention of scholars from various fields, who have tried to understand its impact on the local Muslim minority. The article illuminates basic flaws in the study of Islam and Muslims in Israel and suggests additional research directions that may enrich this subject-matter. It criticizes the predominant focus on the IM and its attitude towards the State of Israel, while disregarding the existence of a much wider spectrum of voices speaking on a variety of significant issues. We ask what impact Islamization has on Muslim-Jewish relations in Israel, and also suggest the need for more research and literature on the interactions in Israel between the Muslim minority and other local Arab, non-Jewish, and Jewish minorities, and abroad. Two other questions are discussed: How should we approach Islamic fundamentalism in the Israeli context? and What does it represent vis-à-vis the State of Israel and the dominant Israeli society and culture?
Journal Article
Leisure and Entertainment (malāhī) in Contemporary Islamic Legal Thought: Music and the Audio-Visual Media
The status of leisure and entertainment (hereafter: malāhī) is an age-old issue that emerged during the very early stages of Islam and is still being debated today. Generations of Muslim scholars and jurists have attempted to identify and delineate the permissible and the forbidden in this regard to accommodate the socio-cultural contexts of their respective societies. This article examines contemporary Islamic discourse on entertainment, particularly music and audio-visual media, e.g., television, Internet, cinema and theater. How do contemporary Muslim scholars define and relate to malāhī? What is the nature and characteristics of legitimate entertainment and leisuretime activities from the Islamic religio-legal perspective? I suggest that modern-day Muslim scholars, like their predecessors, never came to an agreement on the nature and scope of malāhī. These scholars merely acknowledge that different ethico-legal boundaries are applied to malāhī in contemporary Muslim societies.
Journal Article
Wahhābī Legal Theory as Reflected in Modern Official Saudi Fatwās: Ijtihād, Taqlīd, Sources, and Methodology
AbstractThe purpose of this essay is to open a window into Wahhābī legal theory as reflected in modern-day official Saudi fatwās. Discussion includes ijtihād, taqlīd, madhhab affiliation, sources and methodology. Emphasis is placed on continuity and change in light of the country's official school of law, the Hanbalī madhhab. I show that, in principle, modern-day Wahhābīs remain faithful to the tenets of Hanbalism by privileging adherence to the text and to transmitted tradition (naql) over reason ('aql). It is evident, however, that Wahhābīs now go beyond Hanbalism, drawing their legal inspiration not only from their Hanbalī intellectual forebears, but also from a wide array of non-Hanbalī traditions and scholars. Moreover, Wahhābī legal theory today breaks from classical Hanbalī legal epistemology as presented by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) and his disciples. This is manifested especially in: (1) limiting the practice of ijtihād to qualified scholars; (2) endorsing taqlīd for those unqualified to investigate the sacred texts; and (3) identifying public interest (maslaha) in accordance with the five objectives (maqāsid) of the Sharī'a.
Journal Article
Is Saudi Arabia a theocracy? Religion and government in contemporary Saudi Arabia
To address the question of to what extent the current Saudi monarchies accommodate theocracy, al-Atawneh first examines contemporary Wahhabi theories of politics and governance, specifically the question of authority. Two fundamental Islamic principles are addressed in this respect: sovereignty and authority-holders. The extent to which religion is practically involved in politics and governance is discussed, by examining the mechanisms of domination, the actual relationships between religious scholars and rulers and the means by which authority is actually implemented. The current Saudi regime, it is suggested, is best described as a theo-monarchy, one that draws power from long-standing religio-cultural norms. In this context, Wahhabi Islam seems to authorise a distinctive government paradigm, one not yet recognised by the relevant Islamic literature.
Journal Article
