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An online publication of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University

Jihad

The Saint and the Sword: How Sufi Scholars of the Nineteenth Century Resisted Colonialism and State Repression 

By Farah El-Sharif  //  January 31, 2023February 1, 2023

“War on terror”-style rhetoric was not always directed against Salafi jihadis. Its targets were once Sufi Muslims. It is hard to believe that Sufism, which today is associated with political quietism and docile pacifism, was…

An Islamic Jihad of Nonviolence: Said Nursi’s Model

By Salih Sayilgan  //  April 30, 2019May 1, 2019

I have been teaching courses on Islam and world religions for almost a decade now. I have not only taught undergraduate and graduate courses at various institutions, but also engaged with local faith communities. Throughout…

Reconceptualizing the Military Jihad on the Basis of Non-Legal Literature

By Asma Afsaruddin  //  June 28, 2018June 28, 2018

In popular and, to a degree, in academic literature as well, jihad is assumed to be a monovalent concept referring exclusively to “military/armed combat.” Even in academic discourses, jihad is often explained as a term…

The Spiritual Significance of Jihād in Islamic Economics: The Need for a New Economic Paradigm

By Waleed El-Ansary  //  March 23, 2017March 24, 2017

I begin with three questions: What is the spiritual significance of jihād?  What does this have to do with Islamic economics? Why does a proper understanding of jihād show the need for a new economic…

Refighting the Past in the Present: Modern Conflicts and the Mobilizing and Contesting of Sacred History

By Christopher Anzalone  //  November 17, 2016November 17, 2016

The creation and strategic utilization, and selective sectarianization of sacred history is a key component of contemporary conflicts between competing social movements and armed groups around the world. This article will highlight the deployment of…

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Maydan

An online publication of AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University

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