Traditional Islam: Historical Formation and Current Challenges
Present-day discussions about “traditional Islam” bear relevance to the crisis of identity arising from Muslim encounters with modernity, as well...
Read moreBooks
Religions in Iraqi Kurdistan
Al-Mesbar’s 136th monthly book explores the religious and sectarian diversity of the area. In addition to Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims,...
Read more
Naqshbandism: Text, History, Impact
Al-Mesbar’s 134th monthly book, Naqshbandism: Text, History, Impact (February 2018), examines the theological and social history of Sufism’s esteemed Naqshbandi...
Read more
Islamists and Education Curricula in the Arab World, Turkey and Iran
In addition to their involvement in politics, Islamists in many Arab and Muslim countries have achieved “social depth” by significantly...
Read more
After Qatar
Since Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ascended to Qatar’s throne in 1995 following a palace coup against his father, the...
Read more
Akbari Sufism: Ibn Arabi, History and Text
In Al-Mesbar’s 131st monthly book, we share further knowledge of Sufism, popular Islam, and traditional and parallel religiosity — by...
Read more
References of a Terrorist Mentality: Resources and Ideas
Islamist movements draw on a range of historical and contemporary source materials to fuel their ideologies. In 2013, one study...
Read more
The State in Arab and Islamic Theory: Roots and Challenges
The concept of the nationstate did not enter Arab political discourse in earnest until the second half of the twentieth...
Read more
Child Recruitment: ISIS, Houthis, Boko Haram
The most vulnerable victims of the scars of war — whether physical, psychological, or cultural — are children. One type...
Read more
Returning Fighters from Conflict Zones: Challenges and Capacities
The crisis in Syria — together with the broader escalation in Islamist militancy, proxy wars, and shifting political alignments —...
Read more
Salafism in Iraqi Kurdistan: History, Media, Criticism
The Kurdish question is one the most vital national struggles in the region. Its trajectory is most easily observed in...
Read more