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This essay explores the intricate dynamics of Central Asian religious identity in the context of global and local changes. It examines the interactions between Islam and local pre-Islamic traditions, with a primary focus on R. Charles Weller's book titled, Pre-Islamic Survivals in Muslim Central Asia: Tsarist, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Ethnography in World Historical Perspective. Through a comprehensive assessment of the book, the essay investigates the survival and evolution of pre-Islamic traditions within Central Asia's Muslim communities. The book contributes to the field of Central Asian studies by offering a specialised analysis and shedding light on the formation of religious history and identity in Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the political inclusion of Islamist groups in the Middle East, beginning with a general overview of Islamism’s typologies. It is argued that Islamist movements are multifaceted not just conceptually and practically, but also in terms of moderation, dogmatism and their adaptation to contemporary trends for selfpreservation and the desire for political power, for example. The essential Islamic teachings, subject to various interpretations, are a foundation for the diversity of these movements. Islamic groups have proven they are capable of developing effective political strategies for social and political activities. Nonetheless, certain organisations have utilised the disparity in authority between civil and religious institutions to their advantage. The article examines how Islamist parties may succeed in achieving their political objectives and how this might affect strategic possibilities and constraints. It concludes with a discussion of the integration of Islamist groups into mainstream politics and their future prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the findings in current research focusing on the implementation of Islamic law in Europe. It explores the concept of fiqh al-aqalliyyāt (minority jurisprudence) or context-specific jurisprudence and how it is debated and contested in Europe. While shedding light on a normative application of Islamic law, the paper focuses on the role and work of European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) and how it has made an important contribution to addressing issues related to Muslim communities by issuing fatwas based on the methodology of fiqh al-aqalliyyāt. Since a wide range of actors both in Europe and the Islamic world currently voice calls in favour of integration of Muslims in Europe as opposed to assimilation and segregation, the paper attempts to understand the specific grammar of this integration talk and how it translates into fiqh discourse produced by the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation -- the growing interpenetration of ideas, states, and markets across borders -- has not only fostered the very blurring of distances but also growing avenues of appeal for citizens suppressed by their own states. There is no doubt that, in contemporary times, international norms and institutions for the protection of human rights are more developed than at any previous point in history. However, assaults on basic human rights continue, and the emergence of a global human rights regime may also be engendering new sources of human rights abuse. This paper examines how these developments have transformed the complex and mutable relationship between human rights and Islam and how this relationship is readjusting in response to the changing global situation. Focusing on the dramatic expansion of human rights discourse in the Muslim world, the paper argues that, for critics of Islam, the position on the incompatibility of Islam and human rights, which assumes two settled entities in an unstable relationship, is becoming hard to sustain -- as is the position on the Western origin of human rights. The main implication of this study is that human rights principles can be a binding international norm in a globalised world and that many normative conventions can play a pioneering role in promoting these rights and contribute to the emergence of a multicultural society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In much of the popular literature, globalisation is frequently associated with an increasing economic integration. However, from the perspective of Muslim minorities, globalisation has led to phenomenal changes in the processes of integration and identity construction that have resulted in a flourishing of composite discourses and narratives on integration and identity. This paper explores the issues related to Muslim minorities in the context of globalisation. While examining the issues related to Muslim immigration and integration, it attempts to understand how far the policies of immigration and integration have bolstered insecurity and exclusion within the multicultural societies in the West. Furthermore, this paper analyses the emergence of multiple identities among Muslim minority groups in response to discriminatory policies and practices. Finally, in order to situate the Muslim minorities in an endless pursuit of developing an open, free and diverse political community, the paper focuses on a meaningful dialogue that attempts to promote inclusion within the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]