Al Azhar

There is widespread scholarly agreement that al-Azhar rose to prominence as an Islamic center of learning in the sixteenth century, as Arab provinces were adjusting to Ottoman administration. This article examines the development of a locker system at al-Azhar, one of several structural changes that took place between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, in addition to the expansion of fraternities. I argue that this material infrastructure, which was supported by modest endowments, served as a crucial scaffold for teaching and learning at al-Azhar and contributed to its rising status as an educational institution. Shari'a court records reveal that the growing importance of lockers was the result of (1) decisions made by ordinary men and women about the endowment , subdivision, and circulation of lockers and (2) Ottoman legal reforms and innovations. In this way, a seemingly peripheral material object may serve as a site for exploring al-Azhar's development as an educational institution.

“Susuhunan ing Kalijaga anyiosaken kang ringgit, umatur Susuhunan Bonang, sumangga dinamel kalih rampug sakathahing Wali miwah gusti Sunan Ratu, Kajoran kinen damelaken nyithak dados kekalih ingkang kajiyad ing Pangeran Kajoran. Gelise ingkang carita, ringgit wus cinitak, kalih Kajoran wus winastanan, Pangrean Kalingireki wus katur ing para Wali, sampun dados sakati kang dinamela. Sawise nganggit gamelan, amangun keramat Wali, Pasarean ing Astana, dinamel kalaning wengi, anuju ing tahun Alip, ping sadasa riyayanya, terape ing ba’da Isa, anuju sampun radin, sigra bubar sakathahing Wali Sanga”( Babad Cirebon: Pupuh Sinom )
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“Sunan Kalijaga berkenan menyerahkan wayang, Sunan Bonang meminta agar segera dibuatkan dan diperbanyak. Semua para Wali menerimanya dan setuju untuk dipergelarkan. Gusti Sunan Ratu yaitu Sunan Purba, segera memerintahkan Pangeran Kajoran melakukan pembuatanya. Pangeran Kajoran kemudian membuat wayang dan setelah selelsai segera pula diserahkannya, para Wali menerima semua wayang yng telah dibuat dan Pangeran Kajoran disebut dengan nama Pangeran Kalang. Selanjutnya para Wali membuat gamelan, sebagai pengiring pertunjukan. Pada tanggal 10 riyaya ( Raya Agung=Besar ) tahun Alip malam hari mulai ba’da isa diadakan “Pakeliran Wayang Kulit” di Gunung Sembun, pada malam itu para wali berkenan membangun keramat Wali sebuah tajug di Gunung Sembung semalam telah jadi. Waktu subuh semua telah selesai, para Wali kembali pulang ketempat masing-masing”( Babad Cirebon: Pupuh Sinom )

This paper explores some forms of female identity in post-revolutionary Egypt. It analysis two documents issued on Muslim women’s rights after the 2011 uprising. The first one is Al-Azhar Position Paper on Women’s Rights (Waṯīqat al–Azhar lil-mar’ah), issued in 2013. The second one is Alexandria Declaration on Women’s Rights in Islam (I‘lān al–Iskandariyyah ḥawla “ḥuqūq al–mar’ah fī’l–islām”), issued in 2014. Egyptian Islamic feminists have been involved in the drafting of Alexandria Declaration, which initially was the draft of Al-Azhar Position Paper. The article has three aims: 1) to provide a comparative reading of these documents, 2), to highlight the contribution of Egyptian Islamic feminists in the contemporary renewal of Islamic discourse and production of organic gender equality-based religious knowledge, 3), to reveal how al-Azhar and the civil society actors represent Muslim women’s identity. Moreover, it addresses that the collaboration between the religious establishment and Islamic feminists is fundamental for the consolidation of a female identity that not only respects Islamic tradition but also is aware of the challenges of the new era.

Typically, Singaporean students reading Islamic studies choose to study at one of the universities in the Middle East. The Al-Azhar University (in Egypt), the Islamic University of Madinah (in Saudi Arabia), and universities in Jordan are among the more popular choices. The formation of Islamic universities in Malaysia since the 1980s has given these students alternatives. The International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), is the second most popular destination for madrasah students after Al-Azhar. This Perspective examines the pros and cons of studying in these universities. It hopes to inform the planning for the Singapore Islamic College (SIC), if it is even necessary to have one in the first place. Concerns regarding Islamic education should go beyond the fields of security and terrorism and the threat of “Arabisation”. Rather, the primary focus should be how Islamic education can facilitate graduates’ immersion into Singapore’s secular and
multi-racial setting.

This paper explores the trajectories of Islamist  movements in Egypt in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings. The abrupt reshuffling of the status quo brought about by the 2011 popular protests saw the Muslim Brotherhood moving quickly from the periphery to the centre of Egyptian politics, only to be pushed once again to its margins while being violently suppressed. As the movement has arguably entered a state of stagnation, the historical struggle for Islamic legitimacy in the country is witnessing the relationships between old actors being shaped by new dynamics. Therefore, this paper traces the transformations that Salafism, Al Azhar and the Muslim Brotherhood have undergone since 2011, and argues that each of these actors is facing fundamental questions about their identity.

Background: Arthritis is very common but is not well understood. Actually, "arthritis" is not a single disease; it is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis and related conditions. People of all ages, sexes and races can and do have arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability in America. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older. Common arthritis joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. Symptoms may come and go. They can be mild, moderate or severe. They may stay about the same for years, but may progress or get worse over time. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, inability to do daily activities and make it difficult to walk or climb stairs. Arthritis can cause permanent joint changes. These changes may be visible, such as knobby finger joints, but often the damage can only be seen on X-ray. Some types of arthritis also affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys and skin as well as the joints. Objectives: The main goal of this expert system is to get the appropriate diagnosis of disease and the correct treatment and give the appropriate method of treatment through several tips that concern the disease and how to treat it and we will see it through the application on the expert system. Methods: in this paper the design of the proposed Expert System which was produced to help Orthopedist in diagnosing Arthritis disease through its symptoms such as: pain on pressure in a joint , Inflammation indicated by joint swelling, Stiffness especially in the morning , Loss of flexibility of joint, Limited, joint movement, Deformity of the joints , Weight loss and fatigue , Non-specific fever and Crepitus. The proposed expert system presents an overview about Arthritis disease is given, the cause of diseases is outlined and the treatment of disease whenever possible is given out. SL5 Object Expert System language was used for designing and implementing the proposed expert system. Results: The proposed Arthritis disease diagnosis expert system was evaluated by Orthopedics students and they were satisfied with its performance. Conclusions: The Proposed expert system is very useful for Orthopedist, patients with arthritis and newly graduated Orthopedics students.

Background: pregnancy in teenagers is not free of risks. The risk of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm delivery is particularly high among teenagers. LBW is significantly higher in young teenagers aged 13–19 years. Objectives: Evaluation of fetal outcome in teenage pregnancy in Assiut governorate, Egypt. Patients and methods: This study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology of Al-Azhar University Hospital (Assiut) Egypt, as a descriptive comparative study that compares the fetal outcome of teenage pregnancy with that of adult pregnancy, in 3 years, retrospective in (2011and 2012) and prospective in (2013).there were a 953 and 1162 woman in a teenage and an adult groups respectively fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Result: There was a significantly increased risk of preterm labor more in teenager group (13.1% vs 3.0% P=0.001) while post term more in Adults group (3.3%vs13.0% P=0.001). On the other hand Low birth weight (LBW), intra uterine growth retardations...

La “revolution du 25 Janvier” ebranle un regime despotique qui domine depuis plusieurs decennies l’Egypte et annonce surement une nouvelle ere pour tous les peuples de la region. Il n’existait cependant en France aucun ouvrage de reference examinant a la fois les transformations profondes de la societe egyptienne et les blocages institutionnels et politiques propres au regime de l’expresident Moubarak. Pour combler cette lacune, quarante chercheurs et universitaires, qui comptent parmi les meilleurs specialistes de l’Egypte, se proposent dans la presente somme d’analyser tous les aspects de la vie economique, sociale, politique et culturelle du pays et de tracer des pistes de refl exion permettant d’aborder les derniers evenements dans leur veritable contexte, au-dela des prejuges et des cliches. On trouvera ainsi des chapitres substantiels sur les tensions demographiques et leur impact sur l’amenagement du territoire et l’environnement ; la situation politique et les mecanismes qui...

This chapter investigates the attempts to reform al-Azhar religious education during the pre and post 25th January Revolution era. It attempts to demonstrate that the reform of al-Azhar religious curricula has been going on for almost a decade but it took faster and more intensive steps after the revolution. It questions to what extent new reforms of the religious education reflects nation-state democratic principles of citizenship, justice and equality of all state subjects. The chapter is divided into two main parts. Part One provides a historical account, reviewing the history of al-Azhar both as an educational center and as a public social political institution. The objective of this part is to investigate how al-Azhar gained its status in the modern world, and what role it played and is expected to play in Egyptian life. Part Two examines the question of reforming al-Azhar’s current religious curriculum in the post 25th January Revolution era. The paper examines curriculum changes in pre-university education (ages 11-17), with a special reference to curriculum changes for first-year prep students (K7 students; age 11-12). It attempts to answer the question: To what extent do curriculum modifications at that level respond to the debate on religious education reform, and in what way does it correspond to political changes and democratic principles in the post 25th January Egyptian Revolution era?

The reason for the Western biases against the modern, western, and democratic part of the Turkish establishment is to be found in the strengths of Turkey, a vast country with great periphery (from the Balkans to Central Asia and from the Middle East to Africa) and even greater potentialities.
Originally published in AfroArticles, American Chronicle, and Buzzle on 23rd May 2007
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/western-biases-against-non-extremist-muslims-and-the-west-sinister-end.html

Republished in:
http://womensapparelhub.blogspot.com/2007/08/western-biases-against-non-extremist.html

As the Turks and Turkish history are mentioned in Egypt, a period of a little longer than a thousand years comes to mind. The Turkish sovereignty, which began with the Tulunids, continued with the Mamluk and Ottoman states for centuries. Turks played an important role in Egypt's political and cultural life. During this period, many cultural heritage remained from the Turks. However, the remaining heritage could not be revealed enough. Turkish manuscripts are scattered around libraries all over the World and in particular to Turkey libraries. For the last 100 years, cataloging of manuscripts in these libraries has been done and continues to be done. Thanks to these studies, lists of cultural, literary and scientific works belonging to Turkish history are revealed and the dark points of history are illuminated thanks to scientific studies on these works. In this article, Turkish manuscripts in the manuscript library linked to the Egyptian al-Azhar Sheikhdom (Mashhiyat al-Azhar) will be introduced. In this library is the second largest library in Egypt after the National Library. Turkish manuscripts in the library are included in the 'Lugat al-Sharqiyah' collection. Lugat al-Sharqiyah collection consists of Turkish and Persian manuscripts. There are 431 volumes of works in the collection, which consists mostly of Turkish works. In the article, about 193 Turkish works; information such as work title, author name, catalog numbers is given. The works called 'Mecmua' and Persian manuscripts are beyond the scope of this article.