Meir Hatina, associate professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies anddirector of the Levtzion Center for Islamic studies at the Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem, explores the evolving perceptions of martyrdom in modern timesand their relevance on past legacies in both Sunni and Shi‘i milieus. He alsomakes comparative references to Judaism, Christianity, and other non-Islamiccultures. The book...Read More

The title at hand is a valuable and timely edited volume that sheds light onthe economic, political, literary, social, cultural, religious, and historical connectionsbetween Brazil and the Middle East. Whereas the Middle East in thisrespect primarily means the area historically referred to as bilād al-shām (i.e.,Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel), the book also tackles...Read More

What makes the ideas of an Islamic scholar from the heartland of eastern Anatoliarelevant to more than 150 countries across the world? To some, it is theauthenticity, dedication, activism, sincerity, and solidarity of the participantsin what Fethullah Gülen, the inspiring figure behind the movement, has calledthe “volunteers movement” or simply hizmet (service). This global movementprovides...Read More

Fanaticism is derived from the Latin word fanum, which refers to sacred placesof worship such as temples or other consecrated sites. The complete term fanaticusmeans “to be put into raging enthusiasm by a deity.”2 In the modernsense, a fanatic is simply an individual who goes to an extreme, is overly zealousor unreasonably enthusiastic regarding an...Read More