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The Body in Islamic Culture
The concept of the body is of special importance in Islamic and Arab societies. Much of the daily interaction between peoples in these societies is related to the strict Islamic division of the universe into different spaces; the "feminine" and "masculine," the "pure" and the "polluted," the "private" and "public." Fuad I. Khuri explores the different meanings and images related to the body in Islam and how these permeate religious practices and social attitudes among people, and the numerous ways the body communicates messages, attitudes and feelings through unspoken language.
An Invitation to Laughter
For the late Fuad I. Khuri, a distinguished career as an anthropologist began not because of typical concerns like accessibility, money, or status, but because the very idea of an occupation that baffled his countrymen made them—and him—laugh. “When I tell them that ‘anthropology’ is my profession . . . they think I am either speaking a strange language or referring to a new medicine.” This profound appreciation for humor, especially in the contradictions inherent in the study of cultures, is a distinctive theme of An Invitation to Laughter, Khuri’s astute memoir of life as an anthropologist in the Middle East. A Christian Lebanese, Khuri offers up in this unusual autobiography...
Imams and Emirs
In this classic, comprehensive study of Islamic sects in the contemporary Arab world, Khuri focuses on the Sunni, Shi'a, Alawis, Druze, Ibadis, Zaidis, Yazidis and the Maronites (who, although Christian, are included because they share certain distinguishing features). His placements of these groups on a single comparative scale was unprecedented. Khuri argues that conflicts among Muslims arise from the struggle between two opposing forces: religious, doctrinaire authorities (imams) and leaders who derive their authority from power and coercion (emirs). He discusses the role of dogma but also, uniquely, the critical factors that differentiate sects from religious communities and religions from sects. Following a thorough review of the structural characteristics of individual sects, Khuri addresses issues of religious change, dealing with the interplay between religions, states and nationalism. Here he explores the contradictions between modern state structures and the Islamic umma, showing how some religious concepts had begun to take on nationalistic meanings.
Being a Druze
Fuad Khuri touches upon the Druze religion and how it plays a part on the lives of its adherents. Khuri describes the strong in-group feeling within the Druze, even in immigrant populations, and their deep attachment to ethnicity and unbending solidarity, always standing firmly by the power elite in times of crisis. The Druze learn their culture and associated rituals as connected with the cycle of life. 'He or she is always under the watchful eye of the community from birth until death and, then, rebirth'. In attempting to achieve divine manifestation, the Druze have developed not only a unique style of worship, but also a unique style of living and speaking, continuously practicing self-di...
Tents and Pyramids
Tents and Pyramids deals with an unusual and absorbing topic: how the Arabs see and deal with reality and the implications this has for the nature of power in the Arab world. 'Tents' and 'pyramids' are, metaphorically opposed mental images; the first signifies the absence of hierarchy and graded authority, the second the presence of both. Khuri argues that the Arabs perceive both social and physical reality as a series of discrete, non-pyramidal structures that are inherently equal in value much like a bedouin encampment composed of tents scattered haphazardly on a flat desert surface with no visible hierarchy. Authority is not built into a hierarchical arrangement where the roles are subord...
The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East
Since 1979, few rivalries have affected Middle Eastern politics as much as the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, too often the rivalry has been framed purely in terms of 'proxy wars', sectarian difference or the associated conflicts that have broken out in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen. In this book, Simon Mabon presents a more nuanced assessment of the rivalry, outlining its history and demonstrating its impact across the Middle East. Highlighting the significance of local groups, Mabon shows how regional politics have shaped and been shaped by the rivalry. The book draws from social theory and the work of Pierre Bourdieu to challenge problematic assumptions about 'proxy wars', the role of religion, and sectarianism. Exploring the changing political landscape of the Middle East as a whole and the implications for regional and international security, Mabon paints a complex picture of this frequently discussed but oft-misunderstood rivalry.
Imams and Emirs
"In this comprehensive study of Islamic sects in the contemporary Arab world, Khuri focuses on the Sunni, Shi'a, Alawis, Druze, Ibadis, Zaidis, Yazidis and Maronites (who, although Christian, are included because they share certain distinguishing features). His placement of these groups on a single comparative scale was unprecedented." "Khuri argues that conflicts among Muslims arise from the struggle between two opposing forces: religious, doctrinaire authorities (imams) and leaders who derive their authority from power and coercion (emirs). He discusses the role of dogma but also, uniquely, the critical factors that differentiate sects from religious communities and religions from sects." "Following a thorough review of the structural characteristics of individual sects, Khuri addresses issues of religious change, dealing with the interplay between religions, states and nationalism. Here he explores the contradictions between modern state structures and the Islamic umma, showing how some religious concepts had begun to take on nationalistic meanings."--BOOK JACKET.
Transnational Shia Politics
This book illuminates the historical origins and present situation of militant Shia transnational networks by focusing on three key countries in the Gulf, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, whose Shia Islamic groups are the offspring of Iraqi movements. The reshaping of the area's geopolitics after the Gulf War and the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003 have had a profound impact on transnational Shiite networks, pushing them to focus on national issues in the context of new political opportunities. For example, from being fierce opponents of the Saudi monarchy, Saudi Shiite militants have tended to become upholders of the Al-Sa'ud dynasty.The question remains, however, how deeply in society have these new beliefs taken root? Can Shiites be Saudi or Bahraini patriots? Louer concludes her book by analysing the transformation of the Shia' movements' relation to central religious authority, the marja', who reside either in Iraq and Iran. This is all the more problematic when the marja' is also the head of a state, as with Ali Khamenei of Iran, who has many followers in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Sectarian Politics in the Persian Gulf
Sunni-Shia relations in the GCC countries are analysed by the contributors in the wake of recent protests in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
Being a Druze
Fuad Khuri touches upon the Druze religion and how it plays a part on the lives of its adherents. Khuri describes the strong in-group feeling within the Druze, even in immigrant populations, and their deep attachment to ethnicity and unbending solidarity, always standing firmly by the power elite in times of crisis. The Druze learn their culture and associated rituals as connected with the cycle of life. 'He or she is always under the watchful eye of the community from birth until death and, then, rebirth'. In attempting to achieve divine manifestation, the Druze have developed not only a unique style of worship, but also a unique style of living and speaking, continuously practicing self-di...
