The Postcolonial Crescent: Islam's Impact on Contemporary Literature

Description

When the Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced the "fatwa" against the novelist Salman Rushdie in 1989, the world awoke to the question which unifies the fifteen essays in this volume: What is the contentious relationship between the world's fastest growing religion and an increasingly secular literary world? Recognizing the convergence between Islam's religious concerns and the political agenda it shares with many postcolonial emerging nations, noted international scholars address issues of authorization, the role of gender, and the pluralism among Islamic (and non-Arabic) cultures. After providing a historical context for current crises, the essayists discuss the coming cultural enrichment and potential threat. Contents I. AUTHORITY n. GENDER m. PLURALISM Contributors Acknowledgments I. Authority 1 Introduction: Contemporary Islamic Encounters with the Printed Word John C. Hawley I. Authority II. Gender in. Pluralism Notes Works Cited 2 What is a Muslim? Fundamental Commitment and Cultural Identity Akeel Bilgrami I IV V VI Works Cited 3 Artistic Creativity in Islamic Contexts Mohammed Arkoun I. Religious Feeling in Literature1 II. Artistic Creativity in Islamic Contexts Notes 4 The Dichotomy of Islam and Modernity in the Fiction of Naguib Mahfouz Notes Works Cited 5 Islam and the Literature of Controversy Anouar Majid II. Gender 6 Feminist Expression as Self-Identity and Cultural Critique: The Discourse of Doria Shafik Cynthia Nelson I. Introduction n. The Problem III. Dona Shafik in Historical Context IV.'Post World War Two Era V. Feminist Expression as Self-Identity and Cultural Critique VI. Conclusion Works Cited 7 Ayyam min hatatti: The Prison Memoirs of a Muslim Sister Miriam Cooke 8 Subverting Holy Scriptures: The Short Stories of Yûsuf Idrîs Renate Wise I. Introduction II. Disobeying Qur’anic Injunctions m. The Destruction of Icons: The Lusty Virgin Mary and Her Concupiscent Christ IV. The Blasphemy of God’s Servant V. Rewriting a Hadith VI. Conclusion Notes Works Cited 9 Gender, Postcolonial Subject, and the Lebanese Civil War in Sitt Marie Rose Sabah Ghandour Notes Works Cited III. Pluralism 10 Islam and Afrocentricity: The Triple Heritage School I. What is Islamophile Afrocentricity? U. The Symbolism of Egypt: Pharaonic and Islamic m. Afrocentric Islam and Islamic Africanity IV. Between Arabism and Afrocentricity V. Conclusion 11 Marabout-Masters: Maraboutism and the Problem of Education in the Senegalese Novel Debra Boyd-Buggs L The “Daara” n. “Boroom Daara" and the Physical Abuse of the Talibés m. Pedagogical Incompetency IV. Begging and Parental Abdication V. Youth Labor Exploitation VI. Cultural Conflict: Qur’anic vs. French School Vn. The Marabout-Maître and the Conflict of Generations Vm. Revolt against the Maître IX. Le Marabout-Maître Exemplaire Notes Works Cited 12 Impact of Islam on Modern Bengali Poetry Syed Ali Ashraf I II. The New Sensibility: The Bengal Muslim Society Vis-a-Vis the Bengal Hindu Society in. Impact on Literature IV. Thematic Innovations and their Impact on Literary Ventures V. Impact on Style and Language VI. Conclusion Notes Works Cited 13 The Mirage of Faith and Justice: Some Sociopolitical and Cultural Themes in Post-Colonial Urdu Short Stories H. The Human Dimensions of the Partition HI. The Diaspora IV. Poverty V. Gender Exploitation and Spousal Abuse VI. False Saints VII. Corrupt Politicians and Power Brokers Vm. Human Respectability IX. Miscellaneous X. Conclusion Works Cited 14 The Changing Mode of Relationship Between Modern Persian Literature and Islam: Karbala in Fiction. Kamran Talattof I. Early Period: Persianism and Opposition to Islam TL A Neutral Mode: Committed Literature m. Third Mode: Postrevolutionary Period and the Rise of Islamic Literature IV. Conclusion Works Cited 15 Immigrant Muslim Writers in Germany Georg Stoll I. Islam in Germany n. Islam in German Literature III. Immigrant Literature IV. Islam In German Immigrant Literature Notes Works Cited Index