This book is an exploration of the perceptions of the American and British governments about Islam and Muslims based upon their experiences over the past two centuries. It provides a response to the accusation that US and British governments are inherently anti-Islamic and are seeking the destruction of that faith through their policy decisions. The book uses primary documents from the US and British governments to examine the attitudes of politicians and officials in a variety contexts ranging from the ‘War on Terror’, the Iranian Revolution and the ‘Trojan Horse’ Scandal to the conversion of Alexander Russell Webb to Islam, Islamic Finance and Mosque-building. In so doing it provides a wide-angle lens on the diversity of issues and experiences which have shaped the views of officials and politicians about Islam.

This book is an exploration of the perceptions of the American and British governments about Islam and Muslims based upon their experiences over the past two centuries. It provides a response to the accusation that US and British governments are inherently anti-Islamic and are seeking the destruction of that faith through their policy decisions. The book uses primary documents from the US and British governments to examine the attitudes of politicians and officials in a variety contexts ranging from the 'War on Terror', the Iranian Revolution and the 'Trojan Horse' Scandal to the conversion of Alexander Russell Webb to Islam, Islamic Finance and Mosque-building. In so doing it provides a wide-angle lens on the diversity of issues and experiences which have shaped the views of officials and politicians about Islam.

The model of marriage constructed in classical Islamic jurisprudence rests on patriarchal ethics that privilege men. This worldview persists in gender norms and family laws in many Muslim contexts, despite reforms introduced over the past few decades. In this volume, a diverse group of scholars explore how egalitarian marital relations can be supported from within Islamic tradition. Brought together by the Musawah movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, they examine ethics and laws related to marriage and gender relations from the perspective of the Qur’an, Sunna, Muslim legal tradition, historical practices and contemporary law reform processes. Collectively they conceptualize how Muslim marriages can be grounded in equality, mutual well-being and the core Qur’anic principles of ‘adl (justice) and ihsan (goodness and beauty).

Although the institution of marriage has been in existence since the creation of the human race, mankind has struggled to achieve the peace and security that this institution is supposed to offer. Many books have been written and numerous seminars and conferences have been held to answer the often asked question What is the recipe for a blissful marriage?, and although many suggestions have been offered, the rate of divorce continues to increase. The author relentlessly pursued and researched this line of study, taking him back to the first human creation, bringing him nearer to the origin of this institution and its originator. Throughout the ages, many billions of people have followed this tradition in which the lawful reproductions of the human race have been ensured. As time elapsed and man went astray from the divine guidance that came to him, the originator sends constant reminders of the rules, as once sent to the prophets that are supposed to guide us. However, again and again we have chosen to ignore these rules that are supposed to secure that peaceful, happy, tranquil, and durable relationship between husband and wife. Cultural Perception of Marriage among Muslims is filled with advice and a recipe for success for people of all races and colours, religion and locales, of how a blissful marriage can be achieved when drawn from the divine text. So whether you are married or hope to get married one day, this book will be of great benefit and a blessing. This book is to be studied and used as a point of reference in order to avoid the pitfalls of disunity and disagreement and separation between a husband and wife, avoiding a problematic marriage.

High rates of divorce, often taken to be a modern and western phenomenon, were also typical of medieval Islamic societies. By pitting these high rates of divorce against the Islamic ideal of marriage,Yossef Rapoport radically challenges usual assumptions about the legal inferiority of Muslim women and their economic dependence on men. He argues that marriages in late medieval Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem had little in common with the patriarchal models advocated by jurists and moralists. The transmission of dowries, women's access to waged labour, and the strict separation of property between spouses made divorce easy and normative, initiated by wives as often as by their husbands. This carefully researched work of social history is interwoven with intimate accounts of individual medieval lives, making for a truly compelling read. It will be of interest to scholars of all disciplines concerned with the history of women and gender in Islam.