Scientific Essay from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, Comenius University in Bratislava, language: English, abstract: The key position of Muslim writers in the contemporary English speaking novel is undoubted. Muslim writing itself is a logical consequence of postcolonial writing which has been marked by Carribean, African and Muslim authors at the same time. Whereas Carribean writers focus on concepts such as nation or nationalism,.Black writers seem to reflect a notion which is widely understood by 'cultural memory'. Muslim writing on its behalf centers on the catchphrase 'identity' since it considers Islam as a perfect identity marker for the novel. This (Muslim) 'otherness' is rooted in a religion which has for too long been looked upon from Said's concept of 'otherness' which is based on Foucault's notion of 'power and knowledge'. lt is here where the dualistic concept of East and West is constructed which sees both sides as antagonistic spheres. lt also in this background where author and reader finally have to discuss this Muslim 'otherness' apart from their minds. lt is therefore this (religious) 'otherness' based on religion which makes it extremely difficult for Western readers to fully understand Muslim characters. This is due to the fact that Islam is not only a religious idea of the world, it is also a total concept of Muslim existence since it covers all spheres of Muslim existence, the religious, the social, the legal and the political. The intention of this essay therefore is to give a short survey of Muslim writing over the last 30 years. The aim is to shortly reflect the incorporation of Islam into the novel , a development which has been marked by Nünning/Nünning with the term 'cross-fertilization' thus refering to the close link between narration and religion. The focus of the chosen novels hoowever lies on 'identity', a term marked by the concept of modern man being a migrant or a nomad, thus also reflecting the consequences of migration waves and the phenomenon of globalization. The paper starts with a sociological and religious background before it shortly deals with "The Satanic Verses", "The Black Album", "Brick Lane", "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and "Guantanamo Boy". The aim ist o give a short survey oft he question of Muslim identity during the last 30 years.

Studying the Qur'an in the Muslim Academy examines what it is like to study and teach the Qur'an at academic institutions in the Muslim world, and how politics affect scholarly interpretations of the text. Guided by the author's own journey as a student, university lecturer, and researcher in Iran, Malaysia, and New Zealand, this book provides vivid accounts of the complex academic politics he encountered. Majid Daneshgar describes the selective translation and editing of Edward Said's classic work Orientalism into various Islamic languages, and the way Said's work is weaponized to question the credibility of contemporary Western-produced scholarship in Islamic studies. Daneshgar also examines networks of journals, research centers, and universities in both Sunni and Shia contexts, and looks at examples of Quranic interpretation there. Ultimately, he offers a constructive program for enriching Islamic studies by fusing the best of Western theories with the best philological practices developed in Muslim academic contexts, aimed at encouraging respectful but critical engagement with the Qur'an.

This book is the sequel to Britain Through Muslim Eyes and examines contemporary novelistic representations of and by Muslims in Britain. It builds on studies of the five senses and ‘sensuous geographies’ of postcolonial Britain, and charts the development since 1988 of a fascinating and important body of fiction by Muslim-identified authors. It is a selective literary history, exploring case-study novelistic representations of and by Muslims in Britain to allow in-depth critical analysis through the lens of sensory criticism. It argues that, for authors of Muslim heritage in Britain, writing the senses is often a double-edged act of protest. Some of the key authors excoriate a suppression or cover-up of non-heteronormativity and women’s rights that sometimes occurs in Muslim communities. Yet their protest is especially directed at secular culture’s ocularcentrism and at successive British governments’ efforts to surveil, control, and suppress Muslim bodies.

Scientific Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Literature - Canada, , course: Englische Literatur, language: English, abstract: In the past four decades the literary reflection of Muslim life in East and West has been characterized by the West with skewed perceptions of Islam and Muslim existence. The events of 9/11 and its aftermath have worsened the traditional negative and stereotyped perception and treatment of Islam. The consequence from this was a negative treatment of Muslim existence by Western and Muslim writers alike. Many novelists disposing of a Muslim background were and (still) are trapped in the negative notion of 'the clash of civilizations' which is so often embedded in many novels be it in the presentation of the characters or simply a negative portrayal of the Muslim world. In contrast to many migrant writers with a British background who are labelled in terms such as 'Postcolonial', 'Migrant Writing', 'British Muslim Fiction', 'Muslim Narrative Writing' or 'Muslim Writing' American and Canadian based Muslim writers face a harder position since they are (historically, culturally and literarily speaking) not that deeply established as their British counterparts. This is partly due to the fewer number of writers and the shorter period of their literary presentation and a (logical) shorter literary tradition resulting from this. Open questions emerging from this here are if critics and readers alike see Islamic English literature as being literature written by Americans or Canadians or if it is basically Muslim or Islamic? It goes without saying that fiction is not only a reflection of reality but also a mode of tearing down the above mentioned stereotypes of Muslim existence as such. It is interestingly speaking matters of identity which function as key elements of 'Muslim Writing' in Britain, America and Canada a clear indication for the fact that treatment and representations of Muslims have not only been neglected so far but also offer a wide field of possibilities.

What makes an American Catholic of Irish and Italian descent one of the leading global voices in admiration of Prophet Muhammad? In this overview of Muhammad's life and legacy, prominent scholar Craig Considine provides a sociological analysis of Muhammad's teachings and example. Considine shows how the Prophet embraced religious pluralism, envisioned a civic nation, stood for anti-racism, advocated for seeking knowledge, initiated women's rights, and followed the Golden Rule. Considine sheds light on the side of Prophet Muhammad that is often forgotten in mainstream depictions and media narratives. The Humanity of Muhammad is Considine's contribution to the growing body of literature on one of history's most important human beings.

Islamic postcolonialism is a theoretical perspective that combines two components which have up until now existed in a state of tension. As a secular theory, postcolonialism has notably failed to account for Muslim priorities; it has, for instance, had severe problems critiquing the anti-Islam polemics of The Satanic Verses, as is evidenced by Edward Said’s support for Rushdie, in spite of his criticism of the stereotypical representation of Islam and Muslims in the West. Islamic postcolonialism applies the anti-colonial resistant methodology of postcolonialism from a Muslim perspective, exploring the continuance of colonial discourse in part of the contemporary western writing about Islam and Muslims. This book explores how Islam is depicted and Muslim identities are constructed in four representative works of contemporary British fiction: Hanif Kureishi’s The Black Album (1995), Monica Ali’s Brick Lane (2003), Fadia Faqir’s My Name is Salma (2007), and Leila Aboulela’s Minaret (2005). Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (1988) is also discussed in terms of its crucial role in fostering what some Muslims might consider polemical and stereotypical positions in writing about Islam.